egg Shell i-Size Review

Quick Summary: The egg Shell i-Size infant car seat is the perfect accompaniment to the egg 2 stroller. The curved design and beautiful fabrics really do fit in with this luxury brand.

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The egg Shell i-Size car seat has been designed to use with the egg and egg 2 strollers and follows the same curved lines and shape. This luxurious car seat conforms to the new i-Size regulations and is suitable for babies from 40cm (newborn) to 80cm and a maximum 13kg (usually around 15 months). Just as with the egg 2 stroller, the details and design of the egg Shell are lovely. It contains side impact protection, memory foam headrest and will perfectly match the rest of your pushchair.

Installation

The egg Shell i-Size car seat can be installed in the car with either the vehicle seat belt or on the ISOFIX base. The ISOFIX base is an extra or is included if you have bought the egg Shell in a bundle with your egg2 stroller. When tested on the newer i-Size regulation, this is done fitted with the ISOFIX base.

If fitting with the vehicle seat belt, the egg Shell uses the same belt routing as most other infant carriers. Lap belt over the lap of the child and diagonal around the back and tightening to make sure that you take any slack out of the belt. There are blue belt guides at the side of the seat to go through as well as a blue hook at the back of the seat to pass the belt under.

Installing the egg Shell ISOFIX Base is simple and quick to do. To start, pop the base onto your vehicle seat and pull the lever on top of the base which allows you to push the support leg at the front to extend your ISOFIX arms. Then guide the arms to your ISOFIX points until they click on and the indicator on top changes from orange to green. Then pull up the lever again to push the base flush with the vehicle seat back.

Finally, lower the support leg using the button on the sides until it drops to the floor of the footwell. Make sure that you don't over extend it, but that it still holds firmly.

Last thing to do is pop your egg Shell car seat on top of the base! This is easy to do and it latches quite naturally together, with the indicator on the side of the base turning green when its safely done. To take the car seat off the base again, pull the grey button at the front of the base forwards.

While travelling in the car, the handle of your car seat needs to be in the upright position, but it's up to you if you have your hood back or up. It does act as a barrier between baby and any objects flying around the car in a collision though.

To uninstall your egg Shell ISOFIX Base, press the leg support button to shorten it and then pull back on the orange buttons on the ISOFIX arms to release it from the vehicle. We did find that the buttons to release the ISOFIX arms are quite small and flat to the seat, so they can be difficult to get a hold of and pull back. On the positive side, this does mean that the ISOFIX base won't be inadvertently uninstalled.

Day to day use

As this is an i-Size seat, baby's suitability for the seat is judged by height. The egg Shell can be used from 40-80cm, which is approximately from newborn up to 15 months old.

To make a cosy and supportive space for your newborn baby, the egg Shell comes with a thick newborn insert in a quilted design that is used to 60cm, which is around 3-4 months old. This offers the head and side protection that your little one would need in a collision. Once the three piece insert is removed, you've got a nice deep seat for an older baby.

The headrest is made from memory foam to offer great protection and moves up and and with the harness. Just pull the flap on the back of the seat down to give you access to the lever that allows you to adjust up and down. The 3 point harness clips together and into the buckle easily and has padded strap covers to prevent any rubbing on baby's shoulders. There is an embroidered ‘Press' below the buckle, which you can press to release, and the strap at the front of the seat makes sure that you can tighten the harness sufficiently again.

Protecting your little one from the elements while out and about, or shading them while in the car, the egg Shell has an independent hood. The hood features a solid plastic rim which helps keep the curved shape, while the rest is the same material as the seat itself, which really adds to the luxury feeling.

Now that the egg2 stroller has been released, the egg Shell is available in a host of beautiful colours to match your pushchair! Paprika, Olive, Feather, Monument Grey, Quartz, Cobalt, Just Black, Jurassic Black and Diamond Black.

Creating the perfect travel system, the egg Shell is easy to add onto the chassis of your egg 2 stroller using car seat adaptors. These are an added extra to your pushchair, or may have been included if you purchased a bundle. Slot the car seat adaptors into each slot on the frame and then pop your car seat on top. Unlike most infant carriers, you need to move the handlebar of the egg Shell backwards to lock it into position on the chassis. Then pull back upright with the buttons at the side, to allow you to remove it. This is handy as means there are no buttons to press to release and you can lift with one hand.

It is recommended that newborn babies aren't kept in their car seats for longer than 30 minutes at a time though, so make sure that you pop baby into your carrycot for longer trips out with your pushchair.

The sides of the car seat feature built in side impact protection, which protects the child in a side collision and helps it pass the i-Size regulation. There's also ventilation panels at both sides to help keep cool in warmer weather.

Our Verdict...

The egg Shell i-Size infant car seat is the perfect accompaniment to the egg 2 stroller. The curved design and beautiful fabrics really do fit in with this luxury brand.

We like that this car seat is on the newer i-Size regulation giving you peace of mind that it has gone through more rigorous testing. Having the ISOFIX base means that you can pop in and out of the car quickly and easily without any extra installation.

Using the egg Shell as part of a completely coordinating travel system with the egg2 will please many parents.