If this year is the year you need to change car seats then take a look at this one that we’ve just been trialing. The brand is called Koochi and they specialise in travel inspired prams and car seats – they are by the same makers of Cosatto. Their main ethos is of course comfort and safety but they are also big on cool, stylish travel and so have produced a collection of colourful prams and car seats to reflect the destinations of mini adventurers.

There are four main things I personally look for in a child car seat (this is my third one):

1. Safety  – making sure it’s a brand that complies with the EU regulation ECE R44/04
2. Comfort – we all know what it’s like to sit in an uncomfortable car seat for a long period of time. Comfort = potentially less screaming/moaning (from everyone)
3. Easy to fit – how many hours has everyone spent ‘trying to fit the car seat’? Enough said.
4. Is it Lightweight – for transporting during travel

Should I take a car seat on holiday?

When travelling many parents often question whether to take a car seat or not. This is mainly because a) it is a cumbersome piece of luggage that is a hassle to drag around (I know we shouldn’t think like this when it comes to safety but we do) b) it’s not illegal in many countries for children not to be in a car seat. We asked ourselves this question too but in the end decided we had a lot of driving ahead of us and so it was worthwhile. Rex has been in Thai tuk tuks, Dubai taxis and Vietnamese minibuses unstrapped but they had always been short local journeys rather than our imminent long road trips.

The Motohero Havana Child Seat During Road Trips in Sri Lanka And Australia

We road tested the Motohero Havana Child Seat during long drives of approximately three to five hours in Sri Lanka and Australia. This car seat can take a child from around 9 months to 12 years. It doesn’t yet come with a travel bag and so we just checked it in cling wrapped. It’s lighter than many car seats at 5kg which is a bonus when you’re constantly lifting it on and off/in and out. It straps into any car with the universal three-point seatbelt and we found it easy to fit quickly, especially as the seat has arrows pointing at where to thread the belt next. Due to the fact this is a child seat rather than a baby seat, it doesn’t extend back to a tilted position but our son had no trouble sleeping in it and I put this down to the fabric being so cushiony and comfortable. The best bit is that you can easily take all covers off and machine wash them – handy when it gets covered in snacks, sand and dare I say…vomit.

Finally, the Motohero Havana and the rest of the Koochi collection are fun and cool to look at. Each piece has bright and uplifting prints which inspire parents to take their little ones on a travel adventure. Our turquoise Motohero Havana definitely got our son excited about his forthcoming journey and the colours totally got us in the mood for our trips to Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Australia. It was also much easier to spot on the luggage belt than a standard sensible black. To see the full collection which include prints inspired by Bali, Saigon and Tokyo visit www.koochi.co.uk

This post is in association with Koochi who gifted us this car seat to trial. All opinions on this car seat are my honest thoughts.