Car seat that can easily be installed/un-installed for nanny's car

[chowhoundmommy]

I have a 22 month old and a 3.5 month old. My youngest is almost ready for a convertible car seat as his head is almost within an inch of the top of the Snugride. We have our oldest in a FF Marathon and wanted to get another Marathon for our second son. The problem is that my nanny's car, a 1998 Civic 4-door, is too small for 2 Marathons. Since she has an 8 y.o. daughter of her own who has to sit in the back seat, our nanny will have to take out one of the car seats daily when she goes home to pick up her daughter from school.

Can anyone recommend a car seat that will fit in the backseat along with a Marathon in a Civic that can be installed and un-installed easily? Or does anyone have any other solutions/recommendations? I really wanted to get another Marathon, but I think it will be too difficult to get it in and out of her Civic. TIA!

[murphydog77]

Hi. Who would you be buying the seat for? A forward-facing seat is almost always going to be easier to uninstall/reinstall than a rear-facing seat, so I would go that route. If that's the case and a Marathon is in your budget, then go for it. If it's too $$$, then a Graco Ultra/Platinum CarGo or Evenflo Chase/Vision/Traditions/Generations/Bolero would also be good choices.

For the baby, a Cosco Touriva/Regal Ride/Scenera is a lightweight seat, but you might need a few pool noodles to get a good recline angle. I also have to use a locking clip otherwise locking the seat belt at the retractor will cause the car seat to tip. How about a Britax Roundabout? It's smaller than the Marathon but has the built-in lockoffs.

Heather, CPS Tech
http://www.CarSeatSite.com

[kijip]

She can't do two MA outboard in the Civic?- I find them easier to install/uninstall than other seats. I can get 2 big britaxes (and may odd combinations of seats) into my 98 Corolla, which has a smaller back seat so I am just curious if it really will fit.

As for the second seat- I agree that a FF Combo seat for your daughter will work if she fits. If she is too tall or heavy, you may need to keep her in the MA and use a smaller convertible for baby,

[kellyotn]

I think the seats will fit, but the nanny's 8 year old cannot fit with the seats! ;-) I have a larger sedan, and with 2 Marathons back there, NO one else regardless of size can ride between them, nor can the seats be side by side. I'd assume there's even less room to spare with a Civic.

FWIW, a FF MA is a BREEZE to install with a seatbelt. I don't know if I'd wanna do it daily though....

[kijip]

Ahhh! I missed that the 3 would all be riding together! I thought the seat would be uninstalled each day and then the nanny's daughter would be picked up.

I can't really see a seat that is any easier to install than the MA, just lighter so easier to get in ans out. A FF Combo seat used with a top tether like the Graco Ultra CarGo seems like a good idea since it is light and it won't hog the trunk.

[chowhoundmommy]

Thank you for all the great comments! I think we'll try the Roundabout--I didn't think they were that much smaller than the MA, but I'll look into it. We'll try to keep the RF Roundabout installed in the car permanently (since this is the harder of the two to install), and have the FF Marathon be the one that has to be un-installed on a daily basis. I guess we will become very proficient with the installation!

In my original post, I was asking about a carseat that could be taken out of the car on a daily basis. My nanny's daughter wouldn't normally be riding in the back with the 2 carseats. We thought we could have 2 Marathons outboard, but with a RF MA behind the front passenger side, my nanny thought that the front passenger would have no leg room. We can't have the RF MA behind the driver b/c then my nanny doesn't have any leg room. Hopefully, the Roundabout will work. If not, we'll try the other brands mentioned.

Thanks again for everyone's assistance! This message board is so helpful. :)

[kijip]

If this helps- we have the Wizard (same size as the MA) installed RF behind the passenger seat in my Corolla (same size as Civic, wirh a smaller backseat). A long time ago we used it in my son's godfather's car, which is a 98 or 99 Civic. It was RF behind the passenger. The godfather, who is well over 6 feet, was able to use the passenger seat while his fiance drove.

I think the RA is narrower- making it easier to get a passenger along side but takes up just about as much room when RF. We have both size seats and I still maintain that MA/Wizard fits better than the RA in some cars.

I am sure that the RA and the MA will both fit... No way to tell for sure unless you take the car and try both!