Advice needed - baby car seat questions (merged)

bylromarha

Another vote for Citroen Berlingo.

3 baby seats easily fit in the back, plus teenage legs when they get to that age, plus room for a multitude of buggies/highchairs/dogs/luggage in the boot for all seated occupants.

I love mine, 2.0l turbo diesel...leaves BMWs standing!

You can get some really good deals on any new citroen if you're prepared to hunt them down (Broads in Watford, Blackburn Car Centre are just 2 which are prepared to undercut everyone else to get your business)

Older_but_not_wiser_2

I've got a Ford Focus ( 2.0 Ghia), and three seats fit in the back no problem.

That was a seat for a 3 year old and 2 seats for 9 month olds.

brummiebabe

Older_but_not_wiser wrote:

I've got a Ford Focus ( 2.0 Ghia), and three seats fit in the back no problem.

That was a seat for a 3 year old and 2 seats for 9 month olds.

Which model Focus? Ours is a 2002 5 door hatchback - have tried to fit 3 seats in when taking my niece out- its impossible!

jellyhead

maybe it depends which seats you're using. our infant carriers are much narrower than his britax first class (SI i think it's called, it does newborn up to age 4). so while you may be able to fit a child and 2 babies into a particular car, once all 3 of them are in the next stage forward facing seats they might not fit. i've been relegated to the backseat anyway, to look after the baby. the 9 year old gets the front seat (with his booster).

Busybee_2

There are new strict car safety laws coming into force in September 2006 that all children aged 3-11 years, and under 1.5 metres (approx 5ft) in height, must use a booster cushion in either the front or rear seat of a car.
There will be a £30.00 fixed penalty notice or, if the case goes to court, the maximum fine will be £500.00 if you break this law. See following site for info:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/page/dft_rdsafety_611257.hcsp

For those who will need to buy a new booster cushion for our child perhaps members could post here any reasonable priced ones that they find.

If this post is in the wrong place please feel free to move it. Thanks.

hellofreebies

this is a good basic buy considering the booster cushions are between £9 - £15......

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3752908.htm

depending if they regularly travel on long journeys or not i would maybe opt for one that gives extra thick padding on the bum as i m sure i would get a bum ache on those hard plastic seats after 20 mins or so....

CODEBREAKER

have a look on the car boot i picked a great 2nd car seat 3-11yr for £1.

it washed up like new

CODEBREAKER

hellofreebies wrote:

this is a good basic buy considering the booster cushions are between £9 - £15......

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3752908.htm

depending if they regularly travel on long journeys or not i would maybe opt for one that gives extra thick padding on the bum as i m sure i would get a bum ache on those hard plastic seats after 20 mins or so....

this is identical to what i picked up for a £1

Frogling

My eldest is just about to turn 4, and we shall be investing in one of these seats. I think it's worth paying out more for a seat that has performed well in crash tests. After all, these are our children we are talking about, and the safety factor is paramount. Plus, this is something that we are going to have for 7 years, and I'm inclined to think that some of the cheaper ones won't last that long.

Which? recently updated their car seat guide, and the following came out top in the 4-11 year old category. The tests were based not just on comfort, but on safety, particularly in the event of a crash.

Children from 15kg to 36kg (from about four years to 11 years)
Seats in this category don’t have integral harnesses but use the car’s own belt to secure both the seat and the child.

The Concord Lift Protect, £75 from independent stores, is easy to install and gives excellent head and leg support.

The Concord Lift Evo, £90 from independent stores, is very easy to use and gives children a good view.

The Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP, widely available for £90, was our best seat in this category in 2004, and is still competitive. It’s very easy to use and does well in our safety tests.

The newcomer Britax Hi-Liner, £40 from Toys R Us, is very easy to use and matches the Maxi-Cosi and Concords for safety.

The Britax Kid, £70 from Toys R Us, remains a good choice, and is the most comfortable seat in this group.

High-street prices quoted are the cheapest we found in our survey of retailers.

zippybungle

The Britax Hi-Liner is now showing as £54.99 on the Toys R Us website, looks like a good car seat though.

https://www.toysrus.co.uk/Product.aspx/BruOrFindUsing/BruAZOfBrands/BruTravelBritax/715646