I need advice on car seats for new babies for my Octavia. I'm new to this baby/parent lark and need all the help I can get. Any of you dads out there have any advice on what's good/will fit/is safe. It's a change from asking advice on dump valves and remaps, but any help would be welcome.

Thanks.

Have you got isofix in the car? I don't so have to resort to the 'old' seatbelt type. Your best bet is to park the car in front of a big Mothercare/Toys R US, and drag the sales assistent in and out of the shop, trying each seat in the car. Do not just buy because it looks pretty, buy it because it is safe/sturdy.

If you can check out hte Which site...has good reviews on which chairs are good and why.

Also as Q suggested go to Mothercare with your car....we originally bought a Graco travel system...changed the car before baby was born but then found out hte seat belts weren't long enough in the new car...so ended up getting a Brittax Roc-a-tot system.

I bought the Mothercare Atlan travel system that includes a baby seat and a seperate base (like ISO fix but uses the belt). We bought an extra base for the other car (£30) so you can just unclip the seat and oik it out really easy. Have tried it out with the niece and is excellent (good for upto 12 months from birth)

The whole lot cost £130 and is actually made by Graco anyhow btw.

My Daughter was born Prem and needed to be led flat in the car, as apparently should all new borns, they breathe easier. We bougnt a Jane (pronounced hannay) Matrix travel system it lies flat at birth and converts to a more conventional seat later in life.

http://www.jane.es/seguretat/index.php?fuseaction=capazopro

Hope this helps

Taz

Thanks for the quick replies. It's comforting to know that amongst the hardcore tuners out there, some of you who use the cars for normal stuff too. I'll look into the brands you've mentioned and find one that suits the Octavia. Many thanks.

This thread is about baby seats for a fabia, but I'm sure a lot of the comments and links will be of interest.

If your local to me your more than welcome to try mine.

A travel system is essential for newborns up to about 6-9 months anyway IMO. I don't think anyone would disagree. Isofix is great but a lot of the travel system seats just don't have isofix mounting points. Even the premium ones.

We have 2 systems now since our new addition. One is a Chicco single pram c/w carrycot and travel seat. You can lock either onto the pram and the pram itself will take your child up to about 3 yrs old or beyond. It wasnt cheap but was money well spent and it has all the padding in the right places too. I'd highly recommend it. Looks something like This

When baby no.2 came we decided we needed a double pram and went for a Jane Powertwin c/w travelseat. It's compact for what it is which was the clincher but easier to damage than the Chicco IMO. It's also horrifically expensive once you add in the car seat mounting kit and footmuffs etc. The same would apply to their single prams i guess.

Hi

Might also get one of those car mirrors specially to be able to see baby in the back

So as not to be tempted to turn round and thus be distracted from the road ahead

Best wishes - when is "little one" due to arrive?

Mo

Gone all mumsy again ...

Great advice from everyone, I'll be off to York soon to check out all the brands you've mentioned. Thanks for the offer to try out your travel system Lummox, but I'm way up here in Scaborough, too far I'm afraid. Mo, the baby is due in September, but it'll soon come around, so I'm trying to get organised as people say all hell breaks loose when the baby arrives.

Question:

Is this seat going to be shared with other cars, if so, make sure it is compatible, seat belt length, rear facing, airbag issues etc.

We have an Octy and a 97 polo. The polo is my wifes, and since she will be doing most of the baby carrying for the first few months, we made sure to seek out a car seat which would fit her car first. The Octy is big, and really shouldn't have a problem.

Also, my car has the passengers airbag without the on/off switch, so and seat would have to go in the back.

We are opting for the seat belt fix for the first seat, as it will be mostly used in the polo, and then possibly an isofix for the next stage seat when the child is older.

We have bought a quinny buzz pushcahir, which is compatible with a carrycot and maxicosi car seat. We found it in Mothercare, and like someone already said, we took the polo there first and tried out the pushchair for size in the boot.

Make sure you know what you want, e.g. travel system or seperate car seat/ pram/ push chair units. And make sure you and your partner are comfortable folding/ unfolding them.

How do you tell if a car has ISO-FIX ? Was it standard on the Elegance spec Octavia ?

My Daughter was born Prem and needed to be led flat in the car' date=' as apparently should all new borns, they breathe easier. We bougnt a Jane (pronounced hannay) Matrix travel system it lies flat at birth and converts to a more conventional seat later in life.

[url']http://www.jane.es/seguretat/index.php?fuseaction=capazopro[/url]

Hope this helps

Taz

We also got a Jane Matrix seat when our first girl was born. Excellent if you are going to do be doing some longish journeys as the baby can sleep flat and it can then be removed and put flat onto the pram. Negatives on it are that:

a) its bigger & heavier than most other seats;

its not the easiest to get in and out of the car initially - you get the hang of it in the end;

c) when put into the upright seating formation it needs long seat belts - ok (just!) in my Octy but not in my wife's Ibiza.

Its an excellent seat and has won loads of safety & design awards but make sure you check it out properly in all cars it would be used in before you buy.

I'll just be using the Octavia, we went down to one car recently with no plans to get a second. The Jane stuff seems expensive, but a lot of people have recommended it to us. I guess you get what you pay for.

With regards to the ISOFIX, I thought the Octavia had it as standard? I should just have a look in my lunch break really and find out.

Also, what do you think to buying second hand off EBay? Seems to be loads of pushchairs/prams on there.

I'll just be using the Octavia' date=' we went down to one car recently with no plans to get a second. The Jane stuff seems expensive, but a lot of people have recommended it to us. I guess you get what you pay for.

With regards to the ISOFIX, I thought the Octavia had it as standard? I should just have a look in my lunch break really and find out.

Also, what do you think to buying second hand off EBay? Seems to be loads of pushchairs/prams on there.[/quote']

I was under the impression that only Elegance and L&K Octavias had it as standard? I'm not a father yet but this thread is still of interest

What do ISO-fix mountings actually look like ? If they're simply a pair of metal "hoops" like those the seat backs clip on to then my Elegance has them.

Most modern cars have ISOFIX, but you'll find seats with ISOFIX fittings to be much more expensive than those which use the seat belt. No problems with our travel system and buggy from Mothercare

Chris

What do ISO-fix mountings actually look like ? If they're simply a pair of metal "hoops" like those the seat backs clip on to then my Elegance has them.

See here

Chris

Ahh - in that case, I can confirm for those who are interested that the Elegance has ISO-FIX

Also' date=' what do you think to buying second hand off EBay? Seems to be loads of pushchairs/prams on there.[/quote']

I have friends who bought child stuff of ebay and said it was in perfect condition.

But this is for a child who to start with can only be washed with water because the skin is so sensitive, so i personally would not buy from someone i didn't know, no matter how good the condition of the equipment. You don't know where it has been used, stored, or what sort of condition it is in for safety. This seat/ pram may have taken a lot of abuse, and may not be fit for purpose.

If you are considering byuing something secondhand or of ebay, make sure you have the original reciept and warranty paperwork, as manufacturers won't touch it otherwise.

JD

Skinnyman you have a PM

Thanks, I've replied. Also for everyone out there, I checked my back seats at lunch time and the Mk1 RS has the ISOFIX points. They are two little metal loops inbetween each backrest and cushion.

I can't help on the up to date stuffl, but when we had our girls we had a Britax car seat, and Silver Cross pram and pushchair.

Nowadays, I would go for Isofix where possible, and whatever pushchair suits your hand height (most are too low for taller men or women).

I know the child safety market has moved on, but even now I would buy the best and safest gear I could, regardless of the cost....your child is priceless so don't put a price on it's protection:)

...We have bought a quinny buzz pushcahir' date=' which is compatible with a carrycot and maxicosi car seat. We found it in Mothercare, and like someone already said, we took the polo there first and tried out the pushchair for size in the boot.

Make sure you know what you want, e.g. travel system or seperate car seat/ pram/ push chair units. [b']And make sure you and your partner are comfortable folding/ unfolding them[/b].

[my bold]

:agree: I thought my pushchair was easy enough to fold/unfold, but hadn't reckoned on doing it one-handed whilst holding a heavy baby and shopping

Mo

Skinnyman, having worked in the trade for over 16 years I cannot recommend an Isofix based system strongly enough. Isofix systems ensure that the seat is securly anchored to the vehicle and therefore not reliant on any of the following factors which can lead to the seat being insecure:

How much tension you or your wife/partner? can put in the seat belt.

How the seat belt is routed through seat.

The shape of the seat in relation the the seat base/back.

The firmness of the seat foam in your seat base (try kneeling on your seat base and see how much it gives!)

I know they are very expensive in comparison to some on offer and may get slated for saying so?! but BMW do a very good range of Isofix seats, which actually undergo crash testing before approval!

There infant seat 0-9 months range uses a steel frame in conjunction with Isofix securing the seat to the cars frame and supported on the floor pan to prevent the movement caused by the seat base foam I mentioned above.