Kinderkraft i-360 i-Size car seat review

The seat sits at the premium end of Kinderkraft's offering, being one of the more expensive models it offers – but considering it's designed to meet the entirety of your child's car-seat needs, it actually represents pretty good value for money. Most of Kinderkraft's cheaper offerings are for shorter age spans.

What were your first impressions of the Kinderkraft i-360?

This feels like a real "unit" when you take it out of the box. In fact, it was so heavy I had to get my husband to help me as I was still recovering from a C-section when we first installed it. It looks like a high-quality car seat, with a fairly stylish and simple cover.

How easy is the Kinderkraft i-360 to install?

The seat was reasonably easy to install via the ISOFIX base, though as it's so heavy, we regretted opening it in the living room of our house to take a look at it and then having to transport it awkwardly through the house to get to the car. We would, therefore, recommend that you open it as close to your car as possible – then you can use the plastic bag that the car seat comes in to transport it to where you need it.

Paper instructions aren't included with the seat; instead you need to scan a QR code to download electronic instructions. You can then look at these on your phone or a tablet/computer. If you look at them on your phone, it's worth noting that the manual appears quite small and can be quite difficult to see. If you have something with a larger screen, it's worth viewing the instructions on there, especially when you're first installing the seat.

The instructions themselves are reasonably minimal and sometimes aren't hugely obvious and with confusing graphics in places. There are also some written instructions that don't make a huge amount of sense – presumably these have been badly translated. However, on the whole, installation is fairly self-explanatory.

How do you install the Kinderkraft i-360?

This is a car seat that stays in your car permanently, and not one that you can use with a travel system. It attaches via ISOFIX using a base, on top of which the car seat is permanently attached/rotated. It takes up the entire back-left passenger seat in my car, but I do have a reasonably small car (a five-door MINI Cooper)

How does it compare to similar car seats for this age range?

My daughter is only 8 weeks old so prior to this I had been using a simple car seat as part of a travel system. Compared to similar types of car seat, there are a few pros and cons. The swivelling action is great for getting the child in and out of the car, but, of course, there's no flexibility to use the seat with a pram chassis to save space.

It's also a little awkward to transport a newborn to the car, rather than prepare them in the seat in the house and simply take that to your car. However, I think the car seat will really come into its own once the child is a bit older, where the swivelling action should be particularly useful for a wriggly baby, a toddler and even an older child. The fact that you can use until 12 is a real bonus.

What are the key safety features of the Kinderkraft i-360?

There are two safety systems here. The H-GUARD SYSTEM is a reinforced three-layer headrest with memory foam, which is designed to absorb any impact force, while the SIDE PROTECT SYSTEM + offers reinforced sides to absorb the force of side collisions. There's a five-point internal safety harness for keeping the child secure. It is also compliant with the R129 i-Size safety standard.

How long is the Kinderkraft i-360 rear-facing for?

The car seat can be used in a rear-facing position until the child is 105cm (approx 4 years old). You must use in the rear-facing position until the child is 76cm (approx 15 months), but you can face it forward from that point if you prefer. My daughter is only 8 weeks old and I don’t have any older children, so it's difficult to know how comfortable she will be and for how long. However, it's good to have the option to rotate it to the front-facing position from around 15 months as all indications are that she will be quite tall, so it should be quite useful from that perspective.

Does the Kinderkraft i-360 rotate?

The main selling point of the Kinderkraft i-360, as you'd expect from the name, is that it rotates in a 360-degree fashion. This means you can rotate it to face forwards or backwards without uninstalling the base – this might be especially useful if you intend to use the car seat with multiple children or, perhaps, when they're at that middle point in age when it can be used in either configuration. As my daughter is so young, I have only used the car seat in its rear-facing configuration so far.

The other benefit here, however, is that you can rotate it 90 degrees to face the door. This makes it very easy to get the baby in and out of the seat. Considering this is not a travel-system seat and you have to take the child to the seat rather than take the seat to the car, it would probably be very awkward to get her in the seat if it didn't rotate. It also means you can adjust the straps, headrest and so on quite comfortably, and can see what you're doing.

Obviously, my baby is quite placid right now, being so young, but I can imagine this will also come in very handy when she is older and a bit more wriggly.

How comfortable did your baby find the Kinderkraft i-360?

Of course, it's difficult to know how comfy a newborn baby finds something. However, what I can say is that she slept soundly both on shorter journeys and longer ones. The padding was great, but I would have preferred the seat to lie a little bit flatter so that her head wasn't quite as slumped – especially when she was asleep. For this reason, especially for longer journeys, I felt compelled to sit in the back with her to make sure she was OK.

Admittedly, as a first-time mum, this could be due to paranoia, but I'd probably say for newborns there are better seats out there, especially if you need or want to do longer journeys with any frequency. Once she's able to hold her head up a bit better, I will have less of a worry here and, equally, she seemed very comfortable.

How do you rate the straps of the Kinderkraft i-360?

The straps can be moved out of the way when you're putting the baby in the seat, and they can be extended via a push button at the base of the seat. This allows you to get the baby in the correct position and insert the straps into the clip easily. You’ll then need to pull the strap from the bottom of the seat to tighten it. You do need to be quite strong to do this, but I found it helped if I twisted the strap around my hand and braced myself against the car to get as good a grip as possible. Once tightened, the straps feel very secure with the baby feeling very tightly secured in.

How robust does the Kinderkraft i-360 feel?

Considering this seat is designed to last for up to 12 years, it needs to be robust. My impressions are that it should certainly last a number of years: it feels very solid, sturdy and heavy. The rotating mechanism seems to be well-built too, so it seems it should happily withstand multiple daily rotations for busy parents.

Does the Kinderkraft i-360 recline?

The seat reclines into five different positions in either direction, depending on which way you have the seat facing. Personally, I would prefer the seat to recline just a little bit further back for a newborn, as at times it seemed her head was a bit too far forward for my liking, particularly when she was asleep. This will become less of a problem as the baby ages and has a stronger neck, but it's something to consider if you're buying this for a newborn.

I always sat in the back seat with my daughter to keep an eye on her. If you will be travelling alone a lot, or making regular lengthy journeys, you might want to consider installing a mirror to make sure you can see the baby from the front.

How good is the Kinderkraft i-360 headrest?

The headrest can be adjusted to a number of different positions depending on the age of the child. It's easy to pull it up, adjust and click it into place, and push it back down again if you need to. If you've got a young baby, you use the additional insert that includes a thick padded headrest to keep the baby's head in place from side to side. Once the child is older and you take the insert out, there’s a second headrest that also seems nice and comfy.

How easy is the Kinderkraft i-360 to clean?

The cover can be removed for washing and put in the machine at 30°C (86°F) on a delicate cycle, but it can't be tumble dried. You might find it easier to simply spot clean the seat, save for any major spillages or stains. The material has a sheen to it that makes it fairly easy to wipe with a baby wipe or a damp flannel.

How do you find the Kinderkraft i-360 to carry around?

This is not a car seat that can be carried around. That's something to think about when you have a newborn as it can be quite awkward carrying such a small infant to and from the car. It also means that you're likely to wake the baby up every time you take them in and out of the car – again, something to think about.

It also gives you less flexibility than a travel system, as you'll need to carry a full pram system with you in the car too. If you have a small car, that might be something to think about – it certainly means for us we have very little room for anything else, so for longer journeys and holidays we may struggle with our current set-up.

Does the Kinderkraft i-360 have a sun hood?

The Kinderkraft i-360 doesn't have a sun hood. As the baby sits quite high up in the car seat on top of the base, you might want to think about shades for your windows if you don't have tinted glass.

Is the Kinderkraft i-360 big enough for a growing child?

The car seat is designed to fit until the child reaches roughly 12 years of age. As my daughter is only 8 weeks old at the time of writing, it's pretty hard to tell whether or not she'll still fit in it at the top end of that range – but if she's too big for it at that point, in all likelihood she won't need a seat at all, so it shouldn't be a problem.

What’s in the box?

• Kinderkraft i-360 seat
• Infant insert

What are the additional accessories that you can buy for the Kinderkraft i-360?

There aren't any additional accessories available for this product: everything you need comes in the box. As mentioned, you might find blinds or tinted film for your windows helpful to shield the baby from direct bright sunlight.

What did you think of the packaging for the Kinderkraft i-360?

The seat was delivered in a simple cardboard box, with the seat in a plastic bag inside. There was no additional protective packaging, but with the sturdiness of the unit this isn't something delicate that needs excessive amounts of packaging to keep it safe in transit. The cardboard box can be recycled as normal and the plastic bag will depend on your local authority – you can possibly take it to a recycling centre.

What is the sustainability of the Kinderkraft I-360?

I asked Kinderkraft for information about sustainability in manufacture, but it did not comment. At the end of the product's life, Kinderkraft said that the product can be recycled according to "local standards", so you might need to check with your local authority whether it's something they will take and what they will do with it.

What are the repair options for the Kinderkraft i-360?

The i-360 has a warranty of two years, during which time Kinderkraft told me it will replace the product if it breaks. It's not possible to buy new parts for the seat at any time or have it repaired. That makes sense for a car seat, but it's worth considering that if something happens to it outside of the two-year period you will, in all likelihood, need to buy an entirely new seat.

What would you have wanted to know before purchasing the Kinderkraft i-360?

I'd want to know how heavy and awkward it is to manoeuvre and, therefore, open it as close to the car as possible. I'd also want to know that it doesn't tilt back quite as much as I'd like for a newborn. It also might not be obvious for new parents but there are downsides to carrying a very young baby to the car outside a seat, so I'd probably want to give that careful thought before buying a seat like this over a travel-system-type seat, especially for very young infants.

Who would the Kinderkraft i-360 be most useful for?

The car seat is designed to have a long life, but there are certain things to consider. In theory, it's the only car seat you'll ever need – however, if you want the flexibility of a travel system when your child is very young, it won't be for you. It'll still give good value for money for older babies that have grown out of travel systems, though, so you shouldn't feel it's only suitable for new parents. It's also, perhaps, best for those with larger cars who have the space to carry a full pram with them.

Is the Kinderkraft i-360 worth the money?

At first glance, £189 might seem quite expensive for a car seat. However, when you consider that it can be used from birth up to around 12 years old, then it actually seems incredibly cheap. What you get for the money is also good too – the swivelling action is a delight to use if you're used to more traditional car seats so that alone is perhaps worth paying for. It also seems very well made, sturdy and safe for the money. The only downside is that it's not covered for damage or breakages after two years, so you might need to replace it if something happens to part of the mechanism, for example.

Where can I buy the Kinderkraft i-360 car seat?

It is available from Amazon, Winstanleys Pramworld and Kiddies Kingdom

MadeForMums verdict:

There's a lot to like about the Kinderkraft i-360. It's easy to use, with the swivelling action making it super-easy to get your child in and out of the car. It's great value if you do indeed use it for the full 12 years, but it's also good value if you wait until your child is a little older. I would have loved for it to lie a little flatter with my newborn for maximum peace of mind, and you don't get the benefits of a travel system, but it's very good overall.