Question re car seat (first time mum)

[moomin35]

Hi Everyone, I'm a first time mum with zero experience so please excuse the dumb question. We have a travel system complete with car seat, it's only mothercare own brand so i don't believe it has isofix and I don't think my car is fitted with isofix anyway. Can you tell me where the car seat should go with my newborn in it (front or back of car?) and how do I secure it so that baby is safe? PS. Baby's not here yet so don't worry that I'm driving around not knowing what to do (yet!!)

What car seat is it? There should be an instruction booklet with it with directions of how to fit it, on mine there is also diagrams on the seat to show where to thread the seatbelt.
Also, what car have you got? Not all car seats fit all cars

It goes in the back rear facing. Practice putting it in and ensuring that the seatbelt is everywhere it shoudl be (for the first 2 weeks I drove around without the seat properly secured! only noticed when another mum showed me how it was supposed to be fitted). this is a good link:

www.childcarseats.org.uk/choosing/fitting.htm

Have a practice at fitting it yourself and then take it to the shop you bought it from and get one of their staff to check you have done it correctly. Any shop that sells car seats should be happy to do this for you.

Yes, go back to Mothercare. They should give you a full demonstration of the seat.

Behind the passenger seat, with the passenger seat forward so there is space between it and the car seat.

Yep in the back behind the passenger seat is the safest and keep your baby in a rear facing seat as long as possible.

Take it to Mothercare and ask them to fit it for you, but also read the manual and check it very carefully yourself. I have bought a car seat and had it fitted in Mothercare and the idiot sales assistant didn't fit it or check it properly and when I looked at it myself it wasn't even attached.

I had a maxi cosi car seat and base, my car is 10 yrs old so didn't have Isofix points but there was a base I could get that fitted in via seat belt and the people at mothercare fitted it for me so all I have to do is click car seat in and out. Easy peasy! And it's rear facing in back behind front passenger seat,

Go back to Mothercare and get them to show you. Im really suprised they didnt offer to do that when you bought it (usually come out and check its compatible and that the pram fits your boot)

Check the instructions booklet

Watch a youtube video demo

Ask a friend who has used these type of car seats to shpw you

Practice x100

Agree, get a demonstration. Also get a mirror for the back seat so you can see dc face in the rear view mirror.