Question 2 rear facing convertibles in a Suzuki Aerio SX?

Currently, my 2.5 year old is RF in Britax Roundabout 50 behind the passenger seat and the baby (8 months) is in a Graco SnugRide behind driver. The vehicle is a Suzuki Aerio SX (a compact hatchback that looks something like a Honda Fit). Our family of four commutes in this car daily. We feel like we are driving around in a sardine can, but we're managing and would like to keep the older child RF as long as possible.

Baby will need a convertible seat soon. Any suggestions to maximize driver's leg room? I do the majority of the driving (I'm 5'5"), but my husband is 5'10" and needs to drive about 15% of the time. He says it's hard to drive with the infant seat in place and I imagine this will only be worse when there is a convertible behind the driver seat. Thanks!!

It should be better, since convertibles tend to take up less room front to back than the infant seat.

How heavy are both of your kids, and what size clothes do they wear? It may make more sense, depending on fit, to move the baby to the Roundabout and get the older child something. Also, do you have a budget?

Wendy

Thanks, Wendy! The 2.5 yo is about 29.5 lbs and 36" inches. The 8 month old is about 20 lbs. I'm not confined by budget. I really appreciate your guidance!

Ok, I'd want a 40 pound rear facing seat, and one that could sit fairly upright. That way you can use it with either child as needed depending on their weights.

I'd look at the Safety 1st Complete Air, Maxi Cosi Pria, Diono Radian with angle adjuster, Evenflo Triumph 65, the new Peg Perego convertible, and if you can wait a month or two and *really* aren't confined by budget, the Clek Foonf.

Wendy

This is excellent. Thanks again. May I ask why you didn't suggest another Britax Roundabout? Is the Britax Roundabout less upright than the seats you suggested? The reason we originally got the Roundabout was due to a suggestion that they were good for smaller cars, but maybe that has more to do with width of seat rather than angle of recline. Assuming we do end up with 2 different brands of seats, is there any safety benefit of putting the older child in the seat that is more upright (ie. one of the seats you suggested) and the younger child in the more reclined seat (the Roundabout)?

The Roundabout 55 has a 40 pound rear facing weight limit, but the shell is shorter than the one you have, and shorter than the other seats I mentioned. It doesn't last as long rear or forward facing. The seats I mentioned fit well in small spaces (on the Complete Air you can ignore the lines on the side, those are for a newborn, and it can be installed as upright as 30 degrees). With tall shells, high top slots, and 40 pound minimum rear facing weight limits, that gives you a lot of options for both boys as they grow, and you can swap the seats back and forth.

Wendy

I think a different seat had been suggested because your 2.5 year old is not going to last "RF as long as possible" in a Roundabout. It has a relatively short shell. There's nothing wrong with having a Roundabout in the mix, and it can be a good seat for a small car, but it makes sense to switch your older child to a RF seat that has a taller shell and give the roundabout to the baby. Having two different seats just gives you more options as your kids grow. Once the baby has outgrown the roundabout RF then your oldest will probably be ready to be front-facing and you can give the "new" seat (the one you are shopping for now) to the younger child to continue RF.

You may also try to install the roundabout slightly more upright for the 8 month old as long as they have normal head control for their age.

My personal recommendation for a seat to buy now would be a Diono radian with an angle adjuster for the older child. I'm sure there are other good choices, but I'm most familiar with the Radians. I can fit the radian RF with the angle adjuster directly behind the drivers seat in our Prius and the seat can be one click away from all the way back without it touching the front seat (not allowed in our car due to advanced airbags.) My husband is the primary driver of that car and is 6 ft tall with a 34" inseam.
The Radian is also narrow, which never hurts in a small car!

ETA: Wendy beat me to it!

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I'm so appreciative! I find car seat shopping so overwhelming. It's great to have advice from people who are so knowledgeable. I looked online and there seems to be Diono Radian 100, 120, and RXTs? Given our small car, which do you suggest?

Takomama said:

I'm so appreciative! I find car seat shopping so overwhelming. It's great to have advice from people who are so knowledgeable. I looked online and there seems to be Diono Radian 100, 120, and RXTs? Given our small car, which do you suggest?

Click to expand...

They all have the same outer dimensions, so they will fit the same in the car. Some people love the headwings on the RXT, some don't. I like them for the smaller, RF'ing children but prefer no headwings for a taller FF child. So, there are pros and cons.

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