Car seat and Tacoma

I just switched to this for my 16-month old from a Graco infant seat with base. The convertible seat fits better, but not once you start using the leg extension which moves the seat towards the front. Soon we'll have the infant seat on one side and the convertible on the other but it'll only be a few months until the oldest ones seat can change to forward facing .

We have a RAV4 as well, which is much better suited to having car seats and comfortable front seat passengers.

 

Two kids, luckily never in rear facing at the same time.
Graco key fit, rear facing, we preferred in the center for the smaller Child and the forward facing beside it.
Now we have the larger child in a booster on drivers side, and the forward facing for smaller child on the passenger side.
Not a ton of room left over, but more than the wife's crv. It will be much better once they are both in boosters or one on the seat and one in a booster .
I will get a pic ASAP

 

I had my 6 year old in a massive 5 point seat, 4 year old in a britax marathon and my 1.5 year old in the middle in a chico key fit. It all fit in the truck but it was tight for sure. Our Tahoe is a much better kid hauler.

 

I have the foot extension out a couple clicks as well. It makes things tight for sure. My wife's Rav4 fits similarly. We are 4 months out from flipping them around and can't wait.

 

jumping in here - baby on the way - have a graco extend2fit. Trying to put in the middle for safety and to provide room for my lovely wife to sit comfortably in the passenger seat. If I use the seat belt in the middle, it is just so loose, what is weird is if I use the seat belt behind the passenger seat, it is nice and snug, not sure why the difference?

 

Have you tried using the anchors?

 

There are no middle anchors, if you use the two inner anchors from each side it works but it is not as snug as using them the way they were designed (wider spacing) - then I read how "borrowing" anchors is a bad idea as you are essentially using it not as designed and "potentially put your child at risk" - not sure how legit that is, but obviously makes me concerned to use my child as a guinea pig

 

The anchors will button down the car seat base much more securely than using the middle seatbelt.

 

I've read up on this ...where to put kid theory... since arguing with wife is probably futile....
I will say that I've read pros and cons to all 3 locations and my favorite and go to is behind driver since they instinctively protect their side and second is middle for impacts....
Last would be passenger....

 

I have a Tacoma and was gifted the Doona car seat. Thank you for this photo because I was concerned it wouldn’t fit. But the point of a Doona is to take the whole seat in and out often - so how easy/difficult is it to take in and out when you go to a store? Should I keep this car seat or return it for something that fits easier?

 

If you can open the door all the way, you won’t have any trouble putting it in or taking it out. It can get challenging in tight parking spaces. Keep in mind, it won’t fit in the middle. My kid outgrew it but this was the coolest most useful thing we had when she was a newborn. If I have another kid, we’re definitely getting another Doona.

 

Graco slimfit

 

First of all congrats as you are in for a wonderful experience.
I carry my grandkids around in my Tacoma quite a bit, or at least I did prior to Corona, and I have to say a car seat that doubles as a stroller seems would be a real pain in the ass.
With all the other stuff you have to deal with carrying around kids (especially a baby/diaper bag etc) I wouldn't want to deal with converting a car seat to a stroller and back at every stop. Much easier
to leave a car seat as is and just have a collapsible stroller stored in the bed. And if alone with baby (I assume you or wife will be from time to time) what do you do with the baby while you are converting from
car seat to stroller? Seems will be conundrum in the tight space of a Tacoma back seat.

 

Issues like this makes me glad our nest is almost empty. Our youngest is 17.

 

thanks! That’s a legitimate concern. The baby stays in the seat during the conversion. You simply place it on the ground and press and pull on the bottom latch. It actually helped out the wife a ton when she was alone. But, it is on the heavier side.

 

If I still had it I would do a video!

 

Ok, just based on my experience, that process is going to get real old real fast considering the weight and limited space. Hope I'm wrong.

 

Good luck!! I mean it. Your set up seems bulky. I’ve got 2 kids, one rear facing(center) and one in a booster(right side) and it is TIGHT. Considered a tundra, but I have 3 years left to pay off the Taco. Sucked it up and accepted that I can’t ever be comfortable again. As mentioned above, Welcome to team no sleep! Congratulations though!! Weird how one will accept so many discomforts just to see your child smile.

 

Ain’t that the truth.

 

I had the interesting time that With a w3 year old and a girlfriend who likes leg room... I ended up buying a diono radian car seat cause from everything I could find it was the safest but also the smallest footprint out there