Help. Car seat won't fit :(

[Marley&Me]

My DH has just put out car seat in for the baby and we are having some issues. I have a 2002 Ford Laser hatch, we have the anchor points in the boot so we now have to purchase an extension strap. Where can I get one at a reasonable price? Do they have to be specific to the seat you have?
And the seat is set up in the back seat of the car, the way it should be, but now we can't put the seat back comfortable enough for me to drive with or DH to sit in passenger side with And the car is average size it's not tiny or anything. Imagine if I had a smaller car! I don't understand why it won't just fit.

Any ideas??

[Andie78]

No great ideas for you, but I have the same problem. I just figure whoever is in the passenger seat is going to be a bit squished until the seat goes fwd facing (when baby gets older/bigger). I have a Mazda 2, so smaller than yours, but even with carseat behind me (drivers seat) I can drive ok. You already know I'm tiny though... so it helps being 5ft... ; )
Not sure about the extension strap, mine came with one. Maybe call the store where you bought it, or google the carseat manufacturer? Better do that tomorrow... you're so close now you might need it any day now! Xx

[~TT40~]

my car only fits rf seat in the middle. even then it is a tight squeeze. and you can get extension straps anywhere they sell carseats, so bub shops, department stores etc..

[Marley&Me]

Thanks Andie. Nobody I know has ever mentioned the problem with no room once the car seat is in. Nor has anyone ever mentioned anything about an extension strap. we are a little annoyed actually! Maybe it is the particular type of seat? It's a Hipod Milan from Target, but then again why has nobody ever said to me "Cos you have a hatchback you might wanna get a seat that is a bit more compact" or something along those lines.

I just need to know if extension straps are universal. Can't seem to find a straight answer on google!

[Marley&Me]

my car only fits rf seat in the middle. even then it is a tight squeeze. and you can get extension straps anywhere they sell carseats, so bub shops, department stores etc..

Posted before I saw this. Thanks TT40, I will check for one tomorrow. I think if we put it in the middle you still cant get the seats back comfortably, it's too wide

[HotI]

Yep, the extension straps are universal, and most hatchbacks will need them particularly in rear facing position.

I had a corolla seca hatchback and yep it was a tight fit in rear facing. i could drive with it behind me but DH couldn't. I think we ended up putting it in the centre .

[Andie78]

I must admit, we bought our carseat without checking if it fit. In hindsight I should've got a smaller model, or just tested one out while at the baby store. I didn't really think about the size thing till afterwards too, just assumed they were all roughly the same size. Oh, well. Done now. : )

[Arimeh]

Our rear facing car seat has always gone behind the front passenger seat - and my dh always has to drive.

He's 6 foot 7 and I'm 5 foot 5 so I can afford to be a little squished LOL

I think we always got our extension straps from a normal department store - Kmart, bigw etc.

If you can't find one let me know, I have a spare one you can have

[luna moth]

I have a Safe n Sound Compaq for my hatchback. I did a bit of reading and heard about this problem, so that's what made us choose the seat. We can both fit in front of it, on either side.

[OceanPrincess]

I have a Safe n Sound Compaq for my hatchback. I did a bit of reading and heard about this problem, so that's what made us choose the seat. We can both fit in front of it, on either side.

Exactly that, except we didn't find the problem til after we bought a Meridien. Oh well.

[Marley&Me]

Thank you ladies Andie, I bought ours for half price when I was only 18 weeks pregnant! So we didn't think about it either.

I had no idea about seats not fitting properly. Didn't even think about it, never heard it mentioned. DH will put it in and then I will take it to the tyre place and they can check it for me. maybe they can put it in a little more snug.

Argh, hate being such a newbie with this stuff! LOL

[*Efjay*]

I would think that *maybe* you have the seat installed incorrectly. I know the seat you have & would think it should fit better then it sounds. I would suggest taking it to be fitted by someone who does it regularly but I also wonder if maybe you have it reclined too far?

[Marley&Me]

I would think that *maybe* you have the seat installed incorrectly. I know the seat you have & would think it should fit better then it sounds. I would suggest taking it to be fitted by someone who does it regularly but I also wonder if maybe you have it reclined too far?

We did tilt it more upright, but stood back and both agreed it was far too 'upright' for a newborn. I am hoping when we get it checked they can fix it to a better position

[Joeve]

I have a dual cab ute and my car seat has to go a bit more upright than I thought it would. I bought an extra newborn insert to help her head stay supported being a bit more upright for those first few months.
Someone told me that the back of the car seat shouldn't touch the back of the car seat and there should be a gap. No way could we ever have that the passenger seat would be in the glove box. I have a safe and sound something or other lol can't remember which one ...

[little_mrs]

Have you tried putting it in the middle? That's usually the safest spot for them anyway, and means that it doesn't matter if your driver or passenger you can still see and reach baby. I tried all 3 spots and found the middle easiest by far when rear facing. Make sure you and your dh watch closely when you get it checked for proper install, you'll need to know how to do it properly yourself too.

[Marley&Me]

I have a dual cab ute and my car seat has to go a bit more upright than I thought it would. I bought an extra newborn insert to help her head stay supported being a bit more upright for those first few months.
Someone told me that the back of the car seat shouldn't touch the back of the car seat and there should be a gap. No way could we ever have that the passenger seat would be in the glove box. I have a safe and sound something or other lol can't remember which one ...

haha, yep no way could we leave a gap! I don't even think a 4X4 could leave a gap!

Have you tried putting it in the middle? That's usually the safest spot for them anyway, and means that it doesn't matter if your driver or passenger you can still see and reach baby. I tried all 3 spots and found the middle easiest by far when rear facing. Make sure you and your dh watch closely when you get it checked for proper install, you'll need to know how to do it properly yourself too.

I think the seat may be too wide. But we will check tomorrow

[chody47]

When I had DD1 I was driving my fiesta. We got a compact seat, but the front passenger seat still had to be as far forward as possible. I fit but DH didn't. If we went somewhere together he had to drive and i felt like i was sitting in the windscreen... Eventually we moved to car seat to his car (falcon), and I ended up trading his car in for an x-trail . He now has to drive my mini car
As a side note, I found it better having the seat on the passenger side as it means its on the footpath side when getting in and out the car.....

[wysiwyg]

I have a dual cab ute and my car seat has to go a bit more upright than I thought it would. I bought an extra newborn insert to help her head stay supported being a bit more upright for those first few months.
Someone told me that the back of the car seat shouldn't touch the back of the car seat and there should be a gap. No way could we ever have that the passenger seat would be in the glove box. I have a safe and sound something or other lol can't remember which one ...

Yes that is correct there should be a gap you can slip your fingers in between the car seat and back of the seat in front - so not a big gap (the reason they say this I believe is because if you can't slip your fingers down that can mean there is pressure being placed on car seat that it wasn't designed to have and therefore may not behave as predicted in an accident) . We have a Corolla Hatch, and used a capsule and then a Compaq Safe and Sound (which was recommended for small cars) - we could both drive it when rear facing and as a passenger you were slightly more forward and upright than used to but was ok (I am 5ft 7 and DH is 6ft) so I think the type of seat does make a difference.