mrk1984

I am expecting my 1st at the end of the summer, and I'm wondering what others have experienced with rear facing car seats in the back of their car.

What brand did you use and what was the weight limit for your rear facing seat? I would love to get a 35lb seat but I don't know if it would even fit in the back, so 22lb might be only option.

When you used it, did you go with or without the base?

Does anyone have any pictures you could post so I can get an idea of what it will look like?

I know some will be a tight fit, mommy is 5'4 so she won't need too much room in the front, but she does fit behind me, I'm 6'0, so that is an option.

I'll probably be heading to Toys r Us sometime this month to try some out, but any help would be great.

Thanks in advance.

(Yes this is also posted in the 05-09 section. 2010/11 are the same and this section seems more active these days so your input would help)

Ltngdrvr

Didn't think you would use a rear facing seat in the back seat???

A rear facing seat in the back seat doesn't let you be able to see your baby while you are driving.

There are anchors provided for forward facing seats.

2k7gtcs

Car seats have to face rear until a certain size or weight is obtained by the child.


I have had an infant while I've had the Mustang and we are expecting another, but I've never had to take them in the Mustang, so I'm no help.

I do know it does have the tether anchor positions in the back. They are very evident.

We just bought a car seat for the new baby for the wife's car.

If you can afford it, the Britax brand is awesome. The designs are so much better than the regular brands and the safety is very evident. Plus it's made in USA and it has extra impact absorbing padding and the belts mount to steel instead of just plastic.


As far as type, we have typically always used the carrier type with the base. When you take the baby anywhere you typically will carry them in the carrier. You can just place the carrier on top ofthe shopping cart too instead of using the grocery stores dirty child carrier.

05GT-O.C.D.

You're definately going to want one with a base. It makes it SO much easier to carry a sleeping child and get them in and out of a Mustang. The 'baby holder' section will have a carry handle so you can hold the handle to maneuver the carrier on to the base and simply snap it in rather than having to try and lay down and buckle in a child back there.

You have to use a rear facing for an infant, and it has to be in the back. The LATCH system will accomodate this.

This one is very similar to what we used. http://www.toysrus.com/product/index...ductId=4043720 I really liked the way you could buy a full cover for it to keep the baby warm when toting in and out of the car in the winters.
I'll attach a pic of the cover so you can see what I mean.

Ltngdrvr

Hmmm...

Guess it's been a long time since I ever had to mess with any baby car seats, didn't used to be like that way back when.

05GT-O.C.D.

BTW - Congrats Mark!

coffeejolts

I can't speak for the Mustang; but, I had a rear facing child seat in my Focus ZX5, which has more rear legroom. You'll want to keep the base because it is next to impossible to get those seats in snugly without it. The base ties in with the child seat tethers, allowing you to just lift the carrier part out with the push of a button. The passenger seat will have to be pretty far forward to make it fit, but that should be ok if Mommy is short. You won't be using it for long anyhow.

A 35 lb seat is overkill. By the time baby is that big, it will need a forward facing seat. You'll find yourself changing seats every 10 months or so until the child is around 2 1/2- then you can get the drop in style that uses regular seat belts. Get a heavy beach towel and place it between the rear seat and the car seat base to that your seat isn't permanently damaged. Then torque the child tether down tight.

Here's a tip from a veteran Dad: try them out at Toys R Us, and then buy them from Goodwill, a garage sale, or from someone you know whose child had outgrown the seat. Just be sure to check the expiration date (yeah, they have expiration dates) and look for signs of damage. There is no sense paying top dollar for a car seat. Only buy from a store if you get a ridiculous deal.

Same goes for kid's bikes and strollers. My wife picked up a $200 tricycle at Goodwill for $8. All it needed was a good washing and a front inner tube. For $25 total and an hour of my time, my son has the most bad *** tricycle on the block.



It's not that I can't afford to go to the store for these things, I just know better.

05GT-O.C.D.

I agree w/ everything except for buying a garage sale / goodwill car seat. With the amount of car accidents out there, it's worth it to me to buy one new and not risk buying someone's that was in a car accident. I don't know enough about the integrity of them to be confident enough in my abilities to spot the different damages. For less than $150, I'd buy one new and save it for a second child vs buying something so important with an unknown history. Just my opinion.

hawkeye18

Not that it helps you, but this is perhaps the biggest unwritten benefit of being in the military. In the military community, there is never, ever, ever anything less than a massive onslaught of slightly used baby wear. Seats, strollers, cribs, clothes, shoes, bottles, breast pumps (eww), anything. Whatever size you need, there are 300 people trying to get rid of one. If you are near a military community, check out the housing areas on the weekends for impromptu garage sales. In my fairly small housing area (~800 people), there are never fewer than 10 garage sales on any given weekend day. They don't care if you're not in the military. They just want it gone.

Ministang

I didn't start putting the kids in the Mustangs until they were in forward facing seats, but we did use rear facing seats in several cars (including a couple of 2-door cars) when they were infants. If you will be using the seats in more than one car, get an extra base (or two) to make swapping back and forth much easier. IIRC you can order extra bases from the manufacturer.

You can buy seat protectors made specifically for car seats that go past the base of the carseat and protect the seats from spills and creases from the kid and the seat being pulled down tight.

We have bought and sold used car seats in the past, but typically only from friends or family members where we knew the history of the seat.

fdjizm

carbon fiber!

Lancel

It's the Corvette of baby car seats!

jeffgall

I can't speak for 2010+ Mustang, but I cannot find a seat the works for my 2006 Vert. The back seats are too slanted and slim. The bases I have tried are too wide. I found one with a slimmer base, but when I got the seat in, the back was too upright. The back has to be at about 30 to 45 degrees. The best I could get this seat was about 10 degrees. And BTW, with the seat facing rearward, I would have to put my top down to get the baby in and out. Ford definately did not design this car with babies in mind. I hate to say it, but if you are planning to transport a baby around, do not buy a Mustang. In my family the rule is, the rules is where the baby goes, Mom's car goes. My car has benn banished to my communte back and forth from work and the occasion weekend drive by myself. It is a real shame. I had always dreamed of driving the whole family with the top down on a nice summer day. Guess I have to wait a few more years. On the flip side, it is building my argument to get a 3rd car.

csriram45

very nice topic indeed. my wife and I dont have a kid but plan have have one in the next year or two. We are thinking of getting a 2011 convertible and had concerns about how difficult it might be to get the baby in and out.... so are you guys saying that its totally impossible to put a baby seat backfacing or front facing in a mustang?

We do have another car but typically.. I would think that I would drop the baby at day care in the morning while my wife leaves early to work and she would pick the baby in the evening while I come back late from work.. so we will need the base in both the cars....

Ministang

We had similar issues with trying to fit our forward facing car seats and booster seats into the back seat of my '08 Mustang. Because the rear seat bottoms are scooped out the car seats would shift around a lot. We made a 5 hour trip down to Kentucky a year ago with my kids in the back seat (5 and 6 at the time), and the seats kept shifting and sliding and would often end up resting at an angle. I had been hoping to take the Mustang on a family trip out west this summer, but unless we can figure out a solution for the rear seat and car seats, we'll be taking the Subaru again. We might try different sizes of folded up towels, or cutting some foam to fit, but it doesn't look good. The back seat of my '01 Mustang is much better in this regard since it is flatter.

Skotty

I haven't personally tried a 2010+ Mustang, but from experience, I would expect a rear-facing seat to be a problem (front passenger seat will probably have to be very far forward, and may be very difficult getting the baby in and out). However, a front-facing seat should be workable, though not ideal.

My child is a little over 18 months now and uses a front facing seat, and I intend to use a front facing seat for him in the Mustang. I bought a pad that goes under the seat to help protect the leather (Amazon sells some), and will be using LATCH to secure the car seat. I'll probably post again after I try it out for a couple weeks and report on how well everything works.

coffeejolts

You can find car seats here: http://carseatdata.org/search

And to get around the slope of the rear seat, try a swimming pool noodle.

mrk1984

Thanks everyone.
We actually talked about getting used, but being that this will be the 1st grandchild on both sides, our parents are super excited and will help with a lot of initial purchases, and not so sure about putting her in something used not knowing if it was used correctly.
I've seen plenty of front facing seats in back seats, so no problems there, but that's a year out.
I definitely want to use a system with a base, but I have heard that the base sometimes takes up even more space, so I just wanted to know how these actually fit and how usable the front seat is with it in.
Thanks again.

AusTXMCA

Towels work! That is what I did with mine when he was in his booster seat. A folded up towel made is sit perfectly level & stop shifting

coffeejolts

I personally plan on using polyethylene foam planks to fill in the dug out area in the rear seats. Polyethylene is the stuff swimming pool noodles are made out of, so it should not compress too much over time.