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child seat

#1 User is offline   ryecade 

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Posted 26 August 2004 - 03:45 PM

I used to own a puma and now long for another one.( I was silly and traded it for a 206cc! - very bad move!- but thats another story!))
The problem is that when I can afford another one (possibly early next year) we will have a small baby. I always found the puma quite practical but am i kidding myself?

The question is does anybody have any experience of a baby and a puma? how practical is it? and can you get child seats to fit?

It doesnt have to be perfect as it wont be our main mode of transport, we will use my wifes 5 door car most of the time, but obviously i would still want a baby seat in my puma

I would appreciate hearing of your experiences

many thanks

Ryan .

#2 User is offline   Katwoman 

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Posted 26 August 2004 - 05:04 PM

Well I fit three kids in mine, Baby seat will fit in the front fine, if you have an air bag then it will need to be removed, getting then in and out of the back is a total pain in the ass, not sure what Puma you have but the frp seats are not so practical, once you cange the car seat to a fixed one around 12 months its not so bad cause you don't have to keep taking the seat in and out.....hope I am making some sence.....get one anyway, don't worry about the baby, I went out for a people carrier...
BACK ON THE ROAD

#3 User is offline   ryecade 

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Posted 26 August 2004 - 06:48 PM

Thanks for the advice katwoman. As I said it wont be our main car so its not too much of an issue as long as I can get a car seat. Ive been on the britax website which states you can get them

#4 User is offline   deluded 

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Posted 26 August 2004 - 08:54 PM

Bit of a pain getting them in the back, but it is possible. I drove 200 miles in my old puma with 2 friends and their baby girl - the only thing I had to do was turn the rear speakers down to stop waking her up.

Never had any problem with our slightly older boy either - he's even managing in my FRP (who's front seats dont slide forward!).

I tihnk the standard puma seats should be in a similar position etc to a fiesta, so wouldn't have though a good baby seat will be hard to find.

At least you can use the back seats in a puma... wink.gif
ex Silver 1.7 / ex FRP #416 / Astra SRi CDTI 150

#5 User is offline   lfulmer 

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Posted 27 August 2004 - 09:54 AM

I bought my FRP about five months before our first child was born so when we had him, it was our only car. There are two problems with children and Pumas:

First off, the rear seats are an awkward shape. This means that many car seats don't sit well and aren't terribly secure. There are seats that do fit well though, you just need to find some place (John Lewis is a good one) where they will let you try different seats in the car to check the fit. We finally settled on a Britax Renaissance which has the added benefits of securing the seat belt on BOTH sides and a 'foot' which you can use as a 'lever' to tighten the fit.

The second problem is getting a buggy in the boot. 'Umbrella' type buggies (ones which are long and thin when folded) are a no-go unless you are happy to remove your rear parcel tray and have it permanently hanging over the back of the rear seat (not the safest thing for the little sprog!). The Maclarens are the type most people buy (including us) but they just don't fit and if you have a baby they're not great because they don't fully recline. Buggies which 'fold' in the middle are better as you can get them in through the boot opening and then they lay flat across the floor leaving the parcel shelf in situ and not posing any additional risk to the kid. There are a variety of these on the market, the one we found which worked well - both for our son and the FRP - was the Maxi Cosi Citi. I don’t think they do this one any more, but there are a number of 3 and 4 wheel versions that will work. Again, try looking around somewhere like John Lewis or Mothercare.

We managed with just the FRP and the child fine until my wife got a car the Christmas before last - a new Mini Cooper. You think the Puma is impractical for children, at least it has a boot! While my wife finds it miles easier to get the kids in and out of her Mini - and I'll admit she's right - she can't get a lot else in the car other than the buggy (folding type again, not umbrella style).

We've since had a second child and we all went down to the Castle Combe meet in the FRP last month. Two kids in the back seat and the boot was loaded with all sorts: a refrigerator (for bottles, food and the like), a carry cot, a suitcase for clothes, toys, jackets, even a little folding chair for the oldest to sit on at the show! The boot really is deceptively massive given the size of the car.

Life is short, the kids will eventually leave home but heaven knows they'll will force you to change your lifestyle along the way! Get the car you want and make the necessary concessions such as a little extra effort getting the kids in the back - at least you'll enjoy yourself!
-Lee (and bumpy car)

#6 User is offline   ryecade 

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Posted 27 August 2004 - 02:01 PM

Ive also had a new mini cooper. I wouldnt consider one again due to the size of the boot. People dont realise how practical the puma boot is. We have a folding in the middle three wheel pram so it sounds like that should be ok.

Been talking to the missus and I think im getting another puma for christmas! I used to be really into this site about 4 years ago when I had my 1st puma - I even went on a meet. its nice to be involved again.

Ryan

#7 User is offline   friday 

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Posted 27 August 2004 - 05:00 PM

QUOTE
We finally settled on a Britax Renaissance which has the added benefits of securing the seat belt on BOTH sides and a 'foot' which you can use as a 'lever' to tighten the fit.


So glad to hear this! Hubby keeps trying to persuade me that we need a "proper" car intead of the Puma. We have a Britax Renaissance already fitted in the Mondeo and are very pleased with it. I'll just buy another one so we've got one in both cars, and it won't matter which car we use.
I don't know why he's complaining though as when I'm stuck at home with the mondeo and 2 kids(2nd due at Christmas time!) he'll be driving my Puma to work and back!!!

Jan

#8 User is offline   friday 

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Posted 27 August 2004 - 05:06 PM

When our son was a little baby we had a graco car seat which fitted lovely and snug on the front seat of our 51 reg puma. During the winter he didn't like travelling in the dark so the little map spot light came in very useful to stop him from crying all the way home!

Jan

#9 User is offline   Charlotte 

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Posted 29 August 2004 - 07:08 PM

sorry for being late in replying on this one but still having problems since house move with getting my damn broadband and still on dial up... :twisted:

anyway about the car seat thing...I have only 7 weeks to go till the birth of my first baby biggrin.gif
did have my mind set on a specific pram, car seat etc only to find it wouldn't go in the boot..anyway after trying about 5 different ones..well after getting the woman at the shop to try getting them in the boot I finally found one that will fit in easily.
I've got a Graco Excursion 3 wheeler with car seat and base...fits well in the front seat and car seat can fit in any other car without needing to use the base...the base is good as has the foot thing to give extra support.
Wasn't going to get a three wheeler but this one is very compact and kinda groovy and fits in the boot biggrin.gif


I got mine from Babies R Us...never usually go there but the assistants were excellent and spent loads of time ensuring that I got a system that was right for my Puma...AND it was in the sale and not the most expensive one there biggrin.gif
Warning : some of my posts may contain sarcasm,irony,cynicism or a combination of all three.

#10 User is offline   malcymuffin 

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Posted 29 August 2004 - 07:35 PM

Got a BRITAX TRIO fitted in the back. No problems fitting it or getting baby in it. Also comes in black and silvr-grey which matches the intrior perfectly.

#11 User is offline   ryecade 

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Posted 01 September 2004 - 07:41 AM

Thanks to everyones help. Went and had a look at a puma yesterday just to see if i was still in love with them after three years without one

defo still a yes. Cant wait till I can afford it!

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