Baby seat in a two door car

Yucca · 1 Apr 2020 at 14:42

Hi all

Wanted some advice from those of you who are parents. Do any of you drive a two door car and use baby seats? And if so, how hard is it?

I own an old Mercades CLK coupe which I would like to keep for many years to come but everyone I talk to with kids laugh at me and say 'oh wait till you need to put a baby seat in there, you will soon change it'.

Is it really THAT hard/impractical or are people exaggerating?

Narj · 1 Apr 2020 at 14:45

Just have the snip. Job done!

Mulder · 1 Apr 2020 at 14:46

Doing it currently and will be changing car as it's impossible.

Hades · 1 Apr 2020 at 14:46

It's doable. But a pain in the rear.

ci_newman · 1 Apr 2020 at 14:49

For occasional use it's perfectly manageable.

As a family car for every outing, no way.

Yucca · 1 Apr 2020 at 14:54

Mulder said:
Doing it currently and will be changing car as it's impossible.

Impossible? Why?

Yucca · 1 Apr 2020 at 14:56

ci_newman said:
For occasional use it's perfectly manageable.

As a family car for every outing, no way.

Ok that answers my question. I have a Porsche Cayman which I intend to keep loong term so I guess I will have to change the CLK to a 4 door soon. Thats sad as I love it. Its never let me down in 11 years and for the £3k its probably worth I cant imagine I will get anything better and more reliable with the spec it has. Sad times indeed.

ci_newman · 1 Apr 2020 at 14:59

Yucca said:
Impossible? Why?

From my own experience, it's just physically impossible.

2-door cars have larger doors in the first place, which makes the space for getting in and out even smaller in places like supermarket car parks. Add in trying to get a car seat / baby in and out too, it simply didn't work.

As an occasional use car where you can guarentee being able to open your doors to their full width at the beginning and end of the journey its fine. But taking the family to a car park, multi-storey/ restaurant etc is just plain impractical (source: had 2-door car, kept it for 3 months after baby was born, eventually sold it even though it was a second car).

Yucca · 1 Apr 2020 at 15:03

ci_newman said:
From my own experience, it's just physically impossible.

2-door cars have larger doors in the first place, which makes the space for getting in and out even smaller in places like supermarket car parks. Add in trying to get a car seat / baby in and out too, it simply didn't work.

As an occasional use car where you can guarentee being able to open your doors to their full width at the beginning and end of the journey its fine. But taking the family to a car park, multi-storey/ restaurant etc is just plain impractical (source: had 2-door car, kept it for 3 months after baby was born, eventually sold it even though it was a second car).

As long as the baby doesnt go shopping to the supermarket with you, would you have managed then ok? We live far away from a major city centre so rarely park in multi story car parks. Though I totally see your point and thank you for making it.

LizardKing · 1 Apr 2020 at 15:08

Never really had an issue when i had a baby seat in my GTO which is beyond small inside at best! We had a clip in seat so it really was not massively more difficult than using a 4 door.

HangTime · 1 Apr 2020 at 15:16

The reality is [when lockdown is over] you'll probably find you or your partner will be frequently taking the baby out in a car and potentially going to places you don't currently go to - baby groups, doctor / hospital visits (nobody warns you about these), nursery drop offs etc just generally a whole bunch of trips you don't make if you don't have kids and sometimes they will be very cramped.

If you have Cayman for 2-door frolics then I'd definitely be considering new motor - and if you are buying it for practical purposes may as well consider an estate due to the deluge of baby paraphernalia you will end up with.

ttaskmaster · 1 Apr 2020 at 15:41

No expert, but I'd have thought many 2-seaters lack ISOFix points for proper baby seats, and the ones that lash in using a seat belt wrapped around them don't really convince me of their safety.
Additionally, many cars have side and passenger airbags, which I'm led to believe is a massive great big **** off NO NO for putting a baby seat on the front seat.

Might also be some legal elements too, but again I'm no expert. Your kid, your choice, though...

JRJ · 1 Apr 2020 at 15:59

Wife had a 1 series coupe when the eldest was born, managed fine with one as the majority of the time it was her and my daughter only. If we used her car for a trip one of us jumped in the back and kept the baby seat in the front, most modern 2 doors have at least got isofix in the front passenger seat as a minimum. We only sold it when the youngest came along 3 years later and it went from manageable with 1 to impossible with 2.

Yucca · 1 Apr 2020 at 16:10

HangTime said:
The reality is [when lockdown is over] you'll probably find you or your partner will be frequently taking the baby out in a car and potentially going to places you don't currently go to - baby groups, doctor / hospital visits (nobody warns you about these), nursery drop offs etc just generally a whole bunch of trips you don't make if you don't have kids and sometimes they will be very cramped.

If you have Cayman for 2-door frolics then I'd definitely be considering new motor - and if you are buying it for practical purposes may as well consider an estate due to the deluge of baby paraphernalia you will end up with.

Dont want to keep the CLK for fun. Want to keep it because its a solid car, cheap, good spec and old enough that dents and scratches dont bother me. Im a minamalist so dont intend to have a million baby items. Hopefully.

ttaskmaster said:
No expert, but I'd have thought many 2-seaters lack ISOFix points for proper baby seats, and the ones that lash in using a seat belt wrapped around them don't really convince me of their safety.
Additionally, many cars have side and passenger airbags, which I'm led to believe is a massive great big **** off NO NO for putting a baby seat on the front seat.

Might also be some legal elements too, but again I'm no expert. Your kid, your choice, though...

Just to clarify, im talking about a 2 door 4 seater. Not a 2 seater.

JRJ said:
Wife had a 1 series coupe when the eldest was born, managed fine with one as the majority of the time it was her and my daughter only. If we used her car for a trip one of us jumped in the back and kept the baby seat in the front, most modern 2 doors have at least got isofix in the front passenger seat as a minimum. We only sold it when the youngest came along 3 years later and it went from manageable with 1 to impossible with 2.

Is it legal to have baby seat in the front? Also how do I check my old Merc to see if its got isofix in the back/front? Also..... What the hell is isofix lol.

JRJ · 1 Apr 2020 at 16:14

Yucca said:
Is it legal to have baby seat in the front? Also how do I check my old Merc to see if its got isofix in the back/front? Also..... What the hell is isofix lol.

What Year is the Merc? Isofix you should have two metal rings just below the join in the base and back cushion.

Rear facing in the front is fine as long as the airbag can be turned off.

ezekial · 1 Apr 2020 at 16:15

Isofix is an international standard that allows for attaching car seats without a seatbelt. Usually its pretty clear looking at the seat, usually at the base of the seat back there are some small black covers.

ttaskmaster · 1 Apr 2020 at 16:36

Yucca said:
Just to clarify, im talking about a 2 door 4 seater. Not a 2 seater.

Ah, kk. Got mixed info from different posts.
Can still be pretty fiddly and awkward if the fronts don't allow much entry space, though.

Yucca said:
Is it legal to have baby seat in the front?

Actually depends on your insurer. Technically yes, IF you deactivate the airbag, but doing so will invalidate some insurance policies. You also have to consider the possibility that you'd forget to turn it on again if carrying a normally-seated passenger, or off again when you next fit the kid.

In the rear is still considered better, though - https://www.childcarseats.org.uk/choosing-using/positioning-child-car-seats-in-cars/

ezekial said:
Isofix is an international standard that allows for attaching car seats without a seatbelt. Usually its pretty clear looking at the seat, usually at the base of the seat back there are some small black covers.

Many do not have even this. On my Octavia you have to just poke the arms through the gap between base and back, although most seats seem to include a pair of 'guide sleeves' to install which make it easier. Same on early CR-Vs, although some do have slits cut into the back cushion to make it easier.

For OP's info - https://www.childcarseats.org.uk/types-of-seat/isofix-seats/

Simon · 1 Apr 2020 at 16:42

Easy when young as you can post the seat in. I had a baby seat in the back of M3 and was fine really. Parking at supermarkets you have the bigger spaces. when you get front facing they can climb in themselves anyway.

Yucca · 1 Apr 2020 at 16:47

Simon said:
Easy when young as you can post the seat in. I had a baby seat in the back of M3 and was fine really. Parking at supermarkets you have the bigger spaces. when you get front facing they can climb in themselves anyway.

Dont understand your first sentance.

How do you have bigger spaces in supermarkets?

Simon · 1 Apr 2020 at 17:01

When they are in back facing seats you can just put them in the seat outside the car then put the seat in the car.

Door size isn't really that relevant when in parent spaces.