Fitting Carseat in Car

[Unregistered]

I just bought a Graco MyRide 65 and have it installed in the back middle of my 2002 Prius. There's a plastic ridge in the back of the car seat that wants to contact the back corners of the front seats. The Prius manual says not to let the car seat contact the front seats, or at least that's what I think it means by "Do not put a child restraint system on the rear seat if it interferes with the lock mechanism of the front seats".

I don't really want to move the driver's seat forward, and my understanding is that being too close to the steering wheel and dashboard is dangerous for me in an accident. But the prius doesn't have a center seat latch system as far as I know and it's not advisable to use the latch systems of the side seats for the middle.

When the car seat is installed with the seat belt, it wants to lean a little to the right anyway. And if I let it lean, it does not contact the driver's seat. I have just moved the passenger's seat forward so the car seat is not touching either front seat.

I'm also unsure if I'll be able to get the belt tight enough so that it doesn't wiggle more than 1" side to side.

My options as I see them:
1. Leave it be and tighten the belt.
2. Install it behind the passenger's seat using the latch system.
3. Put it in Grandma's car (Honda Civic) or Dad's car (Honda Fit) and get a different car seat for the prius. I was looking at Baby Trend Protect Sport which has a removable head rest so it would take up less space 'till my boy is bigger. I was planning to buy 3 seats anyway.

What do you think?

My hope was to get a seat that has a generous height limit for rear facing so I can keep my boy rear facing for longer. He's 90th percentile for length.

Also, I seem to have found an error in my owner's manual: "If the driver's seat position does not allow sufficient space for the safe installation, install the child restraint system on the rear left seat."

 

[wendytthomas]

Did you lock the seatbelt?

The My Ride is known for being quite bulky. As is the Baby Trend. Would you care for tall AND compact recommendations?

Also, where are you checking for movement for the 1"?

Wendy

 

[Unregistered]

Did you lock the seatbelt?

The My Ride is known for being quite bulky. As is the Baby Trend. Would you care for tall AND compact recommendations?

Also, where are you checking for movement for the 1"?

Wendy

Yes, I locked the seat belt. I'm looking for movement at the belt path. I had the same problem with the infant car seat, which probably always moved more than 1" side-to-side. My husband installed that one and I was trying not to second-guess him, but I guess I should have.

I would be open to other suggestions for car seats. Does that mean you think I should put the seat in a different car?

 

[Unregistered]

It is a plastic part on the back, which is quite narrower than the rest of the seat, that contacts the front seats when centered.

 

[oakster]

We had a 2001 Prius (same generation). Toyota did allow light contact with the front seats in that model if the car seat manufacturer allowed it--the note about the lock mechanism means the front seat has to firmly click into position on the track and the car seat can't prevent it from clicking in properly. When we installed in that car, I always adjusted the front seat first and then installed the car seat (although our seat was much more compact than the MyRide so touching was not an issue). For most of the time we had that car we only had one child and installed in the center with the seatbelt, though. (You're correct that you can't use the LATCH anchors from the side seats to install in the center.)

If you plan to buy more seats anyway, I'd put this one in the Civic (you are likely to hit similar issues in the Fit, especially if it doesn't allow any contact with the front seats) and look for a better fit for the Prius. We really liked the Britax Marathon for our Prius because it was so compact, and the newer ones allow for longer RFing, although they are pricier than some seats. I like this guide for compact, long-lasting RFing seats: http://carseatblog.com/22818/the-ul...ertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/

We used a Britax Marathon and a Combi Coccoro in that car regularly and both worked well. I tried but didn't like the installations of the Evenflo SureRide (too big) and the Safety 1st Advance 65 (never got a great center install, though it was fine installed on the side). As a tip, I found it helpful to search for Toyota Echo when looking for ideas, since the interior dimensions of the Gen1 Prius are much closer to the Echo than to Gen2+ Priuses (which is what 99% of Prius car seat posts are about!)

 

[Unregistered]

We had a 2001 Prius (same generation). Toyota did allow light contact with the front seats in that model if the car seat manufacturer allowed it--the note about the lock mechanism means the front seat has to firmly click into position on the track and the car seat can't prevent it from clicking in properly. When we installed in that car, I always adjusted the front seat first and then installed the car seat (although our seat was much more compact than the MyRide so touching was not an issue). For most of the time we had that car we only had one child and installed in the center with the seatbelt, though. (You're correct that you can't use the LATCH anchors from the side seats to install in the center.)

If you plan to buy more seats anyway, I'd put this one in the Civic (you are likely to hit similar issues in the Fit, especially if it doesn't allow any contact with the front seats) and look for a better fit for the Prius. We really liked the Britax Marathon for our Prius because it was so compact, and the newer ones allow for longer RFing, although they are pricier than some seats. I like this guide for compact, long-lasting RFing seats: http://carseatblog.com/22818/the-ul...ertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/

We used a Britax Marathon and a Combi Coccoro in that car regularly and both worked well. I tried but didn't like the installations of the Evenflo SureRide (too big) and the Safety 1st Advance 65 (never got a great center install, though it was fine installed on the side). As a tip, I found it helpful to search for Toyota Echo when looking for ideas, since the interior dimensions of the Gen1 Prius are much closer to the Echo than to Gen2+ Priuses (which is what 99% of Prius car seat posts are about!)

Thanks for the info! So I was wrong and the seat fits just fine touching the front seats. That's exactly what I needed to know! There was nothing in the car seat manual saying that the seat can't touch. That's a great guide as well that I may take into consideration when I buy another one.

For now I just want to get it installed properly so I can safely drive baby around. I've been trying and trying to install it and it still moves side to side at the belt path more than 1". I'm just tired... I'm gonna make an appointment with the CHP tomorrow and see if they can install it.

 

[wendytthomas]

Just make sure CHP follows your Toyota and Graco manuals. They're not known for being precise and accurate. They shouldn't install it for you, either. A tech's job is to teach you to install it.

By gentle touching, Graco and Toyota mean that if you can see any light at all, if you can get a piece of paper between them, then that's fine. Toyota has fewer restrictions in a 2002 than a Graco does.

Wendy

 

[Unregistered]

Just make sure CHP follows your Toyota and Graco manuals. They're not known for being precise and accurate. They shouldn't install it for you, either. A tech's job is to teach you to install it.

By gentle touching, Graco and Toyota mean that if you can see any light at all, if you can get a piece of paper between them, then that's fine. Toyota has fewer restrictions in a 2002 than a Graco does.

Wendy

It passes the paper test. And I found your article on checking for movement (http://csftl.org/checking-for-movement/#comments) and it looks like I've been checking for movement wrong. Using my non-dominant hand with the force of a firm handshake, I can't move the seat. So it's been installed fine all this time. Wish I'd known. I could have saved myself some frustration and worry. Now what are the chances that I damaged the seat by putting my weight on it to try to force it down while pulling the belt? I'm not a large person.

 

[wendytthomas]

Hopefully you haven't. Did you hear anything worrying, or do you see anything that's a concern? If not, it's probably ok.

Wendy