2 rear facing car seats?

niknak7 · September 2011

DD will be 17 months when this baby is born and we are currently looking for a convertible car seat for her (we are temporarily using a Scenara which will turn into the backup seat). The problem is both my husband and I are tall and right now with DD's seat behind the passenger side, it is super uncomfortable and we would be unable to drive if we put it in the middle or behind the drivers side. But with this baby on the way, one seat will have to be behind the drivers side. I feel like the only option will be to forward face DD to keep the entire family safe. But I would like to rear face a bit longer. We have a Camry so it isn't a super small car. Does anyone have suggestions or found something that works in a similar situation? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Valerie120408 · September 2011

DH had a similar concern. We used an infant seat for about a year and then I asked DH to install the convertable seat RF and just try sitting in the driver's seat to see if he would be uncomfortable - and he was fine, it wasn't as bad as he thought at all. So now both kids are RF. But if you test it an it doesn't work for your family (we are not very tall), then I would just switch your older LO to be FF. (oh, we have Britax Marathon seats)

niknak7 · September 2011

We did try it and he is unable to turn the steering wheel at all because his legs are squished on both sides of it. I think you are right, I think we'll just have to go FF.

ShannonSky · September 2011

We have a Camry and we have DD1 behind the driver's side RF in a First Years True Fit and DD2 in a Graco Snugride behind the passenger's side. We're both short (DH is 5'6"), so we don't really have to have the seat fully back or anything, but it fits. The car seat does touch the back of the driver's seat (we were told that it's OK by the installer at the police station, though the opinions seem to differ online).

macchiatto · September 2011

We have two RFing car seats in our Kia Rondo and before that we had two RFing in our Chrysler 300M--pretty similar in size to a Camry. We have the First Years TrueFit seats. One thing that helps (you may know this) is that older babies and toddlers don't need to be at the full 45-degree angle when RFing. When DH first tried to install our TrueFits at the 45 degree angle it was hard to get them to fit but when he tipped them forward a bit more, they were fine. I forget the minimum age for this but I want to say 6m; they need to be able to hold their heads up well. So if I were you I'd use a Snugride or similar for your next baby until they are old enough for the shallower angle.

maramarrie · September 2011

I have two RF seats in a Honda Pilot, which might be more spacious. One is in the center and the other behind the driver. DH isn't able to put the seat all the way back to drive, but he can still comfortably drive the way we have it set up. I got a lot of info from The Car Seat Lady (she's on FB and has a website). You can contact her directly and speak with her on the phone for ideas on how to make it work, find the seats that will fit best in your car with your situation, and where to install the seats in the car, among other things. She suggested we keep the toddler RF in the center and put the baby on the side. A RF child is automatically 5x safer than a FF child, so when you eventually turn the toddler FF you will want them in the safest position. In our car this was the center, where we do have LATCH anchors, so we put his seat RF in the center, and that's where he will stay whenever he does eventually FF.

Check out the Car Seat Lady and see what she suggests.

niknak7 · September 2011

Thanks for all the suggestions. I had no idea the carseat didn't need to be left at 45 degrees. I think if we put DD's seat in the middle and not at the 45 degree angle, DH might be able to drive okay and then put the infant seat behind the passenger side. I will also check out the Car Seat Lady. Thanks!

maramarrie · September 2011

niknak7:
Thanks for all the suggestions. I had no idea the carseat didn't need to be left at 45 degrees. I think if we put DD's seat in the middle and not at the 45 degree angle, DH might be able to drive okay and then put the infant seat behind the passenger side. I will also check out the Car Seat Lady. Thanks!

The CSL will help you with the angles, but even RF, the seat needs to be between 30 and 45 degrees. It can be at the higher angle for a TODDLER, but not an infant. Also, you need to still follow the instructions for your particular car seat. For instance, if it requires you to use it in the "reclined" base position, you will still need to set the base this way, but you may be able to still adjust the overall angle with how you place it in the car (towels, pool noodle, etc. to achieve the angle).

TempNewSN · September 2011

I'd suggest going to BRU and testing the seats out, if you haven't done so already. I tested like 4 different seats before I bought LO#1's convertible carseat. Personally, I plan on keeping both LOs RF as long as they meet the weight and height requirements for the seat, and they definitely must be older than 2 before I'd even consider going FF.

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2 rear facing car seats?

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