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Original poster

baby car seat for Land Rover Defender - any recommendations?

80 replies

mrsbaldwin · 18/01/2009 21:14

DH drives a Land Rover Defender (one of those square box on wheels-type things).

Before you all start imagining we live on a private estate draped in Barbour jackets, until recently DH was a wholesale greengrocer - the back usually full of sacks of spuds, boxes of bananas etc.

Anyway ...

DS1 is due in March and DH is about to get the Land Rover garage to fiddle about the front seats, so a baby car seat can slot in.

He's planning to ask the garage if they can suggest any particular brand of car seat which will fit correctly - and I have also had a bit of a surf on the Land Rover enthusiast websites (lot of bewildering camshaft talk over there )

But I thought it might be worth posting here to see if anyone had any recommendations - I'd be really grateful!

Many thanks
MrsBaldwin

OP posts:
TheTwaMacDugs · 18/01/2009 21:26

Don't know, just wanted to say I am very of your Defender!!!

mysterymoniker · 18/01/2009 21:32

I've got a defender!

don't think mine would take a baby seat though, it has 3 seats in the front only - sorry

am sure land rover can help you though

TheTwaMacDugs · 18/01/2009 21:33

of mysterymoniker too

mysterymoniker · 18/01/2009 21:37

am sure you're not really jealous of mine, it's a bit agricultural - not a shiny station wagon type defender with seats and windows in the back (I would quite like one of those as well)

I absolutely love it though, it's amazing how much abuse it takes

mysterymoniker · 18/01/2009 21:38

mine is like this but with an orange light on his head

oh somebody please get me a LIFE!

TheTwaMacDugs · 18/01/2009 21:42

The older and more agricultural the better. You know how some people want a Ferarri - I wanna 'Fender!!

(sorry MrsBaldwin, but at least it's keeping it bumped!)

mysterymoniker · 18/01/2009 21:43

mine has a white roof though

I can't believe I've found one of my own kind! I didn't know I had a defender enthusiasm disorder until I got one for work, life has never been the same since!

Original poster
mrsbaldwin · 18/01/2009 22:16

Hehehe!

My DH is laughing as I read this to him.

This thread now sounds like a Land Rover forum.

Same as MM I really like having a Defender - we haven't even contemplated swapping it for something more obviously baby-friendly. You can fill it up with junk, tow trailers and kids from about age 5 up absolutely love going for a ride in the sideways seats at the back.

Anyway, the LR garage are putting in a third seat along the front this week, set back behind the gearstick, for the baby seat. God knows how I will get the baby in and out via this arrangement. On the plus side the baby may well learn to drive by osmosis and conditioning.

OP posts:
mysterymoniker · 19/01/2009 05:14

have you got steps/runners on yours mrsbaldwin? just thinking that it's quite high up and quite a long way in to the middle seat

(also wondering what colour, wheel base, that sort of thing )

Original poster
mrsbaldwin · 19/01/2009 07:02

Steps/runners - yes good thinking. There's a runner at the mo, although it's very precarious/ a bit narrow. It may help to change this - can be DH's next job.

Colour etc: it's the trad green as in the photo you linked to, but with a diagonal stripe on the side, with Defender written on it (I find this a bit superfluous - think someone in the LR branding dept must have gone mad). It has the aluminium bonnet guard things bolted on at the front (so you can stand on it in hobnail boots). It's a short wheelbase altho DH's pal has a long wheelbase one and they sometimes swap if DH needs more room.

It doesn't have a light on top tho - this sounds impressively official. Imagine me, driving up to the nursery flashing my orange light - 'get back everyone, DS coming through' - hehe.

Do you have to drive yours through the mud MM - that's very satisfying isn't it? They look better with mud on, unlike normal cars.

OP posts:
mysterymoniker · 19/01/2009 09:02

mine is going in for some repairs tomorrow, I want to ask about steps as it feels like mounting a horse from the ground on some less energetic mornings! I'm getting camera parking sensors fitted

I know what you mean about the defender branding, but it wasn't superfluous when they were new (in 1983)

I covet your bonnet guard things

mysterymoniker · 19/01/2009 09:03

PS I get a RANGE ROVER while it is being repaired

bit posh for me

TheTwaMacDugs · 19/01/2009 09:08
nannyL · 19/01/2009 09:49

my old family had a lanrove defender and the britax freeway fotted fine (so long as it was in the upsright position)

im pretty sure britax dont make it anymore, (but maybe fisher price do?) its not the safest model in the world (any more) but it did fit properly, and even the safest seat in the world is ONLY safe if it fits properly

mysterymoniker · 19/01/2009 09:56

will you take your baby off roading in it?

I just drove through a lovely deep flood where lesser vehicles had to turn back smug emoticon

Original poster
mrsbaldwin · 19/01/2009 16:14

Lesser vehicles ...

I should think DH will take me off-roading to try to encourage the baby to come out (you know that tale about going for a bumpy car-ride to start labour?)

Nanny L: thanks for this hint.

MrsB

OP posts:
Original poster
mrsbaldwin · 19/01/2009 21:47

Land Rover garage phoned DH this afternoon.

They've had a look at the current seating now (we have driver seat, passenger seat with a space in the middle where the second passenger seat might be in the standard arrangement).

They say they can move bulkhead back and add third seat behind gearstick as they originally suggested, but that seat won't take a rear-facing baby seat secured by seatbelt (and you have to have a rear-facing seat for first six months, don't you?).

The two options are:

  1. Slot the middle seat back in, in normal position, but adult passenger would have to sit in middle next to driver, with baby in outside passenger seat next to window
  2. Put adult side facing passenger seat in the back of the vehicle

TheTwaMacDugs - after reading this are you still feeling keen on a Defender?

Option 1 is OK if just driver and baby but if it's two parents and baby, passenger parent would have to climb in, then driver hand in baby seat and secure it, then go round to driver side and hop in. When getting out adult passenger is basically stuck until driver gets out and removes baby.

Option 2 doesn't sound that great - I don't want to go sideways.

Think we will have to go for Option 1 - but I am now going to go off to the Land Rover forums for another look to see what I can find.

OP posts:
Original poster
mrsbaldwin · 22/01/2009 12:39

The Landrover porn thread continues ...

TwaMacDugs will be excited to hear that DH came to bed last night with two Land Rover magazines

MysteryMoniker will be interested to hear that one of them featured a photo of a red Land Rover driving through a big flood.

DH's thinking, it emerges, is a step ahead of mine. Instead of fiddling about with baby car seats in the existing Defender he is thinking he might like a long wheel base (110) instead, as they have two rows of seats.

DH to MrsB: The long wheel base has 12 seats you know.
MrsB: What's that, one for me, one for you and ten for the baby?
DH: No, it means you have to have nine more babies to fill it up.

OP posts:
mysterymoniker · 22/01/2009 12:43

hello!

I wondered if the bulkhead would be an issue, because my seats would be absolutely unmoveable without dismantling the entire van

mysterymoniker · 22/01/2009 12:43

hello!

I wondered if the bulkhead would be an issue, because my seats would be absolutely unmoveable without dismantling the entire van

mysterymoniker · 22/01/2009 12:43

hello!

I wondered if the bulkhead would be an issue, because my seats would be absolutely unmoveable without dismantling the entire van

Original poster
mrsbaldwin · 22/01/2009 12:53

You are right MM. Moving bulkhead would be a load of hassle. It has to stay put, really.

I did have a surf on LandyZone and LandRover.net etc - on one thread a helpful person had posted some photos of a seating arrangement he'd done to allow his three kids all to sit in the back (some kind of metal frame that he'd fitted himself). Amazing!

But more helpfully in the short term someone said that the Britax website has a 'seat-finder' function (which it does). You type in the model of your car and the age of your baby and it recommends the bext Britax model.

There is also some kind of seatbelt you can buy as an extra to fit onto the middle seat which may also help.

OP posts:
mysterymoniker · 22/01/2009 15:35

chuckling about the long wheel base and 9 babies

can I have your land rover magazines when you have finished with them? I sometimes get LRM but am being frugal, hope you find a suitable seat soon. It could be worse, you could have one like mine with no windows or seats in the back, just two wooden bench things and a LOT of dog hair

TheTwaMacDugs · 22/01/2009 16:44

yes I am still lurking!!

We went Landrover Safari on honeymoon near Aberfeldy. Landovers in their natural environment

mysterymoniker · 23/01/2009 15:28

I drove across a river today

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