Axkid Minikid 3 installed in a Volvo V70
A very straight forward installation with some bonus suggestions for the less experienced. Axkid Minikid 3 is a great seat famous for its compact size, extremely tall back and being approved for the R129 standard (i-Size) to 36 kg. In todays installation we already have a Britax Max-Way behind passenger seat installed with small leg space.
Parents have requested Minikid 3 being installed behind drivers seat. Normally not a great option but Minikid is very compact and this will work well in a V70 even with tall parents. Minikid 3 is then installed with little leg space for child and without angle adjuster. When installed back of car seat is pushed down quite a bit when tightening the self tightening tether straps. If a car has stiffer seats, or sloping more, an angle adjuster could be helpful.
Tip #1 is regarding tether loops and tether straps. All cars from Volvo have tether loops both in front and rear seat as standard. Straps from Minikid 3 can be clicked right into the built in loops. But it’s not a good option when moving front seat far back since angle of the straps will be poor and straps could potentially be released. Even though this car has built in loops we still attached the shorter lower tether straps which stick out just behind front seat and make angle of attachment great.
Tip #2 is regarding leather interior which can be a bit slippery. Installing all seats rock solid with zero movement is no problem for us. But it might be an issue for less experienced parents who often feel like seat is slipping due to the leather interior. Attaching seat belt and tether straps very firmly is the simple solution but a thicker seat protector will also help. We usually use the premium seat protector from Axkid but other brands will work well to decrease friction.
Tip #3 is regarding placement in the car. We try to avoid placing seats behind driver for a couple of reasons. One is traffic. A child is very safe behind drivers seat but when entering and exiting this will be done with potential traffic which is poor for safety. Second is spontaneous kids. A child might move out of the car seat and right into traffic. Less likely with younger rear facing kids and more relevant to older kids in high back boosters. Speak to your kids regarding exiting into traffic and being careful.
Tip #4 is also regarding placement in the car. Parents in this situation wanted rear facing seats in the back and not in the middle. Volvo V70 is a large car but now only two kids and two adults will fit. Using middle rear will also work well in a large number of cars. Especially with seats such as Britax Max-Way and Axkid Minikid 3. Max-Way and Max-Way Plus are great when fitting seats next to each other. Minikid 3 is even better since the seat is approved for the newer R129 standard which state that seats must be less than 44 cm wide. A Max-Way, or Max-Way Plus, and a Minikid 3 will fit well next to each other in a huge number of cars. Two Minikid 3 will fit next to each other in almost any car. This will open up an extra space for an adult in back seat, preferably behind drivers seat.