Please help: have a small car and need to find a good carseat

U

Unregistered

Guest
Hi,
I drive a 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse and I am having a very hard time finding a carseat that fits well in my car....I am looking for a safe convertible carseat...price isnt a problem
my daughter is 1
she weighs 18lbs.
is 27in.


she is farely small for her age and I would like to keep her rear facing (she doesnt yet weigh enough to forward face anyways)...she does walk already if that really matters?
right now she is still in her infant carrier (chicco keyfit 30) and she still has room to use it for a while longer...
the problem I have is whichever carseat I look at fits great in my car forward facing (as long as it's not super tall) but rear facing the passenger seat is pushed all the way forward and I am not sure if this is safe or not. I feel that if an accident were to occur that the front seat would cause the carseat not to be able to push forward and absorb the impact? I am not sure I am just so confused and stressed out please if you could help me!
 
ADS

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
I'm pretty sure I've actually seen an install in an Eclipse before - it's been several months, but if it's the one I'm remembering it was a VERY tiny backseat and a tricky install!

The good news is, if you have enough room for an infant seat, you will also have enough room for a convertible RF - that's because once your baby is older, you no longer need to obtain the 45-degree recline. I think just about any convertible except the Radian would probably work just fine in your car. :thumbsup:

Having the vehicle seat in front of the carseat pushed all the way forward is fine as long as someone doesn't have to ride in that seat, and as long as it's in the upright position & locked.
 

jess71903

Ambassador
:yeahthat:
It might be a good idea for you to go somewhere like Babies R Us and try some seats out in your car. The Complete Air might be a good choice. You can install it as upright at 30 degrees from vertical at your baby's age and it generally doesn't take up much front-to-back room.
 

mrdhollins

New member
because her child is so small too, I'm thinking a Britax or the Graco MyRide 65 might also be an option. Britax's are easy to install (since install space is probably at a premium too!), I might look there first.
 

lorismurph

Senior Community Member
In my car, the EFTA takes up less front-to-back room than a lot of others I've tried.

Yes, if you can, go to a BRU and try some in your car to see what is going to fit.
 

cookie123

New member
Welcome to the board! I concur with the above recommendations, and also with trying them out in your vehicle. Babies R Us will let you take a seat out to your car - just take it up to the service desk and tell them and they'll hold your driver's license.

Also, I wanted to point you in the direction of the rear facing link page. I know you're planning to rear face, but just want to make sure you don't miss it. It's full of great information you'll be interested in if you haven't seen it yet.

http://carseatblog.com/5168/why-rear-facing-is-better-your-rf-link-guide/
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
thanks everyone I will definately go and try some out in my car I am actually looking at a Britax Boulevard 70 so I will try it in my car and see what I think I am glad to know that the front seat doesnt matter cause that was a big deal for me! also how do I know if my daughter is out growing her infant carrier her feet are at the end but her head isnt at the top yet?
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
You go by the amount of carseat shell above the top of the head to determine if the infant seat is outgrown by height. :) Your infant seat (or rear facing convertible carseat) is outgrown when the weight limit is reached, or when there is less than 1 inch of carseat shell above the child's head, whichever comes first. It's not uncommon to outgrow by height before reaching the weight limit, especially if the child is long torsoed.
 

cpsaddict

New member
The Boulevard 70 or Marathon 70 would probably work. I find that they take up much less space front to back than the older models and much less than infant seats. They are super easy to install as well.
 

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