Fitting 2 carseats in a tiny car?

[Unregistered]

My son David is 10 months old, 24 pounds, and 30 inches tall. I plan to keep him rear-facing as long as possible. I am pregnant and due in October with baby #2. David will only be 15 months old when the new baby comes, so he will definitely still be rear-facing. I drive a 1999 Ford Escort sport. Right now David is in a Safety 1st Avenue Convertible car seat. We have a Graco Snug Ride that we used for David and will use for the next baby.

Right now David's seat is in the back on the passenger side. The seat in front of it has to be pushed all the way up so no one can sit in that seat. It had to be pushed up all the way for the Snug Ride too (even with the handle up.)

I want to get a new seat for David now that we have some money from our tax return. We need a seat that will fit in the car and will allow room for someone to sit in the front seat.

Also, how will the 4 of us all fit in the car once the new baby is born? If DH is driving, David is in a car seat behind him, and the baby is behind the passenger seat, there will be nowhere for me to sit. Buying a new car is not an option.

[Mommy0608]

Older babies and toddlers, such as your son, do not need the full 45 degree recline angle. He can have his car seat installed anywhere from 30-45 degrees from vertical, which makes it take up a lot less room front to back. Perhaps this will help give you more space. The car seat still needs to be in the mechanical recline mode, but there are little tricks you can do while installing the seat so that it ends up more upright. To do this, pull the seat out about 1/2" from the seat bight (seat crack) and install pushing downward where your child's feet would go. This usually results in a much more upright installation.

[Unregistered]

Does anyone else have any suggestions? I am really stressing out over this.

My husband has to have the seat almost all the way back (he is over 6 feet tall) so even if we put David behind him there may not be enough room depending on the seat and I still don't know where we will put the baby and me.

[Judi]

Find a tech (http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59135) in your area that can help. The pp gave some great ideas. The Avenue is a good seat. You can see in my siggy pic that the Marathon, I can get pretty upright as well. The Radian next to it, not so much.

[Unregistered]

What about a TrueFit? Do you think that would work? (I am the OP)

[BW1426]

I had an Escort, I feel your pain. I think it would be worth seeing if you could get away with skipping the infant seat and putting the new baby straight into a convertible seat. I would see if you can put 2 avenues side by side. I think you'll be able to make it work. I have successfully gotten three across in the escort before. Put the baby in the center as he'll need a greater recline. If the avenue will fit in between the front seats, it shouldn't interfere with how far back your seats are. For your oldest get the seat as upright as you can around the 30 degree mark.

I also think a True Fit would be an option as it will buy you some time before you have to use the top part of the headrest.

Another thing. Making your seats (driver and passenger) more upright will open up more room in the back without interfering with your leg room up front.

[Unregistered]

I really do not like the Avenue, so I don't want to buy a 2nd one. I would like to replace it with something else. It is a pain in the neck to install and also very difficult to adjust the harness. I have been thinking about this a lot and have come up with a few plans. Which do y'all think is better.

New baby in the center in the snugride w/ no base and David in a roundabout or diplomat or true fit

OR

New baby in a true fit and David in a roundabout or diplomat

OR

Both in true fits

[Mommy2Marcus]

I also own a VERY small car! Mine is also a 2 door, so even more of a pain! However it IS possible to fit a RF seat back there & give the passenger enough room. The seat that I have found that fits the best in the back seat of my tiny 2 door RF is the Evenflo Triumph Advance. It gives my son enough support to sleep without his little head flopping forward while sleeping, but also can be upright enough to give the passenger more room. The reason I think this is is b/c of the bowl shape of the seat! So I would check this seat out! You can see my son RF in it at 2 1/2 in my signature picture below!

As for the seats you mentioned, I would skip the Roundabout or Diplomat. Both have very short shells & will not keep your little ones RF as long or FF as long. However the TF is a good option. I have not tried it RF in my car though, so I am not sure.

[amyd]

I'd also skip the Roundabout & the Diplomat...not enough seat for the $$ IMHO. I'd go BRU or somewhere and try 2 TFs or 2 EFTAs, personally. I have a TF and it really amazes me how little room that huge seat takes up:thumbsup: Oftentimes BRU will offer a "twin discount" if you purchase 2 of the same seat so definitely ask about that if you decide to go with 2 new seats.

[mommycat]

I don't have any super great suggestion, aside from saying that you want to go to someplace like TRU and TRY OUT the seats.

Maybe it's just me and lack of trying, but I have not had great experiences trying to get the TF RF into my Civic, and neither of us is tall. How old was your older son when he reached 22 lbs? It might give you an idea of how old new baby may be when you need to put the headrest part on the TF and whether that is old enough for you to feel comfortable with less recline (not that your 2 kids will be identical in growth or head control development, but it could give you some idea.)

I feel that I can quite safely say that you will NOT be able to get 2 seats side by side (as in, center and outboard) if one of those is a TF. They are WIDE. But it's worth a try - I don't know your vehicle.

I would try the TF outboard, and the EFTA as well. I believe both fit small babies fairly well and would provide growing room for David. I might even try a Marathon (or Boulevard) for your older son, since he can be so much more upright - I think it would have a great chance of fitting. (Most newborns won't fit into the Marathon because the bottom slots would be too high - and someone correct me if I am wrong, but the Roundabout has the same bottom slot height?) I would probably try to work the snugride into the mix just because you have it, it's convenient, and by the time the baby is out of it you may have some other options for seats for one of the kids and can re-assess then.

[amyd]

Maybe it's just me and lack of trying, but I have not had great experiences trying to get the TF RF into my Civic, and neither of us is tall.

I actually find that my TF (with the headrest on) takes up less room in my Civic than the MA does. I do have it installed fairly upright, though.

[sirrahn]

DH had a 2 door Escort when my younger DS was born. It was too long ago (2000) for me to really give seat suggestions, but I don't think they ever really redesigned the Escort so the car was probably the same.

We did a baseless infant seat in the middle next to a narrow convertible on the passenger side (although it was ffing) and they fit. I found it too hard to wrangle the infant seat in and out anyway so it was easier to just climb in holding the baby and put him in the seat. Having an open outboard spot for you to sit in as you buckle both of them up would make things easier as well. It won't be fun to try to load and buckle a bigger kid from the outside.

Do try installing your older DS's seat more upright to get that front passenger spot usable. GL!

[mommycat]

I actually find that my TF (with the headrest on) takes up less room in my Civic than the MA does. I do have it installed fairly upright, though.
I've never tried the MA in the Civic RF. I should probably try that sometime just for comparison. I usually have an old-model AOE without the base, and used to have the SafeSeat, both of which give me plenty of room, especially considering that I keep the seat pretty far back for my height, and a little bit reclined, to boot.

[bobandjess99]

DH had a 2 door Escort when my younger DS was born. It was too long ago (2000) for me to really give seat suggestions, but I don't think they ever really redesigned the Escort so the car was probably the same.

We did a baseless infant seat in the middle next to a narrow convertible on the passenger side (although it was ffing) and they fit. I found it too hard to wrangle the infant seat in and out anyway so it was easier to just climb in holding the baby and put him in the seat. Having an open outboard spot for you to sit in as you buckle both of them up would make things easier as well. It won't be fun to try to load and buckle a bigger kid from the outside.

Do try installing your older DS's seat more upright to get that front passenger spot usable. GL!


Yes,this....you will need to get 2 very narrow seats and put them side by side,which leaves aseatingplace for you in teh back behind the driver.

Or,you can put the baby in the middle, with the seat sitting between the front sesats at a good recline,and put the much older child RFing behind the passenger...you will be able to have enough room to sit in the front seat that way. the RA and Dip are horrible wastes of money..you'll need to buy another convertible after, so dont waste you money

[cryswilkins]

I just anted to add that if you want to keep your DS1 rear-facing to the limits the Roundabout or Diplomat are not the way to go. My DD outgrew both RF at about 15 months.

We have a RF Britax Marathon in our Civic and it works very well, as long as its installed upright. I would take a trip to BRU and see if you can get a good upright install on a MA on the passenger side and then see if the Snugride will fit next to it, in the center.

[melniemi]

The Combi Coccoro might be a good option for your newborn. Some people here have gotten them and it takes up less room rf'ing than an infant seat. I would try a Coccoro for the baby and a marathon or evenflo triumph advance for your older son.

Do you have a specialty baby shop nearby that you can try out the seats in your car before you buy?