Car seats, all the same or one better than the others?

hansonian

Observer
The missus and I are expecting our first kid this summer. Not wanting to wait until the last minute to research and buy things I got to looking at car seats and realized I know absolutely zero about what I need. My plan is to buy one for her car, a 2012 Mini Cooper Clubman and one for mine, a 2004 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Is it ok to just install the car seat in each car and not worry about taking it out until the kid has outgrown it? Putting a kid in the Mini doesn't look like it will be that big of a issue, the Clubman has a third door on the passenger side for easy access to the back seat areas. My Jeep has the fold and flip front seats but to be honest it looks like a royal PITA to constantly install and remove a car seat. Anyone have any experience with this? Are there "safer" car seats to purchase or do they have meet the same standards? Should I be worried about the rear seat flipping up with the car seat installed (don't know if this is possible but it crossed my mind so I figured I'd ask).

Thanks!
 

Idlehour

Observer
Congrats!
Infant seats can be tricky because they have to be rear facing at first and that takes up a lot more room. On my 09 unlimited I couldn't put the drivers seat to where I needed so we had to move the infant seat to wherever my wife was sitting because she didn't need as much legroom.

Many infant seats come with a base system, you can install one in each car and the seat just clicks into it. Infant seats become the kids little space capsule. You will end up taking it out so they have somewhere to sit in the grocery cart(they click right in), the restaurant(flip the highchair upside down and it clicks right in), at the movie theater(joking, don't be that guy), from the car to house and pretty much every where you go. Some kids sleep in their car seats in the house instead of the crib. They are curved on the bottom so you can rock them.

If you have not bought the clubman yet, it might be best to bring the seat to the test-drive
To see how it fits. They only stay in rear facing seats until they hit a certain size/weight and can support their head. then you can mount the seat front facing and you get your leg room back.
I think all seats meet the same standard, they just have different features. There is a book out there - "best buys in baby gear" or something like that, it's a consumer reports for baby stuff.
 
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Anyone have any Recaro or otherwise very protective car seats that they'd like to sell?

Our second kiddo will be here in mid March, and I'd like something a little more protective than the run of the mill Graco.
 

Pedro

Capitan rally fluffer
I know Britax makes good seats. Child seats are not something you want to go cheap on.

They also make some pretty crummy seats too. My inlaws have a Britax Runabout and it has nearly no padding and my daughters head has little protection. I can't believe they paid that much money for it.
 

Pedro

Capitan rally fluffer
Anyone have any Recaro or otherwise very protective car seats that they'd like to sell?

Our second kiddo will be here in mid March, and I'd like something a little more protective than the run of the mill Graco.

our first Recaro was purchased for ~$180. So if you shop around you will find some for less. The second one was free. I entered and won it from Rally America and New England Forest Rally last year.
 

hansonian

Observer
Thanks for the input. I will look into the Recaro and Britax seats.

Is it better to buy one for each vehicle or just get one with a base and detachable seat and move it between the two vehicles?
 

Pedro

Capitan rally fluffer
you won't find detachable bases in the Recaro line. I don't know if Britax does them.

we did use a hand me down infant carrier for a few months because my daughter was very small. but it was cumbersome and too heavy after a couple months.

Rear facing seats with LATCH (the bars under the seat) are super quick to move from vehicle to vehicle. From your sig line both of your trucks will have it. just make sure you tighten it again after the first day in position. the seat foam will compress a bit and make the seat a little loose.
 

kjp1969

Explorer
I would suggest buying a new seat rather than using an old one- they are padded with the same kind of styrofoam as motorcycle helmets and don't get better with age. You're supposed to replace them every five years (and after any accident). Not that everyone buys into that, but for the relatively small price, we did.

+1 on kind with the click in base. It stinks to FINALLY have your child fall asleep and then have to unbuckle them to take them inside. Ours would continue their nap even after moving the detachable seat inside.

Double check the Clubman- the rear facing seat takes up so much space it's silly. Way back in babytime we had an '89 Prelude that held one adult and one baby- when the kid was in the rear passenger side seat, the front seat had to be slid all the way forward.
 

RAFoutdoors

Retired Explorer
Having been a Child Safety Seat Technician for our local Police Department, there are many things you will need to consider. The Child Seat CAN NOT go in front of an airbag unless it can be disabled by a switch. Your infant will be rear facing until they are one year AND 20lbs although Pediatricians are suggesting 14-16 months. Seats do have weight limits. Folks are right, they all must pass safety tests by the National Highway Traffic Safey Administration (NHTSA). They have a website that has tons of information on car seats. This IS one of the most important items you will buy to keep your child safe. The best seat is the one you can use correctly everytime.
You might want to see if you have a local "Safe Kids" Coalition in your area. They have car seat clinics for information and installations.
Child Safety Seats have a lifespan (There is a date of manufacture on each one) and will only last 5-7 years. DO NOT BUY or USE a previously used seat. They are effected by sunlight and temperature extremes and although it looks like new, it could fail in an accident. Good luck and congrats.
 

Frank

Explorer
I own 3 Recaro's and love every one of them.

The best way to secure a car seat, sit in it and have someone else fasten it. Also, we got a life size baby doll to get the straps situated so we weren't doing it the first time out of the hospital. -of course minor adjustment was needed, but we weren't putting it together at the hospital, either.
 

Pedro

Capitan rally fluffer
I own 3 Recaro's and love every one of them.

The best way to secure a car seat, sit in it and have someone else fasten it. Also, we got a life size baby doll to get the straps situated so we weren't doing it the first time out of the hospital. -of course minor adjustment was needed, but we weren't putting it together at the hospital, either.

That is a great way to do it. I don't know if you have the new Pro-sport or whatever they are calling the convertible seat now, but it has the knob adjustment for the belt height as well as the head restraint. It is such an improvement to the seat. Our older one is the rethreading the belt type so it doesn't get used as much as the new one.
 

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