Considering a project - Car seats in tiny cars

I've been thinking lately...

I see SO many questions on the various forums around the web about car seats in tiny back seats, small 2-doors, abbreviated pickup trucks, etc.

I wonder if it would be helpful to create a project website (with lots of pictures!) that talks about how to select a car seat to fit into a tiny back seat. It would be handy to be able to link to when people ask questions.

I think I'd need help with the project, though. It would be awesome if I could get some local folks together with a variety of car seats and tiny cars and have a photography-fest (maybe a few gatherings over a period of time). But it could be done remotely, too.

What do you think?

I can help, if you need help. I know someone with a 2 door civic and a Prius.

Clicky because I'd like to be able to help, but I don't know anybody with small back seats- or rather know them well enough to borrow their back seat. I don't have access to an arsenal of seats either.

Awesome idea though and I hope you get lots of help putting it all together

I have access to tons of subaru's if needed with a pretty good arsenal of seats.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

I don't have a lot of seats to choose from but I do have a mustang and an ext. cab that I can take pics of w/ seats avail at BRU or that belong to anybody w/in 30 min drive of me.

Sounds totally useful. I've got Mazda photos. Only issue I see is everyone who doesn't have a van tells me they have a tiny back seat when they go shopping for a RF convertible. Seriously. Not sure what's going on, but the general sedan-driving public seems to think their car's just soooo small. (And of course, I'm one of them, with my stupid Mazda...)

Awesome! It sounds like there's a lot of interest then. Will definitely start brainstorming.

Definitely useful. I have an '06 Prius and my mom's '10 Forester if you need help! (and my bro's '05 Prius, but it's the same as mine minus the advanced airbag restrictions.)

I think this is such a great idea! I'd be happy to help. I have a Prius and Corolla and my sister has a Scion XB and Honda Fit.

I think it'd be great if you focused both on getting multiples across *and* on ways to make the seats fit well front to back (like, which seats take up loads of space in certain cars, etc). I don't know how many times I've heard friends say they turned their LO FFing because the seat didn't 'fit' RFing (i.e., they wanted their seat back further than the RFing seat they tried to install allowed).

KaiLing said:

Sounds totally useful. I've got Mazda photos. Only issue I see is everyone who doesn't have a van tells me they have a tiny back seat when they go shopping for a RF convertible. Seriously. Not sure what's going on, but the general sedan-driving public seems to think their car's just soooo small. (And of course, I'm one of them, with my stupid Mazda...)

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I agree with this. I think it's a GREAT idea, but I also have seen that many folks who think they have a small back seat and "just can't possibly fit a rearfacing car seat back there" are just looking for an excuse to turn their toddler forward facing and make themselves feel better about it. The vast majority of the time, they're having trouble b/c they haven't actually tried anything (assumed it wouldn't work) OR they weren't installing correctly in the first place.

I do get that for some small 2 door cars and pickups, the right seat can make all the difference plus make it easier on the parents, but others, like my old neighbors, didn't even want to try b/c they weren't going to crawl into the backseat to buckle up their dd. The second she turned one year old, they turned her forward facing. :thumbsdown:

It would be helpful for a lot of folks, just to prove to them that it's more than possible, w/most seats out there that it will work. Some just will work better than others.

Just my thoughts...

henrietta

Radian XT in 2006 Civic:







Three across (Nautilus, RF Radian XT, Vivo) 2006 Civic

Suzuki SX4, Radian and CA available for pictures if needed.

henrietta said:

I also have seen that many folks who think they have a small back seat and "just can't possibly fit a rearfacing car seat back there" are just looking for an excuse to turn their toddler forward facing and make themselves feel better about it.

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I totally agree, but this is not my target audience.

My audience would be the people who are stressing out because they have two freakishly huge seats installed with LATCH with 6" of space left between them and now they're pregnant and can't afford a new car. And the people who are stuck with tiny two-door cars and are trying to select a car seat. And the people who drive a Civic or a Prius that just *assume* the only seat that will fit is a Coccoro and they're panicking because they really want to ERF *or* they can't afford an expensive seat like a Coccoro.

What I want to do is have a website which discusses the various challenges of tight fitting spaces and car seats. Something that explains, with pictures, the concept of "puzzling." Something that explains why having X-number of inches across the back seat doesn't necessarily mean that if you add up the widths of various car seats you necessarily will or won't be able to fit those car seats based on the sum you get. Something that explains why one car seat that's actually wider might fit where another car seat that is narrower might not (for example, due to where the door handle hits the cup holder or something like that). Something that explains, in detail, the concept of "bracing" and when you can or can't use it. A thorough discussion of recline angles and how to arrange seats so the front seat passengers are safe also.

I also want lots and lots of pictures where people might be able to find back seats similar to their own with pictures of how various car seats do (and, perhaps, do not) fit.

This is going to be a pretty significant project. That doesn't mean everyone helping has to do a lot of work. If lots of people chip in here and there with a few pictures, I think it would really help.

I'm also pondering the idea of going down to a car dealership and asking if I can try a few things out in their demo cars in return for a link on the website.

I don't know whether I'll host the whole site myself or see if carseatblog.com would like to put it up there. I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

As nuts as this is gonna sound, there are some pictures in my Pilot tutorial that might help with what you're looking for. Yes, it's a huge vehicle, but the third row is miniscule (48" buckle stalk to buckle stalk, and not much front-to-back room) so I depicted puzzling, marking the belt to check for independent tightness, etc. If there are any pics in there that you feel you can use for those purposes, feel free to pilfer them.

Also, I have pictures of a three-across in a Prius (FF RN, Snugride, FF RN) that I'd be happy to contribute. My "target audience" in that pic was exactly that parent you were talking about -- a parent with #3 on the way, who knew that I *swore* we could make them all fit in her vehicle but was very doubtful while looking in her backseat, lol.

Generally speaking I don't have much to offer in the way of small cars, though.

I've done a 3 across in a Hyundai Accent (Baseless Chaperone, RF'ing Cosco Scenera and FF'ing Radian), so if your needing pics of that, LMK (I didn't think it was possible, but it is)

Carrie_R said:

As nuts as this is gonna sound, there are some pictures in my Pilot tutorial that might help with what you're looking for. Yes, it's a huge vehicle, but the third row is miniscule (48" buckle stalk to buckle stalk, and not much front-to-back room) so I depicted puzzling, marking the belt to check for independent tightness, etc. If there are any pics in there that you feel you can use for those purposes, feel free to pilfer them.

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Oh yes, I know what you're talking about! The 3rd row of my Suburban has very short "hip room" (though it's got more shoulder room, which helps), the outboard seat have almost no front-to-back room to speak of, and a RF seat in the center position totally blocks access for a driver's side passenger because the driver's side 2nd row seat doesn't flip forward (only the passenger side does). So that comes with all sorts of interesting challenges which, I'm afraid, occasionally (rarely) means I have a passenger riding in a lap-belt only while a RF child rides with a lap/shoulder belt. I haven't tackled 3-across back there yet except I have confirmed that a RF Radian and a FF Frontier will NOT fit side-by-side in that seat.

I have access to a 2000 Jetta and a MA70 and GN.

I have a Honda Insight, but not many car-seats. Plus, I'm really not sure I could get 3 across. I've been meaning to install my Radian and swing by USA Baby for a trial, but haven't.

ZanesMom said:

I have a Honda Insight, but not many car-seats. Plus, I'm really not sure I could get 3 across. I've been meaning to install my Radian and swing by USA Baby for a trail, but haven't.

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Even without three-across it could still be useful. And frankly it would be interesting to see... I'll have to get a hold of a Honda Insight up here at a dealership or something. I'd love to see whether a car seat with three seating positions exists which will not fit ANY combination of car seats three-across.

I would love something. Ive been just about pulling my hair out trying to find a car seat to fit. I did the same thing before I had my son, and now that we are moving onto a convertible car seat, Im starting the process all over again..

But just an FYI to an 2 door Jeep Wrangler owners, for infant carriers.. The Chicco Keyfit fits good, you do have to push the passenger seat up a bit, and if your taller than like 5'10" ish than your knees would probably be in your chin. But Im 5'6" and I did ok.