Apramo One review

The harness can be used until 25kg (approximately 6 years old), which is great for younger kids who can undo a lap-belt. It also has a swivel feature, which allows you to turn the car seat to help get your child in and out of the car. It also features an adjustable headrest, five recline positions and easy to remove seat fabrics.

Despite the market demand for car seats that you can use rearward facing for longer, the Apramo One can only be used rearward facing up to 13 kilos. That’s about the same as most infant carrycot car seats. And once you’ve switched to forward-facing, you can’t rotate the seat for easy in-and-out anymore, because the seat belt securely attaches the back of the seat to the car. But my four-year-old really doesn’t need the rotate feature to get in and out (he prefers to clamber in via the front door - added challenge!). And neither he nor my 18-month-old want to be rearward-facing (even though I’d prefer my youngest to be rearward-facing for safety reasons!).

I can see how useful the 360-rotate would be if you were using it with a baby. To swivel it, you just press a bottom at the front of the base - I tested putting the seat in rearward facing to try out the swivel feature, and it’s easy.

Read about some of the best rotating car seats here.

The Apramo One is a Group 0+/1/2/3 chair - what’s the best age child for it and why?

I tried the car seat with my 4-year-old and my 18-month-old. Both ages are great in it; it really does grow with your child. I am not convinced my son will still fit in it when he is 12, though!

Read about the UK's booster seat laws here.

Would you use it for a newborn?

If you were to buy this seat to use from newborn up, you would have to be sure you don’t want a seat that you can detach from the base and carry with you. Most infant car seats are portable, but since this one is a Group 0+/1/2/3 seat, it isn’t. Though it is recommended that you shouldn’t allow a baby to remain sleeping for more than two hours in their car seat anyway.

What you need to know about the 2-hour car seat rule.

The Apramo One comes with easily attached padding to support newborn infants which you can gradually remove as your baby grows. The seat has a lot of removable padding like this, meaning you can really get the size and shape of it right for your child.

How does the Apramo One install in the car – can you use Isofix? Does it feel sturdy?

You can either install it using Isofix or your seatbelts or both, so it should fit in most cars. I put it in our car using Isofix and the seat belt. There is even a belt that threads through the headrest and hooks onto a bar in the boot, so it really feels sturdy and unlikely to budge in an accident.

What do you think of the design?

It looks good, feels well made and the seat covers are a nice material. They are very easy to remove and wash.

How is strapping your children in? What did you think of the 5-point harness, how easy is it to use the no re-thread feature?

The strap is easy to use, but I found the padding on the bottom buckle made it impossible to do up when my four-year-old was in it. The padding was very easy to remove, and the buckle clips together easily enough - though I think all car seat buckles have an element of fiddly to them!

When your child has outgrown the harness, you can use the car’s seat belt over the top of the seat. You can remove the five-point harness to do this. It isn’t that easy, but you will only need to do it once when your child hits 25 kilos.

How many seat positions does the Apramo One have in forward- and rear-facing, and how easy is it to recline the seat?

When using the seat in the rearward position, it has to remain fully reclined - so there is no further movement for babies. But when using it forward-facing, there are five recline positions. This means that my four-year-old can sleep comfortably in it - making it fantastic for long car journeys.

What do you think of the size of the car seat?

While both my 18-month-old and my four-year-old fit really comfortably in the car seat, it is hard to imagine a 12-year-old in it.

Will your children fit in it rear facing until they are 4 years old (18kg), do you think?

Unfortunately it is only rear-facing until 13 kilos, which is the approximate weight of a 12-15-month-old, so it’s highly unlikely that any four year old would still fit in it.

MadeForMums verdict

This car seat really is the only one you need to buy. For that reason it is very impressive. I love the swivel feature, but am disappointed that it doesn’t work after you have to switch to forward-facing at 13 kilos. And that’s my other gripe - that it can only be rearward facing up 13 kilos. It is recommended that you leave your children facing rearward for as long as possible (although my own toddler was desperate to face forward well before 13 kilos). That being said, it feels like a genuinely sturdy and safe car seat that my children are really comfortable using.

Read some more reviews and car seat info here...

• Recaro Young Sport Hero review
• 10 best performing Group 1/2/3 car seats
• 3 ways to stop your child getting out of their car seat
• Jané Gravity i-size car seat review

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