Soon to be first time parent - Help with car seat!

[xdms]

Hi all!

New to parenting and the world of car seats. Baby is due in April and prepping the car and house for the new addition.

After reading a LOT of reviews, wife and I settled for a Nuna Pipa Rx (got the Rx vs. the Light due to it being ok with air travel).

Got it this week and tried fitting it in the Model S and Model 3. The base fits quite well in both - albeit more spacious in the S.

However, the backseat design of the S makes it feel a bit too snug (definitely had to use more force to latch the base in the S vs. the 3).

In addition the back seat feels like it is "smushed" (for lack of a better word). It feels that it can't be good for the leather long term. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

Do you remove the base every time? (I feel it defeats the purpose of the base for ease of use).

If you do not, does it affect the leather / seat long term?

Any other tips?

Thank you!

 

[bktiger86]

Well first of all, CONGRATS on becoming a parent. I recently just became a dad myself. I don't have the same car seat, but I have to say your base looks longer than normal car seats. I have the Chicco KeyFit 30. The base I want to say looks pretty standard and it fits pretty well on the back seat. However I do have to agree when you latch the safety belt, it was quite daunting at first. I really had to jam it in between the seats. I almost opted to do the seat belt method instead.

To protect the car seat I ordered https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TKB5SWG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
I wanted to avoid the full contact on the leather + in the future when the kid starts wearing shoes I don't want it to step all over the seats.

 

[brycerocky]

We went with the britax bsafe35 with the anti rebound bar and then graduated to the radian 3rxt. The latter is a bit long even with the angle adjuster.

 

[domodan]

Make sure you put a cover on and you put it in the middle. Should work great.

 

[gnomee2]

Congrats! We chose a base system with our daughter also. I did not own a Tesla in 2013 though and rocked the 2012 Volt. My volt has leather and our Escalade also has leather. The base is a great move, it makes moving between cars so much less of a hassle. The base makes one heck of an impression on the seat but it does go away after it's out for a while. I've not seen any permanent damage in either cars seats. We did the base for years, then upgraded to a standard seat, and now on booster.

I don't think there is any need to be concerned. The bottom of the base and car seats are smooth, they are not going to rub or puncture the leather. The worst they can do is squish it to a point that it does not come back and stays dented. I do not have experience with the Tesla cushion so anything is possible there but in both our GM's they did no long term harm.

 

[r1200gs4ok]

way past car seats for me, but congrats on becoming a dad....take care and be safe....they grow up fast....love him/her with all your heart and set good examples for them to follow....again congrats.....

 

[Crutonius]

My experience with car seats. 3 cars with leather upholstery. I've moved car seats between all of them. I have yet to see the car seat do damage to the seat. I know it seems like it should do some kind of damage but it always seems to bounce back whenever I take out the car seat.

 

[SuperD7215]

congrats. we used a uppababy car seat and the base always stayed in the car. The base was installed using the latch and over a padded seat cover to protect the backseat. i actually still use the padded seat cover now with booster seats. i even put my weight on the seat base to latch it down without any wiggle and no long term damage to the seat.

going straight from stroller to base is great, you dont accidently wake a sleeping baby.

 

[SaveOurPlanet]

Do you remove the base every time? (I feel it defeats the purpose of the base for ease of use).

If you do not, does it affect the leather / seat long term?

My daughter has a Pipa base in her Model 3 for a year without any problem, she actually bought an extra base to put in her mother-in-law’s car so she did not have to remove the base from her car. She uses some mat she bought from Amazon, no problem. I have a Rava in my Model S whenever she visits, I don’t use a mat but I only put in the car seat couple times a year. She now also has a Rava next to the Pipa, a bit tight for a Model 3 as you know the Rava is big. Removing the base kind of defeat the purpose of the design, You should get a mat just on the safe side. Those seats are not leather and they would bounce back in an hour or so.

 

[xdms]

Well first of all, CONGRATS on becoming a parent. I recently just became a dad myself. I don't have the same car seat, but I have to say your base looks longer than normal car seats. I have the Chicco KeyFit 30. The base I want to say looks pretty standard and it fits pretty well on the back seat. However I do have to agree when you latch the safety belt, it was quite daunting at first. I really had to jam it in between the seats. I almost opted to do the seat belt method instead.

To protect the car seat I ordered https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TKB5SWG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
I wanted to avoid the full contact on the leather + in the future when the kid starts wearing shoes I don't want it to step all over the seats.

Thank you! Good idea about the cover. will look into it!

 

[SoCal Buzz]

These set protectors are great to prevent indentations, while also containing liquid spills.

https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Lionh...&sprefix=prince+lionheart+seat,aps,260&sr=8-1

 

[David.85D]

Been a few years for me, too. Just made an appointment for “baby” to get her learners permit.

two thoughts - definitely get the protective mats (someone linked one above) provides both protection from puncture and crumbs/spills/whatever.

I installed car seats in a variety of cars with leather seats. Never had lasting damage (maybe an impression that took a day to disappear).

You do want the base / car seat attached tightly. That means squishing the seat foam. After watching a video of a pro installer, I copied their trick - put your full weight onto one knee pressing against the car seat to compress the cushions while you tighten the straps, the tension of you pulling on the straps should add to the force compressing the seat. This will get you a proper wiggle-free install. Yes, it’s scary… but it’s the right way…

 

[xdms]

My daughter has a Pipa base in her Model 3 for a year without any problem, she actually bought an extra base to put in her mother-in-law’s car so she did not have to remove the base from her car. She uses some mat she bought from Amazon, no problem. I have a Rava in my Model S whenever she visits, I don’t use a mat but I only put in the car seat couple times a year. She now also has a Rava next to the Pipa, a bit tight for a Model 3 as you know the Rava is big. Removing the base kind of defeat the purpose of the design, You should get a mat just on the safe side. Those seats are not leather and they would bounce back in an hour or so.

Thank you!

I was thinking of getting an extra base for the 3 as well (vs. using the seatbelt method).

The vegan leather of the 3 did make it a lot easier to install the latch system. It was way tighter with the S.

 

[xdms]

congrats. we used a uppababy car seat and the base always stayed in the car. The base was installed using the latch and over a padded seat cover to protect the backseat. i actually still use the padded seat cover now with booster seats. i even put my weight on the seat base to latch it down without any wiggle and no long term damage to the seat.

going straight from stroller to base is great, you dont accidently wake a sleeping baby.

Thanks! We looked at the uppababy line as well. While we decided on the Nuna car seat, we got the Uppababy Vista stroller.

Good to know about that there is no long term damage with the padded seat cover!

 

[David.85D]

Its a few years down the road for you, but as our kids got older, they transitioned to boosters, as they should, and we had a problem that the booster would bang around in the car if there wasn't a kid belted into it. Cybex makes a really great booster that attaches to the Latch/ISO connection points just to keep it stabilized - the seat belt is doing the real work. They called the system x-fix.

 

[xdms]

Its a few years down the road for you, but as our kids got older, they transitioned to boosters, as they should, and we had a problem that the booster would bang around in the car if there wasn't a kid belted into it. Cybex makes a really great booster that attaches to the Latch/ISO connection points just to keep it stabilized - the seat belt is doing the real work. They called the system x-fix.

Thank you and good to know! Cybex was one of the top 4 brands we were looking at for different systems (the other being Uppababy, Mockingbird and Nuna)

 

[xdms]

These set protectors are great to prevent indentations, while also containing liquid spills.

https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Lionheart-Stage-Seatsaver-Black/dp/B000083GHY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=Q1VL2KWCQ3PR&dchild=1&keywords=prince+lionheart+seat+protector&qid=1613417105&sprefix=prince+lionheart+seat,aps,260&sr=8-1

Thank you! Ordering one each for the S and 3 just in case!

 

[xdms]

way past car seats for me, but congrats on becoming a dad....take care and be safe....they grow up fast....love him/her with all your heart and set good examples for them to follow....again congrats.....

Appreciate the kind words!

As a doctor, I am comfortable taking care of adult humans. A child (especially your own) is a much more daunting and scary task (16+ years of school and I am back to reading "baby manuals" and watching youtube videos)

 

[xdms]

My experience with car seats. 3 cars with leather upholstery. I've moved car seats between all of them. I have yet to see the car seat do damage to the seat. I know it seems like it should do some kind of damage but it always seems to bounce back whenever I take out the car seat.

Good to know! The seats look so squished I am genuinely concerned with long term damage

 

[Crutonius]

Like others have said, use a pad and you should be fine. I was sort of reckless and just got away with it.

And congrats on the kid. I've found that a model s, particularly with the third row, is a fantastic family car.