Which car seats (for baby) fit my Impreza wagon?

[Guest fungusgirl]

I'd been planning to buy a Britax Roundabout car seat for my 2001 OBSW but read somewhere that they don't fit well in the center back. Does anybody have experience with a Britax seat, or another good convertable car seat you'd recommend for a 5-month-old? It'll be rear-facing at first.

 

Kathie

[Guest james hogan]

Well, The first baby seat usually comes with a base and a carrier/seat combo.

I can't comment on the fit of this style seat in a certain car, but I have general advice for you.

The seat/carrier/stroller combos are a good idea because you can put the baby in the carrier in the house walk them out to the car and 'click', snap them into the seat housing already in the car.

That's a really good thing.

 

the downside is your only going to use it for about 5 more months and the strollers are HUGE!

Getting that big stroller out every time is a pain.

Try to find a carrier/seat combo and get one of the smaller strollers. (the folding lightweight ones)

Little babies don't fit in them very well but they get big fast.

 

 

I found myself carrying the boy more than pushing him in the mondo stroller just for the convienence of not dealing with the stroller.

Craco Alpha Omega is a great seat, but you will have to wait for him to get over 20lb.

 

 

Can't remember our infant seat though.

Paid big money for the super combo and then never used the BIG stroller enough to justify it.

Get your seat from a used baby store.( you know, where you go to buy used babies!)

 

 

Regards,

 

Jay

[Guest twinmama]

Well, as you might have guessed from my name, I have twins who are 11 months old. I have a 2000 OBW and I have 2 Britax Roundabouts in my backseat (rear-facing). We've had them installed for about 6 months now, and I have some thoughts.

 

I love the Britax seats (if only my seat were so comfortable) and of course they are VERY safe, and easy to use once installed. But they were a HUGE pain in the a** to install. It was a 3 week learning experience for us. Because of the slant of the rear seat, it was hard to install the seats rear facing, but I think that would apply to any seat. Since we have 2 seats, we did not install them in the center, so I don't know about that. I could see where it would be difficult to install it there because of the plastic piece that holds the seat belt buckles.

 

I know they recommend the center as the safest (which it is) but some food for thought:

Having a car seat in the rear facing position in an OBW means the seat in front of it has very limited leg room. If you put it in the center, both seats will have limited leg room. Also, I would think it would take a contortionist to get a child all the way in to the middle seat, rear facing.

 

Does the 2001 OBW have the LATCH system? Ours does not, but the Britax seats have that versa-tether system, where you can use a second tether to help anchor the seat. For rear-facing, the tether really helps hold it into place. Those seats do not move at all once it is tightened. I'm not really familiar with other seats, but I'm not sure how a seat without that tether could be tight enough rear-facing.

 

If you go with the Britax, I'd be happy to offer my installation suggestions - it absolutely can be installed well, it just takes work. We had to use one of those styrofoam pool noodles to level the seat, though. We ended up having our installation checked at the local fire station to be sure. Good luck - post again if you get the Roundabout, I have a million installation hints.

 

Allison

[Guest 2010Skier]

In my 97 Outback Wagon, no kind on infant seat or car seat fits properly in the center position due to the plastic piece that holds the seat belts and the slightly rounded shape of the seat itself in the center. I wound up installing the baby's seat on the rear seat on the passenger side of the vehicle. Easier to see and easier to unload at the curb in a "normal" two way street. My suggestion, as a grandma who has done battle with infant seats and combo seats in the rear facing position in my Subaru, is to buy a convertable type car seat that will work rear facing for an infant and then can be turned forward facing. Unless your baby is really tiny (a premie), there are some models that will work. That way, you install the car seat and just remove the kid to put him/her in a stroller. The lightweight stroller options are many including ones on which the seat folds flat for babies to sleep properly. Graco makes a great one that also comes in a twin model. Other option is to get one of the infant carrier seats with latch-in base. There is a neat, reasonably inexpensive frame that can be purchased at Babies 'R Us. If you live near a Babies 'R Us store, they are a good resource for testing out what fits and what doesn't - but pricey. If you decide to buy any baby equipment used or get it free from a friend, check the US government's Consumer Product Safety Commission website for recalls. Sometimes, there is a free repair/replacement part available. Good Luck!

[Guest fungusgirl]

Thanks! I think I will buy the Britax seat. My son is 5 months old and will soon grow out of his infant seat. BTW, my car is an outback sport wagon (Impreza), not the bigger legacy-based outback.

 

Allison, if you're out there and have advice for installing the seat rear-facing, I'd love to hear it!

 

Kathie & DS Cole

[bettysmama]

I've purchased and installed the Safety 1st Car seat. It's a 5-40lb rear and front facing. Installing it was the biggest nightmare ever, and I'm still not sure it's done properly. I've installed mine behind the passengers seat, so whoever gets stuck sitting there (typically me on any family outing) is stuck with very little leg room and a fully upright seat. More research to do, but it would seem that the Impreza is not the best choice for a family of any more than two. If anyone has any suggestions of a child seat that does not impair the front so severely, I would be most interested.