car seat recommendation?

[J Hoss]

I have these Recaro in all black. http://amzn.to/1scMtke

Same here, its currently rear facing for my lengthy 10 month old. Its definitely a bit of a squeze to get him in, rear facing but once its front facing should make it easier plus give the same outstanding protection.

My GF went for the Diono R120 for her car. much easier to get in an our of, and has a portable backpack feature but lacks the padding of the Recaro. Needless to say when we're all driving together we take the T4R.:whip:

 

[mdogg]

Whiplash is correct about the seats. The Towels will slide and you don't want those seats to move. We have the Britax Frontier 90 as well in the 4Runner and we opted to use the following under the Frontier 90 and our other Britax seat to help save the seats and prevent movement. Basicly what Whiplash uses in the roll with extra padding. They also come in handy if your child ever gets car sick as it helps to catch what puddles under the seat! (Ask me how I know! )

Over all they are a great option and the grandparents appreciate them when kids seats go in their cars for trips.

Best $40.00 ($19.99 x 2) a ever spent to help protect the seats.

Amazon.com : Summer Infant Elite DuoMat for Car Seat, Black : Rear Facing Child Safety Car Seats : Baby

If you need a picture of the installed product, let me know.

Hope this helps!

T4RT

I'm doing some research on car seats and seat protection as well currently. The pic on Amazon seems to show a fairly flat surface. Is there any kind of lip/edge to actually collect anything that might spill on the seat? I'd envision the best solution would have a lip around the whole seat bottom piece to capture most things - similar to the weather tech digital fit mats.

 

[bigelliot]

What forward facing 5 point harness / booster seat works well in the 4Runner with a seatbelt (not latch) install? I'm considering a britax frontier 90, but there a few things I don't like about it so I thought I would reach out to you all. Also, what car seat protector works well without damaging the softex seats?

Photos would be even better :bounce:

Thanks!

We use a Britax Boulevard for our daughter (3) and a Britax Frontier 85 (almost identical to the 90) and the only thing I don't like about the Frontier is that the cover isn't very well secured to the seat, so whenever my son gets in & out he tends to detach the stupid little elastic hooks on the front corners. I have both of these in my 4R, and we have identical ones in our Odyssey. They're not as narrow as the Radian, but there is enough room between them to fold down the center armrest, which is handy for the kids to be able to use the cup holders. For the seat protector, we just bought whatever Target was selling and it has worked fine.

 

[bigelliot]

Unrelated, my wife finds it hard to tighten the seats in the 4R due to the *stock* height of the vehicle. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[T4RT]

I'm doing some research on car seats and seat protection as well currently. The pic on Amazon seems to show a fairly flat surface. Is there any kind of lip/edge to actually collect anything that might spill on the seat? I'd envision the best solution would have a lip around the whole seat bottom piece to capture most things - similar to the weather tech digital fit mats.

I would agree that the best solution would have a lip. The DuoMat is resistant to spills but there is no lip. In all of my cases, liquids followed the path of least resistance and puddled in and under the seat. So far I have been lucky that everything has ended up on the DuoMat and not anywhere else. I used a garden hose on the DuoMat and just hung it up to dry. It was good as new in a few hours. If I see car seat mat with a lip to contain "Events" I will let you know for sure.

T4RT

 

[badhabits]

I don't know if this will help, but look at this.

Car Seats | Parents Central | Keeping Kids Safe

 

[Skeletor03]

We have and really enjoy the Diono Radian RXT. We are still using it rear facing but have no intention of buying anything else for our lil one.

I have this one with the spacer under and it slides all around in my car. Do you have leather?

 

[Donkey]

Due to my growing minion I just added a new booster seat and reallocated the current seat to the passenger side. I chose the evenflo securekid dlx harnessed booster and will keep my son in the harness up to the 65 pound limit.

Install FYI - to lock the rear seat belt, first thread through the seat and buckle, then pull the seat belt out all of the way and then retract it tightly - this locks the seat belt in place. Crazy the things you can learn when you read the manual.

Remember to verify the seat belt is still fastened every time you load up. After previously using the latch anchors this can be easy to miss, especially if the wife has been sitting in the middle. A quick tug on the seat every time is all you need.

I recently stopped at my local fire station when they were checking seats for proper installation. We stayed about three hours while my son had the time of his life reviewing all of the features of the ladder truck (fireman are awesome) and not one of the other vehicles I watched them check had a properly installed car/booster seat. Triple check and RTFM!

 

[sroodtuo]

I have this one with the spacer under and it slides all around in my car. Do you have leather?

I do not have leather but I also use the rear tether. That and a properly tightened seat should eliminate any issues.

 

[scottp999]

Old thread, but may have a need to get 3 car seats across in the back of both a 5th gen and a 4th gen. Anyone have 3 in the back seat (not 3rd row)? If so, what do you have in terms of brand and name? Any pics? I've seen this, but can anyone confirm? 3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Fit a Toyota 4Runner?

 

[Cymon]

Old thread, but may have a need to get 3 car seats across in the back of both a 5th gen and a 4th gen. Anyone have 3 in the back seat (not 3rd row)? If so, what do you have in terms of brand and name? Any pics? I've seen this, but can anyone confirm? 3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Fit a Toyota 4Runner?

Diono Radian RXT. About to get our second one for our son's 1st birthday. I've seen them 3 across in a 2012 Subaru Outback (my family's other vehicle), which is smaller then the 4runners backseat. There are also google images of this as well. My advice would be to go to babies r us or buy buy baby (aka bye bye money) and test fit.

 

[Cymon]

Old thread, but may have a need to get 3 car seats across in the back of both a 5th gen and a 4th gen. Anyone have 3 in the back seat (not 3rd row)? If so, what do you have in terms of brand and name? Any pics? I've seen this, but can anyone confirm? 3 Across Installations: Which Car Seats Fit a Toyota 4Runner?

Here is a picture of our single Diono. You can see it doesn't even take up the whole width of one of the seats (especially if you take off the cupholder). It is heavy as it has a reinforced frame and I believe works as a boosted up to 100lbs (45 lbs rear facing). As I said we are so happy with it we will be getting another in the next week or so as our son is outgrowing his infant car seat, which is a Gracco key fit 30.

Sorry for the sideways pic!

 

[rebelspicer]

We have the Graco 4Ever seat for our son. We use the middle seat belt and it fits perfectly. Gives us plenty of room to have passengers on each side too.

 

[scottp999]

Here is a picture of our single Diono. You can see it doesn't even take up the whole width of one of the seats (especially if you take off the cupholder). It is heavy as it has a reinforced frame and I believe works as a boosted up to 100lbs (45 lbs rear facing). As I said we are so happy with it we will be getting another in the next week or so as our son is outgrowing his infant car seat, which is a Gracco key fit 30.

Sorry for the sideways pic!

Thanks very much for the pic. I had a Diono Radian RXT delivered today. Seems like the way to go. We have a 1yr old, and very early pregnancy now. Going to find out, but looking likely that we will know that twins are coming Friday (more likely than not based on last appointment).

We have a Chicco Nextfit Zip now for the one year old, and its way too wide to ever do 3 across, or 1 + 2 keyfit 30's. We also have 1 keyfit 30 and 2 bases for it. Will see if I can get the Diono + the 2 keyfit bases in my 4th gen, since it's slightly smaller than the 5th, that should confirm it works in the 5th. Thanks again.

 

[Guamsta]

Might be a little off topic but since thread is about carseats, i just got my TEP and was just curious about the leather that the TEP comes with, i have an Uppababy Mesa infant car seat which i place in the middle of the 2nd row. will keeping the base there ruin the leather? read a few articles on car seat protectors and wanted to know if any members used them and there experience with and recommendations on em.

 

[Cymon]

Thanks very much for the pic. I had a Diono Radian RXT delivered today. Seems like the way to go. We have a 1yr old, and very early pregnancy now. Going to find out, but looking likely that we will know that twins are coming Friday (more likely than not based on last appointment).

We have a Chicco Nextfit Zip now for the one year old, and its way too wide to ever do 3 across, or 1 + 2 keyfit 30's. We also have 1 keyfit 30 and 2 bases for it. Will see if I can get the Diono + the 2 keyfit bases in my 4th gen, since it's slightly smaller than the 5th, that should confirm it works in the 5th. Thanks again.

Congrats on the additions! I have fit the Diono and two key fit 30 bases in my 5th gen just as an FYI, just don't have pictures (we had visitors with an infant). The Diono was front facing in the middle with the keyfits on the sides, but should probably work with the Diono rear facing in the middle as well.

 

[Cymon]

Might be a little off topic but since thread is about carseats, i just got my TEP and was just curious about the leather that the TEP comes with, i have an Uppababy Mesa infant car seat which i place in the middle of the 2nd row. will keeping the base there ruin the leather? read a few articles on car seat protectors and wanted to know if any members used them and there experience with and recommendations on em.

I have softex in my SR5P and thought it is awesome with car seats. We never remove chicco keyfit 30 base except to clean the car. I have not used any car seat protectors as I can't get a snug/no slide fit with any car seats (couldn't do it in our outback with cloth either). The softex is super easy to clean, but you will still get some car seat indentations (which will occur with any type of seat material). I am super particular with keeping my cars in good shape but I have found that it's just part of the deal with having kids and keeping them safe.

 

[Guamsta]

thanks Cymon for your input. i did read about that also about car seat protectors not giving a secure fit, good to hear from 4 runner owners and real experience.. i read this thread and about the Diono seat.may need to look into those once my daughter get older.

 

[RedMagik]

I'm too late to this thread but we swear by the Cleck Foonf....granted it's too much cash for most. We just bought a second one for my wife's car, hence why I'm still waiting to get sliders....but it's worth it, the lil one comes first.

Check it out:
Clek

 

[Cheers!]

+1 for the Recaro.

If you have a misaligned latch attachment, shouldn't you take this back to the dealer for a remedy? Especially considering your 4runner is probably still under warranty?

As for seat protector I use this in my 4runner limited with leather seats
Robot Check

after a full year my leather on the rear seat is still ok without any dents. I did have to roll up a towel underneath the recaro to level it out