Baby/child's seats in a ZT
 

so as above, is there a way of fitting a seat ( the child will be 9 months old) in a ZT temporarily, it will only be needed for 2 weeks, it's a long time since I needed any child seats in a car of mine and things have changed a lot since then, it obviously has to be safe and legal, I'm in no rush as they are not coming over until October.

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I have two car seats in the back of mine without issues, fitment depends on your choice of car seat but once plugged in can be removed in a matter of seconds, refitting could require a degree in engineering :D

If you don't have 'ISOFIX' then you are left with the usual option of conventional fitting of the child / baby seat.
This scenario is well catered for at any of the reputable outlets, just ask the peeps that deal with that kind of thing and no doubt they will advise you on what is best for you, the car, and more importantly ... the baby / child.
We opted for fitting the baby seat in the rear of the car and facing the rear, the reason for this was ... in the event of a 'bump' the babies head is not thrown forward (whiplash), it's not a complete fix especially if you are 'rear ended' but all the case studies done on the many variations of young passenger injuries suggest the option we took is pretty much as good as it can be, you can still keep an eye on the baby by fitting one of those mirrors to the rear window that focuses on the baby which you can observe while driving.
We were advised that the (rear facing 'front passenger') kind of seat fixing was not as favourable due to the potential airbag deployment and turning them off was just not an option we wanted to take.
One VERY important factor is this ... you would be surprised at how many people fit the seat incorrectly regarding seat belt route around the child seat etc: if you are at all unsure ...seek professional advice.
To sum up .... we have been through this many times both with our own children and now with the grand children so the option we took (above) suited us well but may not be suitable for you.
I'm certainly not qualified and no expert on this subject so please don't take what I have written as 'gospel', the best advice I can offer is to speak to the peeps that deal with this kind of thing daily such as ... Mothercare etc.
Hope you get it sorted.

Well I'm sure the age of our cars means the isofox fittings are not there as standard that's my concern, then of course it's all for two weeks use.

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I work in child seat safety and the ZT doesn’t present many issues for the majority of seats on the market.
The issues arise from people fitting children into a seat that is not suitable for the child, or fitting it incorrectly.

Getting the right seat depends on several factors, especially as ZT does not have ISOFIX seats. You need a Group 0-1 seat and you will also need the child’s correct weight in KG.
I can advise you better then

At the moment the child weight 10lbs but I'm sure that by October it will be quite a bit more 😉
I'm not being a tight wad but my problem is that the said grand child and parents live in America so will not be coming every weekend and probably by the next visit will have outgrown the seat.
Can you still get the seat that is restrained by the standard adult passenger seat?

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The child is still going to need to be in a rear facing seat, I suspect even by October.
In a forwards facing 30mph collision a force of 250kg will be forced through a child’s neck as they are thrown forwards, this can result in internal decapitation as the child’s neck bones and muscles are not yet fully fused and strong. It’s grim.
There isn’t a cheap option for a child of this age and weight I’m afraid. The restraint must be secured by the cars seat belt, and have a 5 point harness to secure the child. You’re talking £150+
ISOFIX and I-Size are a no go in our cars so it’s a belt only type seat I’m afraid.

Use an expert who is qualified to advise you. A couple of years ago I needed a child seat for my ZT-T. I chose what I thought would be suitable on size fitting etc with a price in mind. When I went to purchase the child seat expert was called and asked me what car is was for as well as all the relevant question about the child. She went on the computer and told me that the seat was not suitable for a ZT-T. It had to do with the rear seatbelt fittings and how the belts were anchored and routed. She was able to put me on to one that would fit correctly (they only had two on their system).

Be careful and do not be tempted by a cheap one because you only need it for a couple of weeks and be prepared to have to spend three figures to get the correct one. Luckily it also fits my Volvo and is the one recommended by them.

As has been said Mothercare are well clued up its the only place my kids will use for child seats and quizzed me to make sure the one I had was ok. I know its not always a popular supplier but I actually used Halfords, they have a good range but make sure you ask to see the trained car seat sales person. If they are not on don't just buy what you think will do.

Word of warning, be extremely careful if you decide to go to Mothercare of Halfords, in fact, any car seat supplier. My other half and my sister are both extremely well versed in child car seat safety and have had very bad experiences in both of the above stores. The supposed trained car seat specialists have been unable to fit various seats correctly when asked to and were unable to answer relatively basic questions when asked.


I would strongly recommend rear facing, by far the safest option as Canonite says. We have a 6 year old who is still rear facing and a 16 month old who will be rear facing until it is no longer physically possible. Our 8 year old only went forward facing last year as she woulsn't fit in a rear facing seat any more.


With regards price, I appreciate that few of us are in the fortunate position of not having to consider money when making a purchase and car seats are not the cheapest things to buy. We've spent around £2000 over the past four years on car seats, upgrading and changing the seats as the children grew and the baby came along. It was a hell of a lot of money to us (to some it's probably not a lot), we couldn't afford it so used a credit card which goes against the grain, but god forbid if anything was to happen to any of the kids, being in these seats would give them the best possible chance of coming out in one piece and minimising any injuries. Some things you simply cannot put a price on, obviously.


The one place we have settled on using is The In Car Safety Centre. (https://incarsafetycentre.co.uk/carseats-accessories/) The staff genuinely care and unlike most retailers, have actually had the correct training and are fully conversant in the principles behind car seat safety. They are only a small company and unfortunately do not appear to have a branch near Kingston-upon-Hull, but thought I'd mention them in case you happen to be travelling anywhere near any of their branches before October.

As the seat will only be used a.minimal amount, you could always sell it on via Facebook, gumtree for close enough to what you will pay for it. At least it will not dent your wallet that much. It is not tightwaddery, it is financial practicality. One thing, it may be difficult to sell come the time as itll be approaching christmas at that point.

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