Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (nsany)

I have two Recaros in the back of our XC90. One is the Young Sport, though it's only a five-point harness up to 40lbs. The newer Recaros, Como and Signo are five-point up to 70lbs. Unlike the Britax, the Recaros will fit in the side seating positions of the XC90. You just have to use a bit of muscle to get them up under the headrests.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (highseas)

oh crap...r u saying the britax seats WILL NOT fit? i am currenty using the britax boulevard for rear facing and need to switch to front facing in a few months.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (jnusaputr)

It will only work in the center seating position. It's too tall for the outboard seats; you can't get it under the headrest so it won't sit flush against the seatback. It's a problem in the Volvo because the rear headrests aren't adjustable or removable.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (jnusaputr)

Nope, the boulevard will not fit. You can force the issue if you muscle it, but you'll end up creasing the seat leather something fierce. Best bet is to abandon the Britax and try another seat. FWIW, I found out that Babies R Us will permit a test fit of any seats in their store. They cannot allow you to latch it in place, but you can at least see if it will fit well.

If anyone else has advise on seats that fit well, add them here. Hopefully this thread will serve to help guide some buying decisions for other parents!

(as an aside, the Boulevard fits wonderfully in the Nissan Murano. I rented one recently, and the Britax fit like a glove.)

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (nsany)

The SafeGuard child seat - http://www.safeguardseat.com/child/index.htm - seems to fit in the outboard second row seats. I haven't tried it in the center, though. It has an impressive list of features and credentials.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (nsany)

sh!t! my wife is going to have fit when she finds out.

we would have never bought the boulevard then :S and there are NO refunds on these things! The canadian laws for car seat is more stringent....so i will have to look what is out there available for use here in canada

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (jnusaputr)

I use maxi cosi

 

I used the britax with a thick blanket under on the seat to prevent any issues. It worked fine for me. It meant that fully reclining the passenger seat was not possible when it was in the middle. So you put up with it for a year or two. Now I just use the middle child seat as he is big enough for it. I was also able to buy from volvo the child padded addon which keeps him comfy in the middle seat. For long rides though 4+ hours, I still would prefer something that can fully support his head if he falls asleep. What are you guys using for the 40+lbs long body kids that can support their heads on the sides, but not take up too much room in the back.

 

Re: (smino)

Be careful with the blanket under the car seat. I went to a safety clinic, and was given quite an earful by a policeman about having a towel under the car seat. Seem they can cause the seat to slip badly in the event of an accident, and reduce the effectiveness of the seat. I'd rather have a mark on the seat, then even think of the alternative.

 

Re: (dznj)

Sunshine Kids Radian 65 is what we have. upto 65 pounds with 5 point harness.

the seats are awesome, fit in all three positions. can also put two in the side and middle and still fold the otherside down to get into the thrid row.

 

Re: (dznj)

Most child seats will cause some indent in the leather, but after removing for several months
they all went away.

We use a pad that is built for keeping the seats from sliding and marking the leather, they work
well. I doubt anyone would have a problem with them sliding.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (nsany)

Hi,

Just my two cents. I have 4 safeguard seats installed in my 2005 XC90. These seats do require latch anchors, so on the third row I use the anchors found in the back side pillars behind the seats. The thing i like the most about these seats is that they are extremely light, take very little space and are very easy to remove. So easy that it takes a second to let my kids access the back row thanks to the seatbelt-type latches on the sides.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (paume)

Quote, originally posted by paume »

Hi, so on the third row I use the anchors found in the back side pillars behind the seats.

1- You mean you use the load tie-down hooks on each side? If so, what do you use in the middle? and I don't know if they are rated to hold the seat.
I may feel better using the seatbelt to hold the seats in the third row.

2- Speaking of seats, I find it odd that the middle seat has a latch (tether) attachment but no isofix attachments

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (obiwan)

Quote, originally posted by obiwan »

2- Speaking of seats, I find it odd that the middle seat has a latch (tether) attachment but no isofix attachments

I might be off here, but isn't Isofix the Volvo way of saying "LATCH"? I thought they were two of the same. If so, and you put a car seat in the middle, aren't you using the latch anchors from the outboard seats?

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (paume)

Quote, originally posted by paume »

.... on the third row I use the anchors found in the back side pillars behind the seats...

As obiwan says, those are load/cargo tiedown attachments and I doubt that they are strong enough to hold the seat in place in a crash. I think that they're just attached to the plastic trim. Please switch immediately to using the seatbelts to secure child seats in the third row.

And as others have noticed, there are no lower LATCH/Isofix attachment points for the center seat in the second row, but there's indeed a top tether anchor. The owner's manual states that you should not use the attachment points from the outboard seats to secure a child seat in the center. Again, use the seatbelt along with the top tether.

And yes, LATCH and Isofix are essentially American and European synonyms.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (sol)

Whats a good convertible car seat to use with the XC90. I tried alpha omega, does not recline enough in the rear facing position and interferes with the passenger seat.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (emory)

If you mean rear to front facing, I use the maxi cosi priori.

good: adjustable recline in front facing
bad: I generally don't like five point restraints, adjustment is always an issue.
The cover frays at where the belts are held out of the way when putting a child in but they ship free new covers easy

More to do with my washing the covers than anything

I think they all interfere with the passenger seat as to how far one can recline the seat.

I think if you go to babies r us , they will let you try fit the seat

 

The Recaros fit wonderfully I think. Front facing and rear facing.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (nsany)

I have used a Britax Marathon with success in a variety of Volvos. First in a 2002 S80 after retrofitting Latch brackets (floor had tapped holes for it). Currently the seat is in my wife's 2005 S80. When mounted in the center, I remove the headrest and use the inner latch points, plus the top tether and seat belt. When I borrow an XC90 for long trips, I typically put the Britax in the center position, again using the top tether and inner latch anchors. Yes it creases the leather and you need to crush the headrest with the top tether, but it is very secure. After removal, the rear seat leather and cushions take a few days to recover, but the creases disappear.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (cdauerer)

Quote, originally posted by cdauerer »

When I borrow an XC90 for long trips, I typically put the Britax in the center position, again using the top tether and inner latch anchors.

Volvo does not recommend using the ISOFIX brackets for the middle seat. Here's one explanation why using the ISOFIX brackets is not a good idea:

Quote, originally posted by littlewaywelt »

I wouldn't do that. Changing the angles even slightly has a dramatic effect on the load the anchor takes. Using the seatbelt in the ALR mode is the best bet for center positioning a child seat. Remember as well that the LATCH anchors can only be used till about 40-45 lbs if memory serves. At that point you have to switch to using a seatbelt. http://www.southeastclimbing.c...s.htm

http://forums.swedespeed.com/z...21615

Quote, originally posted by cdauerer »

Yes it creases the leather and you need to crush the headrest with the top tether, but it is very secure.

Are you using the top teather over the headrest? AFAIK, it should go under.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (chicagoxc90)

Quote, originally posted by chicagoxc90 »

Are you using the top teather over the headrest? AFAIK, it should go under.

i think he may be referring to the middle seat when the head rest is all the way in

 

I was not able to install Britax Marathon in XC90 either on the left or right of the rear seat due to the protruding headrests. It had to be installed in the center, since the center headrest can be pressed down.

Would anyone know if the headrest for the rear seats can be removed/adjusted to fit a child seat?

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (obiwan)

Quote, originally posted by obiwan »

i think he may be referring to the middle seat when the head rest is all the way in

Volvo does not recommend routing the tether over the headrests. The supplement to my 05 XC90 manual states:

"WARNING! Never route a top tether strap over the top or around the head restraint. It should be always routed under the head restraint."

The supplement also has picture showing the tether going under the restraint of the middle seat (changed from the original manual).

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (chicagoxc90)

Sorry for the confusion. When I wrote "crush the headrest using the top tether", I mean the top of the child seat crushes the headrest because I pull the top tether (routed under the headrest) so damn tight.

Conventional wisdom is the longer you can keep a child in a child seat with a 5 point harness, the better. That may apply generically, as many cars do not have "active" (pyrotechnic) rear seat belts. Volvos do, in all three rear seating positions.

Thus, if you have a Volvo, the truly best alternative once a three year old hits 37" and 33 lbs is to use the Volvo booster seat and back rest and the vehicle seat belt. This way, in a severe impact the vehicle's pyrotechnic restraint system acts directly on the child, minimizing forward movement.

 

Re: Child/baby/booster seats that really fit the XC90! (cdauerer)

Quote, originally posted by cdauerer »

Thus, if you have a Volvo, the truly best alternative once a three year old hits 37" and 33 lbs is to use the Volvo booster seat and back rest and the vehicle seat belt. This way, in a severe impact the vehicle's pyrotechnic restraint system acts directly on the child, minimizing forward movement.

I agree. The big bonus with the booster seat and esp the built-in booster is that with the child being back in the seat it makes it harder for them to kick the driver's seat. Annoying dad with kicks is a more dangerous situation than 5 point vs 3 point belts.