Car seat help x 3!

[ParisFrance]

Hi,

I will shortly need to buy car seats for a 6m old, 2y old and 6y old.

I'm relocating from overseas and cannot use my current seats in the UK. Could anyone point me in the direction of where I can find reliable information on which seats are best? I've looked via Google and feel quite overwhelmed!

Thanks in advance!
PF

[teaandbiscuitsforme]

www.carseatadvice-uk.com
They also have a Facebook group which has lots of information.

For your eldest you will want a high back booster which restrains the child with the car's seatbelt.

The 2 year old is safest in a rear facing seat which will be fixed in the car. These can have an 18kg or 25kg weight limit and should last until they're about 4 so if you can, track your child's weight to decide if they will be under 18kg by the time they're 4.

For your youngest, you could get an infant carrier which can be removed from the car or you could get a rear facing fixed seat which is suitable from birth.

[Sunshinegirl82]

Contact the In Car Safety Centre they will be able to advise you on the most appropriate seats for your car.

[CabbagePatchKids]

Car seat advice UK as PP suggested.

[ParisFrance]

Thanks all, appreciate the links and advice. I will take a look...

[itsboiledeggsagain]

do you know what vehicle will be driving? Lots of UK vehicles are too narrow inside for 3. Either choose well or be clear that you will need 3 narrow seats. Different brands tend to jigsaw well together - especially front and rear facing alternates.

[ParisFrance]

We haven't chosen a car yet, trying to work this out in conjunction with the car seat rules. It will need to be something that can be used rurally and also fit a pram in the back so potentially a 7 seater.

[BertieBotts]

I agree with that website and the Facebook group.

Are you already in the UK? If so there is a page on that site with info about recommended retailers. Look there and see if there's a car seat specialist near you. That would be the best place to go for advice, although it might be best to choose the car first. Still, if you contact your closest one, they will be able to let you know what to look for or avoid in a car when you're trying to fit your chosen configuration in.

If you're from the US or Australia, you might want your 6yo in a harnessed seat. You can get seats which harness up to 25kg here, but that is the maximum size. So it will depend on their weight whether you can get one.

[ParisFrance]

Thanks BertieBotts, that's helpful. We've not arrived in the UK yet but yes, we are used to the harness for our older child so would be looking for similar. In the process of checking out the website.

[BertieBotts]

OK. So if you want a seat with harness up to 25kg, you will NEED a car with top tether and isofix. Top tether is relatively recent in the UK, so that might be more of a tricky requirement, but I think it has been required at least for the last 3-4 years so if the car is fairly new that wouldn't be an issue, but it will be difficult if you're looking at older cars.

For seats for the younger ones you might need to accommodate a support leg under the seat, so I would also ask to avoid cars with storage boxes on the floor of the rear/middle seats - unfortunately these are common in 7-seaters and cause a problem with car seats with support leg.

The only other solution to harness over 25kg if your 6yo weighs more than that is to bring your seat from abroad. Technically it would not meet our standards, but in reality it's unlikely anyone would check. Again tethers might be an issue, as top tether anchors are not standard except in brand new cars. If you come from somewhere that seatbelts tend to lock in order to fit car seats and your foreign car seat uses seatbelt to fit, you need a seatbelt locking clip as European belts tend not to have this feature.

[ParisFrance]

Thank you, really appreciate the advice and time spent responding to me.

[BertieBotts]

No worries :) Hope you get sorted with what you need.