Question Convertible car seat for 2013 Jetta Sportwagen (Nextfit, Radian, ProRIDE, Foonf, or Britax...overwhelmed!)

alee

New member
Please help me narrow down my options. My daughter has some significant medical needs so I haven't had the time/energy to devote to researching this a whole lot yet, so I'd love some help from all you knowledgable folks.

My 9 month old daughter is in the higher end of the average range for height and weight. Both my husband and I are tall (I'm 5'10", he's 6'0") with medium builds so there's a decent chance she'll be take after us. I drive a 2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen and that's going to be car she'll be in the majority of the time. Cost isn't much of a consideration. We're fine with spending more on the seat if it's going to be the safest and best fit for us. 

We're thinking about the following seats (in no particular order):
-Chicco Nextfit
-Diono Radian RXT (with the angle adjuster?)
-Recaro ProRIDE
-Clek Foonf
-Britax Advocate (I'm kind of overwhelmed about the differences between the various Britax models...so I'm open to others)

My top priority is obviously finding one that fits in my car followed by getting a seat that will allow her to be rear facing as long as possible. 

Which seats do you think have the highest likelihood of fitting in my car without needing the shove the seats way forward (not an option since we're both tall)?

Which seats would maximize our chances of my daughter being able to rear face the longest? I'm thinking that height limits will be more important to consider than weight limits. From the reviews I've read I'm leaning away from the Britax's because it sounds like kids often hit the height limit earlier than they would on the other seats we're considering. 

Another consideration is that we have a Chicco Keyfit 30 that we'd like to use again for a second child. It would be nice, but not crucial, if we had the option of putting the convertible on one of the sides and the Keyfit in the center (or vice versa) in order to have a spot for a third adult to ride in the backseat. I know there's no LATCH for the center position in my car so we've installed it with the seat belt (and had it checked by a technician to make sure we did it right). We may want a third child, but if that happens then I'll likely ditch the Jetta for a larger vehicle so I'm not planning around that possibility. 

Other factors I'm thinking about: side impact protection, how comfortable it is to ride in, how easy it is to get child in and out of seat (seat height, harness/buckle operation, etc.), seat material and how hot/sweaty child gets in it on a hot day, ease of cleaning, use on an airplane, and how easy it is to install. 

Any other seats that I haven't listed that I should think about? I kind of hope not because I'm overwhelmed as is ;)

Also, my mom watches her two days a week so we also want to buy a second carseat for her car which is a 1998 Mazda 626. I haven't narrowed down the list for my mom's car. We're hoping for something very safe, but not-so-expensive (under $200). The Baby Bargains book recommends the Cosco Scenera and Evenflo Titan Elite as good less expensive seats that are still solid. Would you agree? Would you add any to the list? Any favorites?
 
ADS

nataliem257

New member
Please help me narrow down my options. My daughter has some significant medical needs so I haven't had the time/energy to devote to researching this a whole lot yet, so I'd love some help from all you knowledgable folks.

My 9 month old daughter is in the higher end of the average range for height and weight. Both my husband and I are tall (I'm 5'10", he's 6'0") with medium builds so there's a decent chance she'll be take after us. I drive a 2013 VW Jetta Sportwagen and that's going to be car she'll be in the majority of the time. Cost isn't much of a consideration. We're fine with spending more on the seat if it's going to be the safest and best fit for us. 

We're thinking about the following seats (in no particular order):
-Chicco Nextfit
-Diono Radian RXT (with the angle adjuster?)
-Recaro ProRIDE
-Clek Foonf
-Britax Advocate (I'm kind of overwhelmed about the differences between the various Britax models...so I'm open to others)

My top priority is obviously finding one that fits in my car followed by getting a seat that will allow her to be rear facing as long as possible. 

Which seats do you think have the highest likelihood of fitting in my car without needing the shove the seats way forward (not an option since we're both tall)?

Which seats would maximize our chances of my daughter being able to rear face the longest? I'm thinking that height limits will be more important to consider than weight limits. From the reviews I've read I'm leaning away from the Britax's because it sounds like kids often hit the height limit earlier than they would on the other seats we're considering. 

Another consideration is that we have a Chicco Keyfit 30 that we'd like to use again for a second child. It would be nice, but not crucial, if we had the option of putting the convertible on one of the sides and the Keyfit in the center (or vice versa) in order to have a spot for a third adult to ride in the backseat. I know there's no LATCH for the center position in my car so we've installed it with the seat belt (and had it checked by a technician to make sure we did it right). We may want a third child, but if that happens then I'll likely ditch the Jetta for a larger vehicle so I'm not planning around that possibility. 

Other factors I'm thinking about: side impact protection, how comfortable it is to ride in, how easy it is to get child in and out of seat (seat height, harness/buckle operation, etc.), seat material and how hot/sweaty child gets in it on a hot day, ease of cleaning, use on an airplane, and how easy it is to install. 

Any other seats that I haven't listed that I should think about? I kind of hope not because I'm overwhelmed as is ;)

Also, my mom watches her two days a week so we also want to buy a second carseat for her car which is a 1998 Mazda 626. I haven't narrowed down the list for my mom's car. We're hoping for something very safe, but not-so-expensive (under $200). The Baby Bargains book recommends the Cosco Scenera and Evenflo Titan Elite as good less expensive seats that are still solid. Would you agree? Would you add any to the list? Any favorites?

If your baby is above average height and weight and you want to RF as long s possible then I would knock the advocate and the pro ride off your list. They are two of the shorter shells. The Foonf would be a great choice although I don't know about ease of loading with it being up so high on its base. The only seat I would add to your list would be the Diono Rainier, because you said ease of loading AND side impact protection are important. It's basically just an RXT with additional side impact protection on the outside of the shell. Ease of install would be a mark against it though, it can be difficult (assuming it installs the same as the RXT ) Hopefully some others will chime in who have experience with your specific vehicle. With your list of criteria I would probably select the rainier even with the tricky install.
 

aporthole

Active member
The NextFit is great as far as being one of the most compact front to back and also a very tall rear facing height capacity. We have one for my rear facing 2 year old in my hubby's 03 Jetta. Hubby is 6'1" and nothing will fit behind him rear facing with the space he needs to drive (manual transmission). Behind the passenger it fits beautifully. It isn't super slim though so fitting side by side with a KeyFit later may be a tight squeeze.

The new Clek Fllo (coming out next month) may also be a good option. It sits lower than the Foonf and takes up less front to back space when installed without the anti-rebound bar (optional with Fllo, required with Foonf). The Foonf and Fllo are both very slim so good for side by side potential in the future.
 

alee

New member
Thanks you both for the responses. I was thinking the Britax would be off the list, so this confirms it. It's good to know about the ProRIDE, sounds like that won't be a good fit either. I hadn't heard of the Rainier or the Fllo so I'll check those out.

Any other feedback?
 

MommyShannon

New member
I agree with the above. For your mom, I'd look at the Evenflo SureRide. The 2 seats you mentioned have 36" and 37" RF limits. The SureRide goes to 40". That will get most kids to 3 RF. I'd use it for travel too since the seats you're considering for your car are heavy. The NextFit would last quite a bit longer for a primary vehicle. The NextFit Zip is supposed to be easier to remove the cover for cleaning.
 

alee

New member
I'll definitely check out the SureRide for my mom's car, thanks!

I think I'm leaning toward either the clek foonf, clek fllo, or diono rainier.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it!
 

jwilliams

New member
I was looking at the SportWagen earlier this year and contacted Clek about how the Foonf fit. They sent me the following pictures of the Foonf in a 2012 SportWagen.



ForumRunner_20140718_083342.jpg



ForumRunner_20140718_083356.jpg



ForumRunner_20140718_083408.jpg
 

sari9768

New member
I was looking at the SportWagen earlier this year and contacted Clek about how the Foonf fit. They sent me the following pictures of the Foonf in a 2012 SportWagen.



View attachment 25565



View attachment 25566



View attachment 25567

I have a similar issue- tall parents, want to rear face as long as possible, Jetta Sportwagen car, and I'd love to see the pictures of the foonf installed, but I can't access those attachments. Do you know another way to share them?
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
I have a similar issue- tall parents, want to rear face as long as possible, Jetta Sportwagen car, and I'd love to see the pictures of the foonf installed, but I can't access those attachments. Do you know another way to share them?

Hello and welcome to Car-Seat.Ort!

Apologies for the issue you had with the images. When you posted, your account was still in moderation and had not been approved yet. This system is in place to prevent the sheer number of spammers from having posting access, but unfortunately can delay full access for legitimate new members.

Your account was approved this morning, I'm guessing the images are working fine now?
 

jwilliams

New member
I have a similar issue- tall parents, want to rear face as long as possible, Jetta Sportwagen car, and I'd love to see the pictures of the foonf installed, but I can't access those attachments. Do you know another way to share them?

You could also look at the Clek Fllo, coming soon. It will take up less space front-to-back than the Foonf (32.5" with the anti rebound bar or 29" without, vs. 33" for the Foonf) while having the same height/weight capacity, an optional anti rebound bar, and being (slightly) less expensive. It also sits lower.
 

Jmstine

New member
To the OP:

I also have a Sportwagen and am now shopping for convertible car seats. Which one did you go with and how are you liking it?

Thanks :)
 

benbenben

New member
I can't access the pics (account still being approved). But has anyone actually installed a foonf in a Sportwagen, 2013? Would be interested in hearing how it works with front seats moving back, reclining, etc.
 

jwilliams

New member
I can't access the pics (account still being approved). But has anyone actually installed a foonf in a Sportwagen, 2013? Would be interested in hearing how it works with front seats moving back, reclining, etc.


I posted the original pics sent from Clek and I've looked at the Sportwagen. I think it would be very tight to have an RF Foonf anywhere but the center if person in the seat in front of the Foonf was much over 5'6" ish, and that you wouldn't be able to recline much. Also loading might be a little *eeek* with a seat that sits that high.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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