Nursery product reviews
£379.99
BeSafe iZi KID i-Size Review
BeSafe are known for their Scandinavian ‘safety first’ approach to designing car seats. Championing the rear facing market with advanced safety features, the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size is no exception. Come and read our review as we put the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size through its paces.
Nursery Product Review
The BeSafe iZi KID i-Size is BeSafe’s first rear facing car seat to be passed under the new i-Size regulations. The seat height and leg room have been increased, so the BeSafe iZi KID now boasts an age range of 6 months, to approximately 4 years. Combine this with a 10 degree greater recline than its predecessor. Could this be the rear facing seat for you? Come take a look at our BeSafe iZi KID i-Size review…
What’s in the box?
BeSafe iZi KID i-Size
Instruction manual
Car list booklet
Front brace bar
Price
The RRP of the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size is £379.99
Colour Options
Premium Black (25), Fresh Red/Grey (37), Fresh Purple/Grey (38), Fresh Mood Indigo (66), Fresh Petrol/Grey (59), Fresh Dark Grey/Grey (40), Premium Car Interior (46), Fresh Black Cab (64).
• Car Seat Group: 0+/1
• Child Weight: 0-18kg
• Child Height: 61-105cm
Age Suitability: from 6 months - 4 years approx
The manufacturer recommends that you can use the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size from when a child can sit unaided, (approximately 6 months). They recommend a maximum age of approximately 4 years.
Accessories
There are lots of accessories to choose from, ranging from seat protectors, to baby pillow inserts. You can see the full range here.
BeSafe iZi KID i-Size - Installing in a vehicle
When you take the car seat out of the box you’ll be forgiven for breaking out in a cold sweat. With the base attached, a leg support, the isofix connectors and brace bar, it does look pretty daunting. However, once you’ve remembered to breathe, installing the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size is easy-peasy.
First things first, installing the front brace. The brace bar is tucked into the harness when it arrives (it took me a few moments to find it). To fit to the car seat you slide the two pins into the oval tube under the front of the seat. It clicks in, so you know that it’s done. The brace sticks out quite far so you’ll need to adjust it. This is done with the ratchet.
Now remove the plastic caps which cover the ends of the ISOfix connectors. You do this by pressing the grey release button on each connector arm, and they will simply slide off. Then fold down the floor support leg.
If the weather is like it is here, then I recommend that you do all of that before you take it out to the car. Once at the car you need to fit the ISOfix connectors first. Pull them out as far as possible, the grey switches on either side of the connector will stay depressed, and the connectors are then fixed in that position. With the front brace against the seat, click the connectors into the ISOfix anchor points in your car. The handy indicators on the connector arms go green, to let you know when it’s fitted correctly.
Using the ratchet, move the front brace out until it is pressed firmly against the back of the seat and feels secure. Then remove the yellow cover from the floor support - it slides out sideways. An alarm will start as soon as the cover is removed. Using the lever on the side of the support leg, lower the leg until it is flat and sits firmly on the floor. I had to apply quite a bit of pressure, and remove my car mats to place it directly to the floor. There are two indicators on the leg, these will go green once the position is correct - the position of the leg is then locked into place.
It does sound a bit complicated - but it really isn’t. Once you’ve done it once a couple of times it’s a breeze. There are some good illustrations in the instruction manual, which I found useful, and the step by step instructions are easy to follow. Once installed the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size feels very sturdy and robust, and doesn’t take up as much room up as I anticipated.
BeSafe iZi KID i-Size - Safety and Security
With safety the main objective for a car seat, the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size doesn’t disappoint. Not only was it crash tested in accordance with the ECE 4404, but the stricter i-Size regulations also have tougher requirements with regard to side impact protection.
A handy car list booklet comes with the seat, so you can check where to position the seat in your car. It definitely gave me peace of mind. As I was installing the car seat I could feel how well made the seat was - it feels robust and sturdy. Going through the steps and checking the indicators and alarms as I went was great, as I knew if something wasn’t quite right.
While we all hope we never need it, it's good to know that the seat has double side impact protection for the head, neck and spine. Also, the front brace ensures minimal movement of the seat, to protect your little one during a rear impact. The five-point harness is easily adjustable, and once your child is clipped in they look snug and secure. An extra bonus for me is that the adjusters seem to be childproof - for my children at least. My two - and three - year-olds fitted well in the seat. However, I think the baby cushion accessory is a must-buy for my seven-month-old, as she looked uncomfortable.
BeSafe iZi KID i-Size - Day to Day Use
After the initial shock of the size and the weight of the seat, I was pleasantly surprised at how neatly it fitted in my car.
There is more recline - in fact, 10 degrees more than its predecessor. The instruction manual explains which recline is required for which age group, so, for example six months to one year is the full recline. My daughter (seven months) unfortunately didn’t look comfortable in this position and seemed scrunched up. She didn’t complain however, and I think maybe with the baby cushion this would be improved. My only bugbear is that you can’t recline the seat without stopping the car (the adjuster is at the front of the seat). This is a problem with my older children, who are two and three, as they generally fall asleep mid-journey, and complain about being reclined prior to falling asleep. That said, the recline positions seemed to suit their body shapes well.
The covers are washable and easily removed without having to remove the straps - for me, that alone is cause for celebration, many hours have been lost removing juice covered car seat covers! My favourite feature is that there are magnets in the shoulder straps. They neatly attach to the retainer magnets on the side of the seat, keeping the harness out of the way. This made it a little bit easier to get a tantruming, wiggling toddler in and out.
BeSafe iZi KID i-Size - Conclusion
I’m definitely a fan of the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size. With the safety net of extended rear facing, which child safety experts agree is the safest option for your child, you have that extra peace of mind. Then the extra height and leg length compared to the previous model the age range is now six months to four years (18kg or 105cm). While I don’t personally like the scrunched up look of a smaller child in the seat with the seat on full recline, my little one didn’t seem to mind the position.
I just love the magnetic harness retainers, it is so clever and really easy to get the shoulder straps to stay put - a fantastic little extra that makes a world of difference. The harness itself was easy to adjust and the shoulder straps were nice and long and provided a snug fit. I also really liked the installation guide, the car list book and the handy pocket in the back of the seat to store them in. The installation guide wasn’t too long, had good illustrations, and wasn’t complicated to follow. This made installing - which looks to be a mammoth task - really easy.
It is heavy, 14kg heavy in fact, so it isn’t a seat you would want to be swapping between vehicles. As the base is attached to the seat it also looks a little cumbersome out of the box, but once in the car it doesn’t seem as big, or as bulky. The inability to recline without stopping the car is a niggle for me too, as you can’t always find somewhere to pull over.
That said, there really isn’t much not to like about the BeSafe iZi KID i-Size. Available in lots of colours, it’s sturdy, well made and has bags of safety features to ensure you’ve fitted it correctly. So, if you are looking for an extended rear facing car seat - you really should go and take a look at one.
We give the BeSafe iZi KID 4.5 out of 5 stars
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