Car seats got so BIG!?!

2ndGeneration · May 2014

Goodness. Dh and I looked a bit at carseats at Walmart last night. We're due in Nov. Our other kids are ages 21-10, so we haven't bought carseats in forever-the last baby bucket I got, I got in 1996! (yes it is long gone). I also, after driving my beloved minivans for 15 years, got a 2007 Jeep Patriot suv last year.

WOW the seats and bases got so HUGE! I don't remember them being so wide and long. And the convertible seats-do they even fit in the door???

I was shocked. Are there narrower seats? What brands? Anyone with a Patriot or similar with suggestions? I'd like to seat my teens/tween in the other two seat belts back there.

evanzmom11 · May 2014

Convertible seats actually fit better than bucket seats because they're more upright. They do look huge but once you get them installed they aren't really. Theyre are a few brands that are bigger than others...Here is a link to the different bucket seats that are recommended and a great resource for finding a smaller seat. https://csftl.org/battle-of-the-infant-seats/
The smallest front to back carseat is the Cybex Aton
Second smallest are Britax B safe and Chicco Keyfit.

kmc84 · May 2014

Ditto everything the pp just said! If you don't mind the suggestion, can I recommend that you join Car Seats for the Littles (on Facebook)? Since it has been a while since your last baby, it's a great place to learn about all the new recommendations. A LOT has changed since you bought your last bucket seat

Congratulations!

2ndGeneration · May 2014

Yes, a lot sure has changed! The Jeep is the first car Ive had that has latch and tether points. Thank you both for the info, and I will join the group!

LyndseylovesHugh · May 2014

I have a VW Tiguan, which is probably about the same size as your Jeep. I thought for sure it would be hard to find a car seat to fit but honestly they all have. They are big, but not as big as they seem when they are out of the car. We have a Graco Snugride 35, which is a bigger seat, and my 6"1' husband can still fit in the front seat comfortably with it behind him. And ditto what others said about the convertible seat, we have more room behind our seats with the convertible installed than we did with the infant. In addition to the FB group, I would go to Babies R Us or Bye Bye Baby and try the seats out in your car, they will let you bring the floor models out to see how they fit.

LittleApple · May 2014

Car seat have changed a lot over the past 15-20 years. They are safer and have more features both for safety and ease of use.

I also suggest you join the FB group Car Seats for the Littles. They have a ton of links and documents with updated info on all things car seats.

LittleFish1 · May 2014

LyndseylovesHugh said:
I have a VW Tiguan, which is probably about the same size as your Jeep. I thought for sure it would be hard to find a car seat to fit but honestly they all have. They are big, but not as big as they seem when they are out of the car. We have a Graco Snugride 35, which is a bigger seat, and my 6"1' husband can still fit in the front seat comfortably with it behind him. And ditto what others said about the convertible seat, we have more room behind our seats with the convertible installed than we did with the infant. In addition to the FB group, I would go to Babies R Us or Bye Bye Baby and try the seats out in your car, they will let you bring the floor models out to see how they fit.

Have same vechicle, had same seat as well with tall DH. The new click connect version of the seat has a slightly smaller base than the classic connect version. You can always skip the bucket & go straight to a convertible seat. As others said, CSFTL is a fantastic resource. (oh and I giggled with your post because mt daughters infant bucket seat from 2 years ago seems soo much bigger than the seats I saw at the store the other day.

Angela814 · May 2014

LyndseylovesHugh said:

I have a VW Tiguan, which is probably about the same size as your Jeep. I thought for sure it would be hard to find a car seat to fit but honestly they all have. They are big, but not as big as they seem when they are out of the car. We have a Graco Snugride 35, which is a bigger seat, and my 6"1' husband can still fit in the front seat comfortably with it behind him. And ditto what others said about the convertible seat, we have more room behind our seats with the convertible installed than we did with the infant. In addition to the FB group, I would go to Babies R Us or Bye Bye Baby and try the seats out in your car, they will let you bring the floor models out to see how they fit.

I'm surprised. My DH is 6'3", and we can't fit any rear facing seat (infant or convertible) behind him. We have a VW Routan (minivan) and a Acura MDX. We just put our rear facing seats behind the passenger (since I'm only 5'4") or in the middle.

We had one of the narrowest infant seats with DD3. We just moved her out of the Safety 1st OnBoard Air 35. I really liked this seat, much better than the Graco Snugride we had with DD1 and DD2.

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Car seats got so BIG!?!

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