Need a lil help with cars/carseats
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=37328
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Topic: Need a lil help with cars/carseats
Posted By: jem
Subject: Need a lil help with cars/carseats
Date Posted: 05 January 2011 at 4:15pm
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Wasn't sure where to post this so general will do lol.
We are still currently ttc our 1st and looking into buying a new car within the next few months or so. I have heard around and i think on here that often the back seat is too small and the front seat has to be pushed right forward..... So my question is for anyone who currently has a rear facing carseat in your car.... How much space do you need for a rear facing seat??? Im hoping to take the largest seat measurements and my measuring tape with us when we go car shopping. Dh is pretty tall and I'm not exactly short either altho DH often likes to pick on me for my height but only coz hes a gaint lol anyways im going off topic lol many thanks in advance, it would be a huge help |
Replies:
Posted By: nicandtyler
Date Posted: 05 January 2011 at 4:26pm
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I'm not sure of exact measurements, but when I had our rearfacinng capsule I found I didn't need that much extra room for that, and could easily fit it in my car, my partners and my mums. T's car seat now is rearfacing and although I have to put the passenger seat a little forward it's not by much and can people easily still fit in the passenger seat in the front, I just have a 2001 Toyota Corolla so not a huge car but not tiny either...sorry I don't know if that helps or not! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
 April '11
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Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 05 January 2011 at 5:03pm
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I have a toyota caldina (largish station wagon) and i had to push the front seat foward a teeny bit but my 6'4 brother is still comfortable in the passenger seat so not a big deal.
If you tell me exactly what you want measured i can run out and investigate 
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Posted By: jem
Date Posted: 05 January 2011 at 5:26pm
| oh kool thanks i was thinking about the distance from the back seat to the back of the front seat |
Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 05 January 2011 at 8:20pm
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We have an old V3000 Mitsubishi station wagon (not what you'd be look at) but we can have the carseat in rear facing and the front seat right back...
DP is 6'4 but he drives us so having the seat forward wouldn't matter for us... Do you or DP mainly drive? It could be that if he's coming too he drives and you in passenger or he could sit in the back?? Also it varies from car to car and the carseat you get, also where you place the carseat - back passenger seat, middle or behind driver iygwim. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: MyLilSquishy
Date Posted: 05 January 2011 at 8:29pm
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we have a '94 nissan maxima and a cosco scenera carset, and im 5'10" and have plenty of room in the front seat. DP is 6" and is fine in the passenger seat. his friend is 6'2" and while he has a good amount of room, he always pushes the passenger seat back even when DS is in his carseat in the back and it PMO no end. always have to tell him to move the seat forward.
depends on what carseat you want and who drives and how often its going to be a problem, and if you need to take the seat out for any reason. i would pick 2-4 carseats (the one you want regardless of financial position, the one you are likely to get - taking into all financial obligations, and what you can realistically spend, and 1-2 others that you think are good/like) then take those measurements with you. no point taking the hugest carseat measurements and then not getting it. I like the carseat to rest on the back of the passenger seat so that its more secure, so if you want to do that, then end up with a smaller carseat, you wont be able to IYGWIM. also you have to take into account installation instructions. some need to be more upright than others. hope that helps 
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Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 05 January 2011 at 10:59pm
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I will measure that up in the morning
Another thing i thought off - rear seatbelt length. For some reason mine arent that long and won't go around a capsule which is a PITA. I don't know how much it costs to have new seatbelts fitted (enough to justify not buying a certain car maybe..?) but i wish i'd thought to look into that. If i'd brought a capsule and then had to have the seatbelts replaced in the damn car i'd be spitting. Fortunatly the convertible seat doesnt need as much length and it fits fine. |
Posted By: jem
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 11:18am
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Thanks heaps everyone, I might go to somewhere like babycity and have a look at the carseats there. Seems a lil odd to be looking or thinking about car seats at t his stage, but buying a new car isn't something you do every day.
hmmm didn't think of the actual lenght of the seat belt, my MIL has a real new car and i have noticed that her seat belts in the back are kinda small. |
Posted By: Nothing
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 11:39am
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We have a honda orthia with a radian rearfacing. The carseat is as upright as I can make it, and the only person that can fit in the front would be a small child- but even then they would be far to closer to the dash. So our car is now a 3 adult car, with the driver playing taxi all the time. We will have to upgrade before we have #2 as there is no way we would fit! ------------- 
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Posted By: amme_eilyk
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 7:21pm
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it really depends on the carseat.
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Posted By: Plushie
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 7:27pm
I was gonna say, every time you test drive a car whip it down to a different baby store and test some carseats in it 
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Posted By: High9
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 9:14pm
EXCELLENT POINT!!!! I completely forgot but I started a thread on seat belts as we had the exact same problem! Our seatbelt was retractable but wouldn't go round our capsule but we were told as we could manipulate it - it was ok... Though I always felt weird about it so we swapped cars. Anyway, it is long enough for our carseat. We looked at getting a longer carseat belt but we got different advice from everyone... One mechanic told us they could do it but it wouldn't pass a WOF (????) and we also got told it could be done but would be very expensive! List goes on... So definitely look into seat belt length, one idea would be to sit on the seat with your knees up and see if the seat belt goes around you still iygwim and still has more stretch. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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bowie wrote:Posted By: jem
Date Posted: 07 January 2011 at 4:32pm
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i went to the baby factory today and asked a few questions and have some measurments which is awesome. I asked if it was possable to buy seat belt extensions for a capsule since they seem to be harder to get the belt around. And apparently you can although its even more expensive than their most expensive capsule which doesnt even need long seat belts.
Felt like i bit of a nog going there espech since im not even preg yet but hey needs to be thought of |