I keep reading that not all car seats will fit properly in all cars. Where can you go to test car seats in the car before you buy? Is this what people have done?

Thanks

http://www.britax.co.uk//FitFinder/GB/FitFinder.php?isPostback=y

If you so on here it will t ell you which can have the iso fittings (the ones that dont work in all cars)

We went to mothercare and they did a demonstration for us and explained it all. We even learned that older mondeos (like ours!) have very short seatbelts in the back so don't work well with the iso fitting thingys cause they aren't long enough!

yea mothercare r gd and give deminstrations, also places like toys r us and halfords do aswell, gd luck with finding 1, weve got a old mondeo aswell very short seatelts!!

most big shops where u can buy ur car seat from will offer u a car seat fitting they should so u how it is fitted and see if it fits in ur car!
ruth xxx

if you contact the road saftey officer at your local police station, they give the best advice. Britax is a good site for the fit finder, but only if you are using a britax seat in a car make and model they have listed. maxicosy have their own version of the fitfinder, but we found it was rather vague and left you guessing. Halfords was bad and the guy did not know how to fit the seat in our car and babise r us sent us away with a carseat that the road saftey officer advised us to take straight back to them on account of it fitting so badly it was dangerous:x
We have since bought a car with iso fix, which essentialy bolts the carseat to the frame of your car. Iso fix is only available in newer cars and varys from make to make when each started to fit this to their cars.
Britax have a comprehensive list of cars fitted with isofix and they also sell a 0 - 13kg seat in isofix and a 12mth - 4yr isofix seat. for cars without isofix, try before you buy, and if in doubt drive to your local police station and ask the road saftey officer their opinion on the fitted car seat. If they deem it unsafe, any good retailer will refund or at least exchange the carseat. Sorry to go on, but my dad is a retired firefighter and from his experiences, i know the difference a well fitted child seat can make.

We bought a graco car seat from toys r us. They helped us with the fitting and they were more than happy to give us demos of anything. If a place won't take the car seat and fit it into your car before you buy it then don't buy one from them!!

We're having a problem with our new (to us - S Reg) Golf. The manual says that the airbags have to be dactivated even if the child seat is in the back. Does anyone know anything about this? Or have a Golf and know about this?

When in Mothercare, the lady said that if we turn the air bag off you need to check that you are still covered by your insurance. I haven't done this yet and will do but never heard of it before so I thought I'd mention it.