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Car seats

Cybex Sirona - wow!

29 replies

Gatorade · 29/12/2012 20:43

I have just purchased the Cybex Sirona and thought I'd share my experience.

We have a BeSafe izi combi which I purchased last week for our family car but quickly realised it was too big for my 3 door convertible (front passenger seat needed to be too far forward to fit it, could only fit it with the roof down and I had to climb in through the drivers side to strap DD in). We therefore made the (expensive) decision to have two ERF seats and find a more appropriate one for the odd occasion when I take DD in my car (I would actually really recommend this as the seats tend to be really large and not straight forward to fit and move around as a maxi cosi infant seat).

I went to mamas and papas today and first I must say I was amazed by the wonderful customer service we received, the member of staff had obviously had recent extensive training on how to present and fit the Sirona and demonstrated the seat really well. She fitted the car seat to our car to firstly check the fit and secondly to give us a good lesson in fitting it correctly.

The seat fitted perfectly with ample room for the front seat passenger. However the best bit by far is the swivel, I could easily put DD into the seat without having to climb into the back with her. I actually wish we had bought two of these seats as even in a 5 door car I think this is a great feature.

It's worth noting the Sirona does seem a bit smaller than the Besafe, however I'm sure by the time DD grows out of it there will be more ERF options on the market so I'm not going to worry about that at the expense of the ease of use we now have.

Another small point, if the seat is ever used in the forward facing position (I doubt we will but you never know), the straps are not used, the seat has a sort of impact cushion instead. Apparently Cybex consider this to be safer then straps for forward facing.

In summary I think this is a great seat no matter what you drive (as long as it fits) but its especially great if you have a two/three door car.

OP posts:
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Kroder1 · 30/12/2012 18:30

I measured the seat height and it is very small compared to other car seats we looked at for after the Baby seat so is unlikely to last long, so agree with your point on this.

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MeconiumHappens · 11/01/2013 22:13

Interesting review, thanks. Am considering erf, and the sirona has everything (bar the price tag!) going for it.

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boardingschoolbaby · 30/12/2013 16:05

Ooh we are looking at these. I really like the idea of the swivel, but Ds is very long so I do worry about growing out of it- he is 7 months and too tall for his first car seat now, but since we need 2 I would rather not spend £800 if they will only last 2 years.
What is your thinking now that you have had it a little while?

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LamaDrama · 31/12/2013 14:48

Hi, just been to look at one today as well.

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oadcb · 02/01/2014 17:25

Please look at dualfix too if swivel essential. Impact shields have had concerns raised and also sirona shell height is small.

With erf swivel not really necessary unless 3dr car as its so easy to get child in and out.

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oadcb · 02/01/2014 17:26

Boarding....look at an axkid or britax two way elite both have tall shells.

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boardingschoolbaby · 02/01/2014 23:47

Thanks oadcb. I had a look at the which reports today. The cybex does come out on top, but only by a couple of percent.
The axkid one is suggested as not to buy by them as scored below 40% for safety.
There are a couple of britax ones which I will go and have a look at, but my mum had one for her car (a something plus, a rear facing that becomes forward facing) but compared to the current jane one we have it is such a faff to get him into and out of but I guess all models are quite different.
All recommendations or suggested avoidances appreciated!

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oadcb · 02/01/2014 23:53

I'd avoid going on which reports to be honest. Axkids mini kid has passed the strict Swedish pass plus! If you could copy And paste me full report via pm I'd love to see it.

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McPheezingMyButtOff · 03/01/2014 00:00

I'm a Mamas & Papas Consultant, and this sort of feedback is great Smile

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boardingschoolbaby · 03/01/2014 00:14

Oh, I thought the which reports were supposed to be pretty reliable? What is wrong with them?

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boardingschoolbaby · 03/01/2014 00:15

On my phone at the moment so a pain in the the arse to try and copy and paste the whole report but will have a go tomorrow when I get a chance.

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boardingschoolbaby · 03/01/2014 00:18

The axkids one they have reviewed is the kidzofix so perhaps a different model?

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gallicgirl · 03/01/2014 00:19

This is new.
We have the cybex pallas and love it. Glad to see a new erf on market.

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Midori1999 · 03/01/2014 14:47

We have the Sirona and have had it since it first came out, so about 14/15 months now I think. DD is 28 months and although I'm not entirely sure it'll last until she's 4, there's still some growing room.

I love the seat. It harnesses when rear facing and we aren't likely to use it forward facing, so any concerns about impact shields aren't relevant to us. The swivel function is handy to enable the harness to be tightened easily and effectively if nothing else, but DH likes to use it to put DD in/take her out anyway. The seat is also extremely easy to fit and the harness is quick and easy to adjust, as you just move the headrest up or down, so it takes about the same time as it takes to recline a car seat, you don't have to thread/unthread the straps.

The only downside I can see is the size, but I feel it should last us for another year maybe?

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AmandinePoulain · 03/01/2014 22:45

What about the Britax Dualfix if you want the swivel? We've got one and I love it. I tried the Sirona but didn't like the impact shield - I'm not convinced of their safety (nor are Britax) and dd2 hated it. The Dualfix has a harness ff and rf and is cheaper. It's snug, and longer than the Sirona too. Our local Mothercare has just started stocking them if you want to try one (although I wasn't overly impressed with their knowledge of the product Hmm).

We also have a First Class Plus which is a good seat but only rf to 13kg. Dd2 is tiny though so that won't be a problem for a while for us Smile

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boardingschoolbaby · 03/01/2014 23:39

Hi amandine. It is the first class plus that my mum has which he is not keen on at all but that may be due to their car making it tricky rather than the seat itself.
I am going to see the britax dual fit tomorrow and try both it and the cybex in my car to see which seems to suit us best; we seem to be very lucky with a great independent retailer who stocks most of the available erf seats.
I have a disco 4 and no other children so space isn't really an issue, I just really want something that I know he will be safe in, and that might last him a while.

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AmandinePoulain · 04/01/2014 07:47

Yes the way the seatbelt goes across the FCP is a pain - we've got a camper so I just put her in from the other side, in a car that would be more awkward!

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DoItTooJulia · 04/01/2014 08:13

Post in the reviews section! I think you might be entered into a prize draw if you do?

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AnjBaby2014 · 31/07/2014 14:05

I'm a new mum2b, and at 33 weeks feeling stressed that i don't have a car seat yet. Strongly considering the Cybex Sirona, in fact had decided to buy it until a friend with 2 kids said it can't be taken out of the car and fixed to a pram. I have a carry cot on my pram and want to get the most out of it for the first 6 months. Other car seat contender is the Cybex Aton Q, which does fit onto the Pram but only goes up to 18 months, whereas Sirona goes up to 4 years (or there abouts).
So the question; if car seat cannot fix onto pram, is this a good enough reason not to purchase, considering i have carry cot? How important/useful is it to be able to attach car seat to pram?

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NovemberRainbow · 10/08/2014 13:33

Only the small seats attach to the pram, TBH babies should not be a car seat for a long period of time anyway. So it would be better to take them out and lie them flat in the carrycot.

Car seats that last from birth to 4 years are usually very heavy and just remain in the car.

I would also recommended a Britax Dualfix instead of the Sirona. It has all of the important features and its slightly cheaper. It also looks like a better recline position for a newborn.

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kayels · 10/08/2014 16:05

Honestly I can count on 1 hand the number of times I attached the car seat to the buggy. It's not goid to leave babies in the carseat for long periods!

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kayels · 10/08/2014 16:08

People who have the sirona... do any of you have an older child (3/4yo) still rear facing? We are very keen on the sirona but my son will scream if we attempt to put the cushion pad on him for forward facing so want to find out how likely it is he'll fit rear facing til he's old enough for the next stage seat. Any thoughts? Thank you!

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Stanfrank · 02/09/2014 20:00

I am just about purchase the Sirona. This may be a silly question, but can you use the 5 point harness in forward facing position instead of the cushion pad? How safe is the cushion pad? It just doesn't sit right with me that it's just practically a lap seat belt holding them in? Am I thinking too much in to this???

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Orangedaisy · 05/09/2014 21:46

Anjbaby-we have the cybex Aton 2 which can lift out of the car and we have the adapters to fit it on the bugaboo cameleon frame. We also have the cybex sirona (DM was very generous with her purchases for her DGD). DD is coming up for 6 months old and we are still using the Aton 2 and are very happy with it. I was adamant before DD was born that I would always move her out of the car seat into the carrycot-and I do as much as possible. The huge benefit for us in having a lift out seat is the ability to bring her in from the car safely in her seat, while carrying a nappy bag and bag of shopping as well (our front door is up 10 concrete steps-even without the shopping the thought of carrying sleepy PFB up steps in arms, wobbly head and all fills me with horror). Also from about 3-5 months she got very angry in her carrycot if not asleep already because (I think) she couldn't see out, so I did end up using the car seat on the pram frame for short walks and shopping trips-much happier baby and this tided us over until she was big enough to sit up in a pushchair.

The sirona is great and she seems very comfy in it. If you can stretch to both I would do so, it's been great for us.

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Velvet1973 · 07/09/2014 22:53

Stanfrank no you can't use the harness forward facing it has to be the bolster cushion. The reason being the bolster cushion is far safer in a forward facing crash than the 5 point harness which would put too much pressure on their shoulders etc because of the force of them being thrown into it.
The seat is designed that it won't physically let you forward face it with the harness not removed.

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