Car seat belts not long enough

Has anyone got any suggestions? We have two vehicles. I have my car which has very long seat belts so no problem there. My partner has recently bought a Ford transit (with rear seats) in a hope that we can go on more UK breaks as a family (of 3 + a Labrador). We spent ages looking for a van that had isofix plugs - which it does but now we’ve found the seat belts are just not long enough to go around the car seat on the isofix. And it’s a tight squeeze with just the car seat. We’ve tried 2 different car seats too - maxi cosi and ickle bubba Any ideas? (UK ONLY)

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My partner has a transporter for work but is allowed to use it for personal use, I've got an ickle bubba infant carrier without isofix and the seatbelt only just about fits around that too 😔 dreading trying to put his bigger seat in, his van doesn't have isofix

Am I wrong in thinking if the seat is secured by the isofix then a belt isnt needed?! Or does it depend on seat?

@Nikita it’s terrible!!! I said to my partner why even have isofix plugs if the seatbelts aren’t long enough? And I’ve read seatbelts belt extenders aren’t safe for car seats so I don’t want to get one of those. And I’m hoping there’s a cheaper option than having the seat belts in the van re-threaded

@Lottie I don’t know with this… I always thought they had to be belted in too but I’ve read mixed things online…

If a car seat is in with isofix why would you need a seat belt to go around it ? The point of the isofix is you don’t need the seat belt

If its an infant carrier then just the isofix base is fine no need to also belt it in if its a next stage you should watch an install video to check

@Jade I always thought it had to have both? Also what if when you get in an accident the isofix comes out?😅

How old are your kids? We have a rotating isofix seat which doesn’t need the seatbelt x

Only seatbelt or isofix the carrier. Never both

@Jess my son is 4 months old xx

@Sophie I’ve always done both…. Always thought you had to

@Emily I’ll have to have a look! Thank you

Definitely don’t need seatbelts if on an isofix base. I worked in nursery industry for 6 years and fully trained in car seat safety and installation. The isofix points are soldered to the chassis of the car, so if in an accident that prevents it from moving. An infant carrier locks into the base with the supportive leg on the floor. A seat belt would be useless and could actually add tension to the car seat. You would only use both in a high back booster, if it has isofix points. But that’s because the belt is used for the child as opposed to a harness. Hope that makes sense, the Good Egg is a great website for carseat safety advice. https://www.goodeggcarsafety.com/

You need to read the instructions carefully, if you're using isofix you should not be using seat belt as well.

Have a read through your manual as all car seats are different. You don’t need the seatbelt with the isofix base. The middle seatbelt does not fit our car seat but the side ones do work. I have to lift the car seat up to get the belt around the back slots and push it back down. Also, YouTube might have some videos for you to watch for your car seat. Also, there are places that can help fit your car seat for you if bought from them x

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