recommendations for car seats

We just realized that our 7 month olds are already pushing the 29 inch mark which means that they are growing out of their infant carriers. We have the Eddie Bauer convertible carseats and we really like them but they take up a LOT of space. When we first tried to put them in my car (a Dodge Durango), they recline so much that you can't even push the driver's seat back. They do fit better in DH's car (Honda Element) because there is much more leg room. So, I want to buy 2 more seats for my car because I don't want to have to switch seats back and forth between cars. They will have to be rear facing for at least the next 5 months (maybe longer because DS is shrimpy and only weighs 14 lbs right now!). So, my question is:

For those of you who have cars with limited space between the back seat and the drivers seat, what car seats have you found that don't take up too much space in the rear facing position. I would appreciate any advice.

 

we just got the britax boulevard car seats to put in the back of a ford taurus. we haven't installed them yet but if they can fit into a subaru they should fit into a taurus.

good luck.

 

just a quick comment... do you have the infant carriers that only go to 22 lbs? ours are the ones that go to 30 pounds so they are able to be taller in them... but the height restriction isn't a full height of the baby - meaning if they are 29 inches they don't magically outgrow them... usually its 1" from the top of the carrier or something... ours are 32" and still just barely fit in the carriers... at 21 months.

I only mention it because I love my snap & go and will have to eventually give it up... but keep on using it (facing the kids towards each other to give their feet room).

as for your initial question, I'm interested in this, because our carriers take up quite a bit of room and we're planning on getting new convertible carseats soon and want to rearface until after 2yrs for safety, and I don't now if the convertibles will be better or worse for our front seats to be able to move back.

 

im shopping around too.. boys are 7 months and 17 and 18lbs, they are so snug in the carseats, if they wear thick clothes i couldnt strap them anymore..
is cosco scenera convertible carseat good?

 

The radian carseats are awesome and they are said to be the smallest carseats around, they are also right up there on safety with the britax. You can even fit 3 across which we will be doing soon. We have our 20 mo in one and already have the 2 for our twins. They will probably be switching over within the next month or so. Good luck deciding!

 

comment... I read you aren't supposed to strap them in with coats because in an accident the coat/extra clothing would compress and they could either slip out or move too much in straps and be harmed...

I'm glad we don't live where its cold very long... b/c taking coats on and off is a real pain!

 

I second the sunshine kids Radian carseats - great safety record & a really small profile. I had a friend with triplets and a midsize sedan - she fits 3 across. I have a subaru forester and 2 seats fit really well with space for me to sit in between if I need to.

 

We have same criteria. I was looking at the First Years True Fit.

Check out car-seats.org Excellent source of info.

 

I have been researching the same thing and Britax has carseats that are for limited space cars.They are the compact convetable seats. http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats

 

We have both the Marathon and the Evenflo Advance Triumph. Both are excellent seats. Not sure about them with a width issue.

 

Thanks for all the advice so far. To clarify, we only have the twins so width is not an issue. The issue is that when the seat is reclined for rear-facing, it juts out into the space between the middle seat of the SUV and the drivers seat and actually hits the drivers seat. This makes it so that you can't move the drivers seat back for taller people. I am looking for a seat that doesn't have a whole lot of bulk or doesn't recline as far so that we can drive the car without our knees in our chins!

 

My SIL was having this problem with her car (my brother is 6'2" & SIL 5'11" with an Acura) - height issue not width. She ended up buying the Combi Coccoro and they fit well for her( although supposedly they can fit 3 across) the downside is that they only go up to 40lbs, she's hoping to have a bigger vehicle by then.

 

Thanks for all the info! DH drives a Chevy Silverado, and we assumed any car seat would fit in his car. Well, we were wrong. Now we both have to ride with the seats as far forward as they will go. What a pain! We should have done our research BEFORE buying car seats.

 

I just went down to a store to try out several carseats for the same reason you are talking about... being able to move your driver seat back. Most seemed to take up less room than our Graco SafeSeat w/base.

We tried the Safety 1st Complete Air and the Britax Advocate and they both used at least 2 inches less. I think part of it was because they were taller and somehow fit above our headrest if that makes sense.

I would go to BRU and just have them let you take the seats out to car to check.

Becareful though... if you think you want a certain one, I would look it up online and read the manual first. so that you don't attempt to install wrong... We tried the Recaro which I liked - straps are easy to pull tight on the kids harness - and it seemed to fit nicely, but when I was reading the manual it sounds like I didn't have it reclining properly... I think I would need to add a pool noodle to bring it to the correct recline level. Even when I would do that I'm sure it takes up a bit less room.

Also, if you do keep your current infant seats, we were able to adjust the bases to get them to recline less, but still be in the "good" zone and it saved us a couple of inches, I don't know what to do with all the leg/knee room up front now!

good luck. its very confusing!!

 

You face the kids towards each other? like towards the middle of the vehicle? I didnt know that was possible

 

i think she means in the snap and go. she faces the kids toward eachother.
AND i wanna know how you do it! so neat!! i didn't think they could fit like that!! can you post a pic or something?

 

I've often wondered how people do that too with the SNG. Although we are about ready to switch out the Graco Snugrides (lordy have I HATED those carriers!) and install some Britax Marathons. So we won't have much time to use this trick of facing the boys' carriers together. But nonetheless I am curious

 

us too. we are just about done with our keyfit 30's. their feet hang out, lol!
howwwwever i would have LOVED to face them like that! and still can until i get car seats, lol.