Our first baby is on the way. Someone commented that we are going to have a hard time with a car seat and getting the baby in and out of the FJ. I'm new to this and just wondered if anyone has opinions on any car seats that work good specifically with the FJ or seats that I need to avoid. Are certain styles easier to use than others? Thanks.
cgarcer
I bought a Graco carseat/stroller package and havn't had and issues this far.Just make sure you park far enough away from anything so you can open both doors.
While we don't have a kid, we often watch a friend's new born (well, he was a little while ago). The kid was dropped off in a car seat that is secured using the seat belt. We would put the car seat in the middle of the rear bench.
We had no problems getting him or the seat in and out of the truck. My FJ does have a 3" lift and nothing to help get in or out of the truck. Also, my wife has a Scion tC, I had a harder time getting the kid in and out in her car than my truck.
Good luck with the new baby.
We had no problems getting him or the seat in and out of the truck. My FJ does have a 3" lift and nothing to help get in or out of the truck. Also, my wife has a Scion tC, I had a harder time getting the kid in and out in her car than my truck.
Good luck with the new baby.
They all work well. We have (and had) a Peg Perego Sip (infant), Britax Marathon (rear & front faced) and a Recaro Young Sport. The Britax seats have shorter latch straps which make it a tad more difficult when mounting in the center.. but other than that, it's fine. The Recaro isnt as comfy since it's quite restrictive unlike the Britax. I guess thats a trade-off for added safety.
Forgot to add about center seating. When the baby seat is in the rear facing position the seat may hit your drivers seat. Also, when your kid gets older and front faced in the center, be prepared for the occasional kick
My daughter is now on the passenger rear, but will be moving behind me once #2 arrives in December.
Forgot to add about center seating. When the baby seat is in the rear facing position the seat may hit your drivers seat. Also, when your kid gets older and front faced in the center, be prepared for the occasional kick
My daughter is now on the passenger rear, but will be moving behind me once #2 arrives in December.
The main problem like Gonzo stated is that to get the baby in and out of the FJ both doors will need their full clearance. The other inconvenience, is that rear facing car seats take up alotta room, and most likely the front seat will need to be adjusted forward quite a bit to accommodate them. Once they grow out of rear facing seats, you life gets easier!
Congrats on your upcoming baby!
T
Congrats on your upcoming baby!
T
I second that. I had a graco combination rear facing car seat with base that fit the stroller. It'll work fine but you will probley have to put it in the center. once you upgrade to a forward facing they'll work any where. being a tall guy i find it very easy to get him in an out as opossed to a lower riding vehicle
Guys I don't mean to hijack but I'm in the same boat as the op. My wife and I received a Graco Quattro travel system and it has one of those bases that you just leave in the vehicle. It fits well but the FJ owners manual seems to suggest that the seat is placed in one of the outer positions when using the "latch" system. The manual for the Graco suggests that the base is attached to the center seat. Which should I follow?
To the op, below is a pic of what we bought. I like the fact that the base just stays in the vehicle. It seems to fit well but I just installed it for practice. Our baby isn't due until next February.......
![Image]()
Wilkie
To the op, below is a pic of what we bought. I like the fact that the base just stays in the vehicle. It seems to fit well but I just installed it for practice. Our baby isn't due until next February.......
Wilkie
we have 2 car seat systems, one Graco and one Peg Perego Pliko 3. do not get the Peg Perego! although it is a higher end system, compared to graco, it is heavier and more cumbersome to get in and out of the FJ. the Graco on the other hand is great...and much cheaper! it is best to use the latching mechanisms on the window seats...plus it is much easier for you to set the seat on the ends rather than in the middle. with the Graco, i can put the seat in with the handle up...with the Peg Perego, i have drop the handle to load it.
Carseat in the middle, Booster on one side, 13 year old on the other side. They all fit!
Piece of cake getting everybody in and out with the rear "suicide door" setup. Had a regular 4 door SUV before the FJ and couldn't get everyone in as easy.
Piece of cake getting everybody in and out with the rear "suicide door" setup. Had a regular 4 door SUV before the FJ and couldn't get everyone in as easy.
Wilkie : I have my baby seat base on the outer side of the passenger seat.If this helps.I think it would suck trying to do the middle.
Thanks Gonzo! I think I may install the seat as you suggested and then take a trip up to our local fire department. I've been told that they will inspect things and make sure the seat is installed properly....
Wilkie
Wilkie
My wife and I have a four month old, and the FJ is the perfect vehicle. We have a Graco car seat, and I put it behind the passengers seat. That way, my wife sits behind me and I can open and close the door for her. Works perfect for us. . . plus if she needs to nurse him, I can just pull off to a secluded area, with the small back windows, it really works well. We prefer taking it over her Honda CRV, which has four full doors.
I have a 9 month old and he has had his carrier or seat in the FJ since day 1. Fits just right but requires me to get in to secure since the seat sits in the middle of the rear seat. I am not tall and the FJ has a 3" lift so I sometimes need to get in the back real quick to make sure the carrier is secure.
Getting the carrier in and out is not that big of a deal. I just think of it was if it were a 2 door with larger entry area. I am not tall and the FJ has a 3" lift so I sometimes need to get in the back real quick to make sure the carrier is secure. I have one of those baby mirriors that attaches to the headrest which helps me keep an eye on him while driving. One trick if you have a the carrier rear facing is to release (if realese is facing front) the carrier from base before you get out of the FJ. This way, you can reach in and pull the FJ. Like I said, I am not tall and have aligator arms LOL!
Getting him in the car seat, which he uses now, requires my wife or I to get in the FJ to secure him in. No big deal.
Hope this helps.
Getting the carrier in and out is not that big of a deal. I just think of it was if it were a 2 door with larger entry area. I am not tall and the FJ has a 3" lift so I sometimes need to get in the back real quick to make sure the carrier is secure. I have one of those baby mirriors that attaches to the headrest which helps me keep an eye on him while driving. One trick if you have a the carrier rear facing is to release (if realese is facing front) the carrier from base before you get out of the FJ. This way, you can reach in and pull the FJ. Like I said, I am not tall and have aligator arms LOL!
Getting him in the car seat, which he uses now, requires my wife or I to get in the FJ to secure him in. No big deal.
Hope this helps.
Not bashing anybody here - to each is own, and everybody has valid reasons for what they do, but.........
I would HIGHLY recommend putting that child seat in the middle of the vehicle. The more metal and compartment space that you have around your little fella/gal, the better. I am a firefighter and paramedic and have seen some absolutely destroyed vehicles in which the baby was nearly untouched because of well installed child seats. I am not saying that the outboard position would not protect your baby also, just keep in mind the maximum metal and space around your child.
As for the middle seat and LATCH. I want to be careful so as to not recommend or encourage anything here..........
Just throwing out facts and you can make your own decisions. The recommendation is that LATCH be used on the outboard positions because that is where it is crash tested. It is not crash tested in the middle (using the inner latch from both outboard seats) for some reason that I am not sure of. Seats are tested and found to be secure on the outboard positions. Proceed as you please.
I would HIGHLY recommend putting that child seat in the middle of the vehicle. The more metal and compartment space that you have around your little fella/gal, the better. I am a firefighter and paramedic and have seen some absolutely destroyed vehicles in which the baby was nearly untouched because of well installed child seats. I am not saying that the outboard position would not protect your baby also, just keep in mind the maximum metal and space around your child.
As for the middle seat and LATCH. I want to be careful so as to not recommend or encourage anything here..........
Just throwing out facts and you can make your own decisions. The recommendation is that LATCH be used on the outboard positions because that is where it is crash tested. It is not crash tested in the middle (using the inner latch from both outboard seats) for some reason that I am not sure of. Seats are tested and found to be secure on the outboard positions. Proceed as you please.
As I recall....statistically the safest position in an automobile is the passenger seat behind the driver. The reasoning for this is that the driver instinctively will "save him/herself".
I asked one of my medics who does Car seat installations and he supported the middle seat placement.
Here is the study that I found supporting middle seat placement
The analysis included children from birth to age 3 who were seated in a child-restraint system in the rear seat of motor vehicles (model year 1990 or newer) that were involved in a crash in 16 states.
The results showed that the passenger side rear seat was the most popular position for the baby or child's car seat (41%) followed by the left (driver's side) rear seat (31%) and center seat (28%).
Researchers also found use of the center position decreased as the child got older. For example, 39% of baby car seats for infants under age 1 were placed in the center rear seat vs. 18% of child car seats for 3-year-olds, regardless of any additional passengers in the rear seat.
Children seated in the center had a 43% lower risk of injury than those in either side position, which researchers say revalidates current child-restraint safety recommendations.
"Although placement in any rear seating position provides excellent protection," write the researchers, "those in the center have the lowest risk of injury."
Researchers say recommendations should continue to encourage families to install child and baby car seats in the center of the rear seat.
The good news is that the FJ excels in the side impact studies:bigthumb:
Doc
I asked one of my medics who does Car seat installations and he supported the middle seat placement.
Here is the study that I found supporting middle seat placement
The analysis included children from birth to age 3 who were seated in a child-restraint system in the rear seat of motor vehicles (model year 1990 or newer) that were involved in a crash in 16 states.
The results showed that the passenger side rear seat was the most popular position for the baby or child's car seat (41%) followed by the left (driver's side) rear seat (31%) and center seat (28%).
Researchers also found use of the center position decreased as the child got older. For example, 39% of baby car seats for infants under age 1 were placed in the center rear seat vs. 18% of child car seats for 3-year-olds, regardless of any additional passengers in the rear seat.
Children seated in the center had a 43% lower risk of injury than those in either side position, which researchers say revalidates current child-restraint safety recommendations.
"Although placement in any rear seating position provides excellent protection," write the researchers, "those in the center have the lowest risk of injury."
Researchers say recommendations should continue to encourage families to install child and baby car seats in the center of the rear seat.
The good news is that the FJ excels in the side impact studies:bigthumb:
Doc
With my three young'uns, I'll chime in with our experience.
We have used Graco units for all three to good performance...albeit no crashes thank goodness, the "performance" was from ease of getting them in and out. Not all Graco's are at the top of the recommended lists by default so you need to look around at all brands and ratings. Consumer Reports does a decent job at this and there are literally thousands of Parent sites on the web with their own versions. Graco has proven to be cost effective and worked well for us. Also mentioned here was Britax and they certainly carry a great performance record also.
Placement: My girls are 1, 2, and 6. The center of the rear seat, as already mentioned, is regarded as the safest. That's where daughter 1 went since she had a 4 year headstart as the only child in the family. #2 also got the center spot with #1 moving to the side. Now, with all three...we kept the youngest in the center while rear facing. Once she turned around, we have two large childseats occupying the outboard positions of the backseat because of sheer size. THe 6 year old now sits between them without being squeezed by either our Honda Accord or Pilot. The FJ seems plenty wide form what I have read.
So my 2 cents: If it were me, I'd mount to the center position of the rear seat for daily driving. It will be a hassle as you will have to get in the vehicle for mounting or dismounting. But you do get to more easily check on the baby and of course that safety thing. And something often overlooked, once forward facing, it's nicer to be able to share the view of looking out the front vs being stuck looking at the back of a seat in front of you...especially when the FJ has little side view from the backseat.
Other most prized possessions in the car for baby:
- I never went anywhere without a suction cup mirror to watch the backseat.
- Rear seat mounted toys can do wonders
- couple of extra pacifiers should be kept in vehicle if you intend to use these
- pack a backup diaper bag/kit with wipes, sippy cups, couple bottles of water, diapers, extra set of clothes, and snacks
- keep 2 towels in back: one to wipe baby's face before entering public (amazing what drool can do on a 5 minute ride especially if a snack is involved) and a second to lay out in rear cargo area to lay down baby for parking lot diaper changes (the absolute best part of having an SUV with kids!)
- Chewing gum...not for baby, for parents. Keeps you from wearing down your teeth when your gritting them form the screams of ready to be home
Congrats on the baby! I love every second with my daughters and it just gets better every day. Now if I can just get them hooked on offroading...oh yeah!
We have used Graco units for all three to good performance...albeit no crashes thank goodness, the "performance" was from ease of getting them in and out. Not all Graco's are at the top of the recommended lists by default so you need to look around at all brands and ratings. Consumer Reports does a decent job at this and there are literally thousands of Parent sites on the web with their own versions. Graco has proven to be cost effective and worked well for us. Also mentioned here was Britax and they certainly carry a great performance record also.
Placement: My girls are 1, 2, and 6. The center of the rear seat, as already mentioned, is regarded as the safest. That's where daughter 1 went since she had a 4 year headstart as the only child in the family. #2 also got the center spot with #1 moving to the side. Now, with all three...we kept the youngest in the center while rear facing. Once she turned around, we have two large childseats occupying the outboard positions of the backseat because of sheer size. THe 6 year old now sits between them without being squeezed by either our Honda Accord or Pilot. The FJ seems plenty wide form what I have read.
So my 2 cents: If it were me, I'd mount to the center position of the rear seat for daily driving. It will be a hassle as you will have to get in the vehicle for mounting or dismounting. But you do get to more easily check on the baby and of course that safety thing. And something often overlooked, once forward facing, it's nicer to be able to share the view of looking out the front vs being stuck looking at the back of a seat in front of you...especially when the FJ has little side view from the backseat.
Other most prized possessions in the car for baby:
- I never went anywhere without a suction cup mirror to watch the backseat.
- Rear seat mounted toys can do wonders
- couple of extra pacifiers should be kept in vehicle if you intend to use these
- pack a backup diaper bag/kit with wipes, sippy cups, couple bottles of water, diapers, extra set of clothes, and snacks
- keep 2 towels in back: one to wipe baby's face before entering public (amazing what drool can do on a 5 minute ride especially if a snack is involved) and a second to lay out in rear cargo area to lay down baby for parking lot diaper changes (the absolute best part of having an SUV with kids!)
- Chewing gum...not for baby, for parents. Keeps you from wearing down your teeth when your gritting them form the screams of ready to be home
Congrats on the baby! I love every second with my daughters and it just gets better every day. Now if I can just get them hooked on offroading...oh yeah!
Congrats on the new baby. I have 3 myself. 7,6 and almost 5 years old. It gets a lot easier when they're facing forward
Something you guys would love, get the snap'n go system. That way you carry the baby from the rear facing seat (it helps to put the base of the seat against the driver or passenger seat to protect the baby besides all the latches, but you'll have to move one of front seats forward a little bit) on its own carrier that would also fit the snap'n go stroller. Best invention ever
Sent from my Nexus S4G | 4.1.1 AOSP JellyButt v2.4
Something you guys would love, get the snap'n go system. That way you carry the baby from the rear facing seat (it helps to put the base of the seat against the driver or passenger seat to protect the baby besides all the latches, but you'll have to move one of front seats forward a little bit) on its own carrier that would also fit the snap'n go stroller. Best invention ever
Sent from my Nexus S4G | 4.1.1 AOSP JellyButt v2.4
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
