DJ T

Can anyone advise on child seats for Impreza Turbo UK MY98, 4dr? I'm rather worried that the imminent new addition to the family is going to cause grief in the car department - noises from the misses like 'is you car safe for babies??' are beginning to surface.

I guess I'm looking at a forward facing rear seat (dual airbags & bucket seats up front). I understand that the seatbelt lengths & height are key? Has anyone purchased & fitted a seat for a new born recently

Any advice gratefully received

1st ever post here - please be gentle

Amanda-Jane

You cannot put a rearward facing car seat in the front unless you have the airbag turned off.

I have a wee boy (nearly 4) who has a Recaro and used to sit in the back until he could get out! He now sits in the front purely for his own safety and to let me stop him from getting out of his seat. The problem with the Recaro in the classic shape is the seat belt length and the shape of the seats, I'm not very happy with him in the front of the scoob but what else can I do? I don't want him jumping about the back of the car.

I think a few people have the Cosatto seat which can also be a rearward facing then switch to forward facing when the time is right.

Go to a baby specialist as I feel that Halfords are not that helpful when it comes to car seats and get them to try the car seats in your car, it's a lot of money to spend if it doesn't fit!

hope this helps,

AJ

MJW

I have an 8 month old daughter who is just about ready for the Recaro Start seat, though I've been considering the Volkswagen 'Bobsy' seat cos it has the isofix anchor system (My MY02 has the anchors in the back for it)
When she was between 0 and 5 months we just used the baby carrier and strapped that in (the ones with the carry handle).
Between 5 months to now we've been using a rearward facing child seat as she outgrew the baby carrier. You shouldn't really use a forward facing seat till they're over 9 months old.

The Halfords website has some pretty good child seat info. Click here to check it out.

Also if you're interested in the Recaro seat check out this site as the Recaro official site is not very helpful.


[Edited by MJW - 2/16/2003 2:56:02 PM]

dharbige

For a new born, you have to have a rear-facing seat.
You cannot put one of these in a car with an (active) passenger airbag, but the child is statistically safer in the back anyway.

You would be best going to somewhere that knows what they are talking about.

There's a place just north of Milton Keynes called the In Car Safety Centre, which is where we recently bought our Britax Travel System for our impending new arrival.
They won't sell you anything that's unsuitable for your car, and their prices are quite keen.
The place doesn't look like much from the outside, but you get VERY good advice, and they hold a large amount of stock.

Lunchie

We have a 16 mo. old ankle biter (bless!) When she was born we had a Mamas & Papas travel system which had a base that you put in the car and simply clicked the rearward facing seat in place and then secured the seat belt. It worked very well. It also had the advantage of being able to fit the into the strolelr we have but they are available separately.

Now she's a bit bigger we have a Maxi-Cosi forward facing seat which is excellent. Five-point harness and adjustable so it can be reclined for sleeping. Need to be about 9kg in weight for that one though.

Lunchie

Pbone

We have also used the Mama's and Papa's system and found it flawless. Had to do an emergency stop a month or two ago, seat and base never moved and baby stayed asleep. Well recomend it.

DJ T

Nice one, all - many thanks - there's enough here to get going on. Sounds like I'll be able to keep the Scoob after all...

MJW

The Scoob is a great practical all rounder - I find it ideal for my family needs. In fact the missus was only a month pregnant when I ordered my WRX - I harped on about the safety features, and got away with it

S55 HOT

First 6 months you want a rearward seat you can carry around - they will sleep in the car and you just want to leave them in the seat & carry it inside.

Then you want a forward facing seat with its own multi-point harness built in up to the age of arounf 2 or 3.

Then it's on to something that uses the car's own seatbelt - a booster with or without a back panel.

IMHO the Recaro is a (very) nice booster seat and not something suitable for an 8 month old - they look great, but are not suitable for kids that small as they only use the lap diagonal belt. The Recaro does not fit well in the front of the scoob, but are fine in the back. Put the child locks on the doors and they will be fine. Mine undid their own seat belts once, but got such a bollocking they never did it again !

I've got 2 recaros & they do look the dogs in the scoob - my kids are 6 & 5.

S55 HOT

BTW - I have a classic shape (STi) and there is no problem with the seat belt length.

DARREN

I have a classic shape STi and the Maxi Cosi Topline is a very good choice for your car

Regards
Darren

mbc

if you goto a mothercare world store(usually found on retail parks) they will let you fit all their seats into your car to make sure that its snug and safe for your little one, for both mine i used a britax(sp?) one that connects to the buggy when they were new born and a permanent britax one for 1yr onwards, never had a problem with quality or ease of use and the car permanent seat is still going strong 5 years later, if you check this link you will see how the various seats perform(at the bottom click link), not always do the most expensive mean they are the best
http://www.theaa.com/aboutaa/features/newfea018.html

mike