Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

Hey guys and gals, as some of you already know, my wife is preggers with our first, due in January.

My question is: for those of you who have kids, which infant seat(s) did you use in your Max? My 99 does NOT have the LATCH system (no 4th gens do), and so I was hoping to be able to still put the infant seat in the MIDDLE of the backseat (safest place), but wondering...with the "hump" in the middle, does that not allow for infant seats?


I'm looking at the Graco SnugRide 30 infant car seats:

http://www.gracobaby.com/Products/Pa...ductID=1812977


What do you guys use?


The reason I started this thread, is all the other threads are years old, and infant car seats have changed drastically since then.

Fauken

iTrader: (6)

Get a bride baby seat.

http://i700.photobucket.com/albums/w...debabyseat.jpg

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

^ only car seat I would use lol. Should totally mod up a car seat lol those things would sell like crazy at car shows

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

I'm having a girl...so if I pull up somewhere and the thing says "bride" on it...I may get some cross looks

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

lol Sparco in that case

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

hehe yeah, right

We're planning on having ONE carseat with TWO bases (one for my max, one for Squeaker's Outback). Neither of our cars come equipped with the LATCH anchor points. Also, the carseat we're looking at is one that can snap in to a stroller and what-not, so when we walk the dog and take the kid with us that is easy.

ShocknAwe

iTrader: (3)

I am the wrong person to converse with about car seats but a good thread for those who need them

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

Graco's good stuff. That latch thing is great.

Kuhn_man

iTrader: (8)

its a nice looking car seat, but from what i know you also have to take into account that you will be carrying this thing more often than you realize. so if it weighs 10000lbs carrying it for long periods of time would kill lol. at least my close friend who has a 13 month old daughter regrets buying such a heavy carseat

edit: i didnt look at the specs it only weighs 7.5 lbs without the base thats not so bad at all

Fauken

iTrader: (6)

Check places like Burlington coat factory or babies'r'us man, the first choice being the cheaper of the two

Br0nz

Hey congrats man! we got a chicco two bases, have your wife sit on it while you tighten it to get it secure. also if you cant get it tight enough goto your local fire department they will check it for safety for free!

2brosgixxer

I never put an infant one in my Max, but I have a toddler one in there now. Like I said to you before, put it in the middle and use the lap belt to secure it. The car seat should come with a "clip" of some sort to keep the belt from backing off tightness. Just read the manual for the seat which should have a section describing how to secure it by using the lap belt. Also, I am pretty sure you can get the parts you need for the LATCH system at a dealer. Not sure if you read up on it at all but all you need is the "bracket" that goes on the deck lid, between the 2 rear speakers. There are, IIRC, places to hook to located by the lap belt buckle area. I may be wrong but I think I tried hooking my car seat but could only latch to the spots by the lap belt, but that did not keep the head of the car seat in place. Don't know if this makes sense or not.

As for the hump, I do not notice that it hinders anything with the seat that I have in there now.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

No, I was not aware that there was something I could get that would enable the LATCH system to be in my car...I want to get it in the middle if at all possible, so this is def. worth looking into, thanks gixxer!

I know the middle seat in the max actually has a shoulder belt, so that's good if the LATCH system doesn't quite work, I just wanted to make sure that the damned seat could fit properly in the middle

edit -
http://maxima.theowensfamily.com/tsb/NTB01-052.pdf

88894-89900 is the Nissan P/N for the tether...it's like a half-LATCH system, using the seat belt for the bottom and the tether for the top...ONLY when forward-facing though...so I've got awhile before that.

MaxiNone

iTrader: (1)

infant seats are all good, not much to select from ( referring to all store having the same selection(colors and designs may vary)) but all are safe. but when it comes to toddler seats the selection gets a bit bigger, i have a recaro seat for my son, i got it for cheap. the only down side is that it is a huge seat, but any seat is good actually that are sold at stores. it just comes down to how much you're willing to spend.

thats not a real bride seat, its just the fabric that you can buy. still cool none the less

its actually pronounced "brid"

arrazola_a

I am using the graco snugride for my son. I also put him in the middle. The L.A.T.C.H. system is really only if you want a base, and from what i have researched a base is not any safer then the seatbelt itself its more for convenience. I feel better knowing he is safe and secure everytime i put him in.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

Even with the retrofit part I posted above, there is no LATCH system in the 4th gen max. It uses the top tether for forward-facing seats.

Personally, an infant seat with a base is sturdier and safer imo. mainly due to the fact that the base stays attached to the vehicle. And the industry apparently agrees, since there are about 5x as many infant carseats with bases that stay attached to the vehicle than not.

And we're pretty set on the Snugride 30.

beatdown97

iTrader: (2)

I have 2 forward facing toddler seats and a rear facing toddler seats with the forward sitting behind my seat and then in the middle and the rear facing behind the passenger seat and I have no problems with fitment with my 97

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

so you've got all 3 seats in the back occupied by kids? Nice Good to know there's no fitment issues, too. How much space does ONE take? I'm wondering, with 4 adults and one infant would they all fit in my 99? Just short trips, no long roadtrips in such a fashion.

Fauken

iTrader: (6)

Should be fine, pending on actual size of said adults.

Amerikaner83

iTrader: (17)

True. Not cattle, but not stick figures either.