Nuna have created premium car seats for some years now and the REBL plus is perhaps their most innovative yet.
Quick Summary: The REBL plus has had several impressive upgrades, which offer supreme protection for baby, something that is very appealing for parents. The i-SIZE compatibility means the seat is future proof and makes installing the seat simple and safe. The ability to rear face from birth until approximately 4 years old and the 360 degree swivel motion makes the REBL plus one of the most versatile seats on the market. The only slight niggle would be that there was very little difference between the recline positions but the newborn inserts assured baby is lying flat and toddlers also seem very comfortable in the seat when asleep and awake. The REBL plus is excellent quality and should definitely be considered for parents searching for an i-SIZE, rear facing for longer, swivel car seat.
Whats good?
- 360 degree swivel
- Rear facing until 4 years approx.
- i-SIZE compliant
- Reinforced and thickened steel shell
Whats not so good?
- Not a great difference between the 7 recline positions
Swivel car seats are rapidly becoming a favourite of parents, thanks to their future ready, back saving design. The Nuna REBL plus is an i-Size swivelling car seat offering parent and child everything they need to stay safe and comfortable whilst on car journeys. With upgrades from the previous model, we were excited to see the REBL plus in action, so we put it through its paces to see how it coped with daily life in a busy family.
Installation
There is no assembly needed when you open the REBL plus. It is ready to be installed in the car, straight from the box. The seat itself is i-Size compliant and has a full 360 degree swivel action.
Swivelling car seats are really appealing to families who spend a lot of time getting in and out of the car for short journeys. The swivel action not only means that the seat can be effortlessly transformed from rearward to forward facing whenever needed, but it also allows you to turn the seat towards the door and get baby in and out without leaning over or battling with difficult angles.
Installing the REBL plus was a straightforward process made very easy by the built in ISOFIX base and very clear instructions in the manual and on the side of the seat itself. At the back of the base there are two ISOFIX arms which you are able to extend by pressing in the square grey buttons. To fit the seat into your car, extend these ISOFIX arms fully and simply line the ISOFIX connectors up with the anchor points in your car. Push the seat firmly onto the connectors until the base clicks into place. You will see a green indicator displayed on either side of the anchor points when the seat is securely clicked into place.
There is also a support leg that drops down to your car’s footwell to provide ultimate stability. Extend the leg by pinching in the two grey buttons at the bottom and make sure that it is firmly on the floor, the red indicators will then disappear. It really is easy to install and quite fuss free. You can rest with peace of mind that the seat is installed correctly thanks to the simplicity of installation and the clarity of the instructions.
The seat was so simple to install that we were able to switch it from car to car several times during our review without any niggles at all.
Day to Day Use
The seat itself is i-Size compliant and has a full 360 degree swivel action. The spin mechanism of the seat is operated by a button directly under the seat. The grey button is easy to spot and easy to operate with just a few fingers. Having the swivel on the seat makes daily family life so much simpler when you are nipping here, there and everywhere.
The first thing we noticed when we opened the box of this impressive car seat was the fabulous quality fabric used on the seat. The thickly woven fabric is still soft so will be comfortable for baby, but is quite obviously very hard wearing, so it will easily stand the test of time and daily use by babies and toddlers.
A great addition to the REBL plus is that it comes complete with a whole spare car seat and headrest cover. The spare car seat cover is made from a slightly lighter, more breathable material than the original cover, so is perfect as a summer cover to keep baby cooler in the hotter months or on longer journeys.
We loved the generous and thoughtful addition of this extra seat cover, as we know all too well that even with the best of intentions, car seats can become grubby very easily! The spare cover can be popped on whilst the other cover is in the wash, and this is a luxury that you have to pay for with many other car seat brands.
The seat can be used from birth right up until 4 years old. We especially loved the way the seat can be used in the rearward facing position until the child is at the maximum height and weight for the seat. Our two year old tester happily rear faced in the seat with plenty of room to spare.
The seat comes complete with specifically designed newborn inserts that can be used and removed in different stages, to make sure that the seat fits baby nice and snugly. When the inserts are totally removed, the seat is deep and wide and easily accommodated a four year old tester with room to spare either side of his hips.
When the seat is installed in the car, you might notice it is quite wide compared to other seats, but we didn’t view this as an issue as we put the width down to the brand new features of the reinforced steel wall and stronger steel frames. Both features which we welcomed with open arms, as they make the seat super safe in the event of an accident.
There are a generous seven recline positions on the base of the REBL plus, and these are operated by a grey lever handle at the front of the seat. You can see exactly which recline position you have the seat in, as they are numbered on the base of the seat. Depending upon the slope of your car seat, or whether baby is sleeping or playing, you can alter the position to suit. There isn’t a vast different between positions 1 and 7 but there is a few inches which can make all the difference to a sleeping baby. The newborn inserts make sure that baby is lying flat and in the safest position for travel.
Made from broad webbing, the harness is padded on the shoulders and crotch with soft coordinating harness pads. These pads can be removed for washing, which we found really helpful. Changing the harness height is easy as it happens automatically as you alter the headrest to suit your child’s height. Just squeeze the large button at the back of the headrest and pull up or push down. To tighten the harness, just pull the cord between baby’s legs, and to loosen again, push the pressure point underneath the crotch strap while you pull the straps out.
The buckle teeth of the harness are chunky and plastic. At first we thought the buckle seemed quite large, especially on a smaller baby’s body, but as we used the seat more and more we discovered that this made for ease of use. The larger surface area also puts less pressure on baby in the event of an accident, making it safer. When placing baby in the seat, the buckle teeth can be slipped into the small pockets at either side, to keep it open.
Conclusion
The REBL plus has had several impressive upgrades, which offer supreme protection for baby, something that is very appealing for parents. The i-SIZE compatibility means the seat is future proof and makes installing the seat simple and safe. The ability to rear face from birth until approximately 4 years old and the 360 degree swivel motion makes the REBL plus one of the most versatile seats on the market.
The only slight niggle would be that there was very little difference between the recline positions but the newborn inserts assured baby is lying flat and toddlers also seem very comfortable in the seat when asleep and awake.
The REBL plus is excellent quality and should definitely be considered for parents searching for an i-SIZE, rear facing for longer, swivel car seat.
