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Rugrat Mirror?

Discuss the problems with your X6 (E71).
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X5Sport
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Rugrat Mirror?

Post by X5Sport » Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:01 pm

I'm trying to find a mirror to use in the back of the X6 which will allow the driver (or front passenger) to see what the little ine is up to in his rear facing child seat.

The problem is that because the rear seat head restraints are integral and therefore non-adjustable, all of the mirrors I've seen just slide off as they are for cars which have twin post mounted rear head restraints.

Has any of the growing flock of X6 owners found an option that works?  We'll be staying with rear facing for up to the age of 4 so I need to find something that works and doesn't need Mrs X5Sport to sit in the back all the time.

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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by Sanj » Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:08 pm

Arh, first time parents...  :)

It's WW3 in the back of my car nowadays and I never look back!  ::)
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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by X5Sport » Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:17 pm

Beige leather in mine.......I definitely want to look back (even if the view is less than pleasant  :puke: ).

I suppose I could get ine of those plastic car seat covers the dealers use...... :razz1:

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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by Chompers » Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:42 pm

[quote="X5Sport"] We'll be staying with rear facing for up to the age of 4

Richard
[/quote]

Really  :o does 'peanut' not have any legs? You'll do well to keep him rear facing up to 9 months
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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by Horizon » Wed Apr 17, 2013 9:49 pm

Leather stands up well to projectile vomiting. Over the next few years you will learn that your cars interior will be put to the test, you will find foodstuffs , wrappers, spilt drinks, haribo remnants, crisp fragments, etc.
This doesn't change until all offspring are at least 17 years old, and get their own.
My daughter told me she bans her friends from eating in her car!
Can't wait till they have their own kids..... ( hopefully not that soon, come to think about it :blink:)
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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by sramsay » Wed Apr 17, 2013 11:31 pm

I got some seat protectors to protect the leather from being stretched by the car seats and it does seem to catch almost all of the crap.  Before this week I would have said all, but on Monday my 4 year old managed to drop a Quaver into the isofix hole!

I think when my first daughter was really young and not easily visible from the front, we had a little mirror that attached to the car seat handle. After a few months, we could easily smell what was going on back there.

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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by Imy » Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:07 am

[quote="Chompers"]
[quote="X5Sport"] We'll be staying with rear facing for up to the age of 4

Richard
[/quote]

Really  :o does 'peanut' not have any legs? You'll do well to keep him rear facing up to 9 months
[/quote]

^ this. my boy wouldnt fit in his maxi cosi after 8 months, so had to get forward facing. I honestly do not believe there is any chance of fitting any child over the age of one in a rear facing car seat. my boy is now 3 and he sat in his soon to be baby brothers new maxi cosi on the weekend. he looked like a giant, it was hard to believe that he was so little he didnt even fit in it properly when we bought him home from the hospital.

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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by Chompers » Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:14 am

[quote="Imy"]
[quote="Chompers"]
[quote="X5Sport"] We'll be staying with rear facing for up to the age of 4

Richard
[/quote]

Really  :o does 'peanut' not have any legs? You'll do well to keep him rear facing up to 9 months
[/quote]

^ this. my boy wouldnt fit in his maxi cosi after 8 months, so had to get forward facing. I honestly do not believe there is any chance of fitting any child over the age of one in a rear facing car seat. my boy is now 3 and he sat in his soon to be baby brothers new maxi cosi on the weekend. he looked like a giant, it was hard to believe that he was so little he didnt even fit in it properly when we bought him home from the hospital.
[/quote]

Exactly as you found Imy, both my kids were out of the rear facing by around the 8/9 month mark. It was much easier to put them in a front facing seat at this age as well  ;)
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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by X5Sport » Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:51 am

I did wonder about the child seat system, and did a lot of reading before settling on the type we now have.

We are using the BeSafe car seats from Scandinavia.  They are designed to be rear facing right through to the age of 4.  Parts of the EU have already mandated this requirement and it may be adopted in the UK too. 

Parts of the US have also mandated rear facing to age 4 as well because it is far safer.  For me safety is more important, and given we have to use something anyway, why not stay 'safe'?  So when he grows out of his current infant seat, we'll move up to the next in the range.

If his legs get too long then the seats can be reversed to fit the 'conventional' way, but otherwise and unless there are issues with him travelling that way around then he'll be rear facing.

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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by Imy » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:08 am

[quote="X5Sport"]
I did wonder about the child seat system, and did a lot of reading before settling on the type we now have.

We are using the BeSafe car seats from Scandinavia.  They are designed to be rear facing right through to the age of 4.  Parts of the EU have already mandated this requirement and it may be adopted in the UK too. 

Parts of the US have also mandated rear facing to age 4 as well because it is far safer.  For me safety is more important, and given we have to use something anyway, why not stay 'safe'?  So when he grows out of his current infant seat, we'll move up to the next in the range.

If his legs get too long then the seats can be reversed to fit the 'conventional' way, but otherwise and unless there are issues with him travelling that way around then he'll be rear facing.

Richard
[/quote]

Richard, completely agree with you! Safety is paramount... but i just dont get where the legs go? I mean do they fall out of the side of the seat or do they run up the back seats?

Chompers in terms of ease you should have used an ISO fix base. in out no problem. When i changed to front facing i got the Maxi Cosi Axiss, which allows you to spin the seat 90' so its just as easy in and out  :P

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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by Chompers » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:19 am

[quote="X5Sport"]
I did wonder about the child seat system, and did a lot of reading before settling on the type we now have.

We are using the BeSafe car seats from Scandinavia.  They are designed to be rear facing right through to the age of 4.  Parts of the EU have already mandated this requirement and it may be adopted in the UK too. 

Parts of the US have also mandated rear facing to age 4 as well because it is far safer.  For me safety is more important, and given we have to use something anyway, why not stay 'safe'?  So when he grows out of his current infant seat, we'll move up to the next in the range.

If his legs get too long then the seats can be reversed to fit the 'conventional' way, but otherwise and unless there are issues with him travelling that way around then he'll be rear facing.

Richard
[/quote]

Richard, I think and know safety is at the fore front of every parents mind when chosing car seats. There is also no doubt rear facing seat are the best for very young babies. All I was trying to say is that there does come a point were rear facing becomes impractical and that also the child will want to see is parents as apposed to looking away from them. :ok:
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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by X5Sport » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:28 am

Absolutely with you on that one...... :D.  I got your point, and took it in the spirit it was intended.  If he's going to be as tall as me we'll need a bigger car... :(

......of course, we may not want him looking at us :blink:

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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by X5Sport » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:32 am

[quote="Imy"]
Richard, completely agree with you! Safety is paramount... but i just dont get where the legs go? I mean do they fall out of the side of the seat or do they run up the back seats?
[/quote]

The next seat size up is quite big and sits well forward of the seat back and high above the seat as we're staying with ISOFIX.  Of course if it turns out to be a non-starter then we'll look again.  Seats seem to change every week it seems..... :blink:

Just need to find a mirror now.......unless I can plug a wifi webcam in and use the iPod touch as a display.  Bit OTT but great gadget.... ::)
Last edited by X5Sport on Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by Chompers » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:52 am

I'd love to know how you get the child out of that rear facing seat with the roof up  :o  I also can't see that seat working in anything but the like of an 'X' type vehicle due to the space.
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Re: Rugrat Mirror?

Post by sramsay » Thu Apr 18, 2013 4:15 pm

Also assumes your going to crash head on and not be rear-ended.  Not sure the picture on the link is the best advert using a convertible with the mother pushed right forward!

Personally I felt comfortable with the level of risk by keeping them in the rear, then front facing 5 point seats for as long as possible given they're in a 4x4 - my driving is also even more defensive with the kids onboard. 

Now they're in the booster seats, I've gone for the isofix high back seats after seeing a program a while back on the unsecured booster cushions.  I think some of the big brands stopped making them as they're bad news in a side impact.

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