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Car seats

Confused about car seat regulations? Find baby car seat advice here. For Mumsnetter-approved essentials, sign up for Mumsnet Swears By emails here.

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Original poster

Where does your baby go in the car? Front or back?

35 replies

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 13:37

Just wondering what the general consensus was on positioning of baby (group 0+) car seats. The back or the front? Is it better in the front so you can keep an eye on the baby? (I know you would have to turn the airbags off for it to go in the front.) Or is it safer for them to always be in the back?

The car seat that I wanted will only fit in the front of my car (according to the manufacturer's website) and on a base. Not sure why. I was wondering if this would be a problem or if it was normal to have it in the front anyway.

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dyslexicdespot · 27/01/2014 13:44

the middle seat in the back with a rear facing seat is the safest. This might not be the most convenient spot for you.

Josie314 · 27/01/2014 13:45

You are never supposed to put a carseat in the front. They are made to go in the back. The manual should say that.

Original poster

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 13:53

Britax & Maxi Cosi say it's OK in the front with rear facing seats as long as the airbags are disabled.

OP posts:

yetanotherworry · 27/01/2014 14:00

It's supposed to be safer in the back because it's further away from the engine.

lilyaldrin · 27/01/2014 14:05

I always had it in the back.

Cindy34 · 27/01/2014 14:08

With older children, I have had baby seat in the front, so older children did not poke baby.

Car manufacturer may be able to tell you safest position, though it will depend on how the seat fits so also consult with seat manufacturer.

ilovepowerhoop · 27/01/2014 14:14

it is always safer to have them in the back and having the airbags off in the front can affect your insurance too. From child car seat website:

Disconnecting or switching off an airbag should be a last resort. It means that the protection offered by the airbag is lost. If there is no other option, contact the vehicle manufacturer, and consult your insurance company beforehand.

Some cars have a cut-off switch which allows an airbag to be switched on or off. The disadvantage is that you may forget to switch it back on when a different passenger is in the seat. And there may be the possibility that an airbag may go off in a crash anyway.

Some manufacturers may be prepared to disconnect an airbag or install a cut-off switch if they believe the airbag is causing an appreciable risk to the driver or passenger. They would probably require the vehicle owner to accept responsibility for the disconnection and for any effect it may have on other drivers or passengers. They may need to replace the steering wheel and/or seat belt, if they have been specifically designed and approved for use with the airbag.

The airbag should be reconnected before the car is sold.

MrsSteptoe · 27/01/2014 14:15

We had a three door hatchback, so clipping in a rear seat carseat would have been really awkward. We bought one where you installed a frame onto the passenger seat (which basically stayed there for a year) and you clicked the car seat (rear facing) into the frame. Obviously, it meant that passengers had to go in the back until he was walking and could get into a normal car seat in the back, despite no back doors.

Keepthechangeyoufilthyanimal · 27/01/2014 14:29

Even if companies advise the front is safe as long as the air bag is switched off, its not.
There is still a (admittedly very very small) chance it could still go off in a very heavy impact crash.

The other point is that if you are in any sort of accident, your car insurance may well be invalid if you have disabled the air bag.

Personally, I would never put a baby in the front. Massive distraction from concentrating on the road if you ask me.

NewJobNewLife · 27/01/2014 14:41

I have had a baby in the front on a few journeys, though normally all children are in the back.

I found it so distracting having her there. Though I also find forward facing children in the back distracting, as I'm used to them all being rear facing (you get very good at interpreting sounds!).

Original poster

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 14:47

Thanks everyone. I better try to get one that will go in the back then. I didn't know disabling the airbag would pose such a big problem (there's a little switch you turn and a light comes on to say they're off, i.e. it's pretty user friendly).

It's annoying me that it doesn't say why the base won't fit in the back. It's a pretty average family car (Toyota Corolla). The guy in Halfords couldn't think how there could be a problem. I'll have to find a big store that stocks these things and get them to try them out.

OP posts:

ilovepowerhoop · 27/01/2014 14:58

which car seat is it?

Original poster

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 15:02

Well it's the base really - Britax belted base.

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ilovepowerhoop · 27/01/2014 15:04

yes but what car seat does it go with

HandragsNGladbags · 27/01/2014 15:06

Could you not get one with an isofix?

Original poster

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 15:06

The seat itself is the BABY-SAFE plus SHR II but it doesn't look like that can go in any position in the car (and I like the idea of a base too).

It's a bit of a minefield all this!

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Original poster

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 15:08

Our car doesn't have isofix HandragsNGladbags. It feels like it would be easier to choose a car seat and buy a car to fit it rather than the other way around at the minute!

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HandragsNGladbags · 27/01/2014 15:23

Is it an old car?

Who is saying that it won't fit in the back of the car? Sorry if I'm being dense!

Original poster

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 15:26

2004, which I suppose is 10 years old now! It feels like a pretty new car to me though. It's so much nicer than anything I've had before.

Britax website says it won't fit.

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ilovepowerhoop · 27/01/2014 15:52

I think some of the maxi cosi seats are more compatible, including bases

Original poster

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 16:00

Yeah, I think I will have find somewhere I can try them out (unfortunately there's nowhere locally and a million and one jobs to do before the baby gets here in a few weeks. Obviously this is one of the more important ones though!). Maxi Cosi website doesn't list our car so I have no idea if it would fit.

Thanks for your help.

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ilovepowerhoop · 27/01/2014 16:08

I just tried it with a toyota corolla 4 door 2004 (as I didnt know what car it was but would imagine they are similar layout inside) and it gave several combinations that could be used

Original poster

FoxMulder · 27/01/2014 16:21

You can only choose sedan or Verso, neither of which it is. It's just a normal hatchback. Maybe the options it gives would apply to mine too. But then again, it also says the ISOFIX ones would fit, when they wont.

I'll just have to find a stockist to find out once and for all!

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lilyaldrin · 27/01/2014 16:22

Could you just use a belted seat without the base? Sorry, not sure how important the base is.

ilovepowerhoop · 27/01/2014 16:25

the britax site didnt give any seat options without the base, just the base itself. It then said it could only be used in the front.

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