InfaSecure Evolve Caprice Questions & Answers

Hi David, I'm really annoyed about the 1 star rating and contacted infa secure to receive the following response. I will be purchasing yet another set of non infa secure seats for my children as the rating does worry me.

Infa secure response .........

Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

We were surprised by the result as well. The Evolve performs well in R&D crash testing, and exceeds the requirements of the Australian Standard. As such we are requesting a re-test with CREP / Childcarseats.com.au (something we have had to do in the past, resulting in a higher rating – Comfi Cruiser, 2014).

We value their findings and feedback, but want to ensure that they are accurate before taking any possible improvements or changes to the product.

We can categorically say that the Evolve is a safe product and in no way should owners or users of it be worried.

We hope that helps clarify things for you!

Iv since replaced the evolve with the luxe but the straps didn't twist on the Elvove now that you mention it!

I find that I have to straighten the straps virtually every time I fit the child in to the seat - both those coming from the shoulders, and also regularly those down to the side. There is no system in place on this model that I have experienced that stops the straps twisting. I don't have broad experience of other Australian seats, but we had a European Maxi Cosi which had fixed springs attached inside the shoulder and hip pads that ensured the straps were always sprung "open" waiting to be fitted. Never once did those straps twist, and it was a cinch to do the straps up even with a wriggling kid.

Only the inbuilt harness can be used. The harness lasts a very long time though. It will last up until the child's seated height is 51cm (measuring from bum to shoulder).

Hi Carol, I honestly don't know the answer to that! I would suggest calling infa directly as this might be a defect with your seat in which case they would replace it. 1300 924 632

I've never had this problem so I'm not sure if it can go back in sorry, but I'd ring InfaSecure and see if they can help

It is unlikely that your car is the problem, although you may like to try and remove the head rest for the seating position where you are wanting to install your child car seat. Generally a Meridian should fit quite well in a Prado (I am a child restraint fitter, and yet to encounter any issues).

It should be noted, that although child car seats such as this one are sold as from 6 months, it is not an ideal seat for a 9 month old. These seats are much better suited to children over the age of 2/2.5 years.

Even if you do not plan on continuing to rear face your 9 month old, you may want to consider a 0-4 child restraint such as the Infasecure Kompressor (or even your Meridian, if you are able to fit it correctly). Even though they are sold as a 0-4 restraint, the height markers are very generous, and will allow most average sized children to continue to use the seat until approximately 6 years of age (depending on their growth). A 0-4 child restraint will offer a much better recline than a 6 month to 8 years model, which will be much better suited to a young baby. :)

Thanks for you reply. I want to keep my now 10 mth old rear facing as long as I can. She is currently in a sns britax unity carrier seat and her shoulders are no where near the shoulder marks. Her feet however do hang over the end of the seat a little and as I understand it this is quite safe? Is this correct? I found the meridian worked so much better in rear face position. It is just so hard to tighten and loosen the straps which drives me crazy and is uncomfortable for my son. Is there anything that I can do that you are aware of to make this easier apart from contact sns to see if there is a fault with the seat. The head rest has been removed and the seat was fitted by a fittter.

A friend has also recommended a 6 point harness for my son if I use the meridian in rear face mode.

Thank you so much for your advice :-)

Not a problem at all. It's great to hear that you are on board with rearfacing your Bub past the minimum.It is perfectly safe for bubs feet to hang over the edge of the capsule, or even touch the back seat of the car. It sounds like your baby can stay in the Unity for awhile yet. The meridian would be a great option to continue rearfacing after the unity has been outgrown. I know at one point Safe n Sound did have some harness tightening issues (I don't believe there are any safety implications), but it might be worth a call, as, if there is an issue it will most likely be fixed under warranty. When tightening the harness, just make sure the splitter plate (metal plate that the straps attach to at the back) isn't getting caught on anything.

A six point harnessed seat such as the Evolve is a fantastic choice for your son, when you pass the Meridian down to Bub. The Evolve has excellent height markers, so could potentially be the last seat you need to buy your son (as long as he meets the five step test when he outgrows the Evolve height markers), as it can fit most 8 - 10 year olds comfortably.

Happy to help anytime :)

Thank you so much. I have checked and it isn't getting caught on the back so I think tightening/adjusting harness issues are the problem - its impossible to adjust the straps easily when he is in the chair. I have contacted britax who suggested removing the headrest which I have done. Its great to get some advice with this as I have been trying to slip him in and out of the seat without adjusting at all which is so unfair on him. Im definately going to follow up with britax again.

The evolve sounds like the way to go, - thank you so much for all the great advice!!!!!!

That's not a problem at all. Let me know if you ever need any car seat advice in the future :) I think an Evolve is a great option for your older child (and there customer service is fantastic too).

Definitely try and follow up with Britax to get the harness tightening issue on your Meridian sorted so you can use it for your younger child down the track. If you don't have any luck with the Meridian, I would recommend an Infasecure Kompressor or similar, as it is incredibly easy to use and the harness is one of the easiest to tighten.

ive got a prado and it fits fine. I dont have 3 car seats in back though. I wouldn't put a baby in it due to sitting upright. Id get a rear facing or one with recline forward facing. I got it for my son when he was 2-2.5 year old and he likes it but when he falls asleep his head falls forward. Ive since reclined the seat a bit and that helped.

Hi yes I had 2 evolves and a neon (infa 0-4) seat in a ford station wagon. Was a tight squeeze but it worked

I have a mitsi magna sedan and have two evolves installed and have tried it with a rearfacing 0-4 gosafe carseat, a maxi cosi capsule, a infa komfi classique rearfacungand finally a infa vario booster and the two evolves allowed all these seats to fit in nicely, only downfall which is the cars fault not the wvolves is i can only adjust the evolve installed in the centre to the maximum height as the one behins my drivers seat hits the roof.

I installed mine in the upright position and when I put it into a recline it just seems to work (not sure how lol)... That said... The recline is not that good I find.. But it is enought to ensure my sleeping 3 year olds head doesn't flop forward.

This seat is height based not weight based so as long as she is under the exit marker for the seat it doesn't matter how heavy she is. But it does also have an entry marker as well. My 2 year old just meets the entry marker and my 7 year old is still under the exit marker. Definitely a good seat if you are looking at keeping them harnessed for as long as possible. Hope this helps

I don't see any benefit to the gradual recline. I actually don't like the recline on this seat as it doesn't reliably stay out without support (rolled towels behind to hold it reclined) in all cars and it doesn't have a great recline even when it does work properly.

Comparing to another seat I have I much prefer the fixed recline in 2-3 positions than the gradual recline.

Yes it is. So its convertible 6 months to 8 years. Using the three-point harness. I think there is a newborn to 8 years version too. I'm not sure if this one is newborn. I had to buy a new seat recently due to a major car accident which destroyed the last car seat (luckily little miss wasn't in the car). But this meant I had to find something for a 3 years old plus. So this was perfect

Yes, a harnessed (so MUCH MUCH MUCH safer) booster. If you're child is over 12 months, this is the seat to last them til they're 7+. Prior to this seat they'd be rear facing in an Infa neon / Kompressor or another RF seat.

No, this seat does not change to booster mode. It is harnessed until your child no longer fits in the seat. Approximately 8yo but a few children may not fit for that long and some will fit for much longer.

This seat does not rear face. It is classed as a 6m -8y forward facing harnessed carseat although in reality most 6mo babies won't be tall enough to meet the minimum marker.

So sorry, but I have a daughter, she has not complained about the buckle at all. She did mention some discomfort in the back.. .she said it was too hard. When I put the cushioning back on, she was happy again and hasn't mentioned it since.

Hi Mark! We haven't received any complaints regarding the buckle placement. The Evolve features an adjustable height buckle, so if you find it's making your son uncomfortable, you can raise it a little to give him a bit more room. The Evolve's buckle can look like it's further back than other restraints, because it's seat base is actually 8cm deeper than the competition's products - we found in development that supporting the child's legs all the way to the knee was much more comfortable, and prevents pins and needles in a lot of kids (especially larger / longer legged kids). As always, we'd suggest trying your sone in one in-store if possible - and please feel free to contact us any time if you have any questions - 1300 92 4632 / service@infa.com.au :)

Thanks for the extra info Infa Secure. I did put him in one yesterday and that's what had me thinking it may rub as I really had to reach under him to get the buckle and he is not even 2 years old yet. So I struggle to see how an 8 year old could use it comfortably. What do you mean by the 'adjustable height buckle'? I see this is mentioned in all the product descriptions online but can't find anything that shows how it is adjustable and how it could stop the buckle from being too tight across the crotch? Thanks again!!

I wonder if it was an Evolve you looked at as I've just chose the Evolve, because it had more room from the middle base strap to the back...some of the others (Comfi and Caprice), came from up under his crotch, he sat on it when I put him in, which at only 21 mnths is not going to last,

This one, the Evolve, the buckle sat at least 2 inchs in front of his pants? Like in a pram fitting almost? So it will fit nice under his tummy and over his hips..

I would recommend a rear-facing seat for as long as possible. For my son we had a seat that rear-faced until 12kg which was just over 12 months for him. He was 3 when the Evolve was released so I can only comment on it's use for that age onwards, and I believe it to be an excellent and very safe seat. The Infasecure team have a fantastic website and Facebook page where they will be happy to help with any questions you have. external link  "Rear-Facing Down Under also have an excellent website and Facebook page. external link 

Rear facing a 6 month old is definitely safest. The evolve is only a forward facing car seat and not ideal for infants. It's more meant for the toddler age when they have out grown their rear facing seat. Infa secure has other great convertible car seat that rear face for quite a long time like the neon or kompressor. They would definitely be a better option for a 6 months old. Also remember, to use a seat, they must reach the to use line on it and I very much doubt a 6 month old would reach it.