Need small, safe car seat

[jeannene]

Hi,

We need a convertible car seat that will fit in our Mitsubishi Spyder Eclipse 2-door. (not a great car for kids but we can't afford to trade it in right now...)

We are adopting a daughter from China, so do not need an infant carrier but do need to be able to put it backwards for a short time. Any thoughts on what might fit? Does BRU or any place let you try them for fit before buying?

Thanks for any help....

Jeannene
Denver

[Joolsplus2]

Yup, BRU will let you try it out, and maybe a better baby store in your area would have such a policy. Walmart also has a great return policy, so leave all the tags on the seat if you have to buy and then exchange/return one that doesn't work.
Try www.carseatdata.org, though I bet your car won't be in there...couldn't hurt to look.
Since she's older than a newborn, a seat can be installed more upright. Three good models to try, any of which might work, and one of which is sure to fit any budget, include the Britax Roundabout (very small base, good in scooped out back seats, RF tether for getting a good angle), the Evenflo Triumph (very short seat back) or the Cosco Touriva (a basic seat, but tends to fit fairly well in small back seats, you may have trouble adjusting the harness and might need a rolled towel to get a decent recline...but if she likes being upright, you might not even have to move your front seats forward).
Hope that helps...be sure to post back with any questions about these seats or installation concerns :)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx