Question RF convertible for small backseat

I've been reading so much information and my brain seems too overloaded to sort it out and make decisions! I drive a 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT, and my DD is almost 1 yr, approx 20 lbs, 29 in. I want to keep her RF as long as possible, and am a little confused about how much recline she really needs at this age, but by general standards, there's very little room to properly install a huge convertible RF in our car.

We purchased an Alpha Omega Elite awhile back (which may not be the preference of many techs -- we should have done more research beforehand) but just tried to install it this weekend since DD's at the max in her infant seat. The convertible doesn't fit RF AT ALL if following installation instructions with the indicator line being level to the ground. The seat is up against the backs of the front seats and no where near reclined to the point that the instructions say. Is it ok to leave it more upright?

We pretty much decided this seat won't work for us, so we're planning on returning it and buying something more compact. But I'm concerned about DD outgrowing the compact ones quickly, as she seems to be long-torsoed, and I understand her height in the shell is the most important thing before she ever outgrows weight limits. HELP, please! I'm open to suggestions on the best seats for smaller spaces, without spending several hundred dollars.

You can disregard the indicator line at her age- it is perfectly safe to install most car seats up to a 30 or 35 degree angle (depending on model- I believe Safety 1st allows a 30 degree angle). The 45 degree angle is in order to maintain the airway on an infant without head control. You also should not install a seat at greater than a 45 degree angle. You should be able to keep the seat you have, just install it more upright :thumbsup: and it shouldn't take up any more room than an infant seat. In fact, installing it more upright will decrease downward rotation in an accident, and help spread crash forces across the child's torso.

You can see a similar seat (The Safety 1st Complete Air) installed more upright in this blog post http://carseatblog.com/?p=3332 .

Good luck!

She can be quite upright at this age. In addition, having your front seats upright instead of reclined will give the front passengers more leg room while allowing more room for installing her RF seat. The AO isn't the best buy for the money. If you can return it, you may want to do so. An inexpensive seat that works well in tight spaces is the Cosco Scenera. It's about $45 or so at Wal-Mart. It's a very bare bones seat, but it's easy to install and has a 35 lb RF weight limit. When it's outgrown RF you'll want to decide if you want to continue RF or move FF permanently.

Making it more upright will for sure help it fit better. Also I am not sure what posistion in the vehicle you are trying to install it in, but sometimes if you put it in the center it will fit nicely between the vehicles front seats.