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November 8, 2009
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I have a Mazda3 and my 8 month old is growing out of her infant seat. Which convertible seat is best for a small car?
Trackback
i bought an evenflo convertable and my dd says its very comfy and its much smaller rhan the other ones
Your best bet is to go to a baby store (like Babies R Us) and ask to test out seats in your vehicle. You should be able to just leave your ID at the counter and take the seats out to your car to test them.
If you vehicle is really small read the manual before you go and make sure you can brace the car seat against the back of the seat of the car. Some vehicles prohibit this as well as some child safety seats – so you want to find a seat that allows it (and hopefully your vehicle will too). Some seats/cars require 1″+ distance between the installed seat and the back of the passenger/driver seat.
Other seats may also allow bracing but I know for a fact that Britax seats encourage bracing – in my mini van I actually move the passenger seat back and the captains chair forward so my son’s rear facing seat is braced securely against the passenger seat back.
Other key features to look for – a rear facing weight limit of 33-35 pounds (rear facing is infinitely safer and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children rear facing to the limits of their seat (not just 20 pounds and 12 months), a high forward facing limits (65 pounds) and high top harness slots (to give them room to grow taller).