Car size and baby seats

[nickilubs]

Now I know its best to fit the baby stuff around the car rather than buy a car to fit the baby stuff. So I am wondering what the best kind of baby car seats are about to fit a small older car. I drive a cinquecento which is a tiny little car and I do worry that nothing is going to fit!
Heres a pic so you know what car I mean....any ideas anyone? Im looking for a seat from newborn upto 3-4years xx

 

[Sherlock]

Britax have a car suitability checker on their website. Your car shows the car seat models for 0-4 years old as fitting one of their models ok but not as a rear facing car seat. The other not at all unless fitted in the front. However some of their other models for a wider age group etc fit. You may find you end up with an infant carrier and then a 9 months to 9 years old seat over a 0-4 age group.

If you go here http://www.britax.co.uk/index.php

and then click on the FIT FINDER in the top left corner to put in your car make and model etc, then work out what car seat options you can go for. You get loads of car seats come up, just a case of checking if its a green = fine, an orange = possible or a red = no.

Hope that helps

 

[nickilubs]

Thanks Sherlock

Dunno if I entered it right but none of them are coming up as green? All reds and yellows.

 

[Kylie1007]

I don't think you will have any prob actually fitting a car seat in to a car but you might have issues getting a seatbelt around it. We've got a Silver Cross car seat and a Citroen Picasso and the back seatbelts only just go around it.

 

[Redshoes]

I'd suggest looking at what seats you like, then going to Mothercare, they will let you try them in your car before buying

 

[lea m]

Thanks Sherlock

Dunno if I entered it right but none of them are coming up as green? All reds and yellows.

When I did it for my punto, it was the same thing! Mainly Orange! Not happy!!! I did want one that was 0+1 but will just have to get an infant carrier first! Oh well! Even more money!! hahaha

 

[daftscotslass]

I was happiest with the service in Babies R Us - the girl actually came out to the car and showed us how the ones we were looking at would fit in our car. We have a Peugeot 206 - when the in-car base is in the back the front passenger seat needs to be quite far forward.

Even if you don't want to buy there you can still try some out to give you an idea.

 

[Sherlock]

Thanks Sherlock

Dunno if I entered it right but none of them are coming up as green? All reds and yellows.

Yellows are fine, it just means there are points to consider. If you click on the yellow circles it will tell you what you need to know. Mostly its to say that it won't fit as a rear facing car seat only as forward facing or something. If its red its a non starter totally.

So click the yellow circles and have a read. I found most of the 0-4's didn't fit as rear facing in your car. But some of the 9months to 9 years old did. And one 0-4 also. So as I said, you may find you need an infant/baby carrier for rear facing from 0-9 months then a child seat that can go in straight forward facing.

 

[smile]

im afraid this is why I sold my cinq had it for 6 years and was my first car!

 

[Sherlock]

When I did it for my punto, it was the same thing! Mainly Orange! Not happy!!! I did want one that was 0+1 but will just have to get an infant carrier first! Oh well! Even more money!! hahaha

Orange/yellow isn't all bad. Did you click on the circles themselves to see what the possible problem was for your car? Mostly its they won't go as rear facing car seats alas, but sometimes its other things. Orange doesn't mean its a total non starter.

We opted for a 0-4 years old car seat so are cutting out the infant carrier. Mind you it goes in rear facing so its not a problem for us. I just couldn't see the point of spending on an infant carrier and then at 9 months a car seat either. The problem is usually not the seat won't fit in the car, but the seatbelts are not long enough to go round the seat when they are rear facing. I don't know if you can get longer seatbelts for your car. But then the cost of a new seatbelt isn't cheap When I got one it was £65 plus fitting so £75 all up When the dog chewed that one I got a second hand one then for a tenner Did just fine.

 

[Mrs_Jay]

or go in to halfords and then they fit it for you (for example i got them to put a car seat in an old style mini and that fitted )