I am in desperate need of a convertible car seat for my growing not even 6-month old. I have a Honda Civic and would like recommendations from other moms with very small cars as to what brands are best/easiest or worst/very difficult considering there will be little room to maneuver in that back seat. Thanks for your help!
I decided to purchase the Roundabout - it's easy to install (center back seat, rear-facing with LATCH) and it does take up a good bit of room, but it fits fine any my son seems to like it (so far). I would recommend elitecarseats.com -- free shipping and no tax, plus the seat arrived in two days (less than $200). The seat was more than I wanted to spend but I know that I will be able to resell it on craigslist easily when I'm done with it (I tried to buy there and they all sold very quickly). I like the velcro for the straps that holds them open and you can tell the seat is engineered better than a lot of other seats (just by handling them all in the stores).
Hi D.,
I am researching this same topic as we have a VW Beetle and have the same space issues! From the research that I have done so far...I believe that the Britax Roundabout and Evenflo Triumph are good bets - dependant on how much you want to spend.
A.
We had a civic when we were in the market for a convertible car seat. We have the britax roundabout and it fit just fine.
I was very happy with the safety features and the way that it fit into the car. It is very easy to install.
Good Luck with your decision.
B.
I have a fairly tight backseat and I fit my Britax Decathlon just fine. I had to put it is the middle seat though so that it could kind of rest between the front seats (this is the safest place for the seat anyway). The only downside to doing so is that MOST cars do not allow for the use of LATCH in the center seat, so I had to secure it with the cars safety belts. That method is just as safe, just takes a little extra time and a little extra muscle to get it in properly.
I went to Babies R Us to try the seats in my car. They have an awesome policy that you just give them your driver's license and they will let you remove the seats from the store to try in your car.
I highly recommend just going and actually putting different seats in your car :)
Hi, I second (or third or fourth!) the Britax Roundabout. The Baby's R Us in Skokie are very helpful and will let you put a demo in your car to make sure it fits.
We have a Civic. Our 11 month old has been cruising around in the Britax Roundabout. It has great safety ratings and looks like deluxe lazy boy in the back seat.
We have it in the middle of the back seat and we are still able to have 2 passengers in the back seat (it's tight since it's a small car, but they fit).
HI D.,
I have a two door Civic. Very different than a 4 door. Much smaller. Anyway, we have the Graco Comfortsport. It works pretty well. It is in the middle and rests on the two front seats. There is very little room for passengers. I have had one small person sit back there though. Good luck in your decision.
We have a two door Neon and an Escort (both tight interiors) and we bought an Evenflo Triumph. It's roomy and comfy for our daughter, but fits just fine (still backwards) in both cars. I found a website that allows you to enter the year and model of your car and it will tell you the best carseats to fit.
