Mazda3 owners- Advice Please!

JenniferBergsma

New member
Hello!
My husband and I are looking for some sdvice regarding the next step up from our current Eddie Bauer Infant seat with a weight limit of 22lbs.

Our 6 month old daughter is almost 20 lbs and so its time to start educating and shopping around for what we would prefer- a 3 in 1 Rear facing to forward facing/booster. I have read many comments in other Mazda3 posts about the MyRide or TrueFit in a Mazda 3; but from my understanding theses do not provide booster seat capability. I have considered the Radian, but am concerned with front passenger leg room as both my husband and I are 6 feet, (currently one sits in the backseat due to this...We'd prefer to both be sitting in the front.)

I understand when my daugther turns one I can install the angle adjuster.. but until then it sounds as if one would still have to sit in the back ;(

My question today, has any Madza 3 owner tried the Eddie Bauer Kingsley car seat?

I suppose the recline-ability in RFing infant seats are all the same due to safety/law... and I suppose the only difference that might help out the leg room up front is the car seats overall height... which I fear as well because our daughter is above average height.

Help! Our wants:
Rear facing
Under one year of age
3 in 1 ability
tall baby
Leg room for the front 6 foot tall passanger

Suggestions welcome, I feel as if this post is all over the map... but that's my brainstorming at this stage.
 
ADS

krfogle88

New member
Ive installed a rf britax boulevard (classic not new style) in the center of my brothers 08 mazda 3. hes 6'0" and his gf is 5'10" and neither said they were smooshed. i sat in the back with dd1 at the time.
 

Kegracin

Active member
Do you live near a baby's r us or even a buy buy baby as both should let you try seats in your car. I would reconsider the want of having an all in one....there are very few seats that are good at doing every thing....http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/boosters/ there are a number of all-in-one seats that are on the not recommended list or check fit.

Also not convertibles are required to be installed at the same angle examples because I own or have used these seats the Truefit can be installed as up right as 35 degrees and the Britax seats can be installed as upright as 30 degrees.

Since your LO is tall I would go see how the Truefit and Radian fit....since they will last the longest.
 

SavsMom

New member
I'm not a tech but I would look at getting a regular convertible seat over an Eddie Bauer 3-in-1, as most of the 3-in-1 seats out there aren't all they are cracked up to be because most make terrible boosters (bad fit to the child in booster mode).
Do you have a Babies R Us nearby? Many of them will allow you to take the display seats out to your car to try them out and see how they fit.

I don't have a Mazda 3 but have installed a True Fit as well as a Radian in the center of a Corolla with no problems at all.
 

Avery'sMama

CPST Instructor
I put a classic Marathon, a Marathon 70 and a MyRide in my sisters Mazda 3 without a problem. They did need to be in the center to accommodate her long legs, she's 5'11", but even then, the Marathon 70 was OK behind her drivers seat when she needed DS behind the passenger. I think my Radian with the angle adjuster would be fine too.

I know a 3 in 1 sounds like a good idea, but in reality, most of them make pretty bad boosters. You'll also need to buy a booster eventually anyway, as most kids need boosters until well beyond the 6 year life span of a 3 in 1. You would be better off buying a seat with a high rear-facing weight limit, and a high-forward facing weight limit and then worrying about a booster when the time comes. It's sort of a case of the jack-of-all-trades/master-of-none... You'll have lots of good, affordable booster options down the road when baby is ready for a booster!
 

JenniferBergsma

New member
Thanks for the replies. I never thought carseat shopping would be so difficult. With that said I have been told by a few people that the 3 in 1 might not be the way to go... so I'm slowly coming to accept it. hehe
Just came back from my daughters 6mth appt. She's in the 99th percentile for height (1% of babes are taller then her) and 97% for weight. So I suppose my wants/priorities will definately have to consider her taller then average height.... bah! I wish there were a questionnaire out there and would tell you.. "you need a __ ___"

I will check out Babies R Us to do a trial run install

I appreciate the help, although I feel more flustered as I do more research :(

I personally haven't asked for assistance at Babies R Us... my biggest fear is that I get an associate who pretends they know what they are talking about. For example; In my experience with Home Depots etc.. the associate reads labels off products.. when I could clearly do that myself. lol
 

Kegracin

Active member
My DD is on the top of the charts as well and has a long torso I really think your best bet is to see if a radian will fit in your car. The clek foonf might also be something to look into however its pretty expensive.
 

momtoo3

Well-known member
I have no experience with a Mazda 3 but wanted to mention the Evenflo Symphony 65 e3. It rear faces, forward faces and becomes a booster. The booster will be outgrown before you are done with a booster but getting a backless booster at that time is simple. If I am not mistaken the Symphony can only be used rear facing with the head rest in the bottom 2 positions so that is something to check your daughter in to make sure she has plenty of growing room. My almost 4 yr old is tiny for his age (30 lbs, 37.5 inches and about a 13 in torso-seated height from butt/floor to shoulders) and would have just barely outgrown it rear facing. It is outgrown rear facing when there is less than 1 inch of shell above the child's head remaining.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10880821
 

HappyHoo

New member
I have a 2006 Mazda3. My classic Britax Marathon fit well behind the passenger seat - I had more room up front than I did with the infant seat. Same with the Cosco Scenera.

My DS now uses a Radian XTSL in my car and before the angle adjuster was available, it was a tight fit for me at 5'7" to sit in the passenger seat. With the angle adjuster I have plenty of room.

I wouldn't worry about trying to find a seat that will RF, FF and booster. Just plan to buy a booster in 5 years or so.

I would get a Radian b/c of how long it will last RF and get the angle adjuster to use at 1 (some recommend using it earlier as long as baby has good head control - but I'm not sure if that's best to do or not).

You could also look at getting something like a Scenera to use for awhile and then get the Radian later once you can use the angle adjuster.
 

skylinphoto

New member
I have an 08 mazda3 and I have put a britax ra50, graco myride, and a radian in there sucessfully.

The only tricky one is the radian. I had it installed behind the drivers seat (braced...you can't brace on the passenger seat). No angle adjuster because they weren't out yet. It was the only acceptable install I could get in that car.

I bet with an angle adjuster, you could fit the radian in a mazda3 no problem.

With your kiddos height and weight, id go for a radian if you can get a good install.
 

KaiLing

New member
What year is your car? Pre-2005 seats can forcefully touch the passenger seat and after that I don't believe they can.

I don't love the Radian in this car for an older and heavier child. I don't believe the Radian will fit perfectly between the seats in the middle. But my Radian / Mazda 3 woes happened before the angle adjuster. With a 6 month old knowing there's the angle adjuster out there I'd try a radian. I might try a TrueFit first if you don't expect a heavy child (20 lbs at 6 months sounds light to me, but my sense of these things is quite off), and I might try to get the seat behind the driver first so that it could touch / brace (it can not touch in my 2005 Mazda 3).

A Britax will fit and is easy to install, but won't last long for a tall kid. A MyRide is significantly cheaper, taller than a Britax and lasted my kid, who is bigger than yours (his dad's 6'8"), until almost 2 and a half RF. Then we switched back to the Radian RF until he hit 45 lbs.

In our Mazda 3 the taller adult just has to sit in the back behind the driver. He's so tall that he doesn't bat an eye--he's spent the majority of his life not fitting places so he doesn't really care. I, at 5'8" or 9," really do like to sit in front if possible, though. When you're trying seats out, remember that the Mazda 3's wheel goes in and out as well as up and down, so you can buy the driver some room that way. And the more upright the front seat passengers can sit the better--safer for them and more room for RF seats in the back.
 

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