ERF - 3y/o - 3 door car - HELP!

[justforinfo]

Right ladies,

I'm going to be looking after my friends 3 yr old daughter and refuse to use their car seat (nania 1/2/3) We have a 3 door Ford Focus (2002) and the seat belts are quite short (don't fit infant seats, struggle with a Britax Evolva)

I really, REALLY want ERF. Although it will be quite rare that we take her anywhere in the car, when she's with us I want her to be as safe as humanly possible, i'd never forgive myself if anything happened to her!

My concerns:

1. She is FF atm in her parents cars - they are aware of ERF but how do I tell them I won't have her FF when she is with us, without making them feel bad?

2. We have a 3 door car - any experiences of this anyone can share? I.E space lost, ease of getting child in and out? - I am worried that if we crashed and she is RF in a 3 door car, it would be incredibly difficult for the emergency services to access her.

3. The seat needs to be versatile, a seat from birth would be great as we may have to transport a baby occasionally (we have a first class for this anyway), but I love the versatility of the TWE! Advice?!!

4. We are going to be changing the car in the next 6-8 months for an estate (fingers crossed baby time for us!!!!!) So again, we will need different fitting options

So I really don't know what ERF to get, or if I should keep her FF like she is currently in parents car because:

• She will be easier to access in an accident (this is a huge concern of mine)
• she hasn't rode RF since she got turned FF
• We're not made of money, although I will find £300 if needed!
• a group 1/2/3 would last as a good HBB - if so what 1/2/3!!!
• Her safety is of paramount importance, if she was 1/2yrs RF wouldn't even be questioned - but if we got a decent group 1/2/3 we could give it to her parents (it's always bugged me that she's in a rubbish car seat, but it is all they can afford)

So, I think that's all my concerns are currently - it just makes me feel sick the idea of having a FF child in the car :-/ If anyone can give me advice on what they've done, tips etc, I'd be incredibly grateful!

Jeez, some child seat advisor I am!!! I'm fine telling other people the best options but when it comes to us choosing it's a nightmare!

She's three years old. There have been studies which say a child over the age of three is just as safe in a seatbelt without any car seat at all (I don't believe this, because surely it's safer to e.g. use a HBB so that the seatbelt actually fits correctly, but anyway) and for all the other reasons you've stated, I'd go for FF.

Why don't you get one of the Kiddy ones with impact shield? Someone was saying on another thread that there is an offer on one of their 123 seats for £140. If you didn't want to insult the parents you could say you chose it because of ease of use for switching between cars etc and they are very highly rated as HBBs too. Might be harder to fit in a 3 door though, am not sure. You have to tighten the seatbelt at every stage, obviously.

Thanks Bertie :) I've looked at the impact shield ones but they're not really an option, at higher speeds they don't offer much more in the way of safety, and I can imagine that if she was kicking off when i'm trying to put her in it then there is also a risk of not doing the shield tight enough?

Saying that, personal preferences out of the way as her safety is more important - the Kiddy id the only group 1/2/3 to gain a which best buy....

It's not too hard to pull it tight, because once the shield is in the slots you can hold it in place easily to tighten it. Plus they tend to like them, because they get a little table to play on!

Cool :) I've only experienced the Cybex one and really not keen on it! I think we're nearly decided on a TWE though, We have the option of using it FF, and extended harnessing, and also ERF for when the little one outgrows the Britax Baby Safe :-)

Thank you for all your help though, I will still go and check out the kiddy seat :)