best ff convertible car seat for old Jeep?

My 1 year old is almost 30 pounds and has outgrown his rf infant seat. Off the top of my head I'm not sure of his height, but he is in the 95 percentile for height, so he's a bit above average. He's strong, up and walking and the law here (BC Canada) from what I understand is that he needs to be in a harnessed, ff car seat.

We are looking to buy a convertible car seat and booster (20 - 100 pounds) and are hoping to spend around $250.

I have a 1999 Jeep Wrangler, it has no LATCH system and only a standard lap/shoulder belt in the back seat. We had to use a locking clip on our belt with our infant seat.

Can anybody give me any recommendations as to what may be the best car seat to use, having only a lap/shoulder belt and a short backseat with very little space?

Any help is appreciated! Thank you.

Hi there, and welcome to car-seat.org

I have some good news and some bad news for you.

The bad news is that it is not possible to forward-face any child in that vehicle as it does not have a tether anchor, and is one of the few that can not be retrofitted. Tethering a forward-facing seat is required everywhere in Canada, and not having an anchor does not eliminate the requirement.

The good news is that there are plenty of seats on the market that will allow you to rear face your child for years to come. The law in BC states that once a child is 1 year old and 20lbs they may forward-face, but also that you must follow the rules for a particular seat. Any new seat requires a child to be 22lbs in addition to some also requiring walking and/or being 1 year old. The law also allows for a child to continue to rear face if they fit the seat. More good news - it's far, FAR safer for your child to rear face as long a possible as it's the best way to protect the head, neck and spine.

If you anticipate still owning that vehicle in several years when your child is old enough (and heavy enough) to move to a booster seat, often around age 5+, then I encourage you to purchase a seat that will accommodate rear-facing all the way to booster age/weight.

If he is tall then your choices are rather limited I'm afraid, but you can get something on sale right now for $250 - the Diono Radian R120, on Amazon right now. It's the only seat that will accommodate the height plus give you a bit of buffer room between the 40lbs needed for a booster seat (this one goes to 45lbs), and is within your budget. The next challenge will be if it installs in your vehicle. If you want to post a picture of your back seat we might be able to take a guess about if it will or not, but trying in person is really the best way to know. You may also need an angle adjuster to make the seat more upright. I'm thinking that the back seat is quite flat in that vehicle? The angle adjuster will prop it up more and is an approved accessory with the Radian.

More good news - there is possibly a tech near you. If you want to share where in BC you are we can connect you with some in-person help.

Thanks for your reply! Never imagined that car seats would be such a big decision and require so much research - guess that's what I get for keeping my old Jeep around so long.

I am in Victoria and would love to be pointed in the right direction - feeling super clueless and overwhelmed right now!

There is a LOT of super help in Victoria!

VICTORIA, BC: Vanessa (catzwoman28) (2012)

VICTORIA, BC: Barbie Desormeaux (BarbieWD) (2013)

You can send them a private message if you go to your user control panel and send a private message to their username.

If they aren't available there are others in the area, just not listed here.

Even if forward facing was possible in your Jeep it should never every be an option for a one year old child. The consequences in a collision, even at low speeds, would likely be catastrophic due to the weak bones, a proportionally very heavy head of the child and huge neck forces.

Selecting a car seat isn't really difficult. Select any seat which will keep your child rear facing for as long as possible. Preferably to age four. If this isn't possible aim for at least age three. Your child is 500%, fives times, safer in a rear facing seat. Quite a huge safety difference.

Radian has a fairly tall seat shell and is often used by parents with tall kids and those who want to RF for a long time. Downside of the seat is that it can need enormous amount of space although this varies depending on car used. As mentioned there is an angle adjuster which will make the seat more upright and less space demanding.

The gurus listed in the previous post will surely be able to help you out.

Thank you for your replies!

I will definitely seek out some local help - for me finding the right car seat for my large son and small car have been a challenge.

Hate to think I'll have to get rid of my old Jeep (had it for 16 years!!) but it looks like I can't legally have him ride in there once he hits 45 pounds. At least we can keep it until he comes close to outgrowing the rear facing option. But still sad, I Love that car.

I was very clueless as to all the rules of car seats and older model cars with no anchor systems like mine, so I thank everybody so much for their help in answering those questions!

Unregistered said:

Hate to think I'll have to get rid of my old Jeep (had it for 16 years!!) but it looks like I can't legally have him ride in there once he hits 45 pounds. At least we can keep it until he comes close to outgrowing the rear facing option. But still sad, I Love that car.

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Not necessarily, to the bolding above. Once he outgrows the seat rear facing he could go straight to a booster seat, and cross your fingers that he is old enough and heavy enough to move to a booster with a lap/shoulder belt when he hits the limits of the rear-facing seat. While there are safER vehicles out there on the road, I do understand the appeal of the 'classics.'

Pixelated said:

Once he outgrows the seat rear facing he could go straight to a booster seat, and cross your fingers that he is old enough and heavy enough to move to a booster with a lap/shoulder belt when he hits the limits of the rear-facing seat.

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Ah! Thank you so much for that additional info! That may be the best news I've heard so far - I hope that will be the case. I didn't even consider that! My understanding of car seats is very limited - still trying to figure all of this out. I Really appreciate your help!