The Nurse Capazo Auto Carrycot is a lie-flat car seat. It’s a good size and safety approved but the installation could leave you feeling less than confident.
The Nurse Capazo Auto Carrycot is a lie-flat Group 0 car seat that’s suitable from birth to 10kg, which is roughly 9 months. It can be purchased alone, or as part of a travel system, teamed with either the Nurse Dakar, Nurse Hello or Nurse Run4 buggies. You use special connectors to attach the Capazo to the buggy to create a pram.
The Nurse Capazo Auto Carrycot can be installed on the back seat of your car using a standard 3-point seat belt system, and it’s ECE R44/03 approved for use in back seat of the car (it has the same safety standard as for car seats).
Nurse is the value-minded range of Spanish manufacturer Jané. Jané takes safety testing seriously, and this results in the Capazo featuring a high impact resistant polypropylene shell and energy-absorbing polystyrene in the side and head areas. The Capazo also features hood ventilation, a rigid carrying handle and adjustable backrest. It can also be used as a Moses basket.
What we love
The Nurse Capazo Auto Carrycot means you can bring your baby home from hospital in the flat position recommended by health experts. Handy features we like include the adjustable backrest, adjustable ventilation and a removable washable cover.
When MFM review Zoe West trialled it with her friend’s newborn, she found it’s a generous size, and her friend’s newborn appeared very comfy. MFM reviewer Susannah Osborne also likes the size, with her 6-month-old Minnie being able to stretch out on a three-hour journey. Best of all, when Minnie fell asleep, Susannah could carry her into the house without waking her.
Zoe tried the Capazo as part of the Nurse Dakar Capazo travel system, and found it’s easy to move from car seat to buggy to home with minimal disturbance to her newborn tester.
MFM reviewer Kate Ashley tested the Capazo with Raef Khan, 3 months. Kate says it has a smart look and is manageable to carry with a baby onboard. Baby Raef really seemed to like it. The Capazo’s hood is attached to the carry handle, and when pulled right up, Raef loved to look at the colourful Tube map design fabric inside.
Kate also notes that the Capazo saves buying a Moses basket, though there’s no frame to use with it to get it up off the floor.
MFM reviewer Susannah felt the Capazo could take some of the worry out of embarking on a long car journey with a newborn. There’s some research to suggest that the lie-flat position allows your baby to travel in a more natural position and so breathe more easily, which means you can drive for longer without stopping.
What to watch out for
MFM tester Zoe West found the Capazo bulky and feels it wouldn’t last very long. While it’s designed to see your baby through to the 9-month mark, this will really depend on how fast your baby grows and how long they’re happy to be in a lie-flat position. MFM review Kate Ashley echoes these concerns, telling us the Capazo won’t last your baby until they’re ready for a Group 1 car seat, so you could still need to purchase another Group 0 or Group 0+ car seat.
The Capazo has no harness, but uses a thick Velcro strap that fastens across your baby’s tummy for restraint. Zoe said she’d personally feel happier with a harness. Even though the Velcro strap looks more comfortable, and although it’s secure, once tied to the car seatbelts Zoe found the Capazo slides around on the back seat of her car.
MFM reviewer Kate Ashley loved the idea of a baby lying flat in the car, but the reality wasn’t so great. It took Kate ages to work out how to clip the Capazo Auto Carrycot into the car. She found the instructions difficult to follow and felt installation was something that’d be much easier to understand if you could watch someone else do it first. The Capazo didn’t feel secure in Kate’s car. It wobbled about all over the place, and she didn’t feel confident enough about her installation to take Baby Raef out in it.
Space is another consideration – if you have one child, the Capazo’s size will be okay, but if you have one or two older children, it could be tight. There was only just room on the back seat of Kate’s car for the Capazo carrycot and the car seat for her 2-year-old daughter Martha. To fit the Capazo, easy access to two seatbelts is required, which means you’ll end up taking your older child’s car seat in and out of the car every time you want to use the Capazo, which isn’t ideal.
Susannah noted that unlike many of the infant carrier style car seats that can be used up to 12 months of age, the Capazo is only suitable up to 9 months. The Capazo weighs 5.7kg, and as your baby gets older, it’s heavy and not that easy to carry.
Who is the Nurse Capazo Auto Carrycot best for?
Parents who insist on a lie-flat option for travelling with their baby.
MadeForMums verdict
The Nurse Capazo Auto Carrycot is a generous size and comfy but its life span is limited compared to others, and you’ll probably need to purchase another Group 0/0+ car seat. While the lie-flat position is reassuring for travelling with your newborn, installing the Capazo correctly and securely isn’t simple.
the Nurse Capazo Auto Carrycot !
