Help! Rear Facing MA - Will it fit?

[uclamom]

Hi All,

I have read through many of the postings about MA vs RA and I'm feeling like the MA is the way to go. It seems it will last much longer and the patterns are so much cuter on the MA. :) I'm nervous though about whether or not it will fit Rear Facing in my Audi A4. I have a 2004 A4 and my daughter's seat will go behind the driver side. I'm only 5 foot 3, so I can scoot my seat up a lot, but I'm still nervous that it will not fit rear-facing.

Does anyone know if it will fit RF in my car? I will likely order online and would like to know before I order. Also, I'd prefer not to have to do a 'test run' before purchasing.

Thanks for the advice!
Sherri

[Joolsplus2]

If you can sit comfortably in front of an infant seat, the MA will be the same. If you are crunched up in front of the infant seat, then you'll have more room in front of a Roundabout :). I know the MA looks huge, but it gets installed rather upright for older babies, and will NOT take up more front-to-back space than an infant seat :) (We'll help you out with installation tips if you get it and say, Julie's insane, I can't fit this thing in here! Don't worry, we can make it happen, lol).

Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[uclamom]

Hi Julie,

Thanks for the reply - I'm encouraged! I'm pretty crunched in front of my infant seat, which is a Peg Perego SIP seat, but it does fit. I thought I had made up my mind, but is a MA that much better/safer than a RA? It seems from the posts that the drawback to the RA is that children quickly outgrow them. I had figured I would put my little girl in a booster seat when that happened. Is that unsafe? It seems a RA would fit much better in my car, but if the MA is safer, I am happy you're saying it will fit. Thanks for your help - I'm obsessing a bit over this, but I don't want to make the wrong purchase.

Thanks!
Sherri

[Joolsplus2]

The Marathon just fits the average kid a couple years longer than the Roundabout. You definitely want to keep a kiddo harnessed to at least age 5-6, which the Marathon will do, but the Roundabout usually only fits till 3-4, so you'd buy a seat with taller top slots to harness another couple years before moving to a booster. If you are planning another kiddo, the RA is great, you'll get to use it for a long time, it's worth the money. If this is your one and only, buying an MA would keep you from having to buy that second harnessed seat later. (and we could still help you get it installed, at least there's no handle to have to put down like on that pesky Peg!)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[ucladad]

I agree with Sherri totally. She is obsessing a bit about this. :)
I think either one will work for her and she'll likely be totally happy.

[Joolsplus2]

LOL! Yeah, they are both great, and you need to look at what works NOW. It's ok not to try to think ahead years and years... I have a Roundabout, just because it's so nice, and I don't mind that I'll have to buy a bigger seat later if I need to (well, I have dozens of seats and look for any excuse to buy a new one, I'm a little weird...). Most people prefer the marathon for the longevity, but the Roundabout is nicer (easier harness adjuster)and easier to fit in a tight car...and the Aloha cover is gorgeous (or some plain cover, www.babyuniverse.com has a lot of cover choices).

:)


Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[uclamom]

So much for telling my hubby about these boards! :) I really appreciate the advice. I've come full circle and your post convinced me to get the RA. I know it will fit in my car and I'm okay with having to buy another seat a few years down the road. To be honest, I think I may have gotten sucked into the MA because of the cool limited edition couture patterns, but the RA has nice patterns too. I will have to look into the Aloha...I wish I could see one in real life. I may play it safe and get the Onyx - boring, I know, but it matches my car nicely.

Thanks again for the words of wisdom!

[Joolsplus2]

Oh, go Aloha! It's mostly green with pink piping around it, and it's SO soft, a nice velour that crumbs and spit wipe off easily http://picasaweb.google.com/joolstag/FlowerPowerCar/photo#4994029404435120146 If you have a boy next, you can buy a new cover that's boyish and sell the Aloha cover on ebay :). Onyx is ok...kind of plasticy...www.babyuniverse.com has lots of plain colors (did I already link that? I could be wrong, I should go look, rofl!)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx