Mazda 3 + Bumbleride Indie + tall adults in Edmonton = which bucket seat?

[Nerdypants]

Hi everyone!

I've been reading reviews and doing research for a while but I finally decided to ask the experts - my eyes are starting to cross from all the options!

My husband and I are both 5'10" and we drive a Mazda 3 sedan. We'd love to find a car seat that takes up a little less front-to-back space so the passenger's knees aren't up to their ears. I'm due in August, so the baby will be small through the (endless) Edmonton winter. I'm thinking a longer-lasting seat would be a good thing so we can hopefully get to spring next year with the bucket, right?

I'd also like to be able to have relatively easy access to the baseless install so my parents and in-laws can take the baby out - the car seats where you have to move the cover to access the seatbelt slots seem fairly inconvenient and my husband really didn't like that.

It would be great if it was a little lighter but that's not a deal breaker.

We're borrowing most of our baby gear so we're not too fussed about price - I'm happy to splurge for safety and a style that will work well for our needs. We're getting a Bumbleride Indie as a gift (I'm super excited about that!) so compatible with that universal adapter would be good.

What would you get in my position? Bonus if you have a recommendation for where to buy it in Edmonton. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

 

[Pixelated]

Welcome! What year is your car, and specifically what seats are compatible with your stroller?

 

[Nerdypants]

Oh, whoops, those are obvious facts to include! Sorry. It's a 2007 Mazda 3, and the Bumbleride website gives me this list, although I think it's an American list since we can't get the Keyfit 30 here, right?

- Graco Snugride
- Graco Snugride 32
- Graco Snugride 35
- Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SP 30/30
- Chicco Keyfit 30
- Combi Shuttle
- Baby Trend Flex Loc
- Britax Chaperone

There's also a separate Maxi Cosi adapter, but since it comes with the universal adapter it would be nice if we could use that!

 

[kmw]

Oh, whoops, those are obvious facts to include! Sorry. It's a 2007 Mazda 3, and the Bumbleride website gives me this list, although I think it's an American list since we can't get the Keyfit 30 here, right?

- Graco Snugride
- Graco Snugride 32
- Graco Snugride 35
- Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SP 30/30
- Chicco Keyfit 30
- Combi Shuttle
- Baby Trend Flex Loc
- Britax Chaperone

There's also a separate Maxi Cosi adapter, but since it comes with the universal adapter it would be nice if we could use that!

Quick bit of info - we don't have the Snugride32 anymore, the Combi is a USA only seat as is the KeyFit30. The Flex Lock has a lower height limit than other buckets and given your height, you need all the room you can get

The Chaperone is MASSIVE!

That's all I have though Not a tech so no experience with the other seats...

 

[Fallon]

The Britax bsafe base is much smaller than the chaperone .

 

[Pixelated]

I think the Snigride 30 would also be compatible as they can share a base with the 35 which is on your list. Of those I would look at the Snugride 30, 35, and the key fit, which is the same structure as the key fit 30. Those are my faves for sure. The 35 is the tallest of the three but also takes up the most room. Do up live near a Babies R Us so you could try them all out?

 

[Nerdypants]

We do! Will Babies R Us let us test them out in our car?

 

[Pixelated]

Yes, they're supposed to. Try installing rather than just sitting it on the seat. Have you ever installed a seat before? Read the manual carefully, and for your vehicle as well, particularly the sections about car seats and air bags.

If you're installing in the middle your car allows you to 'borrow' the lower anchors (UAS, also called latch) from the outer two positions (most cars don't - yours does). Graco also allows you to do that but Chicco does not. You will be doing a seat belt install with the KeyFit if you choose the middle, and a seat belt OR a UAS install if you choose a Graco. In either outer seating position you can use either UAS or seat belt for any seat. The KeyFit has a lock-off in the base so you will use it to lock the seat belt - read the manual carefully for how to do this.

Here's a video of how to install with UAS (which actually is a KeyFit): [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Ro1QXE6Wo"]Infant seat with UAS - YouTube[/ame]

Here's a video of how to install with a seat belt using a locking retractor: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=573Sw82d14w"]Infant Seat with Seat Belt - YouTube[/ame] Note that if a base has a lock-off (SnugRide 35 and the KeyFit) you will NOT lock the belt like this, you will use the lock-off instead, but the routing and positioning is the same.

 

[Nerdypants]

Thank you so much!!! We scoped out my sister's Snugfit and we weren't totally sold, but maybe we'll give it another look. Does the Peg Perego allow for the latch borrowing?

I've installed a seat with latch before but not the seatbelt, so we'll give that a whirl. Thank you so much for the information!!

 

[snowbird25ca]

The Keyfit available in Canada will connect with any stroller that is Keyfit 30 compatible. Our keyfit is only rated to 30lbs, but the base shell is the same as the Keyfit 30. (There are some modifications made to the seat overall for it to meet Canadian standards, but the shell itself will attach to anything listed as Keyfit 30 compatible.)

 

[Fallon]

As far as latch borrowing read your vehicle Manuel as well some cars don't allow it then if your car does read the carseat Manuel to see if the seat allows it and how far apart the latches can be.

 

[Pixelated]

Thank you so much!!! We scoped out my sister's Snugfit and we weren't totally sold, but maybe we'll give it another look. Does the Peg Perego allow for the latch borrowing?

I've installed a seat with latch before but not the seatbelt, so we'll give that a whirl. Thank you so much for the information!!

The SnugRide is not the same seat as the SnugRide 35 or the SnugRide 30 - I so wish they'd use different names! The basic SnugRide isn't one I'd suggest though -- doesn't fit small newborns, lower height and weight limits.

Peg Perego does not allow centre UAS borrowing, so seat belt install would be needed for it in the centre.

 

[canadiangie]

The Keyfit available in Canada will connect with any stroller that is Keyfit 30 compatible. Our keyfit is only rated to 30lbs, but the base shell is the same as the Keyfit 30. (There are some modifications made to the seat overall for it to meet Canadian standards, but the shell itself will attach to anything listed as Keyfit 30 compatible.)

I believe Trudy means our Canadian KeyFit is rated to 22 pounds.

 

[Nerdypants]

Ok! We tried out a whole bunch. We didn't like the LATCH install on the Snugride 35 so it seems silly to get it when we don't like the one feature it has over the others - it's so much heavier and seems wider, too.

We liked the Chicco and the lighter weight is a definite appeal. I was bummed to learn that the Magic is online-only - I like the idea of the bigger canopy, as I was underwhelmed by the regular Keyfit's canopy. Is the Magic otherwise pretty much the same? The seatbelt install was super straightforward so I'm not too upset about not being able to use LATCH. (I suspect we will appreciate that more when we get to a convertible, right?)

The one feature we really liked on the Peg Perego was the non-rethread harness, but I'm not sure it's enough to be worth the extra weight.

Thank you all so much for helping out a clueless newbie!