Rear facing child seat for small car

[Valkarie]

DS2 is going up to the next size car seat as getting too big for the baby one that can just be carried around. DP has a small car and often gives lifts to a relative with bad knees, so need the front seat far back. We have just tried the car seat with isofix that we used for ds1 and cannot put the front seat back far enough.

Do smaller depth rear facing seats exist? Happy to use non-isofix if that would fix it as they might not come out as far. But rear facing is a must as baby is far too young to legally face forwards.

I'm not sure they do, they all seem bloody massive! If you're near an in car safety centre I'd go there but they do offer phone advice too

Not sure how small the car is but a Maxi-Cosi 2 way Pearl on its isofix base fits into the back of a Toyota Yaris.

BeSafe Izi is smaller than others we have used, still not exactly tiny tho.

My Joie Stages is compact

Saw a comment about the Joie Stages being small and it must be a different model to mine as ours is huge and I can't see how it could fit in a small car

Axkid Minikid is compact

I use a joie car seat and it fits in my Aygo behind the driver seat. It is a 4 door though so easy to get it in and out.

Joie Tilt is very compact and erf

Concord reverso plus is tiny in ERF seat terms

I don't think you'll find one if you need to push the front seat back. Even just with an infant seat in our Swift I have to have my knees right up in the dashboard and we can't put DS2 behind DH because he wouldn't be safe to drive.

Can you just leave the infant seat in the car rather than taking it in and out if it's unwieldy? It's really rare that babies outgrow these before a year or so.

Does he need to drive the relative and DS2 at the same time? If not perhaps he could uninstall the seat (or get something like a spin seat which can be swapped easily) when the relative is in the car and push the passenger seat forwards when he's not?

Legally if you are using an R44/04 seat you can forward face at 9kg. But if baby is too young then I think you're right to push for a RF seat.

Perhaps you can visit somewhere like Mothercare or John Lewis and try all of the rear facing seats they have in the car? Just beware of some of the ultra cheap brands as the rear facing is often only to 9kg or 10kg, which your baby might be too big for already. Joie is the only cheap one which is alright.

Diono Radian 5 - just come out, absolutely bomb proof and comfy but very narrow. We fit 3 across in the back and this is how! It's not isofix but is really really secure, and has extended 5 point harness so the seat itself is secured even if the child isn't in it. Also extended rear facing.

Comfiest and best for sleeping seats we've had are Cybex, best value for money are britax, but this is by a long way the best at maximising value in a small space! It's also got very good safety ratings.

We had a similar problem and never managed to find one. I now travel with my knees pressed up against the glove compartment so tightly my feet can't touch the floor! Not ideal, but needs must!

Just had a look on the car seat FB group with not much luck. They suggest installing the child seat (or forward facing older child) in the front seat of the car and sitting the adult in the back.

But by the looks of it, Axkid minikid, Britax Two Way Elite and Joie Tilt are worth a look. The TWE braces against the front seat too so can be touching it whereas some require a gap.

This site lists the "cabin space" required for various ERF seats - this is the gap between the backrest of the back seat and the back of the front seat. erfmission.com/full-list-erf-seats-prices/

Narrow isn't the problem, depth is the problem.

Peach that can't be safe for you in a crash! If you can turn off the airbag, I'd consider swapping places if the child is really too young to forward face.

Oh wow, lots to look into here, thank you. My car is bigger, so has been fine for now. But going back to work means the relative will be helping with childcare and dp will need to drive them all. I think finding a large outlet with lots of seats to try is a good idea.

Can't stay in the little seat as ds2 really hates it and screams the whole time. He is above 9kg, so fine for next size.

I wouldn’t call the Axkid Minikid ‘compact’ BUT it beats some others in that ideally it actually should touch the seat in front, rather than needing (any) gap for safety. Plus it’s passed the Swedish test, so one of the safest seats you’ll get full stop, and it’ll last until around age six (not four like a lot).

Have a look at the Kiddy Guardian range
From 9-36kg, really solid with impact shield

DS has been in his since before he was 1...he's now 8 and is still happy in it

@BertieBotts gosh, I hadn't actually thought about that. I was so concerned about DD that I didn't really stop to consider it! Thankfully a new car is in the horizon and this one will be much more family-friendly!

Britax Two Way Elite.

OP did you see the site with "cabin space" measurement? That seems the best place to start.

We found the Nuna Rebl to be the best fit in a small car. There was still some legroom for the passenger. Ultimately though, we just bought an enormous car!

Britax Two Way Elite can be very compact. The angle you set it up at (ie sitting up more) makes it even smaller. Great seat, fits almost all cars, easy to move between cars (compared to my BeSafe Izi Combi seats). I recommend them to everybody!

My mum had the Joie stages in a Renault Clio with no issues, and that’s pretty small.

We have the britax maxway, and that needs more room than the stages.

Joie 360 spin works for us