CX-3 and Infant/Baby seats - can it be done?
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Are you talking about the forward-facing booster seat or a rear-facing infant seat? I have two booster seats in my car for my 5 and 8 year old and they fit okay, but their feet definitely are against the back of the driver's seat when I'm driving and I'm no giant at a pretty average height of 5' 11" (180cm). I suspect pretty strongly that a rear-facing infant seat is probably only feasible in the CX-3 for a single parent that rarely uses the front passenger seat.
This was the exact reason why I traded in my 2007 Mazda 3 sedan, by the way. I was also unhappy with the Mazda 3's winter performance here in Wisconsin, but the car seat situation was the last straw. I had to put the infant seat in the center and slide both front seats nearly all the way forward to fit the seat in there. If I didn't need the front passenger seat, I could put the car seat on that side of the car, but undoing the LATCH system in that car was enough of a hassle with the base that it just wasn't worth moving it. It just wasn't safe or comfortable to drive that way with my knees against the dash.
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Last year we spent six weeks with three kids seats in the back of the CX3, when my son borrowed our big car. One car seat facing backwards for a 10 month old, another facing forward for a two year old and a booster seat for a four year old (all grand kids). It was very squeezy but they all fitted in safely. Not much leg room, but it was only for short trips.
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Out of curiosity, are newer rear-facing infant seats used in the US and down in Oz designed differently than what us Yanks use or used to use a few years ago? The Graco seat we had for our kids 8-9 years ago was very large and bulky and there's no way I'd get it into my CX-3 without having the front seats all the way forward, or very nearly so. I'm average height and in this car I need the seat no closer than halfway back or my knees will be against the dashboard which would be bad news in an accident.
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I have a front facing car seat for my two-year-old and a booster for my four-year-old. The only downside is that the design of the headrests require them to be removed to accommodate the seats. My four-year-old is quite tall for her size, so I will soon be removing the top portion of her booster and at least one headrest can go back in before I lose it (and no, they are not in my trunk/boot, as they would fill up half the space!).
I know that our children's safety is paramount, but upon reading up on some of recommendations, some, in my opinion, go a bit too far. If I followed them to a 'T', my wife would be in the back seat with a booster as well! I remember growing up, my family would only wear seat belts if we were driving on the highway on holiday. My father used to let me sit in his lap and "steer". My how times have changed...
I know that our children's safety is paramount, but upon reading up on some of recommendations, some, in my opinion, go a bit too far. If I followed them to a 'T', my wife would be in the back seat with a booster as well! I remember growing up, my family would only wear seat belts if we were driving on the highway on holiday. My father used to let me sit in his lap and "steer". My how times have changed...
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Not sure if you are referring to what we call baby capsules (which are all rear-facing and not too bulky, for new borns), or child seats which start being used when the baby grows out of the capsule. Here, these child seats can be compact or bulky. They are set up rear-facing for babies just out of the capsule (with the baby almost prone) and then turned around to front-facing when the baby reaches the right size (and are then just about sitting up). We had the rear-facing baby seat in the middle (would not have fitted in otherwise), but once forward facing the two baby seats and booster did fit (just).
The boot/trunk is a big limitation for families with the CX3.
I have a Gracco base in my rear passenger. The rear facing seat will fit in when the passenger seat is moved forward only. My wife is 5'2" and with her in the passenger seat we can all fit comfortably. No way i could be in the passenger seat though. I like a lot about the CX-3 but I feel hindsight that i would not have bought it if i knew what i knew now. I would have gotten the CX-5 or perhaps some entirely different AWD car. It is just so very small. Fine for 2 people, but that's it. Bummer. Gas tank size is ridiculously small.
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Interesting. We were able to have both front seats at the position we needed when our rear facing baby/child seat was in the middle of the back seat. The baby/child seat is fairly compact though.
Totally agree that the CX3 is a small car, not suited to a family with say 2 kids - not enough cabin space nor boot/trunk space. We are in our mid 60s and rarely have more than two of us in the car. But it is our second car and great around the city and on shorter trips. We did do an extended interstate trip last May, but that was mainly to try it out.
We both love the CX3. It drives well, the head up display is great, as is the blind spot monitoring. The small petrol tank does not bother us.
Totally agree that the CX3 is a small car, not suited to a family with say 2 kids - not enough cabin space nor boot/trunk space. We are in our mid 60s and rarely have more than two of us in the car. But it is our second car and great around the city and on shorter trips. We did do an extended interstate trip last May, but that was mainly to try it out.
We both love the CX3. It drives well, the head up display is great, as is the blind spot monitoring. The small petrol tank does not bother us.
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This is the type of seat I was talking about. This one is made by Graco and is one of the most popular styles here in the US. These seats are intended for use from newborn until they are large enough graduate to a forward facing seat, usually at around 1 year old. As you can see it extends quite far beyond the front edge of the seat even in the minivan pictured here.
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I cart my wife and two kids (ages 5 and 8) around town pretty regularly in mine. Kids are both in regular booster seats now, so they don't take up much extra room in the back seat. We even take the occasional weekend trip to visit my parents (3 hour drive each way) with it and we manage to get in all our luggage, barely. I can never convince my wife to only pack what she needs. She goes way overboard, taking almost twice the luggage that is needed.
Since it seems that no one here is actually answering the OPs question -- they want to know about infant rear-facing seats, not whether your five year old can sit comfortably in the back in a booster -- I'll chime in. We have a Chicco Keyfit 30 and it only fits with a front seat moved quite far forward, too much so for me at 6 feet. I've been exploring other options online and it seems that the Cybex Aton may be the most compact (although it is not a convertible seat so you may be stuck when the child grows bigger than 40 lbs.
UPDATE:
I discovered that the Keyfit 30 does not require its handle to be lowered when installed in a car, just in one of the three locked positions. So you can use it in a car with the handle locked in the upright position, saving space. I also had my wife -- about 5'5" -- sit in the passenger seat with the carseat installed and while she might prefer a little more room, it was very doable.
As I said above, I have read that the Cybex Aton is the smallest infant car seat (in terms of forward to back), the Chicco Keyfit 30 works in the CX-3 too.
UPDATE:
I discovered that the Keyfit 30 does not require its handle to be lowered when installed in a car, just in one of the three locked positions. So you can use it in a car with the handle locked in the upright position, saving space. I also had my wife -- about 5'5" -- sit in the passenger seat with the carseat installed and while she might prefer a little more room, it was very doable.
As I said above, I have read that the Cybex Aton is the smallest infant car seat (in terms of forward to back), the Chicco Keyfit 30 works in the CX-3 too.
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In fact, a couple of us did answer. My answer was less definitive as it was based on my experience with a similarly sized back seat in my old Mazda 3. There was a more definitive answer given by another user on page 1 of this thread here: http://www.cx3forum.com/forum/70946-post8.html which mostly confirmed what I said. Also, it seems there are differences in size/style of infant seats depending on where you live which will affect the answer also. But thanks anyway for offering more insight here.
It seems there's no definitive answer for the OP here. The answer depends on where they live, what equipment is available there (and/or what local laws require), and the height of the people are that will be in the front seats. I stand by my original post and say the answer is maybe, but not likely, at least not comfortably unless you're short or have no other passengers to worry about.
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Can't one just install the seat in the front seat? Or not use the car seat at all? Thanks to that one can save more space. Consider this a life hack.
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No, you can't do that. Shouldn't. And for a good reason, too. I'm not sure if not using a baby car seat is legal in Russia but it is dangerous regardless of where you live. Then again, we all saw Russian dash cam compilations and, you know what, that actually means you really, really, should be worried about your safety and the safety of your children on the road. A car seat increases your babys survival chances. Many parents who can't afford a car seat or simply won't buy it lose their children.
The thing is, babies are too fragile. Even if you do buy a car seat but install it in the forward-facing position, that will not be good enough, the risk of death remains too high. So it's not just the car seat itself, the position also matters. Any crash-test video, like this one (youtu.be/tuZFVPv3Rpk), proves this point. Proves that a car seat is a necessity, a necessity that should be used properly.
I mean, really. You can buy a CX-3, but you won't get a baby car seat? I don't mean you personally, perhaps you don't even have children, but I hope you get my point.
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Any car seat will fit, just depends on if you want to fit anyone in the front. All fixed rear facing infant car seats will require you to move the seat completely forward where no one can sit up front. I tried to put a rear facing Graco infant seat in my '15 Mazda6 and the 5'8" baby momma couldn't fit in the front seat. So I got a convertible car seat with angle adjustment for the CX-3. It allowed me to set it up perfectly to where my tall 6'2" frame could squeeze uncomfortably in the front, but to someone 6" shorter, it's perfect. She said she felt cramped at first, but then realized it was more visual than physical. I highly recommend a convertible car seat that has both angle adjustment and a level bubble so you have no doubt that your set up is good. I personally use the Graco Extend2Fit for a 14 month old. And by the way, now pediatricians (whatever the official association is called) recommend rear facing up to age 2 no matter what the size of the child.
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I had a convertible car seat with my first kid and I really missed having the portability. With #2 and #3 kid, I used a Graco Snugride 5pt. With #4 , I bought the Graco SafeSeat (higher weight and height limits). I recommend the Graco SafeSeat. He is now in a Britax Marathon RF but he can still fit in the SafeSeat and he will turn two in July.
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I think the masersti Baby stroller will for great for a 5+ yr. old and looks sweet
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I've got a Joie every stage fx in my car.
With it set up for rear facing the passenger seat has to be moved forward quite a lot but my 5'3" wife can sit there with a little space between her knees and dash board, I can even fit in there and I'm 6'1" (not comfortably but I'd deal with it if there wasn't any other option.)
With it set up for rear facing the passenger seat has to be moved forward quite a lot but my 5'3" wife can sit there with a little space between her knees and dash board, I can even fit in there and I'm 6'1" (not comfortably but I'd deal with it if there wasn't any other option.)
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