At a glance:
Solar offers you advanced safety performance features and comes with a luxury two-tone suede fabric designed to keep your child cool, with reversible headrest cushion, seat cushion and buckle pad to alternate the colour combination as you choose. The integrated Isofix connection and top tether strap allow for easy installation and peace of mind knowing it’s correctly installed in your vehicle.
Would you recommend this to other mums?
Michelle: I would recommend this car seat. My daughter is very comfortable in it due to the overall shape and fabric of the seat. The strap covers are lovely and soft without too much padding which made it easy to get her in and out of the seat. The fabric seems very breathable, and even on a very hot day, my daughter stayed cool. The recline on the car seat is a great idea, especially if you have a young baby as it can be adjusted very easily even when the baby is sitting in the seat.
Rebecca: I would recommend this product to other mums as I think it is very good value for money for an Isofix car seat. It will cover many ages meaning you get a lot of use out of it. It is well padded, comfortable and extremely easy to fit and use. It is also easy to remove from the car if you wanted to swap cars.
Sarah: I would recommend this product to a fellow mum as the straps stay out of the way of wrigglers meaning I know I will find it easy to get out of the house. Furthermore, as the covers are removable I know that no matter what is eaten in the seat it will be easy to keep clean.
How did this product make your life easier?
Jessica: The solar 1-2-3 is a well thought out, easy to use product. It contains some neat features and the one that stands out to me is the magnetic strap restraints and holders. I also love the reduced packaging which makes me feel they are thinking more about the environment.
Lucy: For once my child enjoyed the car seat! It was snug and cosy yet breathable and not too restricting. I really enjoyed the recline functions on this seat and felt that this saved it a little from the fact it doesn't have the option of rearward facing. Settling my little one in her car seat for a journey has become much easier due to the lovely, soft material and padding of the car seat. It so far has also been quite easy to wipe down!
Rose: The pull-cord mechanism for the five-point harness is smooth and the magnetic clips help when strapping into the seat as I often have to deal with fiddly alignment issues. The adjustable seat position helps on longer journeys. The higher vantage point allows my daughter to see out the window and for me to keep an eye on her in my rear view mirror. The seatbelt clips are secure and convenient making it easy to install. The safety buckle secures with a signal that turns green when taught enough which gives you peace of mind.
Would you choose this product to win?
Chelsea: Because the age range is 0-4 years I would recommend this product. It is cheaper than a lot of other Isofix car seats it also comes with an added Isofix strap to the back of the seat to give added security which I haven't seen in other brands. The recline feature is such a relief as it really helps with children who often fall asleep in the car and stops their head dropping. The only downside to this car seat is the weight. It is extremely heavy and once placed inside the car it is easier to leave it in there.
Laura: I would choose this model as it's safety features are impressive, particularly the side impact system, which is very reassuring. I like the finish on the fabric of this seat and my daughter finds it comfortable. She has a lot of hair and it is unusual for a seat not to make her head hot!
Kate: There are several reasons for me why the Ickle Bubba Solar 1-2-3 stands out from other car seats. The fundamental difference is that it seems to address so many of the little issues I have experienced with other car seats. The Isofix can be used up to 36kg which I prefer to seat belt fitting. The magnetic holdbacks for the straps are ingenious and the seat material is a breathable fabric rather than nylon which makes it more breathable in hotter weather.
What changes would you make to this product?
Michelle: The only thing that could be changed with this car seat is maybe the overall weight of it. It is pretty heavy to carry. However, this is the case with many Isofix car seats, so I do not see it as a massive disadvantage against other products out there. I would not want to have to swap it between cars often due to this.
Rebecca: The main downside of this product is the weight. It is extremely heavy to lift and move. This means it wouldn’t be ideal for someone who needed to switch cars regularly or who suffers from back problems. It would definitely put me off purchasing this car seat unless I had a spare one already.
Sarah: The one thing that I would change about the car seat is the instructions. We didn't find the instructions for fitting the car seat for stage two and three particularly easy and we struggled to work out them out. It wasn't until we really studied reviews and the instructions that we realised you could do certain things.