[tonker]

Well it's not the most sexy thread i know but as i've got a baby on the way here you go.
In short does anyone have any good advice on a good SAFE childs car seat that works well in the 9000?
All the female input i've had today is "that ones a nice clour" and so on,predictable yes,useful no.
Kind Regards

 

[mark e]

I'd have thought a good point to start would be to ask you local dealer- IIRC correctly Saab did do a child seat for the 9000.

Other than that, newborns should be carried in rear facing seats and if your car has a passenger airbag then the baby seat must go in the back.

 

[StanleyB]

Britax makes a couple that are sold in Halfords and have been approved by several car manufacturers.
I bought one 4 years ago for my then new family addition ( the baby, not the GM900 I bought at around the same time ), after seeing a program on TV, and aphone number to call for baby seat advise.
Haave a look at these sites:
http://motoring.ivillage.co.uk/accessories...hildSeats1.html
http://www.childsafetyexperts.com/car/car-seats.shtml

Also check your local council website. Some councils have a department that will inspect your car and advise you what kind of child seat will suit your particular interior set-up. An example of such a council site is http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/Council-Service...08/ab-de08j.htm

 

[Mark B]

Recaro make a particularly interesting child seat, see this web page and look under "products" then "child seat".

This seat is designed to be adjustable in size so you can make it bigger as the child grows. To quote from Recaro "The RECARO start is individually adjustable for height, width and seat cushion length and therefore actually grows as the child does. It is certified for the ECE categories 1-3 (children aged aprox. 9 months to 12 years or 9-36 kg)"

There is also a less informative sales site at this UK page

I recently read a sprog seat test in one of the Germanic mags, and the Recaro seat did very well. It wasn't the top rated product, but I can't remember what was, or even if it is available in the UK.

There must be test results available from the AA, RAC or the Consumers Association.

I think I have seen these seats in Halfords.

 

[tonker]

Thanks for all your replies,only a shame Martin Baker the ejection seat manufacturers didn't jump on the bandwagon,not much marketing to be done their i supsect!

 

[kprm77]

Initially you'll have to go for one of the baby carry things which are a pain getting the seat belt round - think we just had a Mothercare job, which was okay but never used in anger.

For the 9mth - 4 years seat, we had a Britax seat. Can't remember the exact model, though this had the best padding in the seat, and fitted our 9000 perfectly.

That seat was also in a Reanult Laguna, Renault Scenic, Vauxall Carlton, Ford Sierra, and probably a few more, and the car it fit in perfectly was the 9000. (The Renaults the seat seemed to flip forward very easily

)

Think it had "side impact" protection too. Added to the fact that they are in a 9000 which is hugely safe, and wide (so there's that much more distance between the edge of the seat and the car door), your baby will be in one of the safest cars of that age.

Best thing to do is take the seats out to your car and give them a try - that's exactly what we did. The sales assistant was a tad snotty, but with the safety of my little un's at stake, I didn't give a **** !

Also - a nappy change can easily be performed on the back seat, with the car seat left in place. Try that in a Ford Escort!

Good luck with the baby!

 

[gordoncooper]

Tonker,

The first stage seat we had was the Mamas & Papas version that comes with their pram system. It fits front and back with no real problems, apart from fiddling the belt into all the right slots, but I think that will be the same with any of the seats.

The 20lbs + seat we bought from Toys/babies Rus. I can't remember the model at the moment. They have a good range and they were keen for us to take the seat out and try it for size in the car before buying, which was good. With seats they won't refund once you have bought it - I guess the risk of accident damage etc - which explains the policy of trying them out first.

Gordon

 

[JFP]

Another tip would be don't wait till the last moment to buy a seat (like we did), because if there is a sale on they will sell out of everything. You can't order stuff from toys/kids r us (useless)

 

[cdcarlsson]

I can't say what is safe or not, leaving that to the supposed experts.

My thoughts are that now there are availible 'carry seats' for the infant (0+ ?) group that have semi permenant bases that fit into the car belts allowing the child strapped into the seat to be removed from the car whilst still in the seat.
This has the advantage of not having to fit the seat into the belts every time you put the carry seat into the car, with the danger of perhaps rushing it and not having it secured? Also the carry seat detaches with one pull/push of a lever that allows you to carry (hopefully sleepy) baby away from the car without waking him/her. (Well that's the theory anyway!)

Nick.

PS. I'll let you know in about ten weeks if any of the above holds true. By then we may well be proud parents....

 

[deebel]

Cant offer any constructive advice as our first was carried in an X reg Cortina Est. with no rear seatbelts fitted as standard. The baby seat bolted into the bottom (vacant) seat belt anchorages and the top bolted onto a Britax bar which slotted into housings bolted onto the top (vacant) anchorages.

BTW doesnt the 9000 have child seat anchorage points on the seat frame? How does that work? Is it likely that SAAB do a seat in the same price range?

Sorry, just noticed Bubbles mentioned Saab seat!!
!

PS Do know from experience that a good seat does work. Wife had accident in Metro years ago. Son was 7 months in a rear facing baby seat on front seat. Metro was totalled. Firemen cut her out. They didnt know there was a baby in the car until she asked them where he was as she was being lifted into the ambulance. He was cucooned in his seat between the front seat and the dash which had been pushed right through. Not a scratch on him.

 

[Ian R]

Best safety feature, in my experience, is the size and the strength of the vehicle the kids are strapped into.

We've had Britax seats since my two were born (one 3 yrs, one 6.5 yrs, however the newborn seat was never fitted to the 9000. The only comments would be to repeat the one about the passenger airbag, and the trouble we had with some vehicles where the rear seatbelt was not long enough. We currently have a Elite and an Eclipse that fit perfectly. My experience of buying is only that Mothercare and the bigger, well respected, department stores like John Lewis (which is where we got ours from)have any idea of how to fit a child seat, and will let you try them in your car before buying. THIS IS CRITICAL You must make sure that the back of the childseat is parallel with the cars' seat squab, i.e. contact is made all the way down the back. Also, if you've got leather seats, make sure that the back of the child seat is smooth, not with ridges, as this will leave marks.

My experience of car manufacturers accessory childseats are that they are from companies like Britax, sometimes not even with the logos or trim changes, and cost you twice as much!

 

[tonker]

Again thanks for everything,went into Halfors in Milton Keynes and bloke was very helpfull esp Recaro seat.
On a different note i came back from Winnipeg on Friday with a Jeep all terrain push chair thingy with side mirrors,steering wheel,horn and supsension.They cost £400 here without any goodies,in Walmart Winnipeg they cost £60!!!! flight was £365 therefore it's £5 cheaper to fly to Winnipeg than buy the same thing here,utter madness and the same old story,brand new Mustang 3.6 £11500!!! etc etc etc