CornishPasty

We are expecting a little one in the beginning of November so trying to understand the best options for car seats in the C class. The prices for the official Mercedes seat is crazy, considering the seat is a Britax and has just been re-branded to Mercedez, allowing them to slap additional costs for the brand only.

Has anyone got any experience with this?

I am looking to get an isofix base, which I can then just clip the car seat in and out of, but am concerned about the space in the back, so would appreciate anyones input

turt

Hi

First of all congratulations
I have used the Mercedes Baby Safe Plus seat, it's true that it's more expensive than its Römer-Britax equivalent but there's a sensor included, allowing use on passenger front seat. The non-Mercedes one cannot be used on the passenger front seat because of the airbag.

Cmersu

I have a sensor on my front seat that allows a baby chair. The sensor is since May 2014 production and forward.

vic viper

The W205 does not use the previous AKSE system in where you needed a OE Mercedes chair, the new system is purely pressure based and you can use any seat.

LC450AMG

We have the Peg Perego Primo Viaggo 30/30 - son loved it, and will be using it for our daughter as well.

Seat is a little more 'upright' than many others, meaning it worked well in the back seat of my 3-series, and has passed the test in the new C-class we have on order.

they can be spendy, but definitely worth a look!!!

chicagofan00

Congrats and welcome to the parenthood club! Your life is about to change in so many ways...but most of them are good ways.

We have a Chicco Key Fit 30 for our little one and it fit just fine in the middle seat in the back of the C400. Keep in mind though that this is just an infant seat and is not a convertible seat so once they grow past the height/weight limit and/or are ready to be forward facing this seat will be of no use. We picked it though due to the excellent ratings for both safety and general consumer reviews and it has been great for us. Since it has a base we can easily take the seat in and out of the car and just leave the base in there and a second one in the wife's car for easy car switching.

I also picked up a Recaro ProRIDE Convertible seat off Amazon over Black Friday as it was a good deal on it, however our daughter is pretty petite and we haven't come close to needing a larger seat for her even though she just turned 9 months. This seat did fit in the C400 just fine as well and can be used for forward facing later on as well but I can't specifically recommend it as we haven't used it on a daily basis yet.

mikeyw

We're expecting in October. At the moment I plan on getting a maxi cosi seat for 0-9 months approx. We have two prams that it should clip into. I thought that was useful. After that I was going to try and get a seat for 9 months onwards that should last several years. I think it's a group 0+, 1 and 2 seat. A Joie Stages I think it's called.

CornishPasty

Hi Mikey,

Are you also getting the base which the seat can easily clip in and out of?

Does that also work with the seat for when the baby is older?

mikeyw

Yeah the MaxiCosi one needs a base. We have a MaxiCosi pram that the seat will clip into. It seems like a good idea to be able to go from pram to car without needing to swap seats, especially when baby is young. Also actually have a SilverCross pram that it will also go into with adaptors.

The Joie Stages one for when it's outgrown the MaxiCosi and has 3 or 4 seating positions for different age groups, both rear and forward facing. It might almost work from birth, but it goes right up to 4 to 7 years old I think. They're about £150.

RTX

Congrats,
I have a an adjustable TEX w/ ISOFIX, around 125 Euros, comes with a removable tray, and a spare cover.
It relatively fine, quite heavy, big – I just leave it there - occupying a seating space of an adult, almost.
Still prefer to have a setup of ISOFIX, together with a Top Tether anchor, and the car seatbelt (I don't think this combo exist, but why not).

Edo81

Congrats!
I had my daughter on February and I currently use a Maxi Cosi seat (the one that fits with Baby Jogger strollers). Moreover I just bought a Recaro Young Sport seat (from 9 months to 12 years) and I intentionally preferred both non-isofix seats: it's really very easy to fit them both on the rear and on the front seat (you don't need OEM seats to do so). In few words some suggestion:
1) chose the seat that fits with the stroller so that you can combine them till 6-9 months
2) go for the Isofix just if you have just one family car (the one on which you'll mount the base) and if you're a bit lazy
3) do not save money on the second seat (the one from 6-9 months): it will last years and must be very confortable, resistant and durable

turt

Oh right, I feel ashamed I didn't even know that
Actually it's a good move from Mercedes

Anyway here's how I've done with my first child (second one will be there in October):
- age 0-8 months: MB Baby Safe Plus (without Isofix)
- age 8m-2y: Cybex Sirona, rear facing (Isofix)
- age 2y-3y: Cybex Sirona, forward facing with safety cushion (Isofix)
- age >3y: Cybex Solution Q2 (Isofix), which I expect to keep for a few years

I have nothing but praise for the Cybex seats, they combine top security with top design
The Sirona is especially recommended for its rotating functionality, it's great for your back

CornishPasty

thanks for all the responses folks!

Looks like there is a lot of choice out there. I guess a big concern for me, was that i've ordered a car which is going to be inadequate for housing a baby seat in the back, due to space, but it looks like there are a lot of options so not a concern anymore.

How do you find the boot / trunk space with a buggy / stroller plus other items?

Wobr Bobr

I had a baby seat for my kid. Frankly speaking, I don't remember how we were choosing it. I bet we asked friends for a recommendation. And we didn't spare money on it. After all, better safe than sorry. We even fix our German shepherd with special restraints. You can discover more here.