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The Best Rotating Car Seats For Babies And Toddlers | 2024

the best rotating baby and toddler car seat
Julie Monson

WRITTEN BY JULIE MONSON

Occupational Therapist &

Certified Car Seat Technician

What are rotating car seats and why are they so popular? Find out which baby and toddler rotating car seats score well for safety and are proven to be safest.

WHAT ARE ROTATING CAR SEATS?

A rotating/ swivelling car seat can be rotated on its base towards the vehicle door. They can either rotate 180 degrees or a full 360 degrees, depending on whether the model is strictly rear facing or can rear and forward face. 

Newer models have bases that install using Isofix brackets and a support leg. Some models use top tether anchor instead of the support leg. And there are still a few older models which install using seatbelt. 

The appeal of the swivel feature, is to make it easier on parents’ backs when loading your child in or out of the car. You simply rotate the car seat towards the vehicle door, so that you can place your child and strap them in, without having to lift them over the car seat (and potentially knock their head!). 

The swivel feature is especially useful in 2-door cars and high clearance SUVS, which can make it tricky to place your baby into a rear facing car seat. 

The swivel feature is also appealing as it makes it easier to change the car seat from rear facing to forward facing, without having to reinstall it. 

IS A SWIVELLING CAR SEAT SAFE?

All car seats sold legally in South Africa will have passed the ECE R44/04 or R129 regulations and have been deemed safe and legal to use. Ensuring that a car seat is correctly installed is always vital in order for it to perform optimally in a crash. 

There are several high safety rated infant and toddler car seats available from Europe that have undergone additional, more stringent crash testing and have proven to prove exceptionally high levels of safety. 

The majority of swivel car seats offer extended rearward facing up to 18kg/105cm (approximately 4 years). The BeSafe Beyond 360 is the ONLY swivel seat on the market that can be used until 22kgs or 125cm (approximately 6 years old). Crash tests have shown that rear facing is FIVE TIMES SAFER than forward facing. We therefore strongly recommend that you choose a car seat that will allow rear facing for as long as possible, and that you not be tempted to turn your baby forward facing before it is safe to do so.

Maxi Cosi Pearl 360

Things to consider when buying a rotating car seat

Rotating car seats are convenient and easier to use for parents to buckle children into their car seats. And which parents isn’t eager for anything to make this process more manageable! 

Parents who have joint problems, a 2-door car or even a high clearance SUV will love the convenience of a rotating car seat. Here are some important factors to consider before buying a rotating car seat.

How does it rotate?

Some rotating car seats swivel 180 degrees in a semi-circle, from rear OR forward facing towards the vehicle door. Whereas rotating car seats that can rear AND forward face are able to rotate a full 360 degrees circle from rear, to door, to forward, to the other door.

How easy is it to rotate?

The lever to rotate the car seat can either be found on the side of the base, or at the recline lever where the tail of the harness is. 

If you have a 2 door car, it is much easier to reach the lever if it is on the side of the base rather than towards the backrest of the car (when used in rear facing). So this is something to bear in mind. 

maxi cosi pearl 360

How heavy is it?

As most rotating car seats are attached to their rotating bases, they’re more heavy to move around. Although this does also make them quicker to move in one go. 

If you are likely to be transferring the car seat between cars often, you can consider the BeSafe Beyond Base, Maxi Cosi FamilyFix 360 Pro, Cybex Base G, or Cybex Base T, as you can buy additional bases for a secondary vehicle. This would mean that you only need to transfer the seat unit between cars, without having to reinstall the bases.

The BeSafe Beyond Base is the lightest and most compact.

THE SAFEST ROTATING BABY CAR SEATS

There are Group 0+ infant car seats available that can be removed off the base and clipped onto a compatible pram in order to make a convenient travel system. Alternatively, there are Group 0/1 car seats that last longer (until approximately 4 years) but cannot be clipped onto a pram.

Infant car seats 

If you would like the option of clipping the car seat into the pram to make a travel system, the Cybex Cloud T, Maxi Cosi Pebble 360 Pro and Cybex Cloud G are the safest options available in South Africa at the moment.   They can both be installed using the seatbelt without their isofix bases, but then lose the swivel function. When installed with their respective isofix bases, they can be swivelled 180 degrees toward the vehicle door.

Convertible car seats 

The Maxi Cosi Mica 360 Pro and Besafe iZi Turn B are approved from birth to 18kg/105cm (approx. 4 years). They cannot be clipped onto a pram.

maxi cosi mica pro eco
CAR SEAT

Min limits


Max limits 
Compatible with toddler car seat
Travel system

ADAC safety rating
BESAFE GO BEYOND 40cm 87cm/13kgs Yes, BeSafe Beyond 360 Yes 1.5 "very good"
BESAFE IZI TURN B 40cm 105cm/18kg It converts to toddler seat No 1.5 "very good"
CYBEX CLOUD G 40cm 87cm/13kg Yes, Cybex Sirona G Yes 1.7 "good"
CYBEX CLOUD T
45cm
87cm/
13kg
Yes; Cybex Sirona T
Yes 1.3 “very good”
MAXI COSI PEBBLE 360 PRO 40cm 87cm/ 13kg Yes, Maxi Cosi Pearl 360 Pro  Yes 1.7
"good"
MAXI COSI MICA 360 PRO
40cm
105cm/
18kg
It converts to toddler seat
No 2.0 “good”
THULE MAPLE 40cm 75cm/13kgs Yes, Thule Elm Yes 1.6 "good"

THE SAFEST ROTATING TODDLER CAR SEATS

Our toddler car seats can all be used rear or forward facing until 105cm or 125cm (approximately 4-6 years depending on the model) and they all install with isofix and a support leg.


CAR SEAT


Min limits


Max limits Rotate lever
position
Can be detached from base ADAC safety rating
BESAFE BEYOND 360 61cm 125cm/22kg
(Approx 6 years old)
At recline lever Yes 1.3 "very good'
when used rearfacing
BESAFE IZI TURN 61cm 105cm/18kg
(Approx 4 years old)
Side No 1.5 "very good"
when used rearfacing
CYBEX SIRONA G 61cm 105cm/ 19kgs
(Approx 4 years old)
Side Yes 2.1 "good"
CYBEX SIRONA Gi 61cm 105cm/ 20kg
(Approx 4 years old)
Side No 2.1 "good"
CYBEX SIRONA T 45cm
105cm/18kg
(Approx 4 years old)
Side
Yes 1.7 “good”
MAXI COSI PEARL 360 PRO 61cm 105cm/ 17kgs
(Approx 4 years old)
Side Yes 1.9 "good"
MAXI COSI MICA 360 PRO 40cm
105cm/18kg
(Approx 4 years old)
Side No 2.0 “good”
THULE ELM 61cm 105cm/18kg
(Approx 4 years old)
Side Yes Swedish Plus Tested in rearfacing only 

Our Products

We sell all the highest safety rated rotating baby and toddler car seats. Feel free to contact us for more information or to arrange a fitting. 

best rotating baby car seat


BABY CAR SEATS


TODDLER CAR SEATS

BUY NOW
best rotatig toddler car seat

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