Best Rear Facing Seat for a Ford Fiesta?

[LivingSky]

Hi all,

I'm looking for car seat recommendations! We're 16 weeks along with our first child (due end of July) and are trying to figure out what car seat will work best for us. At first I though we wanted a convertable seat, and while that would be nice just for longevity sake, I'm now convinced that what really matters is a rear facing seat that will last us the longest (ie highest weight capacity).

The primary vehicle that baby will travel in is our new Ford Fiesta hatchback. The back seat is a pretty tight fit. Our other primary vehicle is a Mazda 3 hatchback, so it doesn't have much more room in the back seat, so size is a big concern. I'm not worried about portability as (hopefully) I'll be babywearing rather than lugging around a car seat.

Can anyone recommend some good seats for us? We're in Canada if that helps, but it wouldn't be out of the question for my parents to grab a car seat from the USA and bring it up for us if the brand isn't available here.

[DahliaRW]

You can't use a US seat in Canada, it's not legal.

Do you have the true fit up there?  For a small backseat, a newborn, and longevity I think that's your best bet.  The downside is that it only has a 35lb rfing weight limit.  But the headrest comes off when baby is small, so it takes up less room front to back.

You could also look at the graco myride.  Rf's to 40lbs, but has a shorter shell.

[Mama Metis]

Hey there LivingSky. I am in the of process of doing the same research for my July babe (we also have a compact car) so I thought I'd share what I've found so far. I don't know what brands you have in Canada, but these are names I've found that are supposed to be good car seats for tiny backseats: The Safety First Complete Air, the First Years True Fit, the Maxi Cosi Priori, and the Combi Corroco. We are leaning toward the SF Complete Air because it RFs to 40 lbs (also our main priority). The downside is it doesn't fit a newborn well, but apparently that's true of many seats. So we'll start with an infant seat, even though we don't plan to use it as a carrier either - at least not routinely, anyway. The Combi Corroco would fit a newborn from birth, but only RFs to 33 lbs (but might still be worth considering if you are thinking of having a second baby who you could hand the Corroco down to.)

I'm very new to this though, so hopefully others will chime in!

[an_aurora]

Unfortunately the Coccoro is not available in Canada.

If you don't want to use an infant seat, the True Fit and MyRide would be my top picks for a newborn in a small car.  Both fit newborns well, and the True Fit has the removable headrest that makes it fit well in small backseats.  I started my 8lb1oz son in the True Fit and it worked very well for him.

[redvlagrl]

We have a Mazda3 sedan and it is definitely a challenge to find a seat that fits, esp in Canada

What we did with our second was a Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP. Although it only goes to 22lbs (I think) most kids will aparently max it out on height. We then bought the Britax Roundabout 55 when DS was 3 months.

FWIW, DD is in an Evenflo Triumph Advance which fits fine, RF and FF, especially when you RF at less on an gle than 45 degrees (which you can once the kids has good head control). You can also use this seat from birth as the slots are very low and easy to adjust.

given that you're somehwere cold, I would def consider the infant seat (bucket) because it's easier to layer blankets on top of the bucket/kid and tote them out to the car. Otherwise, you're really supposed to take the snowsuit off when you put them in the seat which is difficult to do in a small car, plus if it's very cold it is undesirable. There are quite a few threads on this.

[Mama Metis]

Originally Posted by redvlagrl 

given that you're somehwere cold, I would def consider the infant seat (bucket) because it's easier to layer blankets on top of the bucket/kid and tote them out to the car. Otherwise, you're really supposed to take the snowsuit off when you put them in the seat which is difficult to do in a small car, plus if it's very cold it is undesirable. There are quite a few threads on this.

Good point. This was not on my radar since LivingSky and I are both having July babies, but they would still fit in infant seats for the duration of the following winter. (I also live in a cold climate.)