Picture it. You’ve packed the nappy bag. You’ve found the missing shoe (in the dog’s bed, naturally). You’ve wiped the Vegemite off someone’s face and herded everyone out the door only 20 minutes late, which, let’s be honest, is basically early.
And then comes the main event.
The car seat wrestle. You’re half in the back seat, one knee on the floor and your spine bent at an angle that should come with a Medicare rebate. Your child has gone stiff as a plank, or boneless as a noodle, depending on their mood. The harness buckle is missing. It’s under their bottom. It’s always under their bottom.
If your lower back just twinged in sympathy, let us introduce you to the new Joie asset™ spin 2. It’s a 360° rotating car seat, so the whole thing swivels around to face you at the car door. No more reaching. No more twisting. You’re face to face with your little one, buckling them in like a civilised human being.
And the spin isn’t the only trick it’s got. Here’s the lowdown.
The Quick Stuff (for the Mums Skim-Reading at School Pick-Up)
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- RRP: $749.99
- Suits: birth to approximately 4 years
- Rear-facing: birth to approximately 30 months
- The party trick: 360° rotation, with turning buttons on both sides
- Installs with: vehicle seatbelt and top tether, with the LockTight™ belt tensioner
- Harness: six-point, with a Grow Together™ 10-position headrest
- Where to get it: Joie Baby Australia, also available at Baby Bunting
A Car Seat That Spins Towards You? Where Has This Been All Our Lives?
Quick maths. How many times a week do you buckle your kid into the car?
Daycare drop-off. Daycare pick-up. The “quick” Woolies run that’s never quick. Swimming lessons. The GP. Your sister’s place. A visit to the grandparents, who will absolutely give them a lolly before dinner.
It’s a lot. Dozens of buckle-ins a week, every week, for years. Your back is doing some serious heavy lifting.
With the asset™ spin 2, you rotate the seat to face the open door, pop your little one in and do up the harness while you’re looking right at them. It’s a game changer for gently lowering a sleeping newborn without waking them (please, universe). It also helps with a toddler who’s decided they’re driving today and would like to discuss it.
The turning buttons are on both sides of the seat, so it doesn’t matter which side of the street you’ve squeezed into. Small detail, big win.
DON’T FORGET: Once they’re buckled in, turn the seat back to its locked travel position before you drive off. Every time. The user guide shows you exactly how.
How Long Can My Child Stay Rear-Facing in the asset™ spin 2?
From birth to approximately 30 months. That’s two and a half years of rear-facing travel. If you’re comparing car seats, this is one of the first numbers to look at.
Here’s the clever part. You can still spin it while it’s rear-facing. Turn it towards you, buckle them in, then turn it back into the rear-facing position. You don’t have to switch to forward-facing for easy access, and rear-facing toddlers are notoriously hard to get in.
Australian law says bubs must ride rear-facing until at least six months, and many parents keep them rear-facing much longer. Ages are approximate, so use the shoulder-height markers and the user guide to know when it’s time to switch. Not by your toddler’s opinion. They’ll have one.
One Seat From the Hospital Car Park to Kinder
Let’s talk about the baby gear graveyard. You know the one. It’s in the garage, the spare room or that cupboard nobody opens. It’s full of stuff your kid used for about five minutes before outgrowing it.
The Joie asset™ spin 2 is a convertible car seat, which is a fancy way of saying it has rear-facing and forward-facing modes and is designed to go from birth to approximately four years. One seat from the very first drive home to the kinder drop-off years.
Expecting your first? Consider this from day one. Fewer seats to buy, fewer seats to install and one less thing clogging up the garage. We call that a win.
Headrest and Harness That Grow With Them
You know that moment when your kid’s pants suddenly finish halfway up their shins and you think, “When did THAT happen?” Growth spurts are sneaky. Car seat fit changes just as fast.
The Grow Together™ 10-position headrest and harness adjust at the same time with one button. You don’t do the headrest, then the straps, then swear at the straps, then do the headrest again. One button, and it’s done.
Check the fit regularly as they grow, and follow the user guide for the right harness position in each mode. It’s a lot easier to keep on top of when it takes about three seconds.
Comfy Enough for Your Newest, Squishiest Passenger
A seat that lasts four years still has to fit a teeny 3.5kg newborn properly. This one’s ready for both.
Newborn insert and head pillow
It comes with a removable infant insert and a detachable head pillow to keep your newborn snug. As they grow, you take them out, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Breathable fabrics and plenty of recline
The plush, breathable fabrics are a blessing in an Aussie summer. There are three rear-facing and four forward-facing recline positions, which you’ll appreciate when your toddler inevitably passes out 10 minutes before you arrive anywhere.
What Safety and Installation Features Does It Have?
Okay, the spin is the fun part. But let’s be real, you want to know this thing is locked in tight. The Australian model installs with your vehicle seatbelt and top tether, and comes with:
- LockTight™ belt tensioner, which helps hold the seat firmly against your car seat with no wobble
- Top tether
- Anti-rebound bar
- Six-point harness
- Rotation and recline indicators, so you can tell at a glance that everything’s set correctly. Very handy when you’re running on four hours’ sleep
Check it suits your car and seating set-up before you buy. If installation makes you break out in a cold sweat (no judgement), book a professional restraint fitter. Do a few practice spins in the driveway before your first big outing. Future you will be grateful.
Is the Joie asset™ spin 2 Worth $749.99?
We won’t sugar-coat it. That’s a decent chunk of change.
But here’s how we see it. Spread over four years, $749.99 works out roughly to $3.60 a week. That’s less than your daily flat white, and you get one seat from newborn to kinder, rear-facing until about 30 months, and a seat that saves your back at every pick-up.
Compared with buying a separate capsule, then a convertible seat, then wondering where it all went wrong, it’s worth a serious look.
Where to Buy the Joie asset™ spin 2
Discover the new Joie asset™ spin 2 and make everyday journeys with your little one easier. With 360° rotation, extended rear-facing and comfort features from birth to approximately four years, it’s designed to make every trip simpler. That includes the 7 am daycare dash and the three-hour drive to Grandma’s.
Shop the Joie asset™ spin 2 at Joie Baby Australia and Baby Bunting.
Your back will thank you. Your chiropractor might not. 😉
This is a sponsored editorial for Joie Baby Australia.
