Joie Transcend Review

Quick Summary: For any parent, the car seat world can be a tricky and confusing minefield, especially when it comes to deciding when to move a child into the next stage. The Joie Transcend completely removes this and provides a solution to use when your child outgrows their first stage infant carrier. You can then use the same car seat right up until your child no longer needs one.

The Joie Transcend is an adaptable car seat that can last your child from nine months right up until they no longer need a car seat. With innovative safety features aplenty, it adjusts in three different places to keep children of all ages comfortable.

The car seat can be fitted into the car with just the car's own 3-point belt, or with the seat's ISOfix Latch System and car's 3-point belt. We think that it's great that it can be used in cars with or without ISOfix anchors.

As the Transcend covers three different Groups, there are two different ways to secure your child. From 9-18kg, there is a SnugShield™ crash pillow instead of a traditional 5-point harness. These are designed to reduce strenuous forces on a child's body in the event of an accident. The SnugShield™ slots in over the child and then has the car's seat belt slide under the grips at the front to keep it in place. Parent's with children who like to escape their harnesses will appreciate the shield even more! With four settings, the SnugShield™ can be adjusted to allow more room for a child at the higher end of the weight range. It is soft and cushioned, featuring ventilation to stop a child from getting too warm. There's also a spare cushion cover included.

When your child reaches 15kg, the SnugShield™ can be removed and the child secured with just the car's seat belt. The seat belt pulls diagonally over the child and through the belt routers. There is a red belt guide near the child's head to feed through, and then the rest of the belt going under one of the arms near their hips.

One of the big safety features on the Transcend is the Guard Surround Safety. This offers additional side impact protection for the head, body, and hips.

As the Transcend can be used with children from nine months to 12 years, it needs to adjust accordingly. The first way that it can be adjusted is with the headrest. Joie recommend that the bottom of headrest sits on your child's shoulders for the best fit. The headrest pulls up when you squeeze the button to the top and back of the seat. There are 11 height positions on the headrest, with the last four also changing the width with the AutoAdjust™ side wings. This is a really clever idea that means the seat is still wide enough and comfortable for a child of 11 or 12 years old.

One of the big safety features on the Transcend is the Guard Surround Safety. This offers additional side impact protection for the head, body, and hips.

As the Transcend can be used with children from nine months to 12 years, it needs to adjust accordingly. The first way that it can be adjusted is with the headrest. Joie recommend that the bottom of headrest sits on your child's shoulders for the best fit. The headrest pulls up when you squeeze the button to the top and back of the seat. There are 11 height positions on the headrest, with the last four also changing the width with the AutoAdjust™ side wings. This is a really clever idea that means the seat is still wide enough and comfortable for a child of 11 or 12 years old.

The AutoAdjust™ also modifies the seat depth, which extends to three positions - again making a perfect fit for the wide age range that the seat covers. The button for this adjustment is at the end of the seat, above the ISOfix.

The covers on the Transcend can be completely removed to machine wash and are lovely and soft. With thick padding throughout, any child will be kept comfortable. There is an included insert for use with a smaller child, that can be removed when the bottom of the headrest is level with the child's shoulders.

Our verdict...

For any parent, the car seat world can be a tricky and confusing minefield, especially when it comes to deciding when to move a child into the next stage. The Joie Transcend completely removes this and provides a solution to use when your child outgrows their first stage infant carrier. You can then use the same car seat right up until your child no longer needs one.

It's easy to use, with either the ISOfix connectors or just the car's seatbelt and we really like the innovative SnugShield™. Though some parents may struggle with the lack of harness, it will help if you have a houdini of a child who likes to get their arms out of their harness or undo the buckle.

At £180, It's a good price point for a car seat that is going to last you for potentially 11 years.