Which seat for small car?

elliemoo

Below I have several Convertible seats that all seem small enough for my '04 Pontiac vibe.I was just wondering if anybody else with a compact has used any of these and if so your thoughts. I went for a few different price ranges as well.

Combi Coccoro- https://www.amazon.com/Combi-Compact-Convertible-Forward-Toddler/dp/B01KMMRBXO/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=combi&qid=1596996394&s=baby-products&sr=1-1

Graco slimfit-https://www.amazon.com/Graco-SlimFit-Convertible-Seat-Annabelle/dp/B01MTM3IVQ/ref=lp_166835011_1_14_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1596904436&sr=1-14

Cosco Mightyfit- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ETUBQZ4/ref=twister_B01HEJP0JK?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Chicco Fit4- https://www.amazon.com/Chicco-Convertible-Easiest-Infant-Booster/dp/B07ZSY7JS8/ref=sr_1_248?dchild=1&qid=1596904867&s=baby-products&sr=1-248&th=1

**Diono seats are not included in this list because I hope to use a convertible seat from the beginning and these simply have a little more padding to them than the diono. **

crizz13

No experience with any of those seats or with the car you have. I will say, you should probably be ok as long as you are planning a center seat install. If you're on facebook, Car Seats for the Littles is a group that is full of CPSTs (car seat safety techs) who have LOADS of experience with seats and different cars and you may get a more specific answer there. Good luck!

lurvleybunchococonuts

My biggest advise would to suggest you let your fingers wander on Google.  There are a lot of good resources like the carseatlady and a lot of random mommy blogs with info regarding carseats in specific cars or styles of cars.  We currently have a cosco mightyfit for DD and it works well in my '02 Impala if that's any help.  We used a Britax B-safe until she was just about one though.  I don't think I would have felt like she was secure in the mightyfit as a NB/infant. 

I was pretty keen on the idea of skipping the infant seat altogether too before DD was born, but it ended up being very convenient for us to have an infant seat and we plan on using infant seats with the twins and then switching them to convertible seats.  Probably my #1 reason it was more convenient - knowing baby is secure while carrying to/from the car for daycare, dr appts, or the grocery store, esp with living in WI and slick/icy/snow in winter.  It was more convenient to pop the seat in and out of the car/switch between cars.  My FIL used to drop DD off at daycare and then either myself or MH would pick her up, so instead of each of us needing our own carseat (or having to reinstall a heavy/bulky convertible seat over and over) we each had a base in our cars that the seat clicked into.  It helped give me peace of mind knowing she was safe, sound, and warm in her own little space especially when I was out and about doing things on my own with her.  

elliemoo

@lurvleybunchococonuts We have a brand new (Used twice to bring my nephew home from hospital and then a second time to take him home when he had emergency surgery at a month old because the hospital claimed unless the carseat was an infant bucket seat, They wouldnt let him leave.) infant seat- Hence why i'm not concerned about that- If i decide to use it We have it and my sister is willing to give it to me since it has 4-5 more good years based off of expiration date. Legitimately wasnt even used enough to need cleaned in any way as she had the Graco Extend2fit (LARGE seat) and his Pediatrician Okayed it both times.

Def gonna check out the groups and such though- I never thought of that!  My sister warned me about Carseats for the littles though, She said they can be a little...Rough.. and tend to grab at any reason to tear somebody down- She didnt personally experience it but she saw alot of that back when she was in the group (My nephew was 45 pounds and 39 inches tall at 18 months so she joined for advice on that but saw lots of people be insulted for things as mild as using a seat protector under their carseat or generally small things that realistically are NOT going to do anything. With that being said I will be going to the fire station by my house to have my seat and such installed and checked BEFORE baby is born given i;m able, If not I will have my mother do it for me. They have a Carseat tech on hand and i;d feel better about having them install and such vs. just taking advice on install and use from a website or facebook page where everybody knows it all, If that makes sense?

crizz13

@elliemoo I would definitely have a professional look at it in person, but I'm going to just say that putting seat protectors or head positioners, or improper clip placement are not small things. 59% of people in the US install their car seats incorrectly and my guess is that the vast majority of those people have no clue that what they're doing could harm their kids. 

ETA - Every time I've been in that group, people respectfully point out what is wrong with the installation or picture or whatever, if there's something that needs to be corrected. It's all about education and informing parents. 

bserena

@crizz13 waitttttt seat protectors are a no?? I had no idea! I had planned on buying one, I had never heard they weren't safe 😬

mia80

What are seat protectors???

... I have so much to learn... 

crizz13

@mia80 They go underneath the car seat to protect the leather or whatever fabric the seat of your car is made out of. 

@bserena Anything that is sold "after market" and not by the actual company that also produced your car seat is not recommended for use because they haven't been through the safety testing. We have used Britax seat protectors with our Britax seats before and that's fine to do, but only because Britax has done the safety testing for their seats with those specific protectors. 

ETA - this is a good (quick) read for after market products. https://csftl.org/non-regulated-products/

crizz13

bserena

@crizz13 thank you so much for sharing that! I had no idea and will definitely be doing more research going forward. Its crazy the things I didnt even realize were important!

mia80

@crizz13 Thank you so much!!!

Car seats are so confusing... I don't understand how you're supposed to kepp baby warm in winter!!! 

crizz13

@mia80 My girls (November and January babies) kept warm with a hat, a blanket over their little selves after they were buckles and a "shower cap" type covers for car seats which doesn't interfere with any of the car seat's safety features where we live in New England. https://www.amazon.com/JJ-Cole-Weather-Resistant-Protect/dp/B077C2GL53

lurvleybunchococonuts

@mia80 @crizz13 +1 for the car seat cover in winter time! Also blankies and hats! 😍 

@crizz13 +1 to all you said about proper clip placement/installation/not using after market add-ons/etc and how many people are not properly educated/ill informed about it!! Good to know about the seat protectors too! Never would have guessed those wouldn't be okay. @elliemoo you gotta remember in those groups it's about educating one another and not being too proud or defensive when someone corrects you/informs you something is unsafe. It's not about shaming or tearing someone down, it's about bringing attention to things that are unsafe because the last thing anyone wants to see is for a LO to get hurt. Unfortunately a lot of people react defensively vs from an "I want to learn" standpoint and that's when it can get or appear "rough".