3 car seats in a Toyota Avensis?

cynder · 15-03-2012 11:19am

January wrote: »

You can buy a group 0+ car seat (this one) in Argos for €64, car seats don't have to cost the earth. So there's no excuse to put a child that is not tall/heavy enough for a booster cushion on one.

Listen, we can argue all day long about this, if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives. Now, I know the law is the law but IMO it's a stupid law that should never exist in the first place. It places children in danger, full stop.

If the seat fits in the car ( would 3 if those fit in the back seat) and there are no issues with the buckles and car is fitted with 3 3point seat belts.

Thats only up until 18kgs, some kid are 18kgs by 2 and a half.

still even at 4 would it NOT BE SAFER to have a seat with side impact protection than just a normal booster seat? would you also say this is a stupid law? that up until age 12 or 150cm that the child should be in a seat with side impact protection as a booster seat is unsafe? Quote: if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives. If you had a crash would you not think what if? because you only had a booster seat and not one with side impact protection?

You have no right to be telling people that ' if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives.' based on 2 car seats in rear seat and child 3 and over sitting in the middle with an adult seatbelt on. When he law says that you can. and i would guess some figure this safe enough, better than squishing 3 car seats in the back. Do you judge all drivers saying they are endangering their kids lives? seats are only one piece of the puzzle, there are driving techniques, speed, cars condition, tyres among other things that add to safety of your children in the back seat NOT JUST THE SEAT.

[Deleted User] · 15-03-2012 11:37am

grindelwald wrote: »

You have no right to be telling people that ' if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives.' .

What is so wrong with that sentence exactly? Do you honestly believe it's ok to to not ensure your kids are transported safely?

cynder · 15-03-2012 11:56am

Deleted User wrote: »

What is so wrong with that sentence exactly? Do you honestly believe it's ok to to not ensure your kids are transported safely?

But they are!

You/no one has the right to be telling people that ' if you have circumstances where you can't transport all of your children safely then you need to look for alternatives' based on 2 car seats in rear seat and child 3 and over sitting in the middle with an adult seatbelt on. When he law says that you can. and i would guess some figure this safe enough, better than squishing 3 car seats in the back.

They are as safe as they can be in the present situation, would they be safer if you brought an armoured vehicle? Should you judge people because they dont have one?

Perhaps you should condemn all parents because they dont own a Volvo S60 one of the safest cars in the world. If your kids aren't safe then walk, get a BUS or Train (how many of those have crashed in the last few weeks?) until you buy the safest car in the world......

A parent is, entitled to, by law, have 2 car seats in the rear and if a 3rd doesn't fit safely than its safer to have the child sit in the middle with a seat-belt on.

Its there choice, their decision and the law backs their choice. Not just Irish law EU law. Because they know we are all only human and we all cant afford bigger cars, bigger road tax, bigger insurance, bigger servicing costs, bigger tyres, that some of us will only drive little 1.2 cars or 1.4 cars or cars that cant fit 3 seats in the rear and they dont expect us to walk or get a bus or a bigger car because of it.

Most parents these days remember the times where we had no car seats, or even seat belts, and considered ourselves safe. You can bet there's a good few out there who wouldn't have their kids in car seats/booster if the law had not of come in and still considered their kids safe as our parents did years ago.

Moonbeam · 15-03-2012 12:07pm

*mod hat on*

We need to keep this thread on topic.

Moonbeam · 15-03-2012 12:13pm

We are never going to agree on this.
They are your children it is up to you how you transport it and luckily you did not have an accident that you came to regret.
I will continue to keep my kids in the safest car seats available despite the price of them and when I have the 3 of them and do not have a car big enough I will continue to walk a stupid distance every day to walk my daughter to Naionra because I can not fit a 3rd car seat in my car safely.
We all have different priorities,we are all different people.
There is alot more traffic on the road now then when we were kids,it is also faster and more dangerous no the roads these days.

You can not fit 3 full size car seats in an Avensis and definately not 2 isofix and a 3rd.

[Deleted User] · 15-03-2012 12:15pm

grindelwald wrote: »

But they are!

Well then why are you attacking January for saying what is the truth, if you can't transport your children safely you should find alternatives. That's a perfectly valid statement and if you are transporting your own safely then I can't understand why you would be offended by that sentence.

I'm not sure if you referred to a Volvo S60 because you know I drove one up until a few months ago, or that was entirely coincidental. But if we're going to get smart then I would like to point out that you have yourself come up with other excuses (that are entirely not in line with the law) for your children not being in car seats. You seem to believe that they are not a neccessity and I think that is sheer madness quite frankly.

Another possibility is that you're in an accident. All three kids thankfully survive the crash, the two in car seats are unharmed. The one in the middle is seriously injured, a spinal injury most likely. I would hate to have them growing up thinking why me, why was I the less important child, why did mum and dad care about me less. And that is exactly what it is, you can make up whatever excuse you like, but that's the bottom line.

Oh, and I didn't always drive an S60. This is what I used to own

[Deleted User] · 15-03-2012 12:16pm

Just seeing your mod note now moonbeam. Apologies. That'll be the last I say on the matter

cbyrd · 15-03-2012 12:22pm

Slight hijack of the thread cos i don't think it needs it's own thread???.. i'm looking for a particular type of car seat.. i have one and want another... long story as to how i have the first one but i can't find it anywhere online and as i've no car yet going to shops is still a bit difficult

its a junior's top class car seat.. i've seen 2 advertised on adverts.ie but they're sold..

anyone that could help??

And i can personally vouch for the importance of car seats...

cynder · 15-03-2012 3:54pm

Moonbeam wrote: »

You can not fit 3 full size car seats in an Avensis and definately not 2 isofix and a 3rd.

Well thats one thing we agree on....

Whatever the person chooses to do after that is thier choice, and if they opt not to go for a booster seat its not against the law and NOONE should criticize them or call them a bad parent who doesn't consider thier child's safety. Which is what a few are doing on this thread, i think thats unfair when the law says they can.

People who do that are not braking the law, in any which way or form. A driver should be given the full facts and not just ones that you agree with.
Same goes for drink alcohol level , i personally dont drink anything if im driving even though the law says i can, I DONT, others do, its not for me to judge them or say to them they cant drink alcohol at government recommended level because it would affect their child's safety.

cynder · 15-03-2012 3:58pm

cbyrd wrote: »

Slight hijack of the thread cos i don't think it needs it's own thread???.. i'm looking for a particular type of car seat.. i have one and want another... long story as to how i have the first one but i can't find it anywhere online and as i've no car yet going to shops is still a bit difficult
its a junior's top class car seat.. i've seen 2 advertised on adverts.ie but they're sold.. anyone that could help??

And i can personally vouch for the importance of car seats...

Its not advisable to buy second hand seats as you dont know if they were in an accident. For the child's own safety it is recommended you buy a new one, or at least know the history of the car seat you plan on purchasing, basically you need to know the car seat from day one and be 100% sure its never been in a car that has had an RTA. Otherwise your risking your child's life and would be better of walking or taking the bus/train.
Of course it's not against the law to purchase a second hand seat, and my own personal choice would to buy a new one as I wouldn't trust a second hand one. But the choice is yours and i respect that.
I'll try find the link so you dont think im making it up...

http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/01/27/should-i-buy-a-used-car-seat-for-my-baby.htm

Out of this thread, now....

[Deleted User] · 15-03-2012 4:48pm

grindelwald wrote: »

Its not advisable to buy second hand seats as you dont know if they were in an accident. For the child's own safety it is recommended you buy a new one, or at least know the history of the car seat you plan on purchasing, basically you need to know the car seat from day one and be 100% sure its never been in a car that has had an RTA.

Grindelwald is spot on. If you don't know a car seat's history, you can't be sure that it hasn't had some internal damage. Even if it looks like it's in perfect condition, it may be structurally unsound.

cbyrd · 15-03-2012 10:38pm

grindelwald wrote: »

Its not advisable to buy second hand seats as you dont know if they were in an accident. For the child's own safety it is recommended you buy a new one, or at least know the history of the car seat you plan on purchasing, basically you need to know the car seat from day one and be 100% sure its never been in a car that has had an RTA. Otherwise your risking your child's life and would be better of walking or taking the bus/train.
Of course it's not against the law to purchase a second hand seat, and my own personal choice would to buy a new one as I wouldn't trust a second hand one. But the choice is yours and i respect that.
I'll try find the link so you dont think im making it up...

http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/01/27/should-i-buy-a-used-car-seat-for-my-baby.htm

Out of this thread, now....

Ask a question and get shot down:rolleyes:
This is why i was asking if anyone knew where to source one.. i saw them on adverts.ie and wanted to contact to seller to see where she originally bought them but i couldn't cos they were sold and the ad wasn't live so i couldn't message her. . the reason i want to replace the one i have is due to an accident and i won't use it again even though it looks ok. i did mention that i couldn't get to the shops thought this would indicate i wanted to buy a new one
this is why i said long story ... just didn't want to waffle on about a lot of stuff that wasn't relevant to the post.. i dont know if they sell second hand car seats in shops... :rolleyes: i've tried halfords mothercare tony kealys and a lot of other random online shops.. It would help me if someone knows where i could source one as i've drawn a blank online and due to the accident i had i would trust my childs life to this type of seat again...

[Deleted User] · 15-03-2012 10:42pm

I had a good google earlier cbyrd and couldn't find them at all. Have you asked the ones you've tried to source it for you?

cbyrd · 15-03-2012 10:50pm

No i've been looking online.. i've no car yet so getting into the shop itself is a nightmare cos i work on saturday.. the only day i could have the car :rolleyes: I'll hopefully have one in the next 2 or 3 weeks but i'm getting fed up using the double buggy to get around everywhere..

this chair is brilliant.. steel frame and it never moved an inch despite the car flipping over twice.. the baby seat (graco)moved sideways on the base and the straps locked and i haven't been able to loosen them since..i have a lend of my friends brand new car seat (she's due in june) and my sis in law's bigger seat for the time being but i need to give the bigger one back...

http://www.adverts.ie/car-seats-travel/2-x-junior-s-top-class-car-seats-0-18kg/487048

this is what they look like . .

[Deleted User] · 15-03-2012 10:57pm

Give baby biz in dun laoghaire a call, they are great for advice and won't stock anything they don't have faith in. I hope you're all ok after your accident

cbyrd · 15-03-2012 11:04pm

Yeah.. it was amazing that we weren't hurt at all .. i know it's an issue close to your heart and it's why i know how easily an accident can happen tipping along at under 40kms round a bend and the car just took off..(dodgy temporary surface..like ice) next thing i know i'm sailing through the air and land in the field.. no seatbelts or carseats we'd all be dead cos all of the loose contents in the car flew out the smashed windows..except my very heavy hairdressing box.. that smacked me on the head :rolleyes: but at least i missed the telephone pole

Moonbeam · 16-03-2012 12:12am

I can't read the bar code off that chair.
read the barcode off your existing one or put a pic of it here,makes searching way easier.

It is years since I have seen a chair with the metal frame like that.

Did you contact the person with them for sale on gumtree?

Moonbeam · 16-03-2012 12:14am

Got the barcode but it did not help:(

cynder · 16-03-2012 9:32am

cbyrd wrote: »

Ask a question and get shot down:rolleyes:
This is why i was asking if anyone knew where to source one.. i saw them on adverts.ie and wanted to contact to seller to see where she originally bought them but i couldn't cos they were sold and the ad wasn't live so i couldn't message her. . the reason i want to replace the one i have is due to an accident and i won't use it again even though it looks ok. i did mention that i couldn't get to the shops thought this would indicate i wanted to buy a new one
this is why i said long story ... just didn't want to waffle on about a lot of stuff that wasn't relevant to the post.. i dont know if they sell second hand car seats in shops... :rolleyes: i've tried halfords mothercare tony kealys and a lot of other random online shops.. It would help me if someone knows where i could source one as i've drawn a blank online and due to the accident i had i would trust my childs life to this type of seat again...

Since you mentioned adverts.ie which does second hand stuff ill mention donedeal which also does second hand stuff aned new stuff, heres the link

http://www.donedeal.co.uk/for-sale/childrenitems/3119469

milstreet, cork. It is second hand and not new.

gifted · 16-03-2012 9:22pm

Hi Folks,

Well, we went looking today and it is possible to get 3 child seats into the back of the Avensis. One for the 3 year old on the outside, one for the 19 month old on the other side and the newborn in the middle facing the back window...:D.
The car seats were a tight fit and we would need seat belt extensions for one of the seats but there was no question of buckle crunch. The downside to all of that though is that once the seats are in place, they have to be left in place. It would be way to awkward to be removing the middle baby seat all the time, so we would have to have a seperate baby carrier and transfer the baby into and out of the baby seat thats already fitted in the car ( sorry if that sounds confusing )
Also, one of the children on the outside would have to be out of their seat while we are putting the baby into the middle seat ( problem there straight away )
The extra baby carrier would have to be in the boot all the time so thats a third of the boot gone.
While it is physically possible to have the 3 seats in the Avensis, their seems to be way too many negatives with it so we have decided to go with a people carrier ( Bawling out side baby shop I was )
Herself then told me that as we are getting a people carrier we might as well go for a fourth child ( the Bawling got louder and felt shooting pains in my chest area :eek:)
So thanks for all your advice, really appreciated it

.

PS. The shop assistant in the baby shop in Galway was really great, he came out to the car with a lot of baby seats and tried every combo to see if it would work.

cynder · 16-03-2012 10:08pm

When your looking at a people carrier look at seat combinations before you buy, take it for a test drive to the same store.

cbyrd · 17-03-2012 4:52pm

gifted wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Well, we went looking today and it is possible to get 3 child seats into the back of the Avensis. One for the 3 year old on the outside, one for the 19 month old on the other side and the newborn in the middle facing the back window...:D.
The car seats were a tight fit and we would need seat belt extensions for one of the seats but there was no question of buckle crunch. The downside to all of that though is that once the seats are in place, they have to be left in place. It would be way to awkward to be removing the middle baby seat all the time, so we would have to have a seperate baby carrier and transfer the baby into and out of the baby seat thats already fitted in the car ( sorry if that sounds confusing )
Also, one of the children on the outside would have to be out of their seat while we are putting the baby into the middle seat ( problem there straight away )
The extra baby carrier would have to be in the boot all the time so thats a third of the boot gone.
While it is physically possible to have the 3 seats in the Avensis, their seems to be way too many negatives with it so we have decided to go with a people carrier ( Bawling out side baby shop I was )
Herself then told me that as we are getting a people carrier we might as well go for a fourth child ( the Bawling got louder and felt shooting pains in my chest area :eek:)
So thanks for all your advice, really appreciated it .

PS. The shop assistant in the baby shop in Galway was really great, he came out to the car with a lot of baby seats and tried every combo to see if it would work.

When i had my third i upgraded to the citroen xsara picasso.. great for space in the back...only problem was 10 months after getting it i was pregnant with my 4th. . :eek:

my eldest is big enoughfor the front seat so it was only a problem when we all needed to go somewhere... which wasn't very often so i delayed changing it for a 6 or 7 seater.. needs must now i've no car for the last 5 weeks after an accident and i'm like a lunatic looking at car ads. . :rolleyes: thinking of selling one or 2 of the kids to pay for it..(but then i wouldn't need it :pac:)

Smokey Bear · 19-03-2012 12:15pm

Could try this as an option and hang onto your Avensis ?

http://www.multimac.co.uk/quick_checker_results/57/391

3 car seats in a Toyota Avensis?

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