Looking for Car Seat Recommendation

bumpuser9353653 · August 2013

Anyone have a Jeep Liberty? Ours is an '04 and we are having a hard time figuring out which convertible car seat to get. We have a Safety First Alpha-Omega Elite in our CX-9, but it's too tall for the Jeep; the front seat becomes useless. Definitely looking for something more compact (front-to-back) for the Jeep's narrow back seat.

Help! Thanks!!

ebp913 · August 2013

What are your rear facing goals and how big is your LO? height/weight/clothes size?

bumpuser9353653 · August 2013

ebp913 said:

What are your rear facing goals and how big is your LO? height/weight/clothes size?

Sorry, guess I should have specified. LO is 15 months (in the 10-20th percentile) and we plan on keeping her rear-facing until she's 2. So she'll be rear-facing until next June.

Mustardseed2007 · August 2013

We got a maxi-cosi pria 70 recently and I really love it. It fits easily in my corolla so I think it should fit in your jeep.

mypeanut22 · August 2013

Have you looked at the chicco nextfit? I have a Chevy equinox and it fits great in there. It was expensive, but since that's our main seat and all the reviews were great we bought it and love it!!!

Katie829 · August 2013

What's your price range? Is it a main car seat or is the back up?

alake · August 2013

My SIL had one. She had a britax Marathon RF in it. You could also do a round about 55 in there. The 55 is a lesser expensive seat.

ebp913 · August 2013

Since your LO is small you have a lot more seat options that will last you awhile. Britax, Chicco Nextfit, Peg Perego convertible. What is your budget?

Nel11 · August 2013

We also have a Britax Marathon G-3 and I think it would fit well RF in your vehicle, although I don't have a Jeep. Plus, since your LO is short, it (and probably almost any convertible) will easily get your kid to 2 RF.

smileybabyboy · August 2013

Britax are short (front to back) which might work in your car. Britax are known for their lack of leg room because they are short but it sounds like what you might need.

bumpuser9353653 · August 2013

Thanks for all of the suggestions, ladies! Price range is under $200. The Jeep is our "weekender" vehicle. We have a CX-9 for daily transport.

I was looking at the Britax, and told DH that TRU would let us "try out" a seat before buying it... but before I could even finish looking online, he had found an inexpensive Cosco model that got really good safety reviews. It only goes to 40lbs forward facing (which is only 5lbs more than the infant seat she's in now), but he thinks she'll be ready for a booster at that point, so he just bought it. ugh! (sorry getting into a rant, here) At least the Safety 1st in the Mazda has a higher rating for forward facing.

Is it wrong of me to secretly hope it doesn't fit so we have to return it?

O:-)

smileybabyboy · August 2013

That's ok. All car seats have to meet the FAA requirements so just because a Britax is more expensive doesn't mean it's safer. Is it the Cosco Apt? That one is a highly recommended seat on Car Seats for the Littles on facebook for those on a budget.

bumpuser9353653 · August 2013

smileybabyboy said:

That's ok. All car seats have to meet the FAA requirements so just because a Britax is more expensive doesn't mean it's safer. Is it the Cosco Apt? That one is a highly recommended seat on Car Seats for the Littles on facebook for those on a budget.

No, it's the Cosco Scenera. I'm sure it's safe; it just bothers me that he bought it without knowing whether it's actually going to fit, and the fact that it only holds up to 40lbs FF.

alake · August 2013

a Scerena has a limited height for rear facing, and it doesn't have much for forward facing. It isn't recommended to booster until at least five. My oldest, who will be 8 at Christmas, has asked me to booster. We had talked about a year ago, about if she wanted to go into a booster or not. I was told, no she liked her racer seat. She spent the summer in a high back booster, and as of Tuesday, is wanting to booster full time. We are getting her a better quality booster to ride in full time.
Don't get me wrong, I have had and used this car seat. I liked it when I had it, but it does have limits as do all car seats.

smileybabyboy · August 2013

Oh wow, that seat isn't going to last long at all. 40 pounds is usually the maximum weight for rear facing. A lot of the recommended seats last up to 70 pounds forward facing. Graco Mysize, Size 4 Me and the Headwise are all great and woujld last you a long time.

ASmallWonder · August 2013

That seat is safe and fine and all but she'll need to be in a forward facing convertible or harnessed booster for YEARS so you're better off investing in a high weight (rear facing) convertible that she can use forward facing for a long time. There are many that will forward face to 65 pounds. By that point she'd likely be ready for an inexpensive booster. IMO, spend more money now and save buying the cheap seat for later. Also, FWIW, the Scenera is often though to be a pain in the ass to install rear facing. (I have it and it's very frustrating).

bumpuser9353653 · August 2013

Thanks for the advice, all! The Scenera just came today so we'll see if it fits this weekend. I'm kind of hoping it doesn't fit and then we can explore other options. I have a feeling, either way, that we will end up buying another seat sooner than DH thinks.

sunnyday016 · August 2013

If you want an inexpensive option, the Cosco Apt will last a LOT longer than the Scenera. I don't think either one will get your LO to a safe boostering age though (5-6 years old).

mellymac · September 2013

I've installed a Scenera in the backseat of a Mini Cooper, rear facing without rendering the front seat useless, I think it would fit in a Jeep for sure, regardless of the height of the seat, etc. After 12 months she doens't need to be at a 45 degree recline either. I'm attempting the Marathon -65 (Canada) in the Mini this week and I'm pretty sure it will fit fine as well

bumpuser9353653 · September 2013

Thanks all. The Scenera fits pretty well in the Jeep and the front seat is actually at a more comfortable spot than it was with the infant seat. DD seems comfy in it, so we'll be sticking with it. We'll just re-evalute when she starts to push the weight limit as to what booster/car seat she'll need next. Thanks again for the suggestions!

kalette · September 2013

We got the Maxi Cosi Pria 70 as well and love it! It is so comfortable for DD, fits great in our 2007 Impala and from my research, appears to be very safe. It does RF to 40 pounds, and FF to 70.

sunnyday016 · September 2013

RugbyMamma said:

Thanks all. The Scenera fits pretty well in the Jeep and the front seat is actually at a more comfortable spot than it was with the infant seat. DD seems comfy in it, so we'll be sticking with it. We'll just re-evalute when she starts to push the weight limit as to what booster/car seat she'll need next. Thanks again for the suggestions!

Since your LO is small, you will get a lot of use out of it in both RF and FF mode. My DD was about the same size and she used it RF until almost 3 and FF until almost 4.

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