More of a WWYD re: car seats.

[IsThatTrue]

Right I mistakenly thought that I could turn the passenger airbag off In my car but looking at it it doesn't have the switch. Now I have a dilemma. I need to do a 5hr journey (including motorways) with 3dc 8, 6 and 7 mo. usually I have 6 out of the 7 seats up but I will have luggage etc so can only have 5 seats up. So now I have the dilemma of how to arrange the car.

I cannot fit both high backed boosters and the rear facing car seat across the back of the car. Dd is the tallest at 130 cm. but the manual says not to put anybody under 140cm in the front seat when the airbag is active but I can't deactivate it

The other option is that the car has an in built booster cushion in the centre of the 3 rear seats, which dd is within the size and weight ranges for, but there is no side impact protection.

So what would be safer? Dd in the front on her normal high backed booster with the airbag on? Or on the integral booster cushion in the centre at the back?

Please help!

They are so safety orientated they dont like you being able to switch it off and forget to put it back on. Hence the weight sensor i mentioned in last post.

Really if your not sure just check the airbag lamp indicator with nobody in the seat and then with someone in it. The same test can be done for small in seat !

I have an XC90, we fit our three in one in the back. DS1 uses the integrated booster and a Volvo seat cover that provides a small amount of side protection (cushioning - nothing solid). I rely on the fact that the car itself has very good safety features although I have been concerned about side impact from the other seats should we be shunted from the side or any other type of side impact.

I wouldn't put stuff in the front seat, the injuries if you have an accident from stuff flying around in the cabin can be serious. (Like the accident itself isn't). Check the airbag indicator as a pp said, mine is on the rearview mirror but I have a key turn off switch to put a child in the front seat.

The thing I don't like about pushing the front seat far back is the child behind is then closer to the front seat. I always thought that they would be more likely to move forward and hit that. I have no scientific reasoning for this at all.

Have a nice holiday (after all that doom and gloom).

Thanks sebastian and scrounger that was my thinking on loading all the luggage around the kids. I would prefer it was all safely behind the dog guard it's only use as we have no dog

I personally would put biggest child in middle seat of car with a booster cushion/integral car seat - totally fine for an 8 year old. The luxury of three proper car seats is only possible on a few very wide cars. ALSO once your oldest is 11 then she'll be too big for the high back booster so would be in the middle between 2 car seats without anything - not so different to now on a booster cushion /integral car seat between 2 car seats.

In an case, in most cars with 7 seats (possibly not a volvo though) the middle seat is MUCH SAFER than one of the boot seats anyway.

Have you considered leaving all of the gear except clothes behind and hiring what you need via babycomes2.co.uk to have delivered directly to parents?

Isthattrue, I agree with you, pop the luggage behind the net to stop the risk of flying objects. Pop the eldedt in the middle on the integral booster, they will be fine. It is the safest position in the vehicle. Have a look at the handbook link below, airbags where you dont have an off button will always deploy, however previous poster suggests weight sensors now determine this. I think slight discrepancies are coming in to play depending on year of manufacture.

Just make sure you keep stopping and let everyone stretch their legs. Have agood trip.

volvo xc90 see page 24

Just realised you are probably en-route already, hope you got it all sorted.