Phil and Teds, the amazingly successful 3-wheeler and inline tandem buggy manufacturer from New Zealand, makes a car seat. Did you know? No, neither did I until 5-month-old Freya and I had one to try out recently, and it’s not half bad if you own a Phil and Teds buggy.
The Phil and Teds bebe HS is a Group 0+ rear facing infant carrier suitable from birth to 13kg, which can be anything up to 12 to 15 months (not for my bonnie lass though!).
The Phil and Teds bebe HS is incredibly light - it felt as though the deliveryman had handed me an empty box. The seat weighs in at only 2kg, which is less than most newborns!
It is a basic car seat but it does tick all the boxes, with a 3-point safety harness, sun canopy and head cushion for added newborn support. The bebe HS also has EPS impact protection foam for maximum protection and reassuring comfort. That’s expanded polystyrene foam to you and me, an energy absorbing foam that you’re most likely to have seen as packaging in little ‘peanut’ shapes around anything delicate sent in the post.
What we love
The Phil and Teds bebe HS is soooo light it really makes transporting your baby to the car in the seat a possibility. This something that I had stopped doing because the combined weight of my not-so-little baby and her car seat was slowly detaching my arm from its socket!
Phil and Teds has produced a budget-minded car seat - it has a RRP of just over £85 I have seen it on offer at just over £60. It covers all the basics and, in comparison to the bebe car seat, the bebe HS has higher sides for added impact protection.
The bebe HS is strapped into the car with the conventional 3-point seatbelt. The seat itself is very small - I found this particularly useful as it means that the seat belt doesn’t have far to travel to strap it in. My car has very short seatbelts, not long enough to loop around all makes of car seat, and so in the past I’ve had quite a time trying to get the seatbelt wound around all the relevant clips. The Phil and Teds bebe HS is one of the slimmer ones on the market and so can be useful to those who need to fit three car seats across the back of a standard car.
The main plus of the Phil and Teds bebe HS is that it makes a travel system of Phil and Teds Vibe, Sport or Classic buggies. It’s worth noting, when the car seat is attached to one of these, the buggy isn’t supposed to take a second passenger, so you’ll need to put that doubles kit down!
The hidden strap adjustment in the bebe HS is a boon for cleaning. On most car seats the straps are lengthened by pressing a button that’s recessed into the fabric, on the bebe HS this button is concealed under the wipe clean fabric so you have no hard to clean bit following the inevitable upset on a journey.
What to watch out for
The compact size of the Phil and Teds bebe HS meant a friend’s newborn looked perfect, however Freya at a large 5 months looks like she’ll only manage another few months. This means you’ll have to buy another rear-facing seat until you baby’s the right weight to move into a Group 1 car seat.
It is a basic car seat – expect no frills! The fabric, though wipe clean, can seem scratchy and it’s not heavily padded. Over all, it seems plasticky and cheap next to more robust models.
The Phil and Teds bebe HS is not a design classic - it comes in only black or red and won’t win any prizes for looks.
Who is the Phil and Teds bebe HS car seat best for?
Mums who have a Phil and Teds Vibe, Sport or Classic buggy and want to use it as a travel system.
MadeForMums verdict
The Phil and Teds bebe HS car seat is a good-value basic car seat that will work well for anyone who wants to convert their Phil and Teds 3-wheeler into a travel system. It will suit small babies and those with short car seatbelts, but those with bigger bouncing babes may end up needing another option sooner than they’d like.
the Phil & Teds bebe HS car seat!
