Now then. There’s a particular noise a car seat makes when you’re trying to click it onto an Isofix base in the dark, with the boot open, a bag of snacks on the roof and somebody shouting from the house that they can’t find the other shoe. Most of us know it. Most of us also hear the click and think, job done.
So when Netmums ran a piece on 26 October about two car seat recalls ahead of half term, I read it properly. In my job I’ve seen what a properly fitted seat does for a child in a crash, so I like it when a maker spots something and puts it right. That’s exactly what Axkid has done with the Minikid Core.
Here’s how the fix works, how to check your seat, and the boring but useful checks worth doing on any seat before the next long drive.
Axkid’s recall: what’s happening
The Axkid Minikid Core is an extended rear facing seat for children from newborn up to roughly six or seven years old. On its product safety page, Axkid explains that later testing turned up a result that didn’t meet its own stringent safety standards. The seat still meets all the legal requirements, including UN Regulation 129, but Axkid decided that wasn’t good enough and launched a voluntary recall as a precaution.
That word voluntary matters. Axkid says the recall was its own decision and was not ordered by a regulator. In its words, “Even when legal requirements are met, we believe in taking responsibility, keeping families informed and taking action when needed.” That’s the attitude you want from the people who make your child’s seat.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards has also listed the recall on GOV.UK, dated 22 October 2026. Axkid is clear that only the Minikid Core is affected. No other Axkid seat is included.
Can you keep using it?
Axkid’s guidance is straightforward: “Based on our current safety assessment, affected car seats can continue to be used until the replacement arrives.” So there’s no need to be left without a seat for the half term drive while the swap is sorted.
For completeness, Which?, whose own tests go beyond the legal standard, reported on 12 October that the support leg retracted in its frontal test and advised owners to stop using the seat. Axkid points out that crash tests can use different speeds, timings and setups, so they assess a seat under different conditions. Whichever way you look at it, the answer is the same: register for your free replacement today.
How the Axkid fix works
Axkid is replacing every affected seat free of charge. You get a choice: an Axkid Minikid 4 Pro at no extra cost, or an updated version of the Minikid Core once it launches. Axkid says it will announce that launch later.
Bought yours from a shop rather than direct? It doesn’t matter. Axkid says the replacement still applies and it will handle the whole process directly with you, so there’s no traipsing back to the retailer.
Registering takes a few minutes:
- Turn the seat over and find the product label underneath. Your Car Seat ID starts with E9. Use that, not the sales number.
- Take a clear photo of the label showing the Car Seat ID (the label, not the whole seat).
- Fill in the form on Axkid’s product safety page with your contact details, the Car Seat ID and the photo.
Axkid says you’ll hear back about the replacement within one to three business days. Questions? Its customer service team is at [email protected]. The same page also has a step by step installation video, which is worth a watch for any Minikid owner.
If you’ve got a Britax Römer Baby Safe Pro
The other seat in the news is the Britax Römer Baby Safe Pro infant carrier. Which? found that when it was used reclined on the Vario Base 5Z Isofix base, the harness buckle opened in its test with a dummy the size of an 18 month old. It didn’t happen with the seat upright on the base, or fitted with the car’s own seat belt and no base. Britax says the seat meets UN Regulation 129 and has launched a voluntary recall too.
The recall covers carriers made between 26 December 2025 and 30 September 2026, but Britax now says only carriers with buckles from one manufacturing batch are affected. Put the serial number into the Baby Safe Check website that Britax has set up. If your label has a barcode, the serial number sits in the white area underneath it. If not, look on the white label with the manufacturing date.
If your seat is affected, you can register for a free replacement or a free product update. In the meantime Britax says to use it only upright on the Vario Base 5Z, or fitted with the car seat belt and no base. If yours is a Baby Safe 5Z or 5Z2, Britax asks you to contact [email protected].
- Axkid Minikid Core: register for the free replacement now using the E9 Car Seat ID and a photo of the label. Axkid says you can keep using it until the new one arrives.
- Britax Römer Baby Safe Pro made between 26 December 2025 and 30 September 2026: put the serial number into the Baby Safe Check website, and don’t use it reclined on the Vario Base 5Z until you know.
- Any seat: check the label, the fit and the airbag, skip second hand seats, and look up recalls on GOV.UK now and again.
That’s it. Ten minutes on the drive with a torch and the manual. Tidy.
Safe travels, and good luck with the other shoe.
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