Child car seats !

Is it an Isofix one Iam64? Ours was, but even so, we fitted the seatbelt through as well (belt and braces!)
When we had trouble fitting the car seat our young neighbour kindly came and helped us.

It'll all be fine Iam - I do sympathise though. I am a complete numpty with these modern contraptions. After battling unsuccessfully with the stupid raincover on DGD's pushchair, with her screaming and grabbing the sides in an attempt to hurl it to the floor, I found myself that evening shouting at the TV: 'Bloody James Dyson, stop wasting your time on vacuum cleaners and invent a pushchair that keeps the rain out and that grandma's can do!' It was all so much easier in the olden days with the Big Prams.

No I don't think it's an isofix . Vegas, I long for the return of Big Prams. These days Prams seem to morph into all kinds of push chairs, car seats and occasionally Prams like things. There are so many handles and things to manoeuvre. Ah well I shall just have to get a grip I expect.

I'm sure you'll be fine! But, may I suggest you find a YouTube video ready to roll on your phone? Just in case... (based on personal experience)

Ah, what a good idea MariClaire - thanks for that.

Put the manufacturers video on your tablet or mobile, watch it carefully and keep practicing. Although hanging half out of the car in the pouring rain is not much fun.
I bought DGS1s adjustable car seat just before his brother was born in April. It is probably about time I adjusted the position of the shoulder straps.

If we are out and about when visiting him he enjoys coming in Nanan's car for a change. He also prefers not to be in a car with baby brother who at six months took to screaming his head off every time he was put in his car seat.

Eventually you manage the art of the car seat..............then there's collapsing the buggy!!!!! I bought a bugaboo off my neighbour, had to get her round twice to show me how to do it, I was too embarrassed the third time but found a YouTube clip....phew, I can now do it easily

O practise is essential !!!?

This thread certainly brought back some memories - in particular I remember wandering around the carpark of the Wildfowl Trust in Slimbridge looking for a vehicle with a similar carseat to the one my son had installed in our car so that I could ambush its unsuspecting owner on his or her return and enlist their help with getting our grandson safely strapped back in. Fortunately we didn't have to wait too long. Fortunately we have now graduated to the Booster Seat which is much simpler to operate.

Halfords fitted mine for me. It's the fitting child into seat that I can't do. It takes ages to get the two metal bits to meet in the right place and then to slot them into the bit they slot into. It doesn't help to have GC pulling the shoulder bits off and thwarting my efforts to get the metal bits together. That is once I get him into the seat at all as he quickly tries to clamber off to the back passenger seat, laughing at me. Even once I get the metal clips together, it's then a struggle to fit them in to the bottom bit. Once I hear that click I feel I've won a big battle. I then drive like a learner driver all the way home, conscious of my valuable cargo. Luckily I don't have to do this often, but will have to collect him tomorrow from nursery while DD meets friends in London. Then when I'm home and dry I can start worrying about that!

Ive never collapsed a buggy ! A step too far for me. I bought one of those maclaren things we all used to use for ours. They open in one fell swoop of the foot. Mine cost £5 in a charity shop. It has one thin buckle to do up but even that bit is hard having to battle with a rigid thrusting body. I find now I can't really be bothered and we walk or get the bus. More fun, too, shuffling in leaves and looking at all this things to be seen around us. I allow puddles as long as they are not deep and walking along walls is fun as I know how much I enjoyed it As a child. Hand held firmly of course.

I'm slightly embarrassed to say - we failed to fit the car seat into either of our cars.
I can highly recommend Halford's - they sell reasonably priced car seats, good variety and best of all, they have properly trained young people to assist grannies in selecting the seat to suit their budget/car and better still, the same young person demonstrates various models being fitted into grannies car.

Phew, baby collected, safely

Ive never collapsed a buggy
The first time we looked after DGD1 at her house and decided to take her for a walk we couldn't uncollapse the buggy.

What us grand parents need is a rapid "anti rigid toddler" spray that calms them for just long enough to get them buckled in.

My painful wonky thumb joints don't help when it comes to doing up the buckles.

There are so many buckles and on the prams as well as car seats, leavers and switches that you need to learn the purpose of and more importantly, remember it for next time

Glad you managed it Iam. Doesn't it all just about drive you to drink? I do feel I have got a little bit of my own back as I have just ordered a toy trumpet for DGD as one of her Christmas presents

Revenge vegasmags, I'm waiting for the day I can by a drum kit

Does anyone remember those ?Melody Trains in the late 70s and 80s they made the most dreadful noise tooting out tunes.

I think they had a sort of plastic disc with tunes on (like a pianola.)
Buying one of those for a grand child would be one way of getting your own back on your own children.

I eventually got how to fit the Britax car seat in my car after DD did it. My trick was to take photos of exactly how the seat belt threads through and I keep the photos on my phone. Although it's very fiddly and not to be attempted when you are in a tearing hurry at least I can now put in and take out the car seat. BUT DGD has grown and the last time she used it I could barely fasten the buckle with the awkward bring the two bits together thing. I recall that the last time my DD lengthened the straps it took hours and I have a horrible feeling I might have to do it next time. Now I have 2 DGDs but luckily the much younger one is almost the same size as her older cousin. As for the bugaboo buggy I have no idea how to collapse it I tried lots of ways and in the end I had to put in the boot as it was.
And rain hoods how do they fix on? I recently had to do an entire hours walk in pouring rain on a windy day trying to hold the rain hood on with one hand and hold an umbrella with the other whilst not waking up DGD. In doing this because my hands were wet I hadn't realised that I had cut my hand quite badly somewhere on the pram and it was only when I got back to DDs that she shrieked that my coat was covered in drops of blood. I think she may have thought momentarily that DGD was injured.

The Fisher Price Animal Train is the most fiendish revenge tool you can buy! Hehehe.....!!

My DGS1 specifically asked for Nana to put him in the car seat the other day, so I wrestled ineffectually with it as his mum dealt with DGS3. After much fretting and fumbling about from me, the sensible boy was obviously concerned about his own safety and instructed me with a smile to get out of the way, Nana, so that mummy can do it properly. He's very perceptive for a 2 year old!

Meadow gran, great idea, to photograph the wretched thing in situ.

I wonder if any mums netters have seen this thread. I do hope not. My daughter doesn't like mumsnet, thankfully!

My granddaughter 4 is autistic so she can't sit in a booster seat. She also has EDS (hypermobility) and can get out of baby seat harnesses we had to get a Houdini jacket for her (to stop her escaping!) but as she dislocates her joints we do have to be extra vigilant. So we are now looking at larger seats with integral harnesses which are £600 and should last until she is 12? but apart from that I agree with you car seats are awful but as long as the little dears are safe a few broken nails and frayed nerves aren't much to ask

I got a car seat for my own car so that I did not have to do rushed transfers & had plenty of time to practise. Good luck

Yes its the confounded bits you have to fit together before slotting into clasp. Then I tried to lengthen straps but managed to make them even shorter, the directional arrow was useless!!
Oh well, few more practice runs and he will be pushing my wheelchair!!