Older cars and new car seats.

[SarryB]

I'm just looking to update LO's carseat, as he is almost too long for the infant carrier we're currently using.

I'm confused! And a little concerned that the newer style of carseats won't fit our car. We have a Land Rover Discovery - it's quite old, about 15 years old. The seatbelts are quite short (it's a bit of a wrestle to get the infant carrier in!), and the back seats aren't flat like more modern cars, they slope quite a bit.

I don't have a huge amount of money to spend on a seat, maybe £100 if I really stretch our budget. I've been looking at the KiddiCouture Latitude seat from Kiddicare.

Maybe its just Britax 0+ seats then as ive just looked and our (baby safe) definately says its outgrown when top of head is at top of seat or when they reach 13kg(whichever is first).

I was told it was this way as in an accident in a rf seat baby is pushed back and up slightly into the seat so if their head is poking over the top this risks head coming completely over and falling back therefore risking neck damage. But if head is below the top then it will remain protected.

TBH so many people don't have their dc strapped in tightly enough or the car seat not in properly etc etc

As for the children I still see ROAMING around in the back of cars or sat on knees in the front

Sarry good luck with your hunt. I would recommend extended rear facing all the way or 2nd best is a FF seat with impact cushion.

Sorry but the eyes ears thing at the top if the seat us for ff car seats. in a first stage carseat once the top if their head is at the top of the back of the seat it is too small. this has been discussed on other threads.

But op.you say his head is two inches from the top so he has quite a bit of growing room yet :) as he grows in length his legs and body will be griwing so his body ie waist up is the bit that needs to grow by two inches before he will be too tall for the seat. it doesnt matter if his legs are long he will.find a comf position for them and he is too young to go ff.

myboots you are right its not just britax its all first stage seats for the reasons you explain. we had a maxi-cosi first stage and the instructions are the same as soon as their head is level with the top of the back if the seat it is too small.

random we stopped at traffic lights the other day. Three children in car next to us aged 3, 6 and 9 ish. No carseats! none had seatbelts on and the littlest one was standing up in the middle of the car between the front seats! I was sooo tempted to open my window and tell them what fucking idiots they were being!

What seat is it? Dd seemed to be outgrowing hers at 5mo then I realised that the back bit extended after some internet resewearch.

You can get rear facing upright seats around £200 but rf til 4yo

You're all so helpful! I do want to keep him rear-facing as long as possible, that's why I've been looking at ones that face both ways.

The car seat he's in at the moment is the seat from the Jane Solo travel system. I know that he's still got some growing room in it, but what with being so far away from shops or places that fit seats I need to do research on the net first, so I'm not totally frazzled by choice if we do manage to get somewhere to fit one!

I'm not sure how much he weighs at the moment, and to be honest, I assumed length was more important - the seat not being too 'short' for him. He doesn't weigh very much though, I think he's in the 25th centile for weight, but the 75th/90th for height.