Child Car Seats in '07 Legacy LGT Wagon

[Draug]

Hey folks,

 

I've had my '07 LGT Wagon for over a year now, and have loved it. Our 2 1/2 yr old daughter has plenty of room in her front facing car seat.

 

We just welcomed a new baby to our family, and to my horror and shock, the basinet style car seat doesnt fit well at all. You have to position the front seat right near the front (not an option cause we are both taller) to have enough clearance from the rear of the seat to the basinet.

 

What infant seats do other people use? The one we have is Graco, that is about 2 years old. The new Graco's are still the same; I checked.

 

Are there any brands out there that are a couple inches shorter? Perhaps they sit at a different angle and fit better?

 

I would hate to go the large SUV route (or worse, minivan) for just two kids.

 

Help!!!

 

Thank you!

[c-lo]

we had a graco too, but our kids were older by the time I got the GT.

 

don't remember which one we had BUT for arguments sake why put your newborn in a 2 year old car seat?

 

kid deserves a new one!! and depending on who your auto insurance is with, you get a discount or a kickback for car seats. go get yourself a new one!

[Draug]

don't remember which one we had BUT for arguments sake why put your newborn in a 2 year old car seat?

 

Heh... The infant seat was only used for about 6 months while baby #1 was small enough for it. It is still in like new condition, and is exactly the same as the brand new ones they are selling. They havent even updated the color. No advantage to a new one.

 

But, if I can find a new one from a different company that fits, I will get one. So far, everyone I've checked out has basically the same dimensions as the Graco.

[CJ1177]

Over here in OZ I use the Safe N Sound Brand Which is a very good brand, They also have a compact model in there range for smaller cars

[062.5iwagon]

I'd be curious to hear what other people use as well. I encountered the same problem. What do people in compact cars do? Rip out the front passenger seat?

[thatmank]

On a long trip to Kansas city I actually had our rear-facing car seat behind me(the driver) for awhile to give my wife a break. It was HORRIBLE. I hope there is a solution out there.

 

subscribed!

[elgeetee]

We had a Combi. We still had to move the seat forward, but it wasn't too uncomfortable. We're both 5' 10".

 

You've probably tried this, but if you sit more upright you can get *a lot* more legroom with a car seat in the back.

[thatmank]

You've probably tried this, but if you sit more upright you can get *a lot* more legroom with a car seat in the back.

 

It's the "upright" that's uncomfortable though.

[Guest]

Basinet style? You mean infant carrier? We hated these things, and skipped them altogether. By the 4th month you would not be able to lift that junk with the baby inside and by 6th month the baby might outgrow it anyway. Don't bother! Added bonus of not using infant carrier is you'll be holding your baby more often. Plus the baby gets used to being moved by hand and becomes less sensitive and fussy about what's going on around it.

 

We used Britax Roundabout from birth. Fits perfectly behind passenger seat, my 5'7" wife had no issues with the leg room.

 

Heck, we used it until 2.5 years old or so, and depending on your child height/weight you can use it past 3 years old. Absolutely the best convertible seat existing. Nothing mounts easier and is more comfy for the baby.

[Dergara]

Hi there, we went with the Britax Companion™ baby seat in out OBXT until he hit about a year old. They say to use one of these until the baby is 20 lbs or a year old. I am 6 foot tall and could still sit in the passenger seat. My knees would be close to the dash but my kid was safe. This baby seat has the safest head protection of all and is the safest in my opinion to have next to a window in case of a side impact crash. After a year we went with the Britax Marathon forward facing that will last a long time. I will say this that maybe since you are into this already that you should check out the Britax Marathon and see if the weight parameters will work for you from here on out to save money.

[Guest]

Marathon is humongous. I recommend Roundabout and then switch to Britax Parkway booster.

[Two-Five Sti-L]

I used a Peg-Perego Viaggio(thanks SnoDork) and had the same length issues. Luckily my wife is short and didn't have much problems sitting more upfront to accomodate the backseat spacing.

[erikvcl]

What infant seats do other people use? The one we have is Graco, that is about 2 years old. The new Graco's are still the same; I checked.

 

We've got a Graco Infant Safeseat. Is that what you have?

 

With our first, the carseat was behind the driver's seat in my Legacy. The seat fit perfectly without me having to adjust my seat at all (I'm 6' tall). Now, we've got a Graco Toddler Safeseat behind the driver's seat and the infant seat (for our second) behind the passenger.

 

My wife did have her seat all the way back, but now she's got to move it forward to accomodate the infant car seat. My wife reclines her seat somewhat (I don't) so this explains the difference. My wife is 5' tall so she doesn't really mind. We have a similar problem in my wife's '04 Camry. The Camry has a bit more rear legroom so the passenger seat doesn't have to be moved forward as much.

 

I think this problem would be common in any vehicle that isn't a full-size SUV or a full-size truck.

[DukeTrout]

It may not apply to the Legacy with it's great side-impact protection, but the safest place for an infant (in a properly installed seat) is the middle rear. If your 2.5 y.o. is mature enough not to mess with your infant, that would be a good option.

[SnoDork]

Peg Perego Primo Viaggio - Newb - 1yo:

abit on the heavy side, but highly rated and super easy to use, daughter loved it, and just got to "long" and finally outgrew the rear facing application.

 

http://www.happymothers.com/assets/product/images250/70C651D3791C4BFB88AC077E131EF3D8.jpg

 

Now -

Recaro Young Sport:

She loves it and so do we...now if i can score myself a Recaro Seat!!

 

http://www.minicarparts.net/product/img/Icn/RYSB.jpg

[erikvcl]

It may not apply to the Legacy with it's great side-impact protection, but the safest place for an infant (in a properly installed seat) is the middle rear. If your 2.5 y.o. is mature enough not to mess with your infant, that would be a good option.

 

Are there car seats narrow enough to accomodate that in the Legacy? With our car seats, it's not even close (you'd need an additional 6-9 inches or so). I believe you need a full-size car to accomodate that configuration.

 

Now maybe with a booster seat, it would work...

[Dergara]

You can put the seat in the middle for example in the 05 OBXT, but it becomes a real chore for passengers to get their seat belts buckled plus they have to be Skinny.

 

With the seat on one side you have room for at least one passenger just make sure it has great side impact protection.

[iyalla]

We put our daughter in the middle on a convertible rear facing car seat. We have another one on the way and we're trying to figure if we can do it again with a booster next to it.

[DukeTrout]

If child#2 is in a booster, no problem. We've fit 3 boosters in the back of the OBXT. It gets interesting getting everybody buckled, but they fit. A baby seat in the middle and a booster on one side is no problem. Did it for at least 4 months with our kiddos.

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Hey folks,

 

I've had my '07 LGT Wagon for over a year now, and have loved it. Our 2 1/2 yr old daughter has plenty of room in her front facing car seat.

 

We just welcomed a new baby to our family, and to my horror and shock, the basinet style car seat doesnt fit well at all. You have to position the front seat right near the front (not an option cause we are both taller) to have enough clearance from the rear of the seat to the basinet.

 

What infant seats do other people use? The one we have is Graco, that is about 2 years old. The new Graco's are still the same; I checked.

 

Are there any brands out there that are a couple inches shorter? Perhaps they sit at a different angle and fit better?

 

I would hate to go the large SUV route (or worse, minivan) for just two kids.

 

Help!!!

 

Thank you!

 

Congrats man...and I'm right behind you...#1 just turned 1, and #2 is due on Thanksgiving....yikes!!

 

Our Graco modular seat (don't remember the model, but it plugs into a base which is left in the car) would not fit unless it were put in the middle of the rear seat, and even then would still rub against the inner sides of the driver and passenger front seats. Damn seats these days are just too freakin' big. And for the 1 year old, we have the Brittex Marathon (in 'Cow-moo-flage'...hahaha) which is even bigger but faces forward now.

 

So, although we haven't tried this yet...I was going to see if the Marathon will fit behind the front passenger seat, then put the Graco in the middle right next to the Marathon. Not sure they'll fit, but I am not prepared to go buy another car just because these seats are getting larger and larger.

 

Keep us posted! And again....congrats!!

 

Tim

[hadvw]

We're kind of in the same boat - 19 month old, new baby coming in January.

 

We had probably the same seat (the green/beige Graco). And yeah, it was a REAL PITA to have it behind the passenger's seat. We had to move the passenger seats both in the LGT and my wife's Mazda3 forward quite a bit. My wife's 5'9" (I'm 6'1"), and it was tough for her. Luckily, our daughter grew QUICKLY (at 19 months, she's 36.25") and so after 13-14 months we moved her into a forward facing Cosco Alpha Omega Elite.

 

I guess we'll have some more fun doing it all with TWO child seats in 6 months.. I'll once again lose the ability to (easily) fold down the seats in the wagon, but that's why we got the wagon in the first place - extra cargo capacity. Oh yeah - we'll also have to move the Cosco over to the driver's side in the Mazda3 (it's still on the passenger side for now).

 

Luckily, the forward facing Cosco has no real issues with clearance, so it's only a 12-14 month inconvenience.. And being able to click into the base is a bit of a plus..

 

I'm sure we'll survive somehow. Or we'll trade the wife's Mazda3 in on a new Forester or Rav4 or something..

[iyalla]

If child#2 is in a booster, no problem. We've fit 3 boosters in the back of the OBXT. It gets interesting getting everybody buckled, but they fit. A baby seat in the middle and a booster on one side is no problem. Did it for at least 4 months with our kiddos.

 

This is good to know. Thanks!

[Draug]

So, I finally chose the infant carrier for my son.

 

Here, in Canada, the shortest one I could find was the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP. It comes in at 66cm long (26 inches). It is a couple inches shorter than the Britax Companion. It is about 4 inches shorter than the Graco, largely because the base of it fits nice and snug against the rear seat back. I raised it up about 2 inches with a pad, so the longest part of the basinet sits just above the back of the front seat and below the head rest. Here is the pic of the car seat...

 

http://www.pegperego.com/pegcatalogue/juvenile/img/img_primoviaggio_3030_tango.jpg

 

For the 2 1/2 year old, we have the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 Comprehensive Car Seat. It fits nicely behind my driver seat with lots of leg room to spare for my daughter. If my daugter is large enough to move into a booster seat when my son grows out of the basinet, we'll continue to use this seat. If not, we'll buy a second one. Here is the pic of it..

 

http://trusca.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRUCA1-3671587reg.jpg

 

Now I need to find a nice compact double stroller. I had chosen the Peg Perego Aria Twin 60/40 side by side, but it turns out the quality is pretty poor. The folding and latching mechanisms are all plastic, and bend out of place way too easy. I'll be taking it back and continuing the search.

[NYtoVT]

I'm planning on having kids in the next year. Great info.

[rjundi]

I will only add that the Combi Connection infant car seat fits extremely well in both my Subaru WRX and 2005 LGT wagon. It also is one of the lightest car seats on the market. It also holds up quite well. It has been through 4 children now(2 of mine) since 2005 and holds up really well.