We have two Nuna Execs (one from 2024 and one new “Next” model) and the Graco 4Ever DLX Extend2Fit.
I debated what toddler seat to get. Sometimes I wish I went with the Nuna Revv for the turning feature. But ultimately purchased the Exec because it can go all the way to booster - so instead of buying a Rava or Revv now and then needing to buy another booster later, spent a little more getting the Exec but hopefully less in the long run.
As far as Nuna vs. Graco, the Nuna is more luxury for sure. The fabrics feel nicer. It’s more aesthetically pleasing (opinion of course). Execs were much easier to install for us. But it better be “nice” for $400 more than the Graco. However, the Graco being less plush I think is actually easier to clean. Most importantly, the kid didn’t notice a thing and is safe. So if you’re going to break the bank for a fancy car seat, remember your kid could care less.if you’ve got the budget and it makes you happy, go for it.
I would look at recalls and safety ratings for the rotating seats. When I was looking there were some open recalls on the top one for the lock wearing out/ folks forgetting to lock it back to the spot? Idk, I stopped right there. I don’t take risks. I’m already tired, I don’t want to add another step to making sure my son is 100% because I would never forgive myself. The top 2 safety rated that year were the ones I bought. The Graco dlx (?) and the Nuna ravv. My son doesn’t exactly love the graco (not as comfy I guess) and we keep that in the truck which he doesn’t ride in much. He loves the Nuna. Much more comfy it seems. Also Nuna is not a US brand. US brands sometimes only go for US testing standards. Nuna goes for the US and Euro ones which have always been higher in my experience. If you ask AI- they say Euro are more ‘comprehensive’ as US safety testing has historically focused on front impact and left out side impact. Also Euro regulations are more stringent on ease of ‘correct’ installation. I would say making sure the Graco was installed correct versus Nuna was a lot more time and effort and obviously top safety is a seat installed incorrectly is going to greatly increase injury potential. The Graco had some reviews that made me trust it- pictures of wrecked cars and moms stating babies were 100% ok/ some had even slept through crash. Good luck finding something you like! We are going to swap my oldest to the Nuna Lumn when the time comes and put the youngest in Ravv. We have a Nuna Pippa for the newborn/ infant stage.
We bought the Chicco KeyFit 35 infant car seat and the Graco 4Evr Dlx convertible car seat. I panicked when someone said their hospital would only release them with an infant car seat, so we bought the KeyFit later.
We bought the Mockingbird Single Stroller with the bassinet.
We loved our Britax Boulevard but it was not at all good for bigger kids rear facing longer! I think the weight limit was 35 on latch install which some of my kids hit before age 2. We had to change to Diono Radian and Graco Extend to fit to keep them rear facing.
In that case, a little more info - Joie and Graco are owned by the same parent company. The Graco Slimfit R129 and Joie Everystage R129 are the same seat under the covers. Exact same Which/ADAC rating. The Graco is normally cheaper but the Joie sometimes tips it if it's on offer and the Graco is not. The ADAC rating was good, which is reassuring because the result is averaged between the rear facing and high back booster mode meaning it likely has good performance in both modes. It actually performed better than the result of the best forward facing harness + high back booster combo seats which are fitted with isofix.
Likewise Joie Steadi and Graco Extend are very similar to each other (not sure if exactly identical). People tend to find their child is too tall for the seat before they reach 105cm, even though that's the limit on it.
Halfords tend to stock all of these if you wanted to compare somewhere you can try them in the car. With the 105cm/21kg weight limit of the Slimfit/Everystage, he'll probably hit that around 3 if he stays on the same centiles, so you'll likely need to swap to an extended harness seat later on. Beware that a lot of seats advertised as extended harness have a 105cm limit on the harness. You will need a 125cm limit at that point, but the FF ones are cheaper than RF and probably still will be in a couple of years' time. There are a few of these on the market now.
OTOH a lot of children drop centiles as they start moving so you may well find his growth slows down. It will naturally slow down soon anyway but I mean even when they have rocketed through centiles in the first year - my 98th centile 1yo ended up bang on 50th centile by 4 years old.
Top Travel Car Seats on Reddit
1
Cosco Kids
Scenera Next DLX Convertible Car Seat
78% positive of 250 users
Super light, cheap, great for air travel, but outgrown fast.
dinosupremo
