New car shopping. Looking for some infant car seat advice, please

[sarahsparks]

We are getting ready to trade in my 11-yr-old Honda coupe for a new(/er) 4-door model. I've also read that the safest place to install our rear-facing infant car seat (KeyFit 30) is the middle seat in the back.

My questions are:

1. Where do/did you install your infant seat?

2. Does anyone have any experience and/or opinions regarding car seats in a (2014) Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, or Subaru Impreza/ Crosstrek (probably recent, but used)? For instance, did they fit okay without compromising the passenger up front?

Note: I have checked out the Kicking Tires website for car seat reviews, but they aren't real-world, everyday tested and are sometimes not very clear.

I appreciate any feedback the BfB community can offer.

 

[magieden]

@sarahsparks I suggest a PM to /@danman02. She's a certified car seat tech. And very very nice.

Have you checked out carseat.org?

I would also bring the seat to a test drive to check.

Also run a search through baby bumps and beyond the bump for keyfit30.

I had one and a very very small older rav4. The car seat could not fit in the middle unless the drivers seat was pushed very forward. And I'm 5'2" and it was still too uncomfortable. I had to put the seat behind the passenger seat effectively losing the front passenger seat because it needed to be moved forward.

 

[deus_ex_machina]

@sarahsparks We had the Keyfit in the middle seat, and we've now upgraded to the Maxi Cosi Pria 70 (in the center still).

I had a 10 year old Honda Civic and traded it in for a Subaru Outback. I LOVE it. My mom has a Crosstrek and she loves it too. Do you live somewhere where you get winter weather? If you do, you can't beat a Sub.

 

[spiritledson]

@sarahsparks I have a ford Taurus so I can't comment on the model, but I do have a graco 30# infant seat, and we do keep it in the center seat for safety reasons.

Edit: plenty of room for both front seats for tall parents, and we fit a full back booster on one side, and a teenager on the other. We use every inch of the car for our family of 5…

 

[samamph]

@sarahsparks Good timing, we're in the same boat. We have a 2007 Honda CRV and a 2013 Subaru Impreza wagon. The keyfit 35 fits great in both, though a bit tight in the Impreza. We have them in the middle (safest place) rear facing. BUT...

I am now getting ready to try using our convertible car seat, the Evenflo Symphony DLX 65. It's an extremely well reviewed, awesome seat that will grow with the kid, and eventually be just a booster seat in a few years. With that in mind...it's a big bloody seat. It doesn't fit remotely in the Subaru, though it does in the CRV.

We also tried it in the Mazda 3 and Honda Fit, and it didn't fit in either of those as well. Again though, the keyfit 35 does fine in both. So, instead of purchasing a better car to fit the convertible car seat, I think we're going to trade it in.

Cheers,

Ian

 

[thatrangakid]

@sarahsparks Make sure to check the vehicles's user manual before installing your car seat. My Volvo wagon, for instance, does not recommend a center install. I was shocked. I had my mind made up on the center being the safest.

 

[katrina2017]

@thatrangakid Does your Volvo's wagon have movable arm rests on the front seats, by any chance? I took a car seat safety class and the instructor mentioned that most manufacturers that install those will recommend you not use the center for your child seat because the arm rest can strike the seat.