In the hot seat: meet the only child’s car seat you’ll ever need

A permanent fixture in your family car for the foreseeable – a safety seat, sure – but it’s also an inanimate object that you’ll love like it’s one of your own. I sound like I’m being dramatic (OK, I am), but the best child’s car seats are there with you through all of life’s ups and downs, from the monumental moments to the most mundane – your newborn’s first journey home from hospital, pinballing your way between nursery and school drop-offs, sleepovers, sports-club shuttle runs, and every kiddie commute in between. 

Absolutely. The law states that all children must be in an appropriately sized car seat until they are 135cm (4ft 5ins) tall or 12 years old, whichever comes first. It’s also strongly recommended that you buy one before your baby is born to make sure it fits in your car (which anyone who’s tried to decode an instruction manual mid-postpartum fug will heartily endorse).

Thankfully, the John Lewis Swivel Group 0+/1/2/3 Isofix car seat has every child’s age and stage covered. Featuring a removable newborn insert and extended rearward-facing position for up to four years (as well as multiple reclining positions in both forwards and rearward positions), it’ll safely carry newborn babies, then see your little darling through from toddler to tween. In short, this multi-talented marvel is with you and your crew for the long haul.

• Designed for Group 0+ to 3, or newborns to 36kg (approx 12 years)
• Isofix compatible
• 360-degree rotation
• Light and sound indicators to aid installation
• Multiple recline positions
• Quilted design cushioning
• Removable covers for easy-clean
• Plus much more

It’s high quality: Like the industry’s safest models, the Swivel Group car seat is packed with features you can trust. From light and sound indicators (so you know the Isofix is correctly installed) and a five-point safety harness (easily adjustable, as is the headrest) to the plush cushioning (for side impact protection and comfort), this is one quality-rich product designed to ensure total peace of mind.

It’s cost-efficient: Searching for the right car seat is intense. Balancing the safety features, age suitability, comfort and value for money is a tall order for any new parent. Now imagine that you only have to go through all that once. Sure, at £300 it’s an investment, but it’s built to last and easily holds its own amongst (shoutier) leading brands. Heard the trope ‘buy less, buy better’? Well, this is the car-seat embodiment.

It’s loved by kids and parents alike: With all the sensible stuff ticked off, the engineers could have put their feet up, but no game-changing design ever stops at sensible. In spins the swivel function – a 360-degree rotation that makes wrestling kids into the car so much easier (please tell me I’m not the only one who’s knocked their head on the door frame during the morning tussle?). It’s also helpful when you need to carefully keep a sleeping baby snoozing (yup, it even tilts for napping babes).

Keen to know more when it comes to buying a child’s car seat? Let’s hope so, otherwise this is particularly niche reading material. Hit the John Lewis car-seat buying guide to help sort your Isofix from your i-Size. In a rush? Here are the basics…

What do car-seat group numbers mean? Group 0 is designed for children weighing 0-10kg (approx birth to 6-9 months); Group 0+ is for 0-13kg (approx birth to 12-15 months); Group 1 is for 9-18 kg (approx 9 months to 4 years); Group 2 is for 15-25 kg (approx 4-6 years); Group 3 is for 22-36 kg (approx 6-11 years).

What are common car-seat terms?

• Rear-facing – Group 0: all babies must be rear-facing until they are 15 months old
• Forward-facing – Group 1: forward-facing with an integral harness
• Combination – Group 0+/1/2/3: a one-stop-shop, adjusted as your child grows (and a smart investment if you don’t want to keep upsizing)
• Boosters – high-backed seats recommended until children are 125cm+ tall (approx 7+ years)
• i-Size – The European standard for child car seats that forms part of regulation R129
• Isofix – The safety system that uses fixed anchor points to secure seats in place

Yes. I had thought my eldest’s car seat was good enough, but then I (well, technically my youngest) tried the Swivel Group wonder and, honestly, it’s ruined other car seats for me. Super-easy to install with a (fairly) clear instructions manual, it’s slotted into our daily routine like a dream. My two-year-old (and my back) love the 360-degree swivel, which is particularly useful in tight parking spaces, and I’ve never seen her so excited to get into the car. I’m half expecting her to say, ‘I’ve been expecting you, Mr Bond,’ every time she slowly swivels round, but that probably says more about me than the car seat, in all fairness.

If it’s your first car seat, you may want to look into adding accessories, too – particularly a sun shade and a mirror, so that you can see your baby’s face when they’re rear-facing – but that aside, it’s got all your car seat needs covered and then some. 

Absolutely. When you’re lost in parenthood or drowning in the daily juggle, it’s the little moments that mean the most. The designer-inspired quilted detailing on this car seat brings me more joy than it should (my day feels that little bit fancier whenever I clic-clac her in – it’s my ‘quilty’ pleasure). In fact, my only regret is that I wish I’d got one sooner.

I’ll leave the final say to my two-year-old daughter, who, on her first spin, announced (unprompted, I promise), ‘I love my new car seat, Mama!' And it doesn’t get much more effusive than that.