Seriously struggling to find a car seat to fit - Please help!

[ProtegeMoi]

I have bought, tried and returned 5 car seats now as none of them fitted my car correctly and I am loosing the will to live!

Some won't sit flat on the seat as the seats are angled, one was so big the seatbelt wouldn't fit round it, one would only fit if the front passenger seat was pushed so far forward it was unusable :(

I have a Renault Clio, 5 door, T (1999) reg car.

It does not have Isofix and we need to use all 5 seats as we have 3 children.

My daughter is 7 months old and we are looking for a group 0+1 car seat that will rear face at first and then turn forward facing, the one's that last until around age 4. It cannot be a forward facing only one as the laws are soon to change that babies must rear face until 15 months and we do not want to have to buy a new seat at that point as she will still be under this age.

Maxi-Cosi tell me that the only seat that will fit is a group 0 (birth to 9 months) but we want a longer lasting one as my daughter is already almost too big.

Britax tell me they do not make a single car seat to fit my car.

There has got to be one surely!
It's not exactly an unusual car!

At this point in time I don't care what it costs or what it looks like it just has to fit!

Does anyone out there also have an older Clio and if so what car seats do you use?

[Darksideofthe80s]

We had a Recaro young profi?? That lasted way past 18 months this fitted into bmw sports seats hth

[ProtegeMoi]

That's only a group 0 unfortuantely.
It has to be group 0+1 as she is very long for her age.

We are using a group 0 now and although she is well is the weight limit her head is only a cm from the top of the seat so nearly outgrown.

[blondieminx]

Was going to suggest the Britax but see you've already been down that road!

Do Renault have a helpline? Maybe they can recommend a manufacturer?

Search on facebook for "rearfacing - the way forward" and see if they can help?

why rearfacing is safer

Hope you find something!

[silverfrog]

what does your dd weigh?

have you looked at the Britax Two Way Elite? it's from 9-25kg, rear or forward facing (would recommend keeping rear facing a long as possible. my dd2 is in this, at nearly 6, still rear facing)

[ProtegeMoi]

She weighs 6kg so too small.

I want to keep her rear facing but cant find anything that will fit.

The Britax fit finder came back with nothing.

[Oodhousekeeping]

Try the in car safety people in Milton keynes. They advise over the phone as well as in person.

[silverfrog]

Absolutely agree with talking to incar safety centre. They are brilliant. When I was pregnant with ds we spent 4 hours there working out what seats would fit my car as he is dc3. They found the only combination of seats that would fit my car (dd1 is 8, dd2 is 5 but very small and light so needed a hbb, a harnessed seat and an infant seat).

I find it odd that your dd won't fit - dd1 was off the scale for weight and length but still fitted in a group 0 past 7 months. Is 6kg not really small for 7 months?

Incar safety are definitely the people to advise.

[lagoonhaze]

Try and borrow a bigger infant seat from someone (britax babysafe is a generous seat) if shes really growing out of infant carrier.

Will give you time til she fits a britax two way elite. You wont find the TWE on britax website as they dont market it here but its a top seller in sweden and fits a wide range of car.

[Darksideofthe80s]

I would still check out the recaro, it has an adjustable back so it grows with the child. At 18 months dd was still within the weight and head limits, I only changed her seat as I could no longer carry her in it

[ProtegeMoi]

6kg is tiny for 7 months yes, it is her length, she only has another inch or so in it.

[ProtegeMoi]

Thank you for all advice, some good suggestions thanks.