Baby seats in a Bug??

[SLOW98NB]

Any beetle owning parents out there. My wife is pregnant with our first and I was wondering if anybody has any experience with hauling kids around in the beetle. I really enjoy my beetle but was thinking it may be time for the w8 I always wanted. The passat may be more of a family car than the NB. If the beetle does go it will be sadly missed. Any suggestions?

[grumblebunny]

Originally Posted by SLOW98NB

Any beetle owning parents out there. My wife is pregnant with our first and I was wondering if anybody has any experience with hauling kids around in the beetle. I really enjoy my beetle but was thinking it may be time for the w8 I always wanted. The passat may be more of a family car than the NB. If the beetle does go it will be sadly missed. Any suggestions?

I don't know if this counts... My parents hauled my sister and I around in a 1972 Super Beetle. They eventually upgraded to a 1600 "Squareback," though

If you have a 00 NB, safercar.gov says it has a 3 star rear side impact rating. The Passat has 4.

Best regards.

[SLOW98NB]

Originally Posted by grumblebunny

I don't know if this counts... My parents hauled my sister and I around in a 1972 Super Beetle. They eventually upgraded to a 1600 "Squareback," though

If you have a 00 NB, safercar.gov says it has a 3 star rear side impact rating. The Passat has 4.

Best regards.

yep. 00 NB GLX thanks for the info

[NBTurboFreak]

I have carried my ex-gf's kid around in my 01 GLX with the CC interior and I had no problems. I like the fact the and 3-point connections are easy to get to. Though the Passat would be nicer, as it is a luxury car, and has the rear doors so you don't have to flip the seats forward every time and you will have a larger trunk to load the stroller and shopping in. If I had a change to get a W8 I would and I would keep my new beetle.

[LadybugEwa]

There's many similar threads around.
Either use the 'search' feature or accept my assurance that each and every one of these threads's established that a NB is just fine with up to 2 children.
There are certain child seats that work better than others. (Brand details in other threads)
But the universal agreement seems to be that it's the 3rd child that will make you sell the bug, not your 1st or 2nd one

[CoriBug]

It's a little tricky with rear facing seats, but it works if you put the baby on the passenger side and move up the seat. That works unless you have a 6 foot tall passenger. Also, you've got all their gear to haul around(stroller and whatever else you need). The best part of driving a NB with a baby is that if they start to fuss, you can reach them very easily and give them their bottle, binky, toy. I've seen a few NBs around town with 2 car seats in the back.

Even though the Passat gets a higher safety rating, I'd still bet on the Beetle for safety. I'm sure the Passat is very safe, but look up pictures on here of Beetles in accidents. It's amazing how well the Beetle protects its humans! (imagine an 18 wheeler pinning a Beetle on its side against a concrete barrier)

Have fun with your baby when he/she arrives!

Cori

[jazzcat]

id rather be in the beetle in a wreck over just about any other car out there..We are expecting a baby in april and I am going to be test fitting the car seat soon as i get back to see how it fits into the beetle or to see if I am going to be able to drive with a car seat behind me(she can't drive stick and I am over 6' so its going to be trial and error)

[Ringo*]

we took my sisters baby home from the hospital in mine, works just fine, my boyfriend sat in front and my sister sat in back with him, no problem at all.

[SLOW98NB]

thats all good to hear^ I was truly expecting it to be a pain. I think the only issue will be hauling gear around. I wish it didn't have to go if do decide on a passat my new truck is not gonna be the full time baby hauler. Either mustang is just not happen. So as good as both beetles have been to me that is the only car I could trade.
Thanks again

[bluebeetlebabe]

I actually find having a Bug very nice with my son! with the seats and how they push forward all the way to the steering wheel its soo easy to put him in his car seat. He will be 2 next month and he fits in there very nicely!

[Dogzilla]

Babies and their baggage are probably better suited to a 4door sedan, or better yet...an SUV. Many people today are choosing to bypass the reproductive tendencies, and make their own lives more fun-filled, and less stressful.

[CoriBug]

Originally Posted by Dogzilla

Many people today are choosing to bypass the reproductive tendencies, and make their own lives more fun-filled, and less stressful.

A life without children COULD also be a lot more boooooooooring!! There's no sound I'd rather hear than a baby giggling! (either that or "You've just won a brand new Ford super duty pickup!!")

[LadybugEwa]

God I LOVE my BORING LIFE!!!!

[Dogzilla]

"God I LOVE my BORING LIFE!!!!"

LOL....And...I find it a LOT easier to cure boredom than STRESS!!! Aack!!

[Ringo*]

Anyone else wish the backseats split so you could just fold down one side? My moms hatchback probe did that, it was quite useful.

[SLOW98NB]

Originally Posted by Ringo*

Anyone else wish the backseats split so you could just fold down one side? My moms hatchback probe did that, it was quite useful.

good call^^

I always have my back seats down now but half would nice for this situation

[jazzcat]

Originally Posted by SLOW98NB

good call^^

I always have my back seats down now but half would nice for this situation

would seats from a golf fit in with no issues or are there size issues? i have access to both just never measured or anything to see..beetle seems alot smaller

[SLOW98NB]

don't know ^^^. Are they more comfortable than the NB seats?

[jazzcat]

Originally Posted by SLOW98NB

don't know ^^^. Are they more comfortable than the NB seats?

no but they split down the middle Ill tear stuff apart and report back

[bman]

No worries about baby seats forward or rearward facing in the back of my 2000 GLX. You do need to check out car seats in the car before you decide on which one(s) to use - there is not a lot of room and you can't very well crunch the driver's seat into the dash to give the car seat extra room!

Having said that, we've been doing it for 3.5 years now with mine, and it is pretty limited for extra haulage - strollers are the really small fold-up kind with no bells and whistles, and if it doesn't fit in the diaper bag beyond that, it isn't coming with us!

The wife's minivan is sure a lot bigger and stores a lot more (insert colourfully-embellished plural noun here) but I kinda like travelling lightly in the NB where possible. Saves fuel and I know we can't buy a lot if we should find need to go shopping