A convertible with less "depth" ?

[RooRooDog]

Hi, there! I know there are some of you on this forum with fantastic carseat knowledge, so here is my question...

I have an 07 Jeep Patriot- a pretty small SUV. I am tall-ish, and right now with my daughter's Snugride in the middle of the backseat, I am almost in the steering wheel when I drive. At some point in the near future, she will be growing out of this, and will I need to buy a convertible.

I went to the store yesterday to take a look, and they all look so big! I mean, HUGE! Like, no way possible this will fit in my car! Can someone point me in the right direction of a safe, comfortable convertible for an average/ slightly-more-than-average sized baby that works well in a Patriot? I am not so concerned about the width of the carseat (but should I be?) as we are planning on a minivan whenever/ if ever another baby comes along, but need a seat with not too much "depth" so I can be comfortable, too

Thanks!

[mamadelbosque]

My evenflo triumph advance takes up less space than our babytrend flex loc did in the back seat (I drive an accord, and while the seat can't be quite all the way back, it comes pretty close - and certainly to a comfortable/safe distance for both me (5'6") and DH (6')

[Twinklefae]

Convertibles actually take up less room than a bucket seat, generally, because for an older child they can be much more upright. (Up to 30* for most seats, vs. the 45* a newborn needs)

I have a truefit rf'ing behind my tall husband with no problems in a Mazda Protege.

Some seats I would recommend:
The Cosco Scenera
The First Years/Learning Curve True Fit
The Graco MyRide 65
The Evenflo Triumph Advance
The Safety First Complete Air.

Your goal should be to keep your LO rf'ing as long as possible. (4 years is ideal, 2 years at a bare minimum) and the high shells and wight limits on these seats will help to make that possible.

All but the EFTA and the Scenera should get your LO to booster age, or very close to it. You will likely need to purchase another forward facing harnessed seat after either the EFTA or the Scenera, but that's a few years away.

[jeminijad]

They won't last as long as some of the seats Twinkle listed (tall kids may not make it to booster age,) and they are expensive, but Britax seats install well in smaller cars. My Marathon is behind me in a Mazda 3 and I am perfectly comfortable.

[trailblazerbarbie]

you might also look at the corocco

[chel]

I finally got my truefit, after being backordered for a month.

it just barely fits in my 97 civic. I'm 5'4" so my seat isn't that far back, and the carseat just barely touches the back of my seat (infant recline).
though the fit is much better than the evenflo bucket I had to borrow until the TF arrived. that I had to put behind the passanger side and push the seat so forward that it would be unsafe for anyone to sit there. that seat is so long that even in my Dh accord, the passanger seat has to be pushed more forward than I would prefer for myself.

[MCPM]

I'm working on this very same issue - the Coccoro looks fantastic for small cars (I have a Fit) though I haven't tried it. However, the flip side is that a kid could grow out of it fairly soon. Let's say it takes the kid to 2 years, then you can front face and it won't be such an issue, but you'll need a new seat!

[mrsfru]

The Coccorro isn't going to last very long rearfacing or forward facing.

All convertibles take up less space front to back than a SnugRide (or any other infant bucket), and older babies don't need a 45* angle to be safe, so even though the convertibles look huge, they will fit. Some will fit better than others. Those that are up high on a base (think Britax) sometimes work better in some cars than others, although, honestly I've never seen a Britax Marathon NOT fit in any vehicle. They install beautifully, too. That said, there are a few seats w/lower profiles that seem to allow a bit more room for the front passengers, like the Evenflo Triumph Advance, Learning Curve TrueFit, and Safety First Complete Air.

GL and hths

mrsfru