Baby on the way - need help!

[K1 LYC]

Please help us!

We are expecting our 2nd child in December and there is no way that the Mini is being sold. We will just have to manage some how. We also have a Honda Accord Tourer so that will be the main family bus but we need to sort out how the Mini will work whilst hubby has the Honda during the day (company car). After looking around today, I think we may have a problem though.

We already have a Quinny Zapp so our thought was to have a Maxi Cosi Cabrio car seat and use the Quinny frame (Our daughter doesn't really need the buggy now). We know that the baby can only stay in the car seat for a shorter period of time but this should be okay. (I'm sure they say up to 2 hours at a time??)
For longer outings we considered the M&P Luna which fits in the boot fine. The only problem is that you then need to transfer the baby from the car seat into the Luna so this would be a pain. Quinny Buzz is an option but needs the wheels removed to get in the boot I've heard.

So off we go to to look at the options.

They all said that even with the passenger airbag deactivated you should not have a rear facing childseat on the front passenger seat. Is this true? Something to do with a possible malfunction and inflating causing massive injuries to the baby. Seems logical I guess. So that means that we have to put the Maxi Cosi Cabrio in the back with our daughter. Not really an issue, until you try and get the car seat in and out of the back. We tested the fixed base system which is great but still a pain getting the seat in and out.

So after all of my rambling, what I am basically looking for is for some advice.
- Is the Maxi Cosi Cabrio going to be the best option for us?
- Are there any of you out there who are using it in the back and how easy is it to live with day to day?
- Should we keep the rear facing carseat off the front passenger seat?
- Do you have any other recommendations?

Sorry to ramble on - thanks guys!

[FergusM]

I certainly had my son in the front passenger seat in a rear facing baby seat with passenger air bag switched off...

... very very very much doubt BMW/mini would put in the de-activate switch unless they were 110% sure that it deactivated the air bag. I would have no issue with using the front seat.

[sel]

Best of luck...im due in Feb....and the MINI is now a 5door Pug 206!! ....was sad to see it go :-(

Im sure you'd get used to using the cabrio seat/base fix-especially as it fits well on the frame you already own-so saves money as well.

[JD Cass]

Bugaboo has just released the 'Bee' in the States which does fit in the boot of a mini. This is due for release in the UK on December 27th and will have adapters to take the Maxi Cosi car seat. This may be an option for you.

[Paul]

Why is it a problem lifting a baby into a buggy, such as the Luna?

[sel]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

Why is it a problem lifting a baby into a buggy, such as the Luna?

I think their getting at the fact that if the baby is asleep in a car seat its a pain moving them from the car seat to the buggy ....when the car seat can be clipped in place on the 'buzz' frame!

[Paul]

Never had a problem really. Then again when Alfie was really small I used the handle on his car seat to carry him in if he was asleep, or put him in a carry pouch thing if he was awake. We tended to use the buggy less often really until he was a little bit bigger, and by that time lifting him alone was easier than him, seat and all.

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by K1 LYC (original)

So after all of my rambling, what I am basically looking for is for some advice.
1- Is the Maxi Cosi Cabrio going to be the best option for us?
2- Are there any of you out there who are using it in the back and how easy is it to live with day to day?
3- Should we keep the rear facing carseat off the front passenger seat?
4- Do you have any other recommendations?

Sorry to ramble on - thanks guys!

1 - Its a option, there are others, but seeing as you already have it might as well stick with it, as its a pretty good seat crash test wise.
2 - you should only use it in the back, never in the front for the reasons that you said, we all know that swtiches can fail or break, so I'd never risk a child life based on a switch working.
3 - YES 100%
4 - as in car seat? or pushchairs? There are a fair few out there now for MINI owners to choose from that will fit in the boot of a MINI. My personal choice would always be a Maxi Cosi car seat or a Britax, and I'd never consider an M&P car seat, purely based on past 'Which' reports and crash test data for the products. Choose the car seat first, as that will fit certain cars and not others, remember to check it in all the vehicles you plan to use it in, then find a pushchair that it fits.

There are a few new things coming out over the next few months, as the launch calender is generally March then October for nursery goods.

Quote: Originally Posted by FergusM (original)

I certainly had my son in the front passenger seat in a rear facing baby seat with passenger air bag switched off...

... very very very much doubt BMW/mini would put in the de-activate switch unless they were 110% sure that it deactivated the air bag. I would have no issue with using the front seat.

Try and get them to put in writing that they guarantee that it will never fail that you can put a car seat in the front seat

Quote: Originally Posted by JD Cass (original)

Bugaboo has just released the 'Bee' in the States which does fit in the boot of a mini. This is due for release in the UK on December 27th and will have adapters to take the Maxi Cosi car seat. This may be an option for you.

Yes the bee is a small product, but having seen it I wouldn't buy it, its over priced and has already had a few problems in the US from what I have read. Also when I saw it been demo'd the tubing was seriously marked due to way that the operates, not got all the bugs worked out yet on that product and I think they have bitten off more than they can chew with all those moving parts this time.

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

Never had a problem really. Then again when Alfie was really small I used the handle on his car seat to carry him in if he was asleep, or put him in a carry pouch thing if he was awake. We tended to use the buggy less often really until he was a little bit bigger, and by that time lifting him alone was easier than him, seat and all.

I wish more parents would think like that, they are starting to, but not fast enough. Its not a hassle to take a child out of the car seat and to put them into a more supportive actual pushchair seat, which is far better for the child spinal development, this used to be done all the time until people got lazy.

A car seat is at the end of the day designed to give the best position and protection for a child in an impact, not to give the most comfortable position to sit in for more than 2 hours.

[Paul]

That's kind of how I feel really, our parents never had "travel systems", and they could pose a negative effect on your baby's spinal development, so why bother?

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by Paul Mullett (original)

That's kind of how I feel really, our parents never had "travel systems", and they could pose a negative effect on your baby's spinal development, so why bother?

Its something that has bothered me for a while now, but the trend is turning more towards parents wanting children totally flat and in a carry cot again, with them also facing them to for the bonding and face to face contact, so it seems that things are heading in the right direction.

More and more products too are offering the rearward facing option, and lie flat, and we have something else that launches next year to try and change the market and the way people think about transporting their babies

[K1 LYC]

Thanks to everyone for all you help and advice.

My Mini means the world to me and is staying. As I said so we will have to make do. My general concern is how easy it will be to cope with a 3 year old and a newborn in a rather small car. I'll manage somehow!

I think I have pretty much decided to go for the Maxi Cosi Cabrio seat with the fixed base. On a short visit out, the Quinny Zapp in the boot, or for a longer shopping trip a M&P Luna Pushchair in the boot and will have to transfer little one into that. I would like to see the Bugaboo though so will look out for that.

Thanks again. Definitely not going to put a rear facing carseat on the front passenger seat. I don't have the simple key option to disarm the airbag so it will have to go to BMW and you are right, I don't think they will put anything in writing guaranteeing the work they do.