Joie Spin 360 Review
When it came to making the swap from a newborn car seat to the next stage up I initially wasn’t sure what to go for. Since having my first child the law had changed to ensure that babies were rear-facing up until 15 months but with far more known about the impact of a crash and how a child’s body reacts in that instance there was far more evidence on the internet telling me that keeping them rear-facing up to 4 or 5 years was recommended. Now, having a first child who absolutely hated facing backwards I was in two minds over what to do with my second child but as we all know, they are all very different to one another and he quickly proved that he was happy rear-facing. So, after a bit of deliberation, I headed off to our local Mothercare to see what they could recommend for my child and car.
The Choices
I was immediately hit with a lot of car seat choices and I didn’t really know where to start. The range was vast but it was hard to tell what would last, what would be safest and which would last him for a few years to come. However, as soon as I began to chat with a member of staff and told them my needs they pointed me straight in the direction of the Joie Spin 360.
I had already heard of this brand as a friend had one and had told me how much she loved hers and once it was demonstrated to me I could see why.
“Group 0+/1 child seat begins as a rearward-facing infant seat up to 18kg, then grows with the child and converts to a forward-facing seat up to 18kg/4 years.”
Joie Spin 360 Features
The Joie Spin 360 is called this because that’s exactly what it does. Even though most people will want it to continue rear-facing, you can, in fact, turn it with one click of a lever so it is forward-facing. The other benefit of this feature is that you can turn your child to face the car door to allow easy access in and out of the vehicle, instead of having to endure the usual leaning over struggle. The car seat also reclines ever so slightly which means your child can still nap quite comfortably without the risk of their head flopping forwards.
The Joie Spin 360 is fitted by ISOFIX which means it is very secure and can easily be moved from one car to another as long as it has this function.
The other very noticeable feature when it was being shown to me was the comfortable padding the entire car seat is covered with. Although there is another variety of the Joie Spin 360 called the signature style, the member of staff informed me that the material of that one may look plusher, but it didn’t wear as well as the material on the traditional seat. I love a bit of honesty!
It was a no-brainer for me and once we tried William in it to check he was happy, I bought it right there and then.
Installing The Joie Spin 360
The one thing I love about buying a car seat from Mothercare is that the staff have amazing knowledge on all car seat safety and are happy to inform you of this, answer all of your questions and, of course, install it before you drive away. Having never used ISOFIX before (my previous cars didn’t have this feature) I was trying my best to take it all in as she explained it. The car seat luckily comes with a light system in the ISOFIX arms so if you get a green light you’ve got it right! (ooo I wonder if ISOFIX want to use that as a slogan?) She made it look very easy but since having the car seat we have swapped it over into my husband’s car on quite a few occasions and he has got it down to a T now.
Using The Joie Spin 360
From the off, we have loved it. The first thing William was excited about was being able to look out of the window. His newborn car seat used the seat belt to hold it in place which meant it had no base and he was sat low down. His only view was the back seat or his brother to the side. Once we put him in the Joie Spin 360 he was smiling away at being able to look out at the world! His comfort was also obvious to see. We had started to struggle with the other seat and the straps were beginning to restrict his movement. With the Joie Spin, he showed that he could easily shift about with ease and his legs were no longer cramped.
As a parent, the best part has to be the fact that it turns towards the door. My back has suffered since pregnancy and lifting a toddler in and out of a car isn’t the easiest of things. To be able to have him facing me has meant that I can undo his straps and he can then put his arms straight out to me, lean forward and reduce that weight as I lift him.
And this is his position when using the car seat rear-facing…
Overall Thoughts
I highly recommend this brand of car seat due to its amazing features, the ease of use and the comfort for my child. I am very happy keeping him rear-facing as his safety will always come first. It was an investment and at ÂŁ250 I completely understand that this isn’t within everybody’s price range (I didn’t have that money to spare) but as it should last from 15 months until the child is 4 I think you can agree you will get your money’s worth out of those years. And you can see that ours has been very well-loved!
Pin for later:
We love our Joie 360 spin, so does Jasmine! She’s still rear facing too.