The Recaro Salia Elite i-Sizecar seat is the first 2-in-1 infant carrier (up to 75cm/10kg) and car seat (up to 105cm). The 360º spin offers easy access for parents to take their little one out of the car and place the carrier onto a travel system thanks to the handy adaptors.
We spoke to these real mum testers to get their review...
How did this product make your life easier?
Leila Hill says: "This product is very easy to install, the 360 base comes with 4 easy instructions which switches that turn from red to green when it is installed correctly. The infant carrier is very light and easy to carry, which as I had a very large baby is a must have. The clip in system when aligned correctly is very easy and its lovely not to have to mess around with a seat belt."
Nicola Holman says: "I would recommend this car seat to a fellow parent. It is clearly a leader in its field and offers the removable infant carry seat as well as the 360 degree rotation, which I haven’t seen in any other brand. However, the infant carrier doesn’t fit on standard prams or have pram adapters. I really like the ability to put the car seat on the pram when the baby is sleeping rather than having to transfer to the carrycot, so this was a negative. Further, the car seat isn’t usable on its own i.e. it can’t be used in the car with a seat belt fastener so more difficult to take on holiday or transfer to another car. From a design perspective, the infant seat didn’t look very comfortable. My three-month-old seemed to be hunched forward and it was difficult to change the position and angle of the infant carrier seat. With regards to the seat belt, it felt very secure and had a good clasp. However, loosening the straps was not very intuitive and I found myself googling it in a car park!"
Ammara Raza says: "This car seat having 2 in 1 feature is great where you have a separate car seat for newborns which is removable and you can easily place it onto your pram using a simplest carseat adapter, its smaller and light weight and easy to handle. In the beginning the whole thing looks bulky and you think it would take a lot of space in your car but its design is actually quite compact."
Would you recommend this product to other parents?
Abby Kolberg says: "I would recommend the quality of the product completely - it is a high quality design and the seats are comfortable and have so many little aspects to reassure a worrying mother like myself - these features include - Triple side impact protection, Advanced Side Protection (ASP), HERO harness, no twisting or slipping of straps, Coated belt buckle, reduce heating in summer, Comfortable memory foam in the headrest, One-hand adjustment of reclining position, 3 positions in rear-facing & forward-facing mode - Knowing your little one is going to be safe under all of these features is an important thing for a car sea and I do feel this. The infant carrier can also be used as a travel system when adapters are bought separately. I personally believe the child seat looks fantastic - both are high quality but I feel like without having difficulty to attach the infant carrier - the child seat will be fantastic and I'm excited to use it when my little one is of age."
Tori Lillie says: "The rotating seat is really useful and makes the seat easy to use, especially for me using a two door car. It makes it much easier to lift baby into position, particularly for me post caesarean. It is comfortable for baby and feels really secure once installed into the car. A very sturdy build, although it’s quite large. It is really stylish in terms of design and although an expensive purchase in the outset, it will last years."
Lamara Turvey says: "I wouldn't recommend this product to a fellow mum because of the seat belt being too tight. If that was fixed so it was more comfy for baby then i would as it is a decent car seat and easy to use, except for that one problem which is a major one in my eyes as a baby's comfort comes first in these situations."
Would you choose this product above all others on the market?
Leila Hill says: "Yes I would choose this product. It is so easy to use and I love that the baby feels so secure in it. I feel that the isofix base gives it an advantage due to the fact that its fool proof, my partner can use it without being concerned it isn't installed correctly. Also after giving birth when I was feeling sore and unable to move very well, the ease of popping the infant carrier in was a huge benefit."
Nicola Holman says: "The lightness and portability of the infant carrier is a huge positive and definite selling point for this product. It undeniably offers something no others do with the 360 degree rotation and removable seat. As another positive, this car seat offers an excellent long term option as so many others on the car seat market need to be replaced after only a year or so. Although the initial price feels expensive, this is likely offset by the longevity of the product."
Ammara Raza says: "I might consider this carseat because its all in one and you are tension free in regards to your child's travel system for good 4 years which is a big relief. one time investment and there you go. Also very easy to install in the car. easy to operate. 360 rotation and detachable smaller carseat is my favourite part specially because its very light weight."
What changes would you make to this product?
Abby Kolberg says: "As stated previously the easiness of attaching and unattaching the infant car seat from the child car seat - I understand the thoughts behind making a car seat with both infant and child seat features and I love it - just not in practice, it is so fiddly to clip on top of the child seat as the child seat is so cushioned it often is hard to press down into the fixtures to secure the child seat - but when it is installed, it's great - just not for taking in and out - I think if it were being used with a travel system, it would be a nightmare taking in and out and that's why we haven't used it as much as we attach ours to our pushchair for quick trips, to reduce the hassle of attaching and unattaching."
Tori Lillie says: "The weight of the base and possibly the size if the complete system for my small car. I own a Mini and the seat is really large to fit into the back, however this would probably be much easier in other, larger cars. It was very heavy to initially get into the car and fit. I would say it takes two people to install the seat initially due to the weight."
Lamara Turvey says: "If it were cheaper obviously that would be a help but most definitely the closeness of the seat belt, baby cried after using it and on one occasion noticed it had been rubbing. If that major problem can be changed then it would be a great car seat that i would be happy to use really like how easy the seat moves around."