Chicco MyFit Harness + Booster in 2013 Toyota Camry

[Nik]

I purchased and attempted to install a Chicco MyFit Booster forward facing in my 2013 Camry today, and there is a huge gap between the back of the booster and the car's seat. I am assuming this is a problem. If so, can anybody recommend a booster that will fit flush against the car's seat? The headrest is not adjustable and seems to protrude along with an interestingly angled seat to start with (quite a bit of recline and reclining the seat the max amount doesn't help). My almost-four-year-old needs to switch to a forward facing seat and I don't know what to buy. The seat needs to go in an outer position, as we have another child. Eventually, we may have a third child so I would be interested to know of a seat that would fit forward facing and possibly three across.

 

[SafeDad]

I purchased and attempted to install a Chicco MyFit Booster forward facing in my 2013 Camry today, and there is a huge gap between the back of the booster and the car's seat. I am assuming this is a problem. If so, can anybody recommend a booster that will fit flush against the car's seat? The headrest is not adjustable and seems to protrude along with an interestingly angled seat to start with (quite a bit of recline and reclining the seat the max amount doesn't help). My almost-four-year-old needs to switch to a forward facing seat and I don't know what to buy. The seat needs to go in an outer position, as we have another child. Eventually, we may have a third child so I would be interested to know of a seat that would fit forward facing and possibly three across.

Hi Nik,

Fixed protruding head restraints can be an issue with many car seats and it's really hit or miss. With a Britax Grow With You, for one example, the top of the main shell fits just under the head restraint in some vehicles if you can really compress it into the seat cushion. Then the adjustable back is forward enough that it still can slide up with the vehicle head restraint behind it. Obviously that isn't the case with every vehicle. It's worth trying a Nautilus or Grow With You as both are fine seats, but be sure to shop where you get a free returns policy like Target, BuyBuyBaby, Walmart or Amazon (shipped/sold by Amazon and not a 3rd party seller) just in case!

One model that works well with this configuration in outboard seats where lower LATCH anchors are present is the IMMI Go https://www.immigoseat.com/product/immi-go/ . Again, in some vehicles there can still be a problem for kids using it at the highest adjustment. The RideSafer travel vest is another possibility that tends to work with this type of vehicle head restraint: https://ridesafertravelvest.com/ . These also tend to be good 3-across options as well since they have to wide shell to interfere with the next passenger or carseat.

 

[nikkil7701]

I attempted to install this carseat in my Camry today and there was a huge gap between the booster seat and the seat back towards the middle and bottom of the booster (I could easily fit several fingers back there). It seems that the recline of the car's seats is preventing the booster from laying completely flat, even when I adjust the recline of the booster. Is this a problem? If so, is there anything that can be done to remedy it? If not, can somebody recommend a harnessed booster seat that fits in a 2013 Toyota Camry? My daughter is rapidly approaching the 40 pound rear facing limit of her current car seat (Britax Marathon) and we would like to pass it down to our one year old anyway. As an added bonus, if the recommendation was for a harnessed booster seat that could fit three wide that would be awesome, as we eventually plan on having another child and would rather not buy yet another seat. Thanks!

 

[SafeDad]

Hi, I have merged your two threads. Chicco generally does not allow gaps like this, but you should verify in your manual if this applies to your model.

At least on some versions of the Graco Nautilus, as one example, a small gap like in your photos may be acceptable in harness mode, but not in booster mode. I think the Britax Grow With You is also worth trying as I do not believe there is any restriction on a smallish gap like this in the manual, but I would have to double check the most recent versions to be certain.

 

[MelodyoftheForest]

I had a 2017 Corolla and found that the Britax combination seats (I had a Pioneer) were the only seats of that type that would fit. All others hit the vehicle head restraint such that I couldn't adjust the child seat, or had a huge gap. I wasn't able to try an IMMI Go, though.

 

[ketchupqueen]

If the install is otherwise secure, and that's the only place there's a gap, I'd contact Chicco and ask what they think. Sometimes they might approve things on a case by case basis.

Otherwise, Britax is a good bet, I agree.