You will have probably seen many a My Babiie pushchair and stroller out on the streets, with their bright and colourful designs. This time we're taking a look at their offering of a spin Group 0+/1 car seat!
Quick Summary: For parents wanting an easy to use, swivel car seat that gives them the chance to rear-face up to 18kg, the Orbit is a great option. At a price of £199, you have a seat that can last up to four years of use when it is used from birth. The My Babiie Orbit is a car seat tested to the older, but still legal, current R44 regulation, those wanting the latest regulation, don't worry an R129, ISIZE, version will also be launched soon…watch this space!! Using any of the features on the Orbit is smooth and simple, from the harness adjustment to the recline and swivel. Baby will be kept comfortable in the lovely soft materials, we'd just like to see a bit more support inside the fabrics, which My Babiie are looking to add.
Whats good?
- Extended rear-facing to 18kg
- Easy to install
- Lovely designs
- Smooth to operate
- 360 degrees swivel feature
Whats not so good?
- Rebound bar foam could come away
- Fabrics very soft and not as supportive as we would like
My Babiie have had a bit of a boom recently and their pushchair travel systems and strollers are very popular with lots of parents! They’ve even had the huge celebrity endorsement of famous sisters Sam and Billie Faiers, who lend their design ideas to the brand. Spin car seats are also increasing in popularity, with many parents turning to them for the next stage car seat. My Babiie have their own version, the Orbit car seat that can be used from birth to 18kg.
Installation
The My Babiie Orbit is a very simple to install car seat, using the ISOFIX and support leg. As it is a spin car seat, the fitting for rear and forward facing is done in exactly the same way.
First job to do is pull out the support leg fully until it clicks into place. Next you need to squeeze the ISOFIX release button at the same time as pulling the ISOFIX retract loop, and the ISOFIX arms will slide out from the base. With the Orbit sat on the vehicle seat, push these arms up to the ISOFIX anchors to connect, and the indicators on each side will turn from red to green. Then all you need to do is adjust the support leg to firmly reach the floor and turn the indicator at the bottom to green.
To remove again from the car, the leg should be raised and the buttons on the ISOFIX arms squeezed to release. These can be a little tricky to get to as quite recessed into the base.
The Orbit features a rebound bar at the back of the base to prevent extra movement in a collision. This bar is quite handy to hold to transport the seat and is covered in foam. We did notice that after only a couple of uses, this foam has started to mark.
Day to day use
We were impressed that everything on the Orbit is smooth to operate, from the swivel to the harness – which inevitably makes life easier for the parent.
A swivel really helps to get baby in and out of the car, especially as they get bigger, so we love that the Orbit has 360 degrees rotation. Rotating the seat is done with a grey button at the front of the base so that you can swivel it to the car door. You just need two hands to operate it. Of course, for travelling, the seat should be locked into either the rear or forward facing position.
As rear-facing is five times safer, it’s brilliant that the Orbit offers this position of travel for the full 18kg that you can use the seat. As this is an R44 regulation tested car seat, rather than the more recent i-Size, children from 9kg can use the seat in the forward facing position, though we would still recommend that you use the seat rear-facing for as long as possible. With this seat, it could potentially be up to four years old! It’s easy to switch from rear to front facing with the handy swivel feature.
Keeping your baby or toddler comfortable, the Orbit has four different recline positions. The recline button is hidden under the front of the seat but is easy to access and can be adjusted while you are travelling in the car with baby seated. My Babiie advise keeping baby in the most reclined position for the first six months if used from birth.
The harness is a five point harness, with the two sides clipping together to go into the buckle. The backs of the harness chest pads are coated in a rubber anti-slip material to keep them nice and secure. To lengthen the harness, you need to press the grey button at the front of the seat and it slides out smoothly. To keep the harness out of the way while you place baby in the seat, there are two elastic buckle holders at either side to tuck the clips into, again making it easier to get baby in their seat. The headrest and harness move up in height together using the button under the fabric at the top of the headrest, so there’s no rethreading needed!
The included baby insert has to be used up to 13kg and comes in three parts. One for the head, one for the body and a wedge, so they can be removed separately depending on which part baby outgrows. The material is so soft to the touch. It offers good comfort for the child however we do feel it needs more dense support of which after feedback, we can confirm My Babiie will be moving to a memory foam insert to offer that better support. The three design options are all very attractive, both for the child and parent.
Conclusion
For parents wanting an easy to use, swivel car seat that gives them the chance to rear-face up to 18kg, the Orbit is a great option. At a price of £199, you have a seat that can last up to four years of use when it is used from birth.
The My Babiie Orbit is a car seat tested to the older, but still legal, current R44 regulation, those wanting the latest regulation, don’t worry an R129, ISIZE, version will also be launched soon… watch this space!!
Using any of the features on the Orbit is smooth and simple, from the harness adjustment to the recline and swivel. Baby will be kept comfortable in the lovely soft materials, we’d just like to see a bit more support inside the fabrics, which My Babiie are looking to add.
