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Car seats

3 car seats who do I put where??

4 replies

carrielou2007 · 05/07/2014 16:09

Dc3 still in his Cabrio car seat on a isofix base so I just 'plonk' Cabrio on it fab. Either side of him dc1 is 7 on maxi cosi HBB thing and dc2 is 4 on the same. Dc3 almost out of his Cabrio but not sure who to put where? All dc1 friends are in booster seats and they do up their own belts. I am trying to let go a bit and let her start to do her belt which i can check. After a little advice on what would be best options

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carrielou2007 · 05/07/2014 16:09

Oops missed thank you

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Ihateparties · 05/07/2014 16:32

I would put the two belted children on the side where the belt buckles are together if you're looking at having them do their own belts.. It would be annoying if they accidentally undid the belt for dc3s seat as it was right next to their out. If dc3 goes into another Isofix seat then obviously that won't be a problem,

In one car we have the set up you describe, dc3 is in the centre, rear facing in a joie tilt, dc1 and 2 on either side in Hbbs. Neither can do up their own belt at the moment, it's a small car and space is tight.

In the other car, which is even smaller, dc1 is in the centre on a no back booster (he's approaching 7y, I don't like it but it's very short very slow journeys and I prefer it to him being in the front) dc2 behind me on a hbb and dc3 rf in a joie tilt on the passenger side. A number of ds's 7yo contemporaries seem to have ditched even a no back booster, which is v dodgy imo as he's tall among them at 130cm so they will be under the legal minimum height.

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AliceMum09 · 06/07/2014 00:38

Hi,

I would keep the HBB for both your older two, it's safer than a backless one.

Have you tried your Group 1 seat in the car alongside the HBB? I'm assuming you have a decent sized car, but you'd just need to check that the two HBB will fit next to each other. My DD1 has a Britax KidFix HBB, it gets quite wide towards the top of the backrest so I know I could not put two of them next to each other in the back because I can see that the one we have overlaps the car's seat.

I have DS (aged 8 1/2 and 133cm tall) on a backless booster in the middle, next to DD2 in her Britax Multi Tech rear facing and DD1 on the HBB on the other side of him. DS can easily manage his own seatbelt as it's easy to reach the buckles, and although his seatbelt buckle is next to the one for the Multi Tech he's never undone the wrong one.

I guess you don't really want your youngest in the middle in a Group 1 seat because you're going to have to be reaching over to fasten the harness each time. It's also tricky to lift a sleeping child out from the middle seat! But not impossible, sometimes on long journeys I put DD2 in the middle to split the other two up!

If you have the Group 1 seat behind the driver it means that your older two can get out of the car safely onto the pavement rather than into the road, but on the other hand it means you'll have to stand in the road while you fasten your youngest in. I have the Multi tech behind the passenger, it can't go behind the driver (me 99.9% of the time, and I have long legs!) due to lack of legroom for me, and so my older two have to get out onto the road. But I have the child locks on, so they can't get put until I've checked it's safe and opened the door for them, and it's not often we park next to the road anyway (we have a drive at home).

And here also, I'd say over half of the kids is DS's class (he's Y3) have ditched the car seats altogether. DS is taller than most of them, so they can't be 135cm tall yet. A lot of them pull a face if I give them a lift somewhere and make them sit on a HBB (DS's seat is the only backless booster I have, in addition to DD1's KidFix I also have two Britax Adventure HBB that I use for spares), but my reply is 'my car, my rules!' And also, as the driver I am responsible for anyone under 14 and making sure they wear a seatbelt/are in a suitable child seat.

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carrielou2007 · 06/07/2014 09:27

Thank you for your replies . All dc1's friends are just on booster seats but I want to keep her on HBB for as long as possible. Similar when friends say stick her in the front on booster I don't want to do that either!

Was thinking dc3 behind me on maxi cosi tobi, eldest in middle but maybe keep them as they are with youngest I the middle? I only drive when I'm working (part time) we walk everywhere as I lost sight in one eye and only been driving again since jan. It is legal for me to drive but I am still apprehensive with my precious babies in the car