Anyone have carseat feedback, questions or issues?

I have a Prius V for review this week and may be able to help with any questions. I have a small number of child restraints on hand for testing. Also interested in any feedback regarding good or bad things you've noticed in regard to carseats and kids in general. Thanks!

 

What type of carseats or does it matter?

 

I apologize but the only Recaro model I have on hand is the ProSport.

 

An average adult male does not have even close to adequate head restraint in the rear middle. Plus, hip and shoulder room will be an issue with a car seat on either side. Less of an issue than in a regular Prius, but still difficult. I'm only 5'10" and even aside from the head restraint issue, the narrowest carseats would still make it a tight squeeze tolerable for a very short trip.

On the other hand, if the intent is to have an adult in back watching a baby, for example, you could fit a shorter person in the center rear seat. The head restraint might be adequate then. With a relatively narrow infant carrier on one side and something like a Safety 1st Go Hybrid for a 2-7 year old on the other side, a teen, pre-teen or smaller woman might have just enough room to keep the two kids occupied. My 11 year-old daughter can fit there in this setup, but my 13-year old son was just a bit too tall for the head restraint at 5'4". He did have enough hip and shoulder room, though. I could barely squeeze in, too.

 

If you choose carefully, you can even fit two rear-facing convertibles side-by-side and even have just enough legroom up front for a 5'10" driver like me. If you are shorter, then you could move the rear seat forward a bit for more cargo space if needed. The main problem is that the shoulder belt for the seat installed in the middle is going to be a potential annoyance for anyone sitting behind the passenger. This is the case with the Sunshine Kids or Diono Radian I have in the middle. It's one of the narrower seats that tends to puzzle well next to others, but it took a little effort to get it installed correctly. Next to it is the new Graco Size4Me 70. It's a larger convertible, but since it installed more upright than the Radian, they happened to fit well next to each other.

 

You could LATCH in two Britax Parkway SGL (in backless mode if you prefer) on the outboard seats and use the narrow BubbleBum booster in the center.

 

Last chance for questions. Still seeking feedback on any issues parents have noted with seating kids in back.

 

Congrats on the impending arrivals! One comment first, the original Graco Snugride (22) works well for full term newborns. Unfortunately, it isn't one of the better infant seats fitting low birthweight newborns, including preemies and usually multiples. If you do find that the harness cannot be adjusted adequately to fit and just seems too large in terms of the height and tightness of the harness straps, feel free to contact me for some other recommendations. Every baby is different in proportions, so you may not have an issue at all, of course.

As for convertibles, I tried a Britax G3 convertible and it allows for adequate legroom up front, especially when a little more upright for babies over 4-6 months who no longer need a full 45 degree recline. It was very easy to install in the outboard seats. I'll have some photos when I finish my review of the V at carseatblog.com. I also tried the Graco Size4Me 70 and Diono (Sunshine Kids) Radian. They take up more room, especially the Radian, but the tradeoff is that you can use them longer both rear-facing and forward-facing before the height limit is reached. The Radian is a model that fits better in the center so it puzzles between the front seats and doesn't consume as much legroom. It's a little more difficult to install, but it is narrow enough that it may allow other seats to fit next to it more easily.

 

If they are not included with the carseat or approved (crash tested) by the manufacturer, I would recommend against using them, especially for a newborn or low birthweight infant. The potential risk ranges from minimal to serious, depending on the product and the child.

The main issue with any aftermarket accessory of this type is that some designs can affect the fit of the harness, causing it to appear tight. In a crash, the stuffing will compress, possibly allowing the child to be ejected from the harness. The second issue is that accessories that add even a small amount of padding behind the head can increase the risk of a breathing obstruction if a newborn's head flops forward for an extended period of time. This is an increased risk for a low birthweight infant and also why infant seats need to be installed close to a 45 degree recline angle for preemies and newborns.

Some infant seats come provided with inserts designed for preemies. These are typically designed not to affect the fit of the harness or put more than a thin layer of material behind baby's head. Other infant seats have no inserts at all. For those, we usually recommend that a parent can place a rolled receiving blanket to each side of the child's head and torso to fill up any extra space and keep the head from falling uncomfortably to the side. This does not affect the harness system and does not put anything behind baby's head, so it is not a hazard like some of the aftermarket accessories are.

As for convertibles, there are lots of very good options that range from basic models with no frills to expensive models that make installations and adjustments very easy. All should be quite safe when installed and used correctly, though. We have a recommended seat list at carseatblog that is a good place to start. Obviously, some of our preferences may not apply to your situation and there are a lot of great products we haven't reviewed or didn't quite make the cut for our list.

 

The Olli is not one of the narrowest boosters. Also, rigid LATCH is great, but doesn't allow you the flexibility of moving the booster over slightly to accomodate an adjacent seat, like you can a little with the Parkway SGL I mentioned. My Clek Oobr is one of my favorite carseats, but it's not among the better 3-across booster models. In many cases, with three-across, seatbelt installations sometimes give you a little more room to fit all three seats. Harmony makes a nice, inexpensive narrow backless booster as well. It's under $15 and easy to return at Walmart if it doesn't work.

I don't have the Prius V any longer, but I did try an arrangement like the one I mentioned in response to your previous post. They will certainly fit, but you will probably have to help younger kids buckle, especially on the passenger side. Younger kids will have a tough time buckling themselves with the limited space between the boosters combined with the short buckle stalks. With any carseat, you should always get a good return policy because there can be an incompatibility issue in any vehicle, especially with 3-across setups.