You’re never as aware about the safety of your children as you are when they’re young. That’s why choosing the right car seat is such an important choice. You want to ensure that your child is going to be safe while you’re on the move. From a health perspective, it’s particularly vital to secure the physical safety of your child when they’re at such a vulnerable developmental stage. There are also a whole range of American Association of Paediatrics recommendations that provide wonderful tips on the right kinds of car seats for young children. In our quest to find the perfect car seat, we’ve taken these into particular consideration. No matter the kind of driving you’re going to be doing – be it day to day errands around a city or long-distance road trips, it’s crucial for parents to feel secure in the car seat that they have looking after their little one!
When it comes to selecting the best car seat for an 8 month old, we believe that you should choose according to the following features: safety features, ability to customise, ability to clean, and comfort. We’ve used these four features to perform top-secret research into the bets car seats currently out there for 8-month olds. For all you busy new parents out there, this means that we’ve done the work for you! You can get back to all of the most wonderful parts of being a parent while knowing that this research has been undertaken with your – and your 8-month olds’-specific needs in mind.
With that, we’re thrilled to present you with our finalist car seats: the Key Fit 30, the UPPAbaby MESA, and the Brittax B-Baby 35.
UppaBaby MESA Review| ££££
Features
The UppaBaby MESA is a relatively new car seat on the market, having only been launched in 2018. The seat measures 17 x 17.5x 31 inches, which has been designed for a snug fit when riding rear-facing, in keeping with American Association of Paediatrics. The minimum weight recommendation for the seat is 4 pounds, and the maximum is 35 pounds, making it perfect for 8-month old babies of all different weights, while also giving a good amount of collateral room on either end of the weight scale. The Uppa MESA is also the first and only seat to pass federal safety standards without the use of fire retardant chemicals. It also has a customizable and highly adjustable headrest with tested side-impact safety features.
Manufacturer link
https://uppababy.com/mesa/overview/
Review
Pros
- Features a SMART secure harness system that installs within seconds
- Includes a height-adjustable feature, customizable to your infant
- Fully LATCH operated
- Features two grow-with-child pillows on the seat to keep your toddler as comfortable and safe as possible
- Three different recline settings
- Side impacted tested in addition to exceeding all applicable safety standards
- Available in a range of different colours
- Compatible into UPPA strollers, meaning that you can just snap the seat in and away you go!
- Extra padded cushions for maximum comfort
- Entirely chemical free fabric
Cons
- Some parent reviews indicate that the straps are sometimes difficult to tighten
- The seats’ physically bulky size can be a problem when it comes to smaller-size cars
- The safety labels that are on the fabric seats have a tendency to heat up in direct sunlight and be uncomfortable for the children riding in the seat
- Not machine washable-the seat has to be wiped down with cool water, which is not the most convenient for busy parents!
- Reviews also indicate that installation is not always straightforward, and instructions can be confusing
Rating
Comfort: 5/5
Ability to customize: 4/5
Ability to clean: 3/5
Safety features: 4/5
Overall: 16/20
The Chicco KeyFit 30 Review|£££
Features
The Chicco KeyFit 30 is a long-time favourite among parents, having been rated the number one infant car seat in America! The seat features a Super Clinch One-Pull LATCH system that has force-multiplying technology that helps achieve extremely secure stability for your 8-month old. This technology also helps give extra security in the case of a collision, doubling as a safety feature for your youngest passenger! The seat also comes equipped with a canopy, providing wonderful relief from the heat on warm days, as well as helping get the little one asleep when it comes to nap time! The design used in the fabric is also highly breathable, having been selected particularly for its temperature-adjusting qualities.
Manufacturer link
https://www.chiccousa.com/our-products/car-seats/chicco-keyfit-30-infant-car-seat/
Review
Pros
- Features a Super Clinch One-Pull LATCH system that gives security while also being a low-maintenance harness system
- Flexible design allows for adjustment to child’s specific size, including removable shoulder pads which are particularly helpful for infants
- Breathable backrest for excellent temperature control
- A one-pull harness that only has one tether for easy use
- A clip-on canopy and visor for protection from the elements
- Rated the number one infant car seat in America in 2017
- Clicks into Chicco strollers
- Machine washable seat
- Lined with energy-absorbing foam and equipped with force-multiplying technology to stabilize
- Ergonomic insert perfect for infants
- Five-point harness for maximum safety
Cons
- Reviews indicated that the installation is not always straightforward and can be challenging in particular in smaller cars
- No accessories currently available
- The seat itself is heavy and bulky. It’s bulkiness in particular means that it can be difficult to fit into smaller cars and its heaviness means that it can be difficult to transport
- Although the seat is machine-washable, the process isn’t straightforward as you have to take off the cushions one by one. This can be time consuming for busy parents, especially considering that other models are more straightforward
Rating
Comfort: 5/5
Ability to customize: 4/5
Ability to clean: 5/5
Safety features: 4/5
Overall: 18/20
Brittax B-Baby 35 Review | ££
Features
The B-Baby features brilliant safety features that have been integrated into the seats’ design. Brittax are particularly famous for this aspect of their seats. The B-Baby 35 features a steel-frame for strength and an energy absorbing base that doubles as an additional shock protector in collisions, allowing for maximum protection for your child. The seat also features a SafeCenter Latch, which secures the seat securely but simply into your vehicle. The design of the seat has also been contoured to minimize side-to-side movement for your 8-month-old. It can also be paired with any Brittax stroller, meaning that you’re getting two forms of infant transportation for the price of one!
Manufacturer link
https://us.britax.com/b-safe-35-infant-car-seats/
Review
Pros
- An all-around layer of foam protection, which provides especially for protection from side-collisions
- Contoured shell minimizes movement of your 8-month-old inside the seat while also minimizing the space it takes up inside the car
- The installation system is streamlined and simple thanks to the Safe Center LATCH feature
- Customizable relax and recline features, meaning that you can ensure that your eight-month-old is as comfortable as possible
- Two layers of side protection which allows for additional crash protection
- Steel frame with an energy absorbing base, allowing for stability even in the most intense collisions
- LATCH belt positioning clip, which allows for the safest harness security
- QuickFit headrest which allows for easy comfort and harness adjustment
- An Amazon Top Choice
Cons
- The seat itself weighs close to 30 pounds, making it heavy even for a toddler car seat
- The age range isn’t as wide as some of the other models on the market
- The bulky size of the seat means that it is only suitable for vehicles of certain sizes, so if you drive a smaller car then this could be a problem. Brittax do provide a list of cars which it will fit, so we recommend referencing that first!
- Not machine washable – must be washed down by hand
Rating
Comfort: 4/5
Ability to customize: 3/5
Ability to clean: 3/5
Safety features: 4/5
Overall: 14/20
Summary
Choosing a car seat for an 8-month-old can be challenging. When you’re selecting for a younger child, there are a whole range of other safety considerations that have to been thought of with even more care than you would for a child that was slightly older. After considering all of the different areas that we weighed when evaluating these different models, we have come to the conclusion that in terms of best overall value for money, the Chicco KeyFit 30 is the best overall solution to the challenges faced the parents of young children when selecting a car seat. We believe the hype!
While the KeyFit 30 shares many of the same features as the Uppa MESA, it comes with a much lower price tag while not compromising on value. While the Uppa MESA is also a favourite with parents, the KeyFit 30 stands apart a little through the praise that it has also received from safety officials. Although it does not have the steel reinforced design of the Uppa, it has all-around energy absorbing foam and force stabilising technology that’s been specifically adapted to handle side-on collisions. Safety features as especially critical when you’re selecting a car seat for an 8-month-old, as its critical to ensure that they’re going to be as secure as possible. In addition to meeting all of our critical areas of assessment, the KeyFit also doubles as a stroller, thanks to its ability to snap into any of the Chicco stroller frames!
