What kind of convertable car seat will fit in a 2001 Jetta?
The back seat of the Jetta is tiny, but my car is paid off, so I’m desperate to find a convertable car seat that will fit. Thank you!
3 Responses
scatterbunny2003
12 Jul 2010
PrincessJesci
12 Jul 2010
I have a Jetta. Any carseat should work just fine. You can try to put it in the middle if you need some extra leg room for the little one. The full seatbelt and anchor hook on the rear dash makes that a little easier than in most cars.
tweed801
12 Jul 2010
you didn’t say if the car seat to big or small. go to your police and ask them to help you. good luck.
According to the carseat compatibility database at http://www.carseatdata.org the Britax Roundabout fits well rear-facing in the 2001 Jetta.
A couple things you may find helpful in fitting any rear-facing seat: only newborns need a 45 degree recline angle. Older babies with good head control can have the seat more upright, as upright as about 30 degrees. More upright is actually safer in a crash. Younger babies need a 45 degree recline angle so their heads don’t fall forward and block the airway.
I know people who have fit big Britax Marathons in tiny cars like 2-door Chevy Cavaliers and even a Porsche 911! Hard to believe, but it’s true. All because they were installed more upright.
Britax seats also have the ability to be tethered when rear-facing, which allows for a very customized recline angle. You just install the carseat really upright, attach the rear-facing tether to a solid, bolted-to-the-frame-of-the-car spot, usually under the front seat, on the seat track, and crank down the tether to get it to the right recline angle.
It’s also fine to have the front seat(s) touching the top of the carseat. Britax actually encourages bracing, which is pushing the front seat against the top of the carseat.
I like to recommend the big Britaxes (Marathon, Decathlon, Boulevard), the Sunshine Kids Radian and the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe the most because these seats will last years longer than all the other convertible seats on the market.
Why?
Because they have top slots 2-3 inches taller than the other convertible seats, and harnessed weight limits 15-25 pounds higher.
Most convertible seats are outgrown at age 2-4. Big Britax seats, the Radian and the Safe Voyage Deluxe are not outgrown until age 4-7, when most children are truly ready for the responsibility of a belt positioning booster seat.
Rear-facing as long as possible is safest, at least to age 2 and 30+ pounds, and any of those higher weight limit seats will keep kids rear-facing to a full 33 pounds. Kids under age 2 are four times more likely to die in a crash if they are forward-facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended for at least 5 years now to keep kids rear-facing to the full limits of a convertible carseat, and all carseats in the US rear-face to 30, 33 and 35 pounds. The only ones I recommend rear-face to 33 and 35 pounds.