Question Car seat for Toyota Tacoma?

B

Berd75

Guest
Hello!

We need some help here. My husband drives a Tacoma and has to take our daughter in the car on some occasions, which means she has to ride in the front seat with the airbag off. :(
She is just turning 18 months and weighs approximately 21 pounds, possibly 22 lbs, and is approximately 30" long.
We are trying to find a convertible carseat that is appropriate for her and allows the driver to see the side view mirror on the passenger's side. This is no easy task. We thought we found one today in the Safety 1st Alpha Elite. It fits well and we really like its features. I was about to order when I saw that forward facing requires a 34" minimum. I don't like this, because my daughter is very petite and it will likely be a long time until she reaches the height requirement.

Can someone please point us in the right direction? I'm not even sure if a carseat exists that meets our requirements. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 
ADS

murphydog77

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
Welcome! All Dorel (Safety 1st, Eddie Bauer, Cosco) carseats have minimum forward-facing height limits to encourage extended rear-facing. I know that rear-facing in the front seat of a truck is kind of a bummer due to visibility, but it's actually much safer to rf. First, though, your dh must absolutely make sure the airbag is turned off each and every ride.

Since she's still pretty small, you could go for a small seat like the Combi Coccoro or the Cosco Scenera. The Coccoro has lots of EPS foam and nicer user features whereas the Scenera is just a basic seat, but both will get you to at least age 2 rf.

There are so many other carseats in the price range of the Alpha Elite that I would consider first--the First Years True Fit, Graco MyRide 70, Graco Size4Me/MySize/HeadWise 70, Britax Roundabout 55--that would work as well and give you more bang for your buck.

I just had another idea. You could do an infant seat. Graco has the Click Connect 40 that rear-faces to 40 lbs. When she's not riding in the infant seat, the carrier can be stored elsewhere so your dh can see the mirror. The downside is that it costs as much as the more expensive convertibles I listed above, but if you're planning on another baby or have a close relative who can use the seat as well, it may be worth it.
 

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