What car seat to use in the 2nd row, facing back?

[redox]

Hi,

I need to put a baby car seat in my new P85D, and I'd like to do it in the center seat of the 2nd row and facing back.

What type/brand of car seat would let me do this while preserving some space on both sides for a total of 3 passengers in the back?

Any issues with hitting front seats? Obstructing the rear view mirror?

TIA.

-- Greg

 

[Gizmotoy]

Newer cars don't permit center seat installation using LATCH, so you'll have to use seat belts. I didn't do a ton of research, but it seemed like LATCH on a side seat was safer than belt installation in the center.

Unfortunately center LATCH was removed around December 2013. My late November 2013 came with a note saying they were being removed, but still actually had them.

If installed in the center, you'll have no trouble fitting. I'm tall and the seat doesn't come close to hitting. I had a loaner recently and had to install the carseat behind the driver and I had to adjust my seating position slightly for our Chicco Keyfit 30 to fit. We love that car seat, though, as the safety ratings were at the very top of the heap and it's simple to adjust and install in the back of the Model S.

Good luck!

 

[Ziggy]

Try the Pria 70. Mounted in the center with rear latch and seat facing the rear, gives both passenger space. The passenger rear gives a little more space than driver rear. I think there will be less space once the seat is facing forward.

http://www.maxi-cosi.com/us-en/products/car-seats/convertible/pria-70.aspx

 

[redox]

Thanks guys.

 

[huntjo]

Newer cars don't permit center seat installation using LATCH, so you'll have to use seat belts. I didn't do a ton of research, but it seemed like LATCH on a side seat was safer than belt installation in the center.

Unfortunately center LATCH was removed around December 2013. My late November 2013 came with a note saying they were being removed, but still actually had them.

If installed in the center, you'll have no trouble fitting. I'm tall and the seat doesn't come close to hitting. I had a loaner recently and had to install the carseat behind the driver and I had to adjust my seating position slightly for our Chicco Keyfit 30 to fit. We love that car seat, though, as the safety ratings were at the very top of the heap and it's simple to adjust and install in the back of the Model S.

Good luck!

I don't believe this is true. Latch is not safer than belt, just easier to get correct. A correctly installed belted car seat is just as good. Moreover, I believe the middle seat is safer in case of a side impact. I use a Britax seat base that stays in place and the seat itself can snap into either the base in my car or my wife's.

 

[tomp]

We use a Diono Radian, which is fairly narrow. They can be used for infants, although we used a Graco snugride for infants. The Snugride fits easily in the back seat without affecting the position of the front seats (for our seating styles - and I'm 6' tall). I'm not sure if/how the Radian impacts the front seats as we only had it front-facing.
Also, our car was delivered in March 2014 and still has latch in all 3 seats, although it only has the dots marking the locations for two seats.
Good luck!

Hi,

I need to put a baby car seat in my new P85D, and I'd like to do it in the center seat of the 2nd row and facing back.

What type/brand of car seat would let me do this while preserving some space on both sides for a total of 3 passengers in the back?

Any issues with hitting front seats? Obstructing the rear view mirror?

TIA.

-- Greg

 

[Gizmotoy]

I don't believe this is true. Latch is not safer than belt, just easier to get correct. A correctly installed belted car seat is just as good. Moreover, I believe the middle seat is safer in case of a side impact. I use a Britax seat base that stays in place and the seat itself can snap into either the base in my car or my wife's.

The part I emphasized is pretty much the definition of being safer, IMO. There's a giant push in car seat safety to reduce the possibility of accidental installation issues. It's one of the reasons why most of the safest seats on the market are also starting to integrate bubble levels to ensure the angle of the seat is correct. LATCH came to be precisely because the adult belts have tons of slack and many people couldn't get them installed as tightly as required. A major component of child safety in a car seat is its correct installation.

So you have this situation: If installed correctly, both provide similar safety. One method makes it very difficult to make an installation mistake that impacts safety, and one where it's substantially easier to make a mistake. Is one method safer? I agree it's debatable, but I'd absolutely say 'yes'.

Your #708 should have center LATCH, though, so I'm not sure why you'd use a belt anyway?

 

[damienvu]

We use the Britax Advocate G4. Its a monster with lots of padding for the baby, but the rear seats still has some room left for 2 passengers on the sides. There might be newer models available now. Be sure to get the seat protector!

Amazon.com : Britax Advocate G4 Convertible Car Seat, Onyx : Convertible Child Safety Car Seats : Baby
Amazon.com : BRICA Seat Guardian Car Seat Protector : Car Seat Travel Bags : Baby

 

[Gizmotoy]

Be sure to get the seat protector!
Amazon.com : BRICA Seat Guardian Car Seat Protector : Car Seat Travel Bags : Baby

Agreed. The textile seats in my car are holding up just fine to the carseat without any additional padding, but I've twice had loaners where the leather was all deformed and floppy where a carseat was installed. If you have leather seats, some kind of seat protection is probably worth investigation. Note that the seat protector makes it more difficult to install the carseat tightly enough, so you have to be extra careful.

 

[DA808EV]

I would like to put our newborn car seat in the middle as well but it is not possible with our 2 year olds car seat. The rear doors of the MS makes it hard to install and remove our toddlers seat sincd it's pretty bulky.