Infant Car Seats

[cale]

if you face a baby out the back then get hit in the back wouldn't they whiplash towards the rear window? Why no face towards front? do you plan on hitting cars?

I'll take the word of people designing safety restraints for infants vs. that of a forum goer, and they suggest rear facing for infants as it better supports their head in the event of a crash.

[JRector]

I cant wait to be able to get a Recaro Toddler seat that I don't have to remove. But I need to find an infant seat that I actually like.

[Restoman]

You definitely want a click in type car seat and a four door. Otherwise, you won't want to go anywhere.

[e30trooper]

You definitely want a click in type car seat and a four door. Otherwise, you won't want to go anywhere.

This inst true. I had the click type in my vert for 7months. Was easy to put in and take out. I had to get the full size due to my son out growing the old one. Plus the recaro is baller :)

[VANOS714]

i have a rear facing recaro babyseat in the back seat of a coupe. It works.


I cant wait till my son is a year and I can face that seat forward. Only issues would be the sun and lights at night. Those two being to bright at times.

I have the exact same seat. Good Choice.

[raywillet]

if you face a baby out the back then get hit in the back wouldn't they whiplash towards the rear window? Why no face towards front? do you plan on hitting cars?

That's fine in crash conditions, but consider everyday normal driving and the forces involved in acceleration and deceleration. Face an infant forward, and every time you hit the brakes their head goes forward. Hopefully you don't drive because racecar with a baby in the car, so acceleration is managed by the reclining of the seat.

Plus its pretty much the law in most states, rear facing until 1 year AND 20 lbs.

And in my experience, Britax is a very high quality car seat. My son is 7 weeks old, and we have a Chicco. Wonderful with the separate base and stroller combo thing.I work for the Fire Dept, trained car seat installer, been doing it 6 years.

Not sure how it fits in a E30 yet tho, mines sitting with flat tire and needing a timing belt....

[imsotyerred]

I'll take the word of people designing safety restraints for infants vs. that of a forum goer, and they suggest rear facing for infants as it better supports their head in the event of a crash.

i think the idea is, in case of a collision, that the forces of deceleration will put the force into the back of the infant vs the chest which has not fully developed into a hard ribcage...protect the heart/vital organs better

also, head support

[CabbE30]

Dont get me wrong, since I've never had a baby or any other car for that matter, But isn't the reason you keep a baby in the backseat because of airbags? E30s no havey airbags.

[RobertK]

I use a Graco Snugfit 32 (newer model is 35 - both use the same base). We bought 2 bases so we can easily switch vehicles. Nice, affordable, and fits great in a 2dr E30 and is just as easy to get in and out of a 2dr as it is to remove from my wife's 4dr E46.

http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Snugride...1673632&sr=8-1

[raywillet]

Dont get me wrong, since I've never had a baby or any other car for that matter, But isn't the reason you keep a baby in the backseat because of airbags? E30s no havey airbags.

That is the main reason. I rarely see LATCH being installed in a front seat of a passenger car, so you would rely on a seatbelt.

For the different retractors, the big difference is if the retractor ever lock the seatbelt. If it only locks when you jerk on it, such as fast deceleration or a crash, then its an Emergency Locking Retractor, and it requires a locking clip.

If you can pull it all the way out, and then while its retracting you hear faint clicking and are unable to pull the seatbelt back out, its a Switchable. If you pull it out partway and then it locks in a similar fashion, its an Auto LR. With these no locking plate is required.

Regardless of the type of retractor/locking plate/etc, putting in a carseat with a seatbelt should be a pain in the ass. So by putting it up front, you effectively can't use that side anymore for 2dr vehicles. It usually takes 2 dudes with pool noodles and lots of 'gawdammit small ass car' to get a car seat installed correctly. So its preference on if you have 2dr or 4dr, can you use that side mirror anymore for a rear facing seat (most likely not), and can it fit without hitting the dash.

[herbivor]

Have you ever seen the old owner's manuals on how to install car seats in an E30? Hilarious. It's like a sideways basanet with a seat belt strapped around it. When I had my second kid I traded for a 4 door E30. Way better and even easier to put them in than my wife's X3....probably not as safe though.

[Thizzelle]

I'll take the word of people designing safety restraints for infants vs. that of a forum goer, and they suggest rear facing for infants as it better supports their head in the event of a crash.

yes a front end crash, not a rear end crash. It's physics!
I could be designing infant safety if I go look for a job in it but do I really want to???

[SpecM]

My first is due in nine days!

My dad brought back from Germany a BMW-brand car seat, not sure who actually makes it. BUT its going in a Honda Odyssey.
..

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk

[kinvodA]

My little guy was born a few days ago and we scored a recaro babyseat. I set it up in the car but it's really tall, it seems like I might have limited rear visibility. It's a coupe so I've had my eyes open for a sedan but no serious candidates yet

[LEANE30]

I agree about the purpose of being in the back seat due to airbags, and the issue of belt retractors, but that pic of the backward recaro looks painful for the driver, hope you don't crack your dome on the back of that baby seat!

I see all these posts, but what about removing the front passenger seat altogether and bolting a mounting bracket directly to the floorboard to accept the infant seat? then adult passengers can step over/past the baby seat to sit in the back seat.

Wouldn't that be the best solution? shouldn't be very difficult to fab up a basic metal bracket... I'm not getting rid of my e30, damn it. I'll buy an extra car if I needed to.