Convertible car seat in a WRX, suggestions?

Hey all,

I've been searching all over the web trying to do some research and I thought I would try the parents here. Maybe it's all of the burritos but my 7 month old has "fatted" out of his first car seat and I need to get a convertible one that can switch from rear-facing to front-facing. I like the Recaro models but don't know where to find one in Minnesota to try to test fit into my 02 WRX, and I didn't have the car with me when we went to Babies-R-Us this past weekend.

Do you have any suggestoins about convertible car seats (likes/dislikes) that I should consider?

Any help or product reviews would be much appreciated.

Here are the seats I am considering:
Recaro Como ($195.00):


BritaxDiplomat ($259.00):


Evenflo Triumph ($125.00):


Alpha Omega Elite ($170.00):

 

My wife uses the Britax Boulevard in her car ($299) from birth. We got it because it supports up to much larger weights so we won't have to buy another car seat. The carseat market seems to be filled with options that leave you out on a lurch at some point and then you end up going in there twice (hence why you need a new one after 7 months). I don't think I'd recommend it to you though because you don't need all that infant support.

I would head down to babies on grand. They'll let you put your kid in a bunch of seats in the store and you can get a better feel for what works. You're not going to get much rear facing time out of him though if he's already too big for the little seats. Anyway, they also might be willing to test fit your WRX for you. They do installs free if you buy from them.

For my Subaru, we got given an infant carseat (greco) with a base that I'm using rear facing atm and the hope is it'll last till ~1year and just get this one which is not rear facing but will last him until he's seatbelt ready:
http://www.babyongrand.com/node/258

 

Ted I'll ask my GF her sister just had a baby and their mom reads CR ALL the time, also their mom wants nothing but the safest for her two grand kids.

 

I'm in the same position as far as my baby outgrowing his infant seat. The problem I have is the limited rear seat space in my wrx. I'm sure it will be a factor when I go to get a convertible seat.

Let me know your findings, & I'll do the same once I check out Babies R Us.

 

They suggest the Britax if you are going for safety first I guess thats all they have used for the infants, they have 3 of them if that shows you their trust.

 

cool, will do.
The reviews that I'm reading basically say that the Recaro is big when it's rear facing, but perfect front facing, so I might put up with it until he is 1 and I can flip him around.

Tell me if I'm insane for thinking this, but do you think it would be safe to find a spare foam core for the back seat and cut out some foam to lower it so the base of the seat sat closer to the actua floor of the car?

 

You're insane! But seriously, I think that would be more dangerous as the anchor points for the latch system in our cars are positioned where they are for a reason.

If you removed foam from the seat so the child seat was closer to the floor, I would think the child seat would lift towards the ceiling in an accident, as you'd never be able to completely tighten the latch anchor belt.

 

I don't use the belts, I use the child seat mounting points that are in between the back and the bench, and I use the "hump" to not only take advantage of the space between the two front seats and I like having him in the middle of the car incase I get T-boned - I don't want him close to the door.

Here is my thought... The rear seats in my wife's car are much more flat and paralell with the road. The seats in my car are at a fairly significant angle and the middle foam is "taller". If I took out the foam, I could either make the seat base more paralell with the road or leave it at the same angle, just lower it. The only thing that it would change is the gometery of the straps to the anchor points - but these would vary anyway depending on which type of car the seat was installed.

Here is the base that I use now.

 

Don't get the Evenflow we have 2 that we replaced because the strap tightening mechanism gets all tangled up and it's just a PITA.

I had to sell my 04 WRX because I couldn't fit the 2 convertible seats in it for my kids. Now that they are in booster seats I'm back in a Suby.

Good luck finding one that fits, I'm sure there are some out there that fit but it will be tight.

 

Thanks Goalie!
What NOT to get is just as important as what TO get.

 

You have more room if you push the passenger seat all the way up and put the carseat in that way. I hear ya on the "side impact" risk but if you get hit hard enough to crush the door in, it wouldn't much matter where he was. The important thing is that he's reversed for as long as possible.

 

Evenflo... great capsule/seat... it converts... we loved it so much we got a second for the other car... it has like a turn knob to tighten or loosen the buckles...

can get model number if wanted... cant find it online

like this kinda

http://images-cdn01.associatedcontent.com/image/A6837/68370/300_68370.jpg

 

Britax seats in general are very, very nice. They're especially nice if you need to use them in a car without the LATCH system.

We use the Alpha Omega Elite and it's been great. We have two, one in my wife's Altima, and the other in my truck (and before that in my WRX). However, it's a big bulky thing, and unless you mount it in the middle of a WRX, whoever sits in front of it had better be pretty small. In the middle of a WRX it will limit the movement of both front seats to some degree.

 

(a) never had an problem in over 4 yrs....
(b) I have 3 seats in mine... 1 convertible and 2 seats for older kids...

 

Get the recaro so they can go fast, when you go fast:biggrin:

 

Ted,

we have used the Cosco Alpha/Omega seats for both the girls and they are great. plus they come on black too and match the interior. they are very easy to adjust as the child grows and puts on the bulky winter clothes. also i dont know about the others but the alpha seat can also be used as a belt tensioning booster seat for when they are big enoug to use the seat belts in the car. it is called the alpha/omega for a reason. it is the first and last seat you will need to buy untill your kid is ready for little booster base only seat.

unfortunatly we just sold both of them this past spring. how soon do you need one?

 

Thanks again everyone for all of the imput. I found a car seat forum and have been in contact with someone in Seattle who stuffs three carseats and kids into an STi. She said I can go check out the Recaro at Cosco but she said that it's HUGE - check the pic of the Recar oin an Outback which is probably roomier than the WRX. She told me that she strongly recomend s the Britax Marathon which she confirmed will fit on the center hump of the back seats. Additionally, the Britax seats can be tethered when they are rear facing and the Recaro can not.

Greg, I need one ASAP. Lttle-fat-Max is already 2lbs over the max weight for his infant seat. I want to try to get one by the weekend. I might even hit Cosco and Babies-R-Us on a field trip this afternoon.



Here is the Recaro in a Outback. I can't imagine trying to get my fat little son in and out of the car.

 

so this person has 3 convertibles in the rear seat... I have 3 kids seats... ie like I previously posted...

 

hey ted,

you get a seat yet? i just saw that target has both the britax seats and the cosco alpha omega.

when he gets older you need to get this seat:

http://evenflocarseats.blogspot.com/2008/06/evenflo-big-kid-dlx-booster-seat.html

it has L.E.D. lights in the headreat that shine down on the kids lap and wont bother the driver. we have two of them and they are awesome. my girls never complain about being uncomfortabe.