Those of you With Kids & an LCR!! ?

[Jay20VT]

just wanted to know what car seats you guys have installed in your Leon's and swear by.
I have a really crap one which is cheap and cheerful, but what with little'n getting older its time to get shot of it.
I have heard of car seats which can be used from birth to 4 years and something like this would be of interest to me.

Ideally I would like one with ISOFIX, which, and if someone can confirm, the Leon's have. Mines a 54 plate LCR?
i dont mind using the belt to secure the seat but they can sometimes get a little fiddly.
Would be good if you guys could tell me what you have, assuming you have kids, and what you reckon I should pay..
Any help appreciatings...

 

[LiCkWiD]

Leons do indeed have ISOFIX.

That's the extent of my child-seat knowledge.

 

[Jay20VT]

thanks for that, i thought they did just needed it confirmed... ta

 

[daveyonthemove]

This topic would never normally bother me, but as my first child is 1 week old today, i'm keen to know exactly what ISOFIX is? The G/F and I have a Mammas and Pappas car seat that we can use in both cars, and this is supposed to be isofix, however it looks like it could be put in any car regardless of isofix or not, so whats it all about?
(I will also google now its in my mind)

 

[LiCkWiD]

Well my manuale extensively mentions ISOFIX and the fact that my LC is in fact, ISOFIX ready.

It's an industry standard means of securely/safely attaching compatible babyseats. It's good because if you buy an ISOFIX seat, you can confidently move it from car to car, as long as they're fitted with ISOFIX hardware.

Aside from that, I've not got the foggiest. As I say, the manual mentions it in detail.

Results from Google. "Define:ISOFIX" - ISOFIX is an ISO- anchoring system for child safety seats. It defines standard attachment points to be manufactured into cars, enabling compliant child safety seats to be quickly and safely secured.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISOFIX

 

[Hicks]

We bought a Britax Duo Plus Isofix. Does kind of ruin leather seats though.

 

[daveyonthemove]

We followed the M&P fitting manual and i've always said it looks like a poor way of fitting, as it appears that the seatbelt holds the base down, then the seat clicks on top while the strap goes around the back of the child seat to stop forward movement, but it seems half arsed.
I'm convinced there must be another/better way.

 

[Jay20VT]

thanks for the input guys. i think ISOFIX is a better way of safely securing the seat where as using the seat belt can be fiddly and have fair ammount of play associated with it.

Also, as mentioned before I would ideally be looking to invest in a car seat that will last to 4 years of age and so should I be looking to get a car seat that baby can remain seated in whilst out of the car?

 

[Pugster]

I take it your little 'un is in a Group 0 seat at the moment?

The next step up is Group 1 seats, but don't think that one of those seats will last until they are 4 because it won't. All the manufacturers give age ranges but generally it's all bull. The childs weight is the important factor and defines what seat they can have. I think our Group 1 seat lasted until my daughter was about 3 and we had to get a group 2/3 seat. This should last her now because the back of it can be removed and turned into a booster.

You'll see the ISOFIX loops at the back of the rear seat where the backrest folds down. Feel around under there and you'll find them. The Leon has a 2 point system so you're only supposed to use ISOFIX seats tested and approved for the car. You can't use universal ISOFIX ones because there is a risk that the seat base will rotate forwards in a crash.

Whatever you do, go to a place where you can try different seats in your car preferably somewhere that knows what they are doing instead of some spotty teenager working in Mothercare.

 

[super cupra R]

I have the maxi cosi cabriofix car seat and the easy base. (part of the quinny travel system) The easy base is secured with the seat belt and the car seat just clicks on to the base in seconds it is so easy. They have an isofix base and a normal base, as my wifes car doesn't have isofix we had to go for the normal base.

 

[dmmsta]

This is the seat we've had for our little one since he was about 14 months old.

MaxiCose PriorFix

Really does depend on how old you little one is.

As per one of the post above you have to be careful about the seat you get due to "submarining" which is the forward rotation of the seat, but with the one I have you get the support leg, which means that this doesn't happen.

It is a little bulky, so if you need to xfer between cars it may not be the ideal solution.

As for the ISOFIX, if you run your hand along the back of the bum section (where the back section meets) you'll find 2 metal attachments, which is where the seat conncets to...it's dead easy to attach, just a case of locking the seat on, and then pushing until you get a snug fit.

Also, if you have leather i'd advise an old towel under the base of the seat (obviously not fowling the ISOFIX points) which will avoid the "rub" marks that you can get.

 

[Stanhope]

We bought a Britax Duo Plus Isofix. Does kind of ruin leather seats though.

Buy a GRIP IT from Halfrauds or ebay. They protect your leather

 

[Avant4me]

I have Britax First Class that uses a seat belt clamp and it doesn't move at all. i looked into the Iso fix ones only to find that there are not that many around.
Also worth bearing in mind is that the isofix blades are about 30mm tall and go through between the squab and back of the seat. This does leave a mark.

 

[bigalot]

go for these

Beway Side Protection Seats from Argos, page 1490 of the catalogue (should be), cat no 098/4016. Only £49.99 and valid from 9 months till 11 years; also turns into a separate booster seat.

otherwise get the Recaros from Halfords!!

 

[allh2k]

Are the rear seats in a cupra R diff to my seats?

I got 2 asda ones or whatever they are, they do the job nice but make it a 4 seater unless u have a 4 inch bum! Easy in and out and have been in 6+ different cars and always fitted + easy to clean.

 

[Alpha]

First baby due next april. We're thinking about getting the Recaro Young Profi Plus which is Isofix.

It definitely fits the Leon as well. You can download the list of cars it fits here: http://www.recaro.com/index.php?id=2820&region=5&L=2

I believe you can then get the next seat up when the child outgrows the first one and you can still use the same Isofix base. That's the plan anyway!

A

 

[barnsley]

i have this one fitted http://www.recaro.com/index.php?id=641&L=2

 

[james_tiger_woo]

Group 0 M&P seats are all their own sort - not a bad lot - the Group 0 ISOFIX is an awful lot of messing about.

I've got a Britax ISOFIX for my 2 and a half year old and it works nicely - however I keep banging his head when putting him in the car so the Leon is going to have to go. Again.....

Might get an A4 130tdi Quattro... Or an Accord CDTi....

 

[Feel]

however I keep banging his head when putting him in the car so the Leon is going to have to go.

Poor lad. He probably wants to keep the Leon and get rid of his careless Dad

Car seats in cars is one of the things that bugs the hell out of me. Especially now that headrests get in the way of the booster sitting properly in the car seat. It's more than a lot of faff to keep taking them off and putting them back in.

Add to that, the base of most modern booster seats is too wide to fit snugly. And why do they put the thing you clip the seatbelt into in the MIDDLE of the seat? Why not put it on the outside where you can ferking reach it?

Try and go somewhere where they'll let you try the seat in the car, that's my advice.

 

[james_tiger_woo]

Ha ha

It's more the fact that the car seat ends up being quite high and I've got to lift him up a long way and then **crack**...

He's learnt that the best thing to do is to climb in himself and for Daddy to stop P****** about