What is the law on these type of cars. Never owned a two door with limited space in the back.

Do you still have to put a baby seat in the back or can the seat go up in the front???

Is it state by state for the Yanks on the board.

 

VA Law:

• Effective July 1, 2007: Child restraint devices are required for children through the age of seven (until 8th birthday). Safety seats must be properly used and approved by Department of Transportation standards.
• Effective July 1, 2007: Rear-facing child restraint devices must be placed in the back seat of a vehicle. In the event the vehicle does not have a back seat, the child restraint device may be placed in the front passenger seat only if the vehicle is either not equipped with a passenger side airbag or the passenger side airbag has been deactivated.

http://www.vahealth.org/cIVP/safetyseat/laws.asp

 

Has anyone gotten a baby seat in the rear of one of these cars? I ask because (as my name implies) I have not yet purchased a MINI but want to, and my wife is due any day now. The ability to put a baby seat in the back is a requirement.

 

I have seen many posts that show seats in the back. From my understanding since the airbag cannot be manually disabled no child seat should be placed in the front seat. if there are rear seats the child seat must go in the back. The only time where a child seat can go in the front is if it is a 2 seater, which will have a manual switch to disable the airbag. While state to state the laws may vary, car manufacturers resort to the more strict laws when designing the car.

However the MINI does have anchors for car seats in the back.

 

My wife and I have a 7 month old son and have the Chicco KeyFit Cortina system (or whatever it's called -- link here: http://www.chiccousa.com/product.php...&cat=18&page=1)

The base and carrier fit in the back of my MINI, although you have to tilt the carrier just right to fit it in through the door and behind the seat. It's not a complicated thing to do once you figure it out. I have no problem doing this but with a 19-20lb kid and the carrier, my wife has trouble doing it. (but she's got a different seat in her car anyway).

Once he grows out of that seat, I'm not sure if there is another option for a rear facing seat for the MINI that would be just as "easy" to get him in and out of.

One last note is that the passenger seat has to be moved forward a bit to accomodate the carrier in the back, so the person riding in front will be a little closer to the dash than usual

I can send you pics of the setup if you PM me, if that helps you out at all.

Hope this helps and congrats on the soon-to-be arrival!

 

I did a Google search for +"MINI Cooper" +"Baby Seat" and the only thing that came up is stupid Britney Spears, she really ruins everything.

 

To quote the-girl-i-was-dating-at-the-time, "damn- this alone is a great reason to get a MINI"

The "this" she was referring to, is the built-in baby seat latches in both rear seats and for the "over the top and clip to the back" designed baby seats (pardon my terminology- i have no need for extensive baby car seat design knowledge!).

She was quite impressed at the ease in which a car seat can be buckled down, hold firm in spirited corners, as well as quickly removed. I was impressed at how it doesn't leave a dent in the uphostery, scratch up the interior, and keeps the little one's feet off the back of the front seats.

speezer's description of the process is pretty accurate. The-girl-i-was-dating-at-the-time is fairly petite so front passenger leg room was not an issue. I suggest a visit to your MINI dealer, questions and if possible, car seat in hand, and hopefully you will get a knowledgeable MA who will tell you more information that you ever wanted to know.

In short, I believe the rear seats were designed with modern baby car seats in mind. There are no latches, etc. on the front seats. I'm pretty sure that in good ol' Cali, that's not even a legal option. (I could be wrong on that).

Hope that helps!

 

No problems ferrying myself (6'2"), wife (5'10"), a 6 y/o and a 1 y/o. Even when the baby was younger, he fit ok. We even go on our local runs like this.

Just last week on a run, a lady in the meet parking lot was totally amazed that everyone fit in the car.

The only bit of difficulty can be the stroller. Travel systems typically don't fit their stroller portion in the boot. We use a Quinny Zapp, which will even fit in a cabrio's boot. When in the MINI, we just used the Zapp from the moment the baby was old enough to sit up.

You do have to pick & choose your seats though. Some fit better than others. We had a Peg Perego for the infant "bucket", and now have a Britax Roundabout for the 1 y/o. The 6 y/o has a Britax Parkway.

LMK if there is anything else.

 

Didn't have the Mini when the kiddo was rear facing but think it should fit. One thing I have found out is that it was super easy to get him in and out with the top down

 

There have been a few threads done on this topic with a lot of good info.
just do a search on it.I have a 3&4 year old and have had two foward facing
seats in the back of my car with no problems.

 

When our baby graduated to the rear facing seat (after 7 months ), I got him a Britax Roundabout that is convertible from rear to front. When he was rear facing, I would just load him in and out through the boot! Got a few odd stares from people in the car park though.

 

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=68576
I found a thread.

 

Here's another thread that might be useful:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=54178

 

+1

No problems with car seats in the back. I have my 10 year old (no car seat) and 5 year old in the back quite often. I have to leave the car seat at the sitter, but putting the seat in is probably no more than a 5 minute job.

 

i have twin boys that are 3 1/2 and also have the Britax Roundabout. the go in very easily with the "latch system" as it is refered to, and they fit great. they simply climb in and out on their own, and i have to get a knee on the rear floor to strap them in, but otherwise, no problem. my mini is not an everyday driver, so i do this on weekend quite often and it take minutes for both seats. of course they both love to prop their feet up on the back of the seats, but it is easily wiped clean. my wife is 5'2" and has no problems with comfort.

 

I have a rear facing seat in mine. I load my daughter in from the rear hatch... much easier! I just flip down the rear seat on the drivers side and swing her in to the right side and she clips right in. To get her out I have to unlatch her while I'm in the drivers seat, then get out and swing her out the back again. I find it a lot easier than trying to wiggle her out from the passenger side.