The Official Babies, Kids, Carseats and MINIs Thread
I found it easiest to get a 2 year old into the car by telling him he CAN'T go in the car, that its full of shiny objects that BREAK, and for good measure I throw a lollipop in the back seat.
As for storage, a 1 1/4" receiver hitch and a storage box would be great and not require as much reaching as the roof box, just another option (I've used both). See www.minidomore.com for the idea and some pics, if you have an S they have the hitch, otherwise there are other cheaper hitch manufacturers for the non-S.
Note - despite the attractive mesh surface and plethora of places to hook tie-downs (and the integral heating provided in nasty weather by the underside dual exhausts) , please do not secure your LATCH or Peg Perrigo car seat to the luggage platform.
As far as Mini safety, that subject's been well played out, but I'm sure this thread will continue to rehash and re-discuss active vs. passive safety, rollovers, and how safe anyone's (insert offensive phrase for any vehicle larger than a Mini) is. Fact is, the Mini's maneuverable, sturdy and tested relatively safe in an accident, but nothing's guaranteed (ever) and the car is, in fact, rather "small" (is there an emoticon for "duh" here?)
Larger cars give larger safety zones but are, well, larger and less maneuverable. You choose.Car seat safety, well, my youngest is 9 and my oldest is driving (eek!), so the last time I used a baby seat was a while ago. Web searches and research is the only way to go, and some creative searching here on NAM should bring some useful information (many discussions on that).
Good luck, have kids, enjoy the daylights out of them, and yes - the Mini can be used for enjoyable, reasonably safe driving with Children, given the space limitations.
Last edited by DixonL2; Aug 2, 2007 at 05:56 AM.
3rd Gear
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Well, like I said twice before it was just my opinion, and the research I did was physically trying several types to see which would fit best for us, and that is why we decided on that particular one. Also, the Peg perego SIP is different from the Peg perego SIP 2006, where they fixed that problem with the latch system.
I'm really don't want to debate about it. you win
but thanks for reminding me why these message boards are not worth my time
have a great day!
I'm really don't want to debate about it. you win
but thanks for reminding me why these message boards are not worth my time
have a great day!
4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 305
Likes: 0
From: Pasadena, CA
I think some people way overthink this. I've put my youngest son in a full-sized Britax Marathon and didn't have to slide the seat up but one notch. He still occasionally rides in our Britax Roundabout. You want tight - try fitting a car seat of any size in the back of a 911. The Mini is no trouble at all, especially when you consider the tradeoffs.
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 15,966
Likes: 1
Yeah, it was faulty because it was done at an effective 70mph vs. the 38mph it was supposed to be done at. The results weren't "fair" to all the seats that failed at that high speed, but that just gave us a rare look at what happens in more severe crash situations, as opposed to the "industry standard" or government mandated test speeds. The whole retraction was because they didn't want to get sued by the failed seat manufacturers, and they wanted the issue to go away because it exposed the fact that they can and do make testing mistakes (even if we get great data from those "mistakes"). Evenflo threatened to sue them for calling for a recall of their seats. The Evenflo miserably failed the test, but met the crappy NHTSA crash test standards. Consumer Reports thought their tests were at the 38mph NHTSA speed.
No offense, but it doesn't sound like you did much research at all (seriously, where did you get the idea that the Peg was the only one that worked without a base?). I hope you learned to install your seats properly using the seatbelts as opposed to the LATCH system. The LATCH webbing and hardware fails at much lower stress than the seatbelt system. I have no idea how one would properly install a seat like the Peg or Graco without the base in the MINI, and still be able to get the kid in the seat. The seatbelt crosses over the seat, making it difficult to snuggle the little one in there and ensure proper positioning (you couldn't safely install it, with the child already in it, in the MINI, unless you were five feet tall, slender, weighed at least 160 pounds, and had three hands, LOL).
No offense, but it doesn't sound like you did much research at all (seriously, where did you get the idea that the Peg was the only one that worked without a base?). I hope you learned to install your seats properly using the seatbelts as opposed to the LATCH system. The LATCH webbing and hardware fails at much lower stress than the seatbelt system.
I have no idea how one would properly install a seat like the Peg or Graco without the base in the MINI, and still be able to get the kid in the seat. The seatbelt crosses over the seat, making it difficult to snuggle the little one in there and ensure proper positioning (you couldn't safely install it, with the child already in it, in the MINI, unless you were five feet tall, slender, weighed at least 160 pounds, and had three hands, LOL).
2nd Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
From: Lindenhurst, Long Island NY
Im looking at the Clubman as an addition to our family, I have 3 children, 3 1/2 years, and 5 month old twins, hoping i can fit 3 car seats in the back, although i heard only the EU version will get a bench seat in the back, while the US version will stay with rear buckets. im hoping its an option, so we can take the whole family motoring!
4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 305
Likes: 0
From: Pasadena, CA
Im looking at the Clubman as an addition to our family, I have 3 children, 3 1/2 years, and 5 month old twins, hoping i can fit 3 car seats in the back, although i heard only the EU version will get a bench seat in the back, while the US version will stay with rear buckets. im hoping its an option, so we can take the whole family motoring!
4th Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 358
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
I would rather wear a seatbelt that did not fail in a 70mph test than one that did fail at that speed.
By the way, you just made up that a 70mph head-on crash would "most likely" result in fatal injuries for a driver wearing a seatbelt. Busted!
3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 235
Likes: 0
i tried finding info on safercar.gov for crash test rating for the rear seat and they didn't even rate the rear seat.
anyone have links on hand that detail safety ratings, i'd love to see them.
(i'll have to do a search when i have time)
anyone have links on hand that detail safety ratings, i'd love to see them.
(i'll have to do a search when i have time)
3rd Gear
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 204
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta, Georgia
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/b...view/index.htm
This was some general info off Consumer Reports:
Buying advice Child car & booster seats
A child car seat should be high on your to-buy list. You'll need one to bring your baby home from the hospital and for every car trip with your baby thereafter. In fact, hospitals and birthing centers generally won't let you leave by car with your newborn if you don't have one. Every state requires that kids up to 4 years of age ride in a car seat; most require booster seats for older children.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
The major brands of car seats you're likely to encounter are, in alphabetical order: Baby Trend (www.babytrend.com), Britax (www.britaxusa.net), Chicco (www.chiccousa.com), Combi (www.combi-intl.com), Compass (www.compassbaby.com), Cosco (www.coscojuvenile.com), Eddie Bauer (www.djgusa.com), Evenflo (www.evenflo.com), Graco (www.gracobaby.com), Peg-Pérego (www.pegperego.com), and Safety 1st (www.safety1st.com). There are also car beds for preemies and other very small newborns if there's a concern that a car seat may not provide a secure fit or that it may exacerbate breathing problems. In addition, there are specially designed car seats for children with physical disabilities. Ask your pediatrician for a recommendation or visit the Automotive Safety Program at www.preventinjury.org (or call 800-543-6227). Every model of car seat sold in the U.S. must meet federal safety standards. These are your basic choices:
Infant seats
These rear-facing seats typically are for babies up to 22 pounds. They allow infants to recline at an angle that doesn't interfere with breathing and protects them best in a crash, compared to a convertible car seat. Many strollers are now designed to accommodate infant car seats, or you can purchase an empty stroller frame that will accept many infant car seats. All infant car-seat models come with a handle, a convenience that lets you remove the seat and use it as a carrier. And nearly all have a base that secures to your vehicle with LATCH connections or a vehicle safety belt. LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, includes belts that hook the base to metal anchors in the car. You can strap most infant seats into a car without a base, using the vehicle safety belts, and some people continue to do so.
Infant seats have either a three-point harness--two adjustable shoulder straps that come together at a buckle in the shell or a crotch strap--or even better, an adjustable five-point system--two straps over the shoulders, two for the thighs, and a crotch strap. The vast majority of infant car seats have five-point harnesses, but there are a few three-point models still around--though we recommend the five-point version.
The handle on infant seats usually swings from a position behind the seat's shell when in the car to an upright position for carrying. When using as a carrier, be sure the seat is reclined so that your baby's head doesn't fall forward and inhibit his breathing. Also, never place the seat on an elevated surface.
Slots underneath most seats help them attach to the frame of a shopping cart, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doesn't recommend using them this way, and neither do we.
Pros: With an infant car seat, you can move your baby from car to house or vice versa without waking him up--a plus for both of you. Extra bases are available so you can keep a secured base in each of your vehicles.
Cons: Your baby may outgrow an infant car seat quickly and become too heavy for you to use it as a carrier. As a result, you may find yourself having to buy a convertible car seat after your baby is 6 to 9 months old. However, our advice is still to start with an infant seat before moving up to a convertible seat because it's more secure and compact for infants. We consider them the safest way to transport the youngest babies.
Price range: $50 to $250 for the seat and base; stroller frame sold separately. At least one brand of seat, the Orbit, is sold as a system-car seat base, infant car seat, and exclusive coordinating stroller frame. We have not tested the Orbit infant car seat system, which retails for $900.
Travel systems
A travel system offers one-stop shopping: It consists of an infant car seat, a car-seat base for your car, and a separate stroller all in one. With these systems, you create a carriage by snapping an infant car seat into a stroller. The snap-on car seat is generally positioned atop the stroller so the infant rides facing you-the person pushing. Once your baby can sit up, she can ride in the stroller seat. Many car-seat manufacturers offer these combination strollers/infant car seats. And many stand-alone strollers are now designed to accommodate infant car seats from various manufacturers.
Pros: A travel system allows you to move a sleeping baby in the infant car seat undisturbed from car to stroller and vice versa.
Cons: Some travel-system strollers can be used only with a car seat from the same company. A way around that is to choose a stroller that accepts car seats from a number of different manufacturers. Travel systems can also be bulky, so if you're a city dweller who negotiates more subway stairs than highways or if the trunk of your car isn't too roomy, you may be better off with a separate car seat and a compact stroller that's appropriate for a newborn.
Price range: $130 to more than $600.
A LOOK AT THE LATCH SYSTEM
Since Sept. 1, 2002, all child car seats with an internal harness (three- or five-point safety belt) and nearly all passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. have been required to include equipment designed for simpler buckling. This system, called LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children), consists of child car-seat connections that attach to anchor points in the vehicle-two lower attachments and an upper tether on a child safety seat that anchor and connect with lower anchors usually found in the crease of the vehicle rear seat, and a top tether built into a vehicle's back seat. LATCH eliminates the need to use a vehicle's safety belts to install the seat. You can still use safety belts to install a LATCH-equipped child car seat-for example, in an older car that lacks LATCH anchors. We think you are more likely to get a secure connection with LATCH. However, the system is not without its problems. We believe that infant car seats might be better secured if their bases were attached to floorboard anchor points in addition to existing LATCH anchors. Another improvement would be for the U.S. standard to allow for car-seat bases similar to many sold in Europe. They include a "foot" that adds stability in a frontal crash.
Another problem with LATCH is that anchors in many cars are hard to access. And most vehicles don't have LATCH anchors in the safest seat in the car: the center rear. It can also be hard to adjust safety belts to a car seat located in the center rear. General Motors vehicles are an exception; many have center LATCH anchors. And some Ford models allow parents to use the inner two LATCH anchors from the outer seats to install a child seat in the center rear. A big advantage of LATCH is that once you access the car anchors, the car seat typically fits securely. A tight fit is a major factor in crash protection. With LATCH, our testers are able to get child seats to fit tightly in almost all cars. With vehicle safety belts, a secure fit is hard to achieve in some cars.
This was some general info off Consumer Reports:
Buying advice Child car & booster seats
A child car seat should be high on your to-buy list. You'll need one to bring your baby home from the hospital and for every car trip with your baby thereafter. In fact, hospitals and birthing centers generally won't let you leave by car with your newborn if you don't have one. Every state requires that kids up to 4 years of age ride in a car seat; most require booster seats for older children.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
The major brands of car seats you're likely to encounter are, in alphabetical order: Baby Trend (www.babytrend.com), Britax (www.britaxusa.net), Chicco (www.chiccousa.com), Combi (www.combi-intl.com), Compass (www.compassbaby.com), Cosco (www.coscojuvenile.com), Eddie Bauer (www.djgusa.com), Evenflo (www.evenflo.com), Graco (www.gracobaby.com), Peg-Pérego (www.pegperego.com), and Safety 1st (www.safety1st.com). There are also car beds for preemies and other very small newborns if there's a concern that a car seat may not provide a secure fit or that it may exacerbate breathing problems. In addition, there are specially designed car seats for children with physical disabilities. Ask your pediatrician for a recommendation or visit the Automotive Safety Program at www.preventinjury.org (or call 800-543-6227). Every model of car seat sold in the U.S. must meet federal safety standards. These are your basic choices:
Infant seats
These rear-facing seats typically are for babies up to 22 pounds. They allow infants to recline at an angle that doesn't interfere with breathing and protects them best in a crash, compared to a convertible car seat. Many strollers are now designed to accommodate infant car seats, or you can purchase an empty stroller frame that will accept many infant car seats. All infant car-seat models come with a handle, a convenience that lets you remove the seat and use it as a carrier. And nearly all have a base that secures to your vehicle with LATCH connections or a vehicle safety belt. LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, includes belts that hook the base to metal anchors in the car. You can strap most infant seats into a car without a base, using the vehicle safety belts, and some people continue to do so.
Infant seats have either a three-point harness--two adjustable shoulder straps that come together at a buckle in the shell or a crotch strap--or even better, an adjustable five-point system--two straps over the shoulders, two for the thighs, and a crotch strap. The vast majority of infant car seats have five-point harnesses, but there are a few three-point models still around--though we recommend the five-point version.
The handle on infant seats usually swings from a position behind the seat's shell when in the car to an upright position for carrying. When using as a carrier, be sure the seat is reclined so that your baby's head doesn't fall forward and inhibit his breathing. Also, never place the seat on an elevated surface.
Slots underneath most seats help them attach to the frame of a shopping cart, but the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) doesn't recommend using them this way, and neither do we.
Pros: With an infant car seat, you can move your baby from car to house or vice versa without waking him up--a plus for both of you. Extra bases are available so you can keep a secured base in each of your vehicles.
Cons: Your baby may outgrow an infant car seat quickly and become too heavy for you to use it as a carrier. As a result, you may find yourself having to buy a convertible car seat after your baby is 6 to 9 months old. However, our advice is still to start with an infant seat before moving up to a convertible seat because it's more secure and compact for infants. We consider them the safest way to transport the youngest babies.
Price range: $50 to $250 for the seat and base; stroller frame sold separately. At least one brand of seat, the Orbit, is sold as a system-car seat base, infant car seat, and exclusive coordinating stroller frame. We have not tested the Orbit infant car seat system, which retails for $900.
Travel systems
A travel system offers one-stop shopping: It consists of an infant car seat, a car-seat base for your car, and a separate stroller all in one. With these systems, you create a carriage by snapping an infant car seat into a stroller. The snap-on car seat is generally positioned atop the stroller so the infant rides facing you-the person pushing. Once your baby can sit up, she can ride in the stroller seat. Many car-seat manufacturers offer these combination strollers/infant car seats. And many stand-alone strollers are now designed to accommodate infant car seats from various manufacturers.
Pros: A travel system allows you to move a sleeping baby in the infant car seat undisturbed from car to stroller and vice versa.
Cons: Some travel-system strollers can be used only with a car seat from the same company. A way around that is to choose a stroller that accepts car seats from a number of different manufacturers. Travel systems can also be bulky, so if you're a city dweller who negotiates more subway stairs than highways or if the trunk of your car isn't too roomy, you may be better off with a separate car seat and a compact stroller that's appropriate for a newborn.
Price range: $130 to more than $600.
A LOOK AT THE LATCH SYSTEM
Since Sept. 1, 2002, all child car seats with an internal harness (three- or five-point safety belt) and nearly all passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. have been required to include equipment designed for simpler buckling. This system, called LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children), consists of child car-seat connections that attach to anchor points in the vehicle-two lower attachments and an upper tether on a child safety seat that anchor and connect with lower anchors usually found in the crease of the vehicle rear seat, and a top tether built into a vehicle's back seat. LATCH eliminates the need to use a vehicle's safety belts to install the seat. You can still use safety belts to install a LATCH-equipped child car seat-for example, in an older car that lacks LATCH anchors. We think you are more likely to get a secure connection with LATCH. However, the system is not without its problems. We believe that infant car seats might be better secured if their bases were attached to floorboard anchor points in addition to existing LATCH anchors. Another improvement would be for the U.S. standard to allow for car-seat bases similar to many sold in Europe. They include a "foot" that adds stability in a frontal crash.
Another problem with LATCH is that anchors in many cars are hard to access. And most vehicles don't have LATCH anchors in the safest seat in the car: the center rear. It can also be hard to adjust safety belts to a car seat located in the center rear. General Motors vehicles are an exception; many have center LATCH anchors. And some Ford models allow parents to use the inner two LATCH anchors from the outer seats to install a child seat in the center rear. A big advantage of LATCH is that once you access the car anchors, the car seat typically fits securely. A tight fit is a major factor in crash protection. With LATCH, our testers are able to get child seats to fit tightly in almost all cars. With vehicle safety belts, a secure fit is hard to achieve in some cars.
4th Gear
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 563
Likes: 0
From: Calgary, Canada
No offense, but it doesn't sound like you did much research at all (seriously, where did you get the idea that the Peg was the only one that worked without a base?). I hope you learned to install your seats properly using the seatbelts as opposed to the LATCH system. The LATCH webbing and hardware fails at much lower stress than the seatbelt system.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/b...view/index.htm
[snip]
LATCH eliminates the need to use a vehicle's safety belts to install the seat. You can still use safety belts to install a LATCH-equipped child car seat-for example, in an older car that lacks LATCH anchors. We think you are more likely to get a secure connection with LATCH. However, the system is not without its problems. We believe that infant car seats might be better secured if their bases were attached to floorboard anchor points in addition to existing LATCH anchors. Another improvement would be for the U.S. standard to allow for car-seat bases similar to many sold in Europe. They include a "foot" that adds stability in a frontal crash.
Another problem with LATCH is that anchors in many cars are hard to access. And most vehicles don't have LATCH anchors in the safest seat in the car: the center rear. It can also be hard to adjust safety belts to a car seat located in the center rear. General Motors vehicles are an exception; many have center LATCH anchors. And some Ford models allow parents to use the inner two LATCH anchors from the outer seats to install a child seat in the center rear. A big advantage of LATCH is that once you access the car anchors, the car seat typically fits securely. A tight fit is a major factor in crash protection. With LATCH, our testers are able to get child seats to fit tightly in almost all cars. With vehicle safety belts, a secure fit is hard to achieve in some cars.
[snip]
LATCH eliminates the need to use a vehicle's safety belts to install the seat. You can still use safety belts to install a LATCH-equipped child car seat-for example, in an older car that lacks LATCH anchors. We think you are more likely to get a secure connection with LATCH. However, the system is not without its problems. We believe that infant car seats might be better secured if their bases were attached to floorboard anchor points in addition to existing LATCH anchors. Another improvement would be for the U.S. standard to allow for car-seat bases similar to many sold in Europe. They include a "foot" that adds stability in a frontal crash.
Another problem with LATCH is that anchors in many cars are hard to access. And most vehicles don't have LATCH anchors in the safest seat in the car: the center rear. It can also be hard to adjust safety belts to a car seat located in the center rear. General Motors vehicles are an exception; many have center LATCH anchors. And some Ford models allow parents to use the inner two LATCH anchors from the outer seats to install a child seat in the center rear. A big advantage of LATCH is that once you access the car anchors, the car seat typically fits securely. A tight fit is a major factor in crash protection. With LATCH, our testers are able to get child seats to fit tightly in almost all cars. With vehicle safety belts, a secure fit is hard to achieve in some cars.
4th Gear
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 358
Likes: 0
From: Los Angeles, CA
Oh, and I failed to find anything in your post that contradicted my post, so I am puzzled why you think CR "disagrees" with me. When CR wrote "We think you are more likely to get a secure connection with LATCH" what they were saying was there is an 80% chance you (average car-seat installer) are an idiot.
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 56
Likes: 0
Head over to this forum on Car-Seat safety and the great trained techs over there will answer all of you questions about carseats and installation issues. I think I have even seen posts from MINI owners
http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=2
They can also help you find a certified tech in your area to help you check your installs and teach you to do is properly.
http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=2
They can also help you find a certified tech in your area to help you check your installs and teach you to do is properly.
6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,161
Likes: 0
From: Trabuco Canyon, CA
THAT is funny! (and true...)
As for storage, a 1 1/4" receiver hitch and a storage box would be great and not require as much reaching as the roof box, just another option (I've used both). See www.minidomore.com for the idea and some pics, if you have an S they have the hitch, otherwise there are other cheaper hitch manufacturers for the non-S.
Note - despite the attractive mesh surface and plethora of places to hook tie-downs (and the integral heating provided in nasty weather by the underside dual exhausts) , please do not secure your LATCH or Peg Perrigo car seat to the luggage platform.
As for storage, a 1 1/4" receiver hitch and a storage box would be great and not require as much reaching as the roof box, just another option (I've used both). See www.minidomore.com for the idea and some pics, if you have an S they have the hitch, otherwise there are other cheaper hitch manufacturers for the non-S.
Note - despite the attractive mesh surface and plethora of places to hook tie-downs (and the integral heating provided in nasty weather by the underside dual exhausts) , please do not secure your LATCH or Peg Perrigo car seat to the luggage platform.
Not my photos, I scraped them from www.minidomore.com, but I have one of their 1 1/4" receiver hitches and it works great. Their customer service is second to none as well, and that's expected given their small (and demanding) market and higher cost (note: they're actually less expensive than the SportLink and attachments though).
I've got a 4-bicycle hitch-mount rack that I use often (usually for 2 bikes), and have towed a small utility trailer with the Mini. The "S" tows REALLY well, something about a good, powerful, stable platform that makes it a really nice tow vehicle (for smaller trailers, of course!).
BTW, you can fit most of your garage sale "finds" in the back with the seats folded - there's an amazing amount of room back there, provided your "find" is clean enough to be worthy of a ride in the mini!
I've got a 4-bicycle hitch-mount rack that I use often (usually for 2 bikes), and have towed a small utility trailer with the Mini. The "S" tows REALLY well, something about a good, powerful, stable platform that makes it a really nice tow vehicle (for smaller trailers, of course!).
BTW, you can fit most of your garage sale "finds" in the back with the seats folded - there's an amazing amount of room back there, provided your "find" is clean enough to be worthy of a ride in the mini!
3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 296
Likes: 0
From: Canal Fulton, Ohio
I was looking at used minis today and someone is selling there mini becuase it is not child friendly. So I thought I would once again come to the experts with children. Is it a pain in the neck to own a mini with small children?? Or is the mini worth the pain and hassle? Also I posted another thread about car seats, but just incase you didn't see it..what are some of the car seat brands that you use, that work well with the Mini?
It's a pain moving car seats from our family sedan to the MINI, but we do it on occassion. The latch points in the MINI are very easy to use and it's easier to get the seats in and out of the MINI than our sedan, but that's another story.
The rear facing infant seat requires the front seat it's behind to be moved forward more than the front seat is typically placed. So if you're tall or your front passenger is a tall person then they will probably find this to be a pain.
The forward facing seat works out just fine, we don't have to adjust the seat it's behind at all, but we do take our son's shoes off when he's in the MINI because he can and does kick the back of the front seat.
Getting kids in and out of the car really is not difficult, for me or my wife. I find the MINI's front seats fold down and move forward enough such that it's easy to reach back and buckle the 20 month old in. Our new born gets buckled into his carrier before placing him it into the MINI.
Your experience may very of course because everyone's perception of easy/hard is different.
For us, we do not consider our MINI as a do all family car by any means. Stroller, playpens all that sort of let's go to grandma's house stuff means we leave the MINI at home for us.
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 102
Likes: 1
From: Orlando, FL
Yeah, I think this pretty much covers it. I am a single father of a 3 1/2 year old boy. It's actually alot easier to get him into the Mini than it was my RX300. In an SUV, the kid can't hop up there himself. Even if he could, he then couldn't jump up to his car seat. And then there's the huge back seat you have to stretch across to get him buckled in.
In the Mini, I just open the door and he hops right in (sometimes literally
). Once he's standing, he can sit himself into his car seat. I don't buckle him in then. I go around and get in my seat. It's an easy reach to the back seat buckle to grab it and buckle him in from the front seat. Of course, I do have the driver's seat all the way back so that may help too.
In the Mini, I just open the door and he hops right in (sometimes literally
). Once he's standing, he can sit himself into his car seat. I don't buckle him in then. I go around and get in my seat. It's an easy reach to the back seat buckle to grab it and buckle him in from the front seat. Of course, I do have the driver's seat all the way back so that may help too.
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 15,966
Likes: 1
Yeah, I think this pretty much covers it. I am a single father of a 3 1/2 year old boy. It's actually alot easier to get him into the Mini than it was my RX300. In an SUV, the kid can't hop up there himself. Even if he could, he then couldn't jump up to his car seat. And then there's the huge back seat you have to stretch across to get him buckled in.
In the Mini, I just open the door and he hops right in (sometimes literally ). Once he's standing, he can sit himself into his car seat. I don't buckle him in then. I go around and get in my seat. It's an easy reach to the back seat buckle to grab it and buckle him in from the front seat. Of course, I do have the driver's seat all the way back so that may help too.
In the Mini, I just open the door and he hops right in (sometimes literally
). Once he's standing, he can sit himself into his car seat. I don't buckle him in then. I go around and get in my seat. It's an easy reach to the back seat buckle to grab it and buckle him in from the front seat. Of course, I do have the driver's seat all the way back so that may help too.
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 2,010
Likes: 0
From: Huntsville, Alabama
Any pictures of the Recaro in the MINI? Do you reclaim some passenger leg room up front? My daughter will be turning 1 yr on Oct. 24th and should be right at 20lbs so hopefully she'll be getting the Recaro for the MINI.
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6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,585
Likes: 0
From: USA
As a matter of fact, I DO have one of him in his seat. I still cannot say enough about this great seat. And yes, it frees up A LOT of room in the passenger seat. All three of us can actually go places! I mean, this car has the latch AND the back tether to hook into as well. You will love it.
My car is IB/W and I got the midnight blue and black, and it's a perfect match! Looks great, and it is REAL comfy for Ben, too! VERY easy to adjust, and very easy to get in & out. I've been autocrossing, so of course, the seat comes out then, and it is so very easy. The Graco was a pain in the butt......
This was taken with my cell phone camera, so not the best quality...
My car is IB/W and I got the midnight blue and black, and it's a perfect match! Looks great, and it is REAL comfy for Ben, too! VERY easy to adjust, and very easy to get in & out. I've been autocrossing, so of course, the seat comes out then, and it is so very easy. The Graco was a pain in the butt......
This was taken with my cell phone camera, so not the best quality...
Thread Starter
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6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 1,585
Likes: 0
From: USA
Wait - didn't you used to have just the CR&PW? You added to the family?
Oh, someone asked about the top tether, there is a bar on the opposite side of the seat. A metal bar. That is what the top tether grasps onto.