I always call Jimmy a baby but as Florence pointed out recently, really and truly he’s a toddler now! He’s even reached the 20lb mark in weight which means the infant car seat he’s been in since birth is no longer required and a new size 1 car seat like his sisters had to be installed in the car instead!

I realise he’s quite old to only be moving up now at 20 months but because he’s so slight, just as Florence is (she didn’t go up in seat size until her second birthday), we’ve been waiting for him to meet the weight requirement to make it safe! Saying that, he has not been happy in his infant seat, not happy at all! He sees Florence sitting high up in hers and has been absolutely desperate to join her!

With a vision to the future I had fallen for a car seat at one of the press shows I went to in the summer and being a cheeky minx I decided I would ask if I could review it now that the time has come for the seat change. The Chicco Oasys 1 Isofix Car Seat had appealed to me because of the depth mainly. The seat looked so much roomier than the one we have for Florence and because of it being Isofix I just thought it would be much easier to use; sometimes I find it a real pain moving our seat from our car to a friend’s and I’m always worried I’ve not done the belt tight enough or I struggle with it getting twisted. I know Isofix technically is no safer but it’s certainly easier and having watched Prince William on television, slot his baby seat into his car with no effort when taking prince George home from hospital it just seemed like the way forward!

As it turned out our car was not compatible with Isofix as it’s quite old and until we get our new car we will HAVE to continue with a seat belt fitting. However, my in laws DO have a car which has Isofix fittings and regularly take grand children out so it occurred to me that using their car we could still review the seat I had so been drawn to even if we couldn’t use it daily in our own car yet.

The delivery arrived and the box was absolutely HUGE! My husband had to put our seats down so that we could fit it boxed in the car to take it to his parents but actually what was inside wasn’t really much bigger than any other car seat I don’t think. By all accounts it was a bit of a struggle to put in the car first time and even using instructions it took a while to get the hang of but once in, the seat felt very secure and strong. I ALWAYS worry using our seats that the seat belts aren’t done properly and what I like about this one, using the Isofix fitting, is that it completely eliminates that worry. We always make sure our seats are done properly but we have to spend time checking and tightening, time that the Oasys 1 Isofix simply doesn’t need as it slots into place and then has a top tether to ensure it is fully secure. The seat has the Chicco double-check fitting system to ensure it is fitted perfectly correctly which is very reassuring!

The seat is fixed in using Isofix fittings and a top tether!

Installation instructions clear to see although we still found it a little difficult upon first use. Once it was done however, it was secure and comfortably fit!

Just as my first impression from the press show I think the most impressive feature is the depth of the seat. A stage one seat designed for children weighing 9-18kg which is up to about age 4 (I have to say Florence has just turned 4 and only weighs a little over 13kg so for us would last MUCH longer) yet the seat depth is so much larger than our other car seats designed for the same stage. This seat is also incredibly well padded and comfortable for the baby to sit in and with high sides to go with the deep seat it creates a padded cocoon to keep the baby well protected. They also say that the material is perforated for air circulation while the outer structure contains high shock proof features. A 5 position reclining seat system, featuring a one pull adjustment 5 point safety harness finishes off the features which make this seat my most desired of all I’ve used and both the headrest and harness can be adjusted by button.

The car seat is everything I wanted it to be!

As a Mum I just want my child to be safe in the car and this seat definitely leaves me feeling more confident than any other same stage car seat that I have used. On top of that, you can clearly see that Jimmy is VERY comfortable and enjoying his ride!

Jimmy in the Chicco Oasys 1 Isofix Car Seat!

I only wish that we had a car compatible with Isofix fittings as I would prefer to use this seat for both of my children rather than the ones we have got. For now I will have to settle for them but later on in 2014 Chicco are going to bring out a version which doesn’t require Isofix so I’d be very interested to see how it compares. I think ideally we will get a new car which would accommodate Isofix because from using this seat it is clearly easier and there is no room for error when installing which is the most appealing aspect aside from all the other plus points: deeper seat, extra padding, higher sides etc. However, I feel sure that having used this one, the non Isofix version would be prefferrable to the ones we are using now purely for the other reasons alone.

Very impressed as I have to say I find myself always with Chicco products. Even down to their toys I haven’t used something I don’t like. Jimmy loves the little cars and trucks which sing and flash and they’re small enough to go in my hand bag so that he always has something to play with when out and about and I love their light weight buggies too! I’m very fond of this brand indeed and what always comes across, every time I meet with them, is that they really do care what their customer likes and wants. They are very generous with their designs and it pays off for sure!

I was sent the Chicco Oasys 1 Car Seat for the purpose of an honest review.

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