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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

Two cars, one with and one without Isofix points

13 replies

nidge1975 · 07/10/2017 19:16

Hi,

We are expecting a baby in the next 6 weeks and are still confused about car seats. We have two cars - a new car with Isofix points and an older car without them. We expect to spend the vast majority of the time in the new car but in the odd emergency, may still need to make use of the old car.

What do people do in such cases (two cars, one with and one without Isofix points)? Do they simply buy two car seats and keep one in each car? We did think of buying the Maxi Cosi Pebble Plus (baby carrier) and then the Maxi Cosi Pearl (for 1-4 year olds) - this has the advantage that we only need to buy one base (2way fix), but the latter car seat cannot be used with a seat belt so it couldn't be used in the old car anyhow.

If we did this, we also thought about buying a cheap car seat (belted) that could be used from 0-4 years and keep this permanently in the older car.

Thanks.

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PotteringAlong · 07/10/2017 19:21

You can get isofix points retrospectively fitted to cars if you want to.

gandalfspants · 07/10/2017 20:05

Most seats with isofix can be used with belts as well (or this was the case when we got ours 18 months ago), so just get one of those and have the base in the new car, but use the belts in the old car.

I think isofix isn’t actually safer than using the belts (if belts are used properly), just easier and almost impossible to get wrong.

gandalfspants · 07/10/2017 20:06

Just re-read properly and realised I missed the bit about the car seat you want. Ignore me.

welshweasel · 07/10/2017 20:10

We had a maxi cosi pebble plus - used it with isofix in our main car and with the seatbelt in our second car. Once that was outgrown we got a maxi cosi 2 way pearl for our main car and a joie every stage for the second car. If I had my time again I'd have just gone for the joie every stage from birth and not bothered with the isofix seats at all.

TiramisuQueenoftheFaeries · 07/10/2017 20:12

Most baby seats can be used either with a base or straps and end up lifted in and out of the car a lot anyway since babies fall asleep in them. The only advantage to the base is it's slightly quicker to attach.

I'd just get one baby seat for now plus base - Maxi-cosi or similar - move it between cars, and see how you got on.

BikeRunSki · 07/10/2017 20:16

The maxi cosi base we had (youngest is 6 mind) could be installed using a seatbelt. This was handy in our old van that did not have isofix, and only had a lap belt in the middle.

BoredOnMatLeave · 07/10/2017 20:21

We have 2 cars, one that DD doesn't go in much, she goes in it once a week for 4 mile round trip to my mums. I brought a cheap car seat for that car in the Xmas sales last year for this as it seemed too much work to move all the isofix in the other car

HeadDreamer · 07/10/2017 20:25

We had one infant carrier that is fixed with a belt but two sets of car seats for all the ones after. The reason being that infant carriers are easy to take in and out. The toddler and child seats, we have one set of isofix and the other set hasn't.

We don't really need two sets because DH took them mostly for the week days. But it's such a pain to thread the belts on a toddler seat and they weigh a ton! Especially our isofix one. (It could because it's a rear and forward facing swivel one).

HeadDreamer · 07/10/2017 20:26

And don't forget they won't be for just one baby for most people! Think how long you will be using those car seats.

user1493413286 · 07/10/2017 20:28

We had the same issue and got a 0-18 month recaro one that can be used with the seat belt or with isofix in the other car.
When we move on to the next stage car seat we’ll get one for each car as we figured that it’s worth it when we’ll be using it for a few years but felt it was an unnecessary expense for the first year to 18 months.

Original poster

nidge1975 · 07/10/2017 20:56

Thanks everyone for the replies, they most helpful. Plenty for us to think about now

OP posts:

MujosMama · 07/10/2017 20:59

Lots of car seats these days have the option to be affixed with a seat belt or with an isofix base. Agree with PP you won't be keeping it in the car anyway, lifting baby + car seat in and out together is much easier.

Not sure about the Maxi Cosi specifically but we have a Joie one, it goes in my car with a 3 point belt, then goes on an isofix base in my DPs car. So the base just stays in his car. Much safer and easier to fix baby in car seat in the house/doctors surgery/restaurant and then carry them out than try and faff about doing it in the actual car, especially if you're parked next to someone and can't open your door fully.

If you're looking at travel systems you can then lift them out, clip them onto the pram and off you go. Same with supermarket trollers.

I slipped waking from the car to my doctors surgery taking my son for his 8 week check, very thankful he was in the car seat and not in my arms!

MujosMama · 07/10/2017 21:00

Supermarket trollies I don't get trolled in supermarkets much

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