Question FF carseat for 3 yr-old in 2005 Mini Cooper considering new baby also on the way?

Our second car just died, and we just got a 2005 Mini Cooper. This is not the main family car, but our almost 3yo son needs a FF carseat that will fit for the occasions he is in it. Based on the forum posts, a Britax Boulevard or Sunshine (now Diono) Radian XRT seem like good options. Other posters warn against using the RadianXRT for RF, but that's not a concern for us. Here's the BIG issue: just found out that I am unexpectedly (but happily) pregnant with baby #2, so will need to have enough room to be able to get a different RF car seat in it, so I am wondering if the Radian XRT might be a better choice with this consideration because it is slimmer. But then I wonder if being slimmer might be somehow less safe in side impact? Apparently it's hard to tell which ones are safest because the companies don't release the car crash data, and lots of people have criticized the Consumer Reports reviews.

Other notes:
Son is slightly above average size, but not super-tall.
We already have a Boulevard in the other car and like it/ know how to use it.
It doesn't have to be portable.
Whichever seat is less of a pain to get into/ out-of is a big plus considering it's a 2-door car.

I know there are a lot of other forum posts here about the Mini Cooper and car seats, but again was hoping for specific advice about this situation.
 
ADS

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
The narrowness doesn't matter much here as you have two wide independent seats in the back. It's not like you're going to try to get three across back there.

I wouldn't buy a Radian or Boulevard. Why buy a convertible you won't use rear facing?

OR, best yet, I'd buy a Radian or another tall seat and rear face your two year old. :) That would be option number one on my list. I wouldn't have an under three year old forward facing if they were under 45 pounds.

But if he's going to stay forward facing, I'd get a dedicated forward facing seat. I'd get a Graco Nautilus or Argos, Britax Frontier, Recaro ProSport, or Evenflo SecureKid.

Wendy
 
Thanks for the quick reply! He's already 40 lbs and turns 3 in January- I realize now we may have turned him around too quickly (thought it was age 2 and that I did good by holding out till almost 2 1/2). I read that lots of people had trouble getting the radian in their Mini Cooper RF.

Regarding the recommended car seats: Which has the least head slump? The Radian got good reviews in that category, but not sure if people were talking about RF or FF. Found some reviewers complaining of head-slump for the Graco. That's not an issue for us in his FF Britax Pavilion, which is in the main family car.

Thank you SOOOOOO much!
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Head slump depends a lot of the slope of your backseat. The Nautilus and Argos have a little recline feature. The Frontier has to be in the "recline mode" (the block goes toward the front). I don't think the Recaro or SecureKids have anything. My daughter never had head slump in the Nautilus, other kids do. My backseat was very sloped.

I'd pass down the Pavilion in the other car as well later and buy another dedicated forward facing seat there. No sense buying a full seat and using half. He's too heavy to rear face in it.

Wendy
 

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