Baby seat in a two door car
- Thread starter Yucca
- Start date
Soldato
I used to have a CLK and have 2 kids. One was 2 and the other 5, so different car seats. It wasn't the end of the world getting them in/out. the worst bit was no room for the 10 tonnes of stuff you need to carry with you!? Bought a C63 Wagon to have more boot room
You have to lift the baby in the seat and perform a complex crystal maze esque manoeuvre with it mid air that I) only you can perform because it's too heavy for the other half and ii) if you get wrong you bash the baby/car seat. I mean it's possible of course, just a pain in the backside.
Shocked you both said this as iv always thought my CLK boot was huge for a mid sized car?!
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2013
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- 12,308
Go measure the standard space width. Now measure the dedicated 'Mother & Baby' ones. The latter will have extra width, so you can open your doors wider and get kids/prans/stuff/junk in and out easier.
Of course these are always occupied, often by large chav-ish families who 'technically' do have their seventeen-year-old 'babies' with them, as they sit there hogging down their supersized McDonald's meals.....
Agree with the others, it's perfectly doable but will become back breaking short term and generally just a pain in the **** tbh
If it was your only car and you absolutely loved the thing it might be worth the sacrifice, but as you have something else fun already I would just take the hit on the CLK personally
If it was your only car and you absolutely loved the thing it might be worth the sacrifice, but as you have something else fun already I would just take the hit on the CLK personally
Soldato
Another thing that's not been mentioned yet, and while something you hopefully never need to worry about is still worth bearing in mind...
Do you really want to be messing around with folding front seats and manoeuvring a heavy child seat through the front door when your car is upside down in a ditch if you're unfortunate enough to have bad accident?
Do you really want to be messing around with folding front seats and manoeuvring a heavy child seat through the front door when your car is upside down in a ditch if you're unfortunate enough to have bad accident?
Soldato
It's possible and I've seen plenty of people managing with it.
But I couldn't be bothered and changed to a 5 door with a decent boot just before our little girl was born.
People telling you just park in the parent and child spaces must not of tried that in the last few years as often they are all taken up (yes you will rage when people with no kids use them... why not put the spaces at the other end of the car park? People would be less inclined to use them)
A lot of places other than supermarkets, ie shopping centres or multi stories etc just simply do not have them.
If it's the three of us, then sometimes have to pull over and the Mrs can get the little one out then I park up. No possible if you are on your own and you end up looking for an end of row space.
But I couldn't be bothered and changed to a 5 door with a decent boot just before our little girl was born.
People telling you just park in the parent and child spaces must not of tried that in the last few years as often they are all taken up (yes you will rage when people with no kids use them... why not put the spaces at the other end of the car park? People would be less inclined to use them)
A lot of places other than supermarkets, ie shopping centres or multi stories etc just simply do not have them.
If it's the three of us, then sometimes have to pull over and the Mrs can get the little one out then I park up. No possible if you are on your own and you end up looking for an end of row space.
I'll be honest, I sold my DC2 after 6 months for something more suitable for a baby seat.
I really wish I hadn't.
By the time I got it sold, she was only 6 months away from walking and climbing into the back herself anyway.
Bear in mind though I sold at the bottom of the market and can never replace it for anything like the money as they've sky rocketed now, so that will always upset me!
I really wish I hadn't.
By the time I got it sold, she was only 6 months away from walking and climbing into the back herself anyway.
Bear in mind though I sold at the bottom of the market and can never replace it for anything like the money as they've sky rocketed now, so that will always upset me!
Soldato
should have bought a second practicle run about with something a little rare like that.
Yep, it had rusted and needed a lot of work.
If I'd realised now how great a car it was though.....
I ended up in an Octavia vRS that a seagull dropped a lamb shank bone on, denting the roof and smashing the rear screen, it then got written off while it was parked in a pub car park.
Because there are two principles behind the parent and child spaces.
1) That they be wider to allow you to get into the car easier.
2) That they be placed so that you can access the store without having to cross any roadways.
Number 2 doesn't necessarily mean that the spaces must be right by the door - if the store has a long car park. But generally speaking they end up being close.
That must have been an interesting insurance claim.
Oh good point. So I really would only be strugging for the first 6 months or so? And mostly when in tight car parks. And a lot of this can be mitigated by buying a chair that clips in and out of a caddy rather than the whole thing coming in and out?
Yes but how much space do you really need in a boot for a baby?! I dont understand. Not being rude, genuine question. Other than a pram which should fit and a baby bag for bits and bobs, what else is really needed in all this space?!
What do you mean by 'Unless it's a front facing and just leave it in?'
Soldato
It will be a pain but you could do it if you really really wanted to.
I'd advise getting a swivelling car seat as in whatever car it makes it loads and loads easier especially when they get bigger.
We've got a Recaro seat (https://www.recaro-kids.uk/zero-1-elite-i-size.html) which had a separate infant carrier which clipped in to the main seat which was really handy when my daughter was really small, you could rotate the main seat to face you and then just pop her in in her carrier. That'd be as easy as you could make it in a 2 door car.
But once she was about 6 months she's in the main bit of the seat and you'll be lifting them in until they're at least 18months old i'd have though and in reality you'll still have to lift them and put them in quite a bit of the time when they're grumpy, sleepy or just generally don't want too.
It comes down to how much you're willing to put up with, i couldn't imagine doing that myself if it'd be the main car and not a once a month thing. Just the big doors of a 2 door car would make it a huge pain in all the places you'll need to go with a baby, as has been said good luck ever getting into baby spaces at the supermarket, 80% of them at my local Tesco are now disabled spaces with about 6 token baby spaces in the far end which are usually taken up with either chavs or blue badge holders.. Plus you'll need a back made of steel to keep twisting to put them in and out without bashing their head on the door frame or seat all the time especially when they're kicking off and don't want to be strapped in!
Edit: yeah regarding the stuff you need, whatever you have in your minds eye now, at least double it if not more. Babies come with so much stuff its not even funny. prams are huge, you need a bag of stuff for nappy changes etc, then toys, coats, blankets and i don't even know what else but it all seems to really eat up the space. Our Toyota Avensis estate is always pretty much full, if you do the food shopping you really struggle to fit the bags in on top of whats already in there.
I'd advise getting a swivelling car seat as in whatever car it makes it loads and loads easier especially when they get bigger.
We've got a Recaro seat (https://www.recaro-kids.uk/zero-1-elite-i-size.html) which had a separate infant carrier which clipped in to the main seat which was really handy when my daughter was really small, you could rotate the main seat to face you and then just pop her in in her carrier. That'd be as easy as you could make it in a 2 door car.
But once she was about 6 months she's in the main bit of the seat and you'll be lifting them in until they're at least 18months old i'd have though and in reality you'll still have to lift them and put them in quite a bit of the time when they're grumpy, sleepy or just generally don't want too.
It comes down to how much you're willing to put up with, i couldn't imagine doing that myself if it'd be the main car and not a once a month thing. Just the big doors of a 2 door car would make it a huge pain in all the places you'll need to go with a baby, as has been said good luck ever getting into baby spaces at the supermarket, 80% of them at my local Tesco are now disabled spaces with about 6 token baby spaces in the far end which are usually taken up with either chavs or blue badge holders.. Plus you'll need a back made of steel to keep twisting to put them in and out without bashing their head on the door frame or seat all the time especially when they're kicking off and don't want to be strapped in!
Edit: yeah regarding the stuff you need, whatever you have in your minds eye now, at least double it if not more. Babies come with so much stuff its not even funny. prams are huge, you need a bag of stuff for nappy changes etc, then toys, coats, blankets and i don't even know what else but it all seems to really eat up the space. Our Toyota Avensis estate is always pretty much full, if you do the food shopping you really struggle to fit the bags in on top of whats already in there.
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Soldato
Do you have access to another car or is it your only car?
Our 2nd car is a 3 door fiesta and I've used it since our daughter was born. It was a pain at first when the seat was rear facing as I had to get into the back of the car with her in my arms to strap her in. I wouldn't recommend it for tight car parks.
If you have access to another car for the first 18 months for things like shopping and multi stories, it is probably do able. At 18 months our daughter was big enough to be front facing and could climb into the seat herself so all I have to do now is lean in to strap her in.
There's a guy at our nursery with 2 car seats in the rear of a 3 door Ford ka and he seems to manage fine!
Our 2nd car is a 3 door fiesta and I've used it since our daughter was born. It was a pain at first when the seat was rear facing as I had to get into the back of the car with her in my arms to strap her in. I wouldn't recommend it for tight car parks.
If you have access to another car for the first 18 months for things like shopping and multi stories, it is probably do able. At 18 months our daughter was big enough to be front facing and could climb into the seat herself so all I have to do now is lean in to strap her in.
There's a guy at our nursery with 2 car seats in the rear of a 3 door Ford ka and he seems to manage fine!