Convertible rear-facing in an '09 Forester?

[SubaruDriver]

I babysit a little girl who is almost 10 months old. She has outgrown her Chicco Keyfit (by height, she's 30" but only about 20 pounds). That base fit wonderfully in my '09 Forester. Unfortunately, I can't get a good, tight install on my seats AT ALL with the Cosco Scenera that her mom bought to replace it. In addition, that seat has sharp bottoms and my car has leather seats. Lastly, uninstalling/reinstalling that car seat every time we do a handoff is a lot harder than with the Keyfit! So, I decided to get my own carseat. I did some research and picked out an Evenflo Triumph LX from Target, but they aren't carrying it anymore. I bought a Safety First All-In-One, but that doesn't install well either--I think the base is too wide for the seat, which has quite a lot of curve up at the side. My car manual says that rear center install is a last resort (because of the shape of the seat there, I guess). So, fellow Forester drivers and/or car seat gurus, what do you recommend? I'd like to spend as little as possible but DEFINITELY less than $150. If the seat would be suitable for a newborn, that would be doubly good because we will be trying to conceive ourselves very soon. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[wendytthomas]

I'm sorry you're having trouble, but I'm kind of glad. The Triumph has a 37" limit rear facing, so not great for a very tall 10 month old. The Scenera has a 36" limit, so even worse. The All in One is not at all a recommended seat. As you found the seat is large with a difficult install.

Under $150 I'd look at the Graco Contender and Evenflo SureRide/Titan 65 as ones that should fit the 10 month old for a long time and a newborn.

Subaru allows an install in the middle. The wording in the manual is a holdover from previous generations when the middle was a bear, and the seats of the day weren't as easy as today's. You'll do a seatbelt install there. Was your Forester involved in the recall, though, and if so has it been fixed? That might be an issue with a center install. http://www.thecarconnection.com/new...ubaru-forester-recalled-for-seat-belt-problem

I've never had a problem in a Subaru with a single seat. The Contender will take up less front to back space, but it's more expensive than the Evenflo SureRide/Titan 65. It has a no rethread harness, though, so if you have a newborn and have another child in it randomly it's easy to adjust between them.

Wendy