I use a Maxi Cosi Priorifix (
Linky). It's a seriously substantial piece of kit. The boy always seems well secured, very comfy, he has no problem sleeping in it that's for sure. From a driving point of view it's easy to reach back and adjust the angle of the recline or pull the straps tight etc. Removable cover for cleaning, easy to adjust the straps and so on. Can't really fault the chair.
What I will say for it though, is it's quite tall. I mean it has a huge, chunky base, safe as it is, means he's seated quite high up in relation to his surroundings. This is primarily an issue with the 7th Gen, not the car seat itself. My son is almost 30 months old now and getting fairly tall, it's therefore quite an art-form getting him into the car. It's pretty tight fitting him through the doorway over the armrest of the child seat. Then there's a sort of lift and twist motion before putting him down into the chair. 50% of the time I'll gently knock his head on the ceiling of the car :lol: . It's not as bad as it sounds, but it's certainly not ideal. The Mrs has almost resigned herself to not doing it and I always have to put him in the car <_< . Although that's also as she can't do the straps and buckle. None of which is difficult, more like she is if you know what I mean
.
Also, this height means the seat is fairly high in relation to the armrest. I like to leave the armrest folded down for drinks bottles and putting toys on etc. For a long time he was really struggling to reach the things in the drinks holder of the arm rest. If the seat was a little lower, I'm sure he would have been able to start using this earlier. Not really an issue now, but maybe worth mentioning.
Also, be prepared for muddy footprints up the back of the chair the child seat is behind. The size of the rear cabin is such that even with the front chair fairly forward, you're going to end up with shoes kicking the back of the chair in front. I'm thankful I have full leather (wipe clean
) and look forward to the day he's down to just the booster seat (mind you I'm sure then he'll find something else to damage then).
Anyway, when I had an 8th Gen courtesy car last week, I was blown away at how much easier it was to get the seat and him in. The seats were lower in relation to the door (which also felt bigger) and the whole thing was just smoother. It's like the angles of the chairs and things better suited the implementation of a child seat.
Before you buy, if you can, try some chairs in your car. I simply tried the boy in some chairs, but he'll be happy in most chairs. As long as it's well padded with decent head supports, you can't really go wrong. Getting one that's right for the rigours of parenting is another matter. I bought an expensive one as I figured it would be a sound investment that would likely see me through more than one child. And it will, but I never tried it in the car first, more fool me. I imagine the Accord would be plenty big enough to accommodate any child seat. I wonder if perhaps a more compact option would have been a better idea. But that's life really. I would recommend the chair, but suggest you try one for yourself in your Accord to see what you think about the size and space, and remember, kids grow ****** fast man
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