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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

Seat belt not long enough to fit around car seat

18 replies

DaddyLemon2015 · 02/05/2015 18:32

Hi Everyone.
I'm new at netmums so please forgive me. I'm a first time dad to be - baby due in September 2015.

Just been shopping for car seats and when the assistant tried to fit it in our car, our seatbelt wasn't long enough to go around it!
I've never heard of anyone having this issue before. Have you?!

They suggested I could get a new longer seatbelt fitted. But that's extra expense I wouldn't have even thought of. Also, what if it doesn't fit in any relatives cars either.

The seat we were looking at was the MaxiCozi Pebble Plus. It doesn't appear to be any bigger than any other model.

Our car is a Ford Focus C-max 2005. Which we recently bought as a new family car because of the big boot. But turns out we can't use the car seat bases you can buy because our car as footwell storage compartments and the bases won't work as you cant use the vertical support leg.

As anyone ever had this issue before?

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purplemurple1 · 02/05/2015 18:37

We have this with one of our cars, it is a complete pain in the arse tbh.

With our car seat in the back of the instruction bookklet they have a list of the cars the seat fits into. I assume all seats come with a list like this, so you should be able to with quite a bit of leg work be able to find a seat that will fit in your car, but its quite a pain.

I think rather than the size of the seat it is the design and how the seat belt wraps around the seat that is the issue.

purplemurple1 · 02/05/2015 18:39

We have a graco mirage travel system, I think I've hired a ford focus with it and it fitted so it may be worth you looking at.

dementedpixie · 02/05/2015 18:41

Can you pack the storage spaces?

dementedpixie · 02/05/2015 18:42

and its mumsnet not netmums

owainsmum · 02/05/2015 18:53

Ford focus are notorious for having short seat belts which don't go around car seats. We have one and recently got a new seat for our DD who is almost 12 months, and wanted one that can be used rear facing for an extended time. We got a Britax first class plus, which is suitable from birth to 4 years, and the seatbelt just goes around it when it's rear facing. When we turn it around to face forward when DD is bigger it will easily fit. It's just rear facing that's tricky because the seatbelt has to go all the way around the back. I would definitely test to see if a seat fits before you buy though, just in case. Good luck!

dementedpixie · 02/05/2015 18:55

There are supposed to be foam spacers that you can use inside the compartments

mousmous · 02/05/2015 18:55

we had that.
we got a base thingy that got belted in and then the seat clicked on top of that.

SecretNutellaFix · 02/05/2015 19:53

Contact Ford. They may well be able to provide blocks to fill the footwell storage compartments so that you can use the bases.

PenguinsandtheTantrumofDoom · 02/05/2015 20:09

Yeah, fill in the storage boxes and use the pebble with iso fix base.

Spidergirl2015 · 02/05/2015 20:19

Do you have isofix?

Spidergirl2015 · 02/05/2015 20:21

Also with the infant carriers you can still use them with a short belt. You put the lap belt across as usual but before you plug it in but. The diagonal part around the back. Then plug it in. Then make sure the lap part is tense and then tense the diagonal.

Or pack the storage compartment with foam.

Original poster

DaddyLemon2015 · 02/05/2015 21:13

Thanks so much everyone. Will look into getting the footwell compartments filled in.
Our car doesn't come with the isofix but ford can fit them for about £100 per seat.

OP posts:

AmateurSeamstress · 05/05/2015 22:43

Yes we had this with an older car. The solution was a different model of carseat.

seaoflove · 05/05/2015 22:46

We have an even older Ford Focus (so, no isofix) and bought the Maxi Cosi Easyfix base and had no issues with the seatbelt. It fits the Cabriofix infant seat, not sure about the Pebble.

BeansInBoots · 05/05/2015 23:00

We fitted our own isofix with a set from eBay for £15 on my ford, properly buckles into the metal work, 10 min job for me and dp, we had the same problem with stupid ford seatbelts!

chickenpoxpanic · 05/05/2015 23:02

We have a picasso with storage compartments but the support legs of seats reach to the floor.

Withalittlesparkle · 05/05/2015 23:18

We have a cmax and had a similar problem!

Don't bother ringing ford to ask about fillers for your compartments cus they'll think you're off your rocker!!

We had a maxi cosi pebble, you just have to thread the seat belt through first (before clipping it in) and then clipping it in, the your belt 'should' reach then! It's tight but it was safe!

Incidentally we only found out we had storage compartments when we went looking for car seats!!

stargirl1701 · 11/05/2015 16:01

You can fit the ISOFIX arms yourself, tbh. £15 a pair. There are plenty of videos online.

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