infant car seat for tiny car?

[HannahJ]

Hi there,

We have a very small car. I am pregnant now and looking for our first carseat for a newborn.   Most carseats will not fit in the car well, and I'd rather not have to scoot the front passenger seat forward to make room for the carseat behind it.  I really want the seat in the middle backseat, without having to inch either front seat forward.  Does anyone have any recommendations?  I've heard that the combi cocorro is a good choice.  And that may well be what we decide on, but I just thought I'd see if there are any other options out there so that I have a few to compare.

Our main priority is the fit (because ultimately that will be the safest).  Second priority is ease of use- i've heard some are really difficult to use.  Third priority is the comfort for the baby.  I'm less concerned with the price or with how long it will last us as far as weight it will go up to.  It also doesn't have to be a detachable infant carrier. We're fine with leaving it in the car all the time.

Thanks so much in advance, for any help!

Edited by HannahJ - 7/7/11 at 9:48pm

[Monarchgrrl]

I'm not a big help or expert like most on this forum, but we have the exact same car. We bought a Graco Snugride for an infant seat. It was the most compatible one I could find. We do have to inch the passenger seat forward a bit. I'm a big girl and I still have plenty of room for my legs, so it's not like we have to move the seat WAY forward, but it's forward a bit more than I like. We tried the seat in the middle, but the seatbelt doesn't lock and seems weird, plus we realized we'd have to move BOTH seats forward a bit. I'm going to sub to this thread in case others have better ideas for you (and us!).

Good luck!

[an_aurora]

If you want an infant seat, the Chicco Keyfit22 is small and lightweight.  The 30 lb version is taller and longer.  

The Coccoro is tiny and would likely fit very well.  It's outgrown sooner than most other convertibles, but it should last you at least two years rear-facing, at which point you can reconsider seats.  The First Years True Fit is also a great convertible that fits in small cars since the headrest comes off for infants, and by the time the child needs the headrest back on (22 lbs or the head an inch from the top of the seat), the seat can be more upright which takes up less room.  

[sewaneecook]

We have a Corolla and a TrueFit works well.  We do have to move the front passenger seat up a bit, but not uncomfortably so (but I found this to be true with ANY car seat I looked at).  DS2 is 21 months and now needs the head rest, but it still fits in a more upright position.  I think Target carries them if you wanted to try it in your car to see how it fits (BRU did NOT carry it).

[DomerJen]

I have a 2 door focus, and we have a true fit.  We do have to push the seat up some, but I think that's pretty standard.  Honestly I'd be surprised if you could find a seat that didn't require some sacrifice in the front of your car. 

I'm 5'3" and DH is 5'9" - he can still sit in the passenger side and we have the head rest on the true fit now for DS (still rear facing).

[HannahJ]

Thanks so much for all of the replies.  This has been so helpful.  I'm leaning towards the combi cocorro, and will update once I try it out in the car.  Does anyone happen to have an idea of how long we could rear-face with the combi?  just wondering what to expect. we'll want to as long as possible, so I realize I should be thinking ahead for that.  what a great resource this forum is!

[TheGirls]

The Cocorro has a very short shell, so it likely won't last as long as other seats RF. If you have a short child or one with a short torso it might last you until they are 3.  My DD is tall with a long torso and would have outgrown it well before her 2nd birthday.  I'd guess 18mo.  She outgrew the Scenera before she turned 2, and it is (slightly) taller.  At 3 years old, the only seats that she still fits in RF  are the Complete Air and the Radian.  She'd still fit the TrueFit by height, but weighs 35lbs now.  You will definitely need another harnessed seat to get to a boosterable size, I'd think.  I personally would need another convertible, because my kids are tall, and I'm not comfortable with FF a kid under 2. 

If you want to buy a seat to maximize your RF time, the CA and the Radian are your best shots, but you will probably have to "inch" forward your seats (maybe a lot) to make room for them, especially in the newborn phase when it needs to be very reclined.  Or get a TrueFit which has the removable headrest.  The CA that DD is in takes up very little front-to-back space because it is so upright.  But it would take up more room if she needed a 45 degree angle. 

Or you could do a Cocorro for the newborn phase and then get a bigger convertible for the more upright phase.  It is more pricey that way, but it depends on how important the front seat space is for you.

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by TheGirls 

The Cocorro has a very short shell, so it likely won't last as long as other seats RF. If you have a short child or one with a short torso it might last you until they are 3.  My DD is tall with a long torso and would have outgrown it well before her 2nd birthday.  I'd guess 18mo.  She outgrew the Scenera before she turned 2, and it is (slightly) taller.  At 3 years old, the only seats that she still fits in RF  are the Complete Air and the Radian.  She'd still fit the TrueFit by height, but weighs 35lbs now.  You will definitely need another harnessed seat to get to a boosterable size, I'd think.  I personally would need another convertible, because my kids are tall, and I'm not comfortable with FF a kid under 2. 

If you want to buy a seat to maximize your RF time, the CA and the Radian are your best shots, but you will probably have to "inch" forward your seats (maybe a lot) to make room for them, especially in the newborn phase when it needs to be very reclined.  Or get a TrueFit which has the removable headrest.  The CA that DD is in takes up very little front-to-back space because it is so upright.  But it would take up more room if she needed a 45 degree angle. 

Or you could do a Cocorro for the newborn phase and then get a bigger convertible for the more upright phase.  It is more pricey that way, but it depends on how important the front seat space is for you.

[DahliaRW]

Forum is being glitchy and isn't posting right.  What I wrote below the above quote was that a complete air won't fit a newborn.

[MacKinnon]

The Complete Air wont fit a newbie and the Radian is NOT a space saving seat. I think you have that trade off- if you want to save on space, you might have to buy two seats for rear-facing. We are going with a Coccoro for DH's Vibe, knowing that when DD outgrows it we might have a different car, or their might be other seats on the market, and she'll be able to be more upright. But a fully reclined RFing Radian was NOT an option. The one exception is the removable top portion on a True Fit. You get the smallness of a Coccoro, with the height of a Radian.

[DomerJen]

what about using an infant seat w/o the base?  when installed properly it's completely safe.  i think all but a few brands allow you to do this install.

[nstewart]

We have a Subaru (not a small car, but small back seats) and have a Peg Perego seat that we love.  The Chicco was the only other seat that would fit.  The Peg Perego can be installed without the base, which would buy you more room.  However, we've done that a few times and it was difficult to get DS in and out, and he also wasn't very comfortable (he was 5 mos at the time.)  Both seats will get you to 20lbs or 30 inches. DS is 9 mos and is now too big for it, and is in his Britax Boulevard (the ONLY seat we could find that fits our back seat RFing past 30 inches/20 lbs.

Also we are in Canada so you may have more options if you're in the US.

[SeattleRain]

We have a Subaru Impreza (compact car) and we had a Chicco KF 30 and it was great. We have a Coccoro now and it's also great. We definitely have more room with the Coccoro though.