Specific/Important Carseat Q

tootsscott

So with twins on the way, carseats have become a hot topic in our house. My husband and I make a very modest income - my husband drives a Kia Rio and I drive a Corolla, and need to fit TWO carseats in our cars. 

We have friends who drive a 2010 Civic and with ONE carseat had to have their passenger seat pushed all the way up to accomodate the space of the carseat. With two carseats, pushing our seats up is not an option, and neither is getting a new car.

 Does anybody have any experience with fitting their small car with one/two carseats without having to lose any front seat space? Thanks in advance!  

bellamatson

I have a Chevy cobalt coupe which we have to sell now because it doesn't hold a stroller in the trunk, and the same thing happens with car seats! We found a jeep patriot that we are buying this week, and they are really affordable and spacious.
Buying a new car isn't the answer for everyone, but I am sure there are different not as bulky car seats you could find!

Good luck , and congrats on twins

tootsscott

bellamatson:

I have a Chevy cobalt coupe which we have to sell now because it doesn't hold a stroller in the trunk, and the same thing happens with car seats! We found a jeep patriot that we are buying this week, and they are really affordable and spacious. Buying a new car isn't the answer for everyone, but I am sure there are different not as bulky car seats you could find! Good luck , and congrats on twins

 

Thanks! Your car now doesn't hold ANY stroller in the back? I am obsessed with the Contours Options LT Tandem stroller, and it folds down to be REALLY compact. A friend of mine drives a Patriot and they are quite roomy.. I'm sure we'll do more research, but maybe we can find SOMETHING affordable and big enough..

 

 

Jackapatamus

My girlfriend ran into this problem when she was pregnant with twins.  Se had all of her girlfriends bring their rear facing car seats over to her house to "test" them!  In the end, nothing worked in her car, and she had to buy a mini van.  (Her husband is quite tall, so one seat was pushed back further than the other).  It's all about the curve of the front seat, and how far back you need to push your seat!  Good luck!  

yogi1012

This isn't what you want to hear, but yes, you will need a bigger car if you are 5'7 or over. My husband has a civic and with an infant car seat, it needs to be behind the passenger who then has no room to recline. The same happened with our RAV4, since it is about the size of a Carolla inside. I now drive a highlander. : We will never go out in DH's car as a fam. I think he needs to get a new car soon, but i just got mine!
Kids cost !

thelittlepear

Our friends had a Volkswagen golf, which is smaller inside, and this was the only seat that fit comfortably for them... I agree with pp's though - you'll likely just have to try a bunch, and see what works! Friends with seats? Or a store in your area that lets you try seats in our car? 

 https://www.pegperegocanada.com/babyproducts-catalog/2011/Primo+Viaggio+SIP+Car+Seat

thelittlepear

thelittlepear:

Our friends had a Volkswagen golf, which is smaller inside, and this was the only seat that fit comfortably for them... I agree with pp's though - you'll likely just have to try a bunch, and see what works! Friends with seats? Or a store in your area that lets you try seats in our car? 

 https://www.pegperegocanada.com/babyproducts-catalog/2011/Primo+Viaggio+SIP+Car+Seat

 

ugh, can't link on iPad... I will fix from my computer! 

audrinia

I have to put mine in the center of my car. If you go to a place that has good customer service they will tell you the best seat for your small car. Many places will let you 'try" the seat in your car before you buy/register. I wanted a britax but was told that it wouldn't fit in the car I had at the time (pontiac sunfire). I ended up buying a Chicco, but we are in a britax convertible now and it's a beast.

WinsyWade

I believe you could probably do two Radians.  They are expensive but less than buying a minivan   They are slim and fit better in tight spaces from what I've read/heard. They are convertible carseats, not the infant bucket you can carry with you though.  The weight limit starts at 5 pounds so they will work for your newborns. 

Because of the cost, I'd just get two and keep them in the car that the babies will be in the most.  

 https://www.albeebaby.com/diono-radian-r100-convertible-car-seat-shadow.html?utm_source=nextag&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=nextag&utm_content=16620

Lena122

You might want to go straight to a convertible carseat if getting a new car isn't an option. You can find ones made for small cars and will hold a baby as little as 4 pounds.

tootsscott

Thanks everybody for your feedback! 

litzo27

Congrats on the twins! I don't have advice but there are forums on carseats.org which have tons of measurements of seats and different car models discussions.

litzo27

Stupid mobile eating punctuation.
Car dash seats.org

sept9107bride

We also just bought two radians one with the angle adjuster due to rf. We need to fit three carseats in a ford edge and this was the only way possible. I second pp... The radians were expensive but much cheaper than a new car!

halfthetree

bellamatson:

I have a Chevy cobalt coupe which we have to sell now because it doesn't hold a stroller in the trunk, and the same thing happens with car seats! We found a jeep patriot that we are buying this week, and they are really affordable and spacious.
Buying a new car isn't the answer for everyone, but I am sure there are different not as bulky car seats you could find!

Good luck , and congrats on twins

I had a cobalt too and had to switch to my Escape because of the stupid trunk lol
But Britax carseats are small, and lightweight and very safe, I would check them out!

cyndilouwho77

OMG I never even thought about the fact that the car seat may not fit in my car! I drive a Chevy HHR and frankly I do not think my whole family is going to fit in it anyways, but there is no way for me to buy a new car.  I think I will need to do what someone else suggested, have someone bring their car seat over so that I can try it out...I might do that at the dance studio where I can try to fit my two kids in as well.....

biblionerd

Unfortunately, if you're tall I really think you're going to have a problem. We have a ford focus (for now) and had a chicco keyfit and britax marathon in at the same time. I am 5' and am obviously fine, but dh is 6'1" and it is very hard for him to drive. The seats do NOT have to be pushed all the way forward, but there is very little leg room left. The radians are recommended for small cars, but only because generally they are narrow. Your problem isn't going to be seat width, but front to back room. We got the britax marathon because it is a bit shorter and is good in cars with limited leg room. Obviously with the 3rd we are upgrading...

July1215

Honestly, we have a Ford Explorer and when DD was in an infant car seat, we had to push the front passenger seat up as far as it would go to fit. I thought it was insane and wondered what people with smaller cars do. There must be options. I would measure the space see what you have to work with.