dougpark714

What is the cost of the MB babyseat? Which model is best? Is there a special seat for new infants?

Doug

CitronC230K_03

i think there is the babysmart seat but its kinda pricey. check with the parts dept. @ you local dealer!

SUNILP

the big thing about the baby smart seat feature is that it will automatically disable the front passanger airbag incase a crash if the baby seat is in the front seat. If it is in the back seat, where most people keep their infants, then you can use any seat.

CitronC230K_03

snuman, wont the baby smart seat disable the airbags on whatever side of the car the seat is placed even if it in the rear seat. just from my understanding.

dougpark714

Even in the rear seat, it is questionable if the rear side airbag is safe for the baby. I wonder if the MB baby seat disables the rear side airbag.

Doug

awiner

Sunman is correct. The seat ONLY will disable the front passenger air bag when it is installed on the front passenger seat.

SUNILP

The front passanger seat is the ONLY seat with a sensor mat in the seat bottom cushion. no other seat has this sensor.

CitronC230K_03

thats interesting! what about in say an S-class, are there sensors in the rear passenger seats.

electromethod

Hey guys. I brought this thread back up because I need to get a baby seat now. Let me get this straight. In case of an accident, the rear airbags will go off right? If I understand correctly, even if I get the MB smart seat, it will only turn off the front passenger side airbags and is useless for the rear airbags even if the seat is in rear. Recommendations? Just get an aftermarket child seat?
Thanks

r_liebo

Don't waste your money on an MB brand baby seat. 1st, your child has no business being in the front seat, so babysmart shouldn't be an issue. Second, your child should ideally be placed in the middle of the rear seats, not on the sides, so the rear airbags aren't in play.
Third, the most important quality of the seat is the child's safety, not a 3 pointed star on the seat. Go and research the best childseats (I forget which brand we got for our newborn a few years ago, but I believe Graco makes excellent seats). Try consumer reports or a parenting website for reviews. Believe me -- there are great differences in user friendliness and saftey between good and bad seats for your child.
Lastly, you must decide whether to use the "LATCH" tether system with which your C is likely equipped, instead of the standard belts through the seat. We chose not to b/c the system felt overly complex and you can't use the middle seat with LATCH, which is safest. If this is your first kid, make sure you take the seat to a local fire station to have them show you how to install and remove the seat properly (they will do this for free) -- don't rely on the included instructions.

Sorry if this is more info than needed, but you can't put too much emphasis on your kid's safety in a car.

~CL500~

BabySmart wasn't an issue for me either because my daughter rides in the back seat. I bought an infant carrier with the car "snap in" module from Combi. The reviews were great and it matches the exterior on my CL. I also bought the matching stroller from them that receives the infant carrier. Not to go baby crazy and too off topic, but the set as a whole is great. The stroler only weighs around 10lbs and double folds to fit in very small places. It even has a shoulder strap to carry it like a set of Golf clubs. Space was an issue for me in the CL and I wasn't too keen on lugging around a 28lb stroller.

When my daugher hits 6 months, I'm most likely getting a Recaro car seat. They look great and the reviews are positive.

Combi:
http://www.combi-intl.com/

Recaro:
http://www.recaro-nao.com/index_frames.html
Click RECARO Young Seats

~CL500~

Make sure to get a seat protector too. Carseats make impressions on the leather. This is what I purchased and am very happy with it:

http://www.princelionheart.com/site_uk/t_cs_0560.html

revstriker

I agree with most of the posts here. Get an aftermarket seat. You will end up with a better product. When my daughter was born, we went with a Graco car and stroller combo. Worked great! After she got bigger, we transitioned to a regular car seat with a 5 point harness. She still faced toward the back though until after her 1st birthday, and she reached a certain weight (they have to hit both benchmarks before they should face forward).

I used the tether LATCH, but not the seat ones. The regular seatbelt worked best for me. Remember to pull it all the way out and then let it go back (it will lock). Put a knee into the seat and pull tight.

The C class is kind of tight in the back, so I always had to pull the passenger front seat way up to make room.

And YES, get a car seat cover. I got mine at Target or Walmart for under $20. It has a pocket that hangs down over the front of the seat for toys, wipes, etc.