Is VW Beetle baby car seat friendly?

[Ancersoto]

My husband and I are thinking of buying a VW Beetle, but we are planning on having a baby in a year or so...Anyone out there has one and has a baby seat on it? is it comfortable? Or should we just forget about it.Please help!!THANKS

[Jewels]

I have heard of people with the VW beetle using carseats in it. I have never been in a VW beetle and really don't know much about them, but some friends of ours just got rid of theirs and mentioned that it only has 2 seatbelts in the back Anyways the safest spot for seating spot for a baby is the back middle but would be safe outboard as well. If you test drive one get back in the back seat and see how muc room there is, also think about how convienent it will be getting a baby in and out of the back seat. I think it will just be a personal preference Good luck deciding

Just remember that they have small trunks so you would also want a small folding stroller.

[Ancersoto]

Thanks for your feedback Julie...We have been giving it a lot of thought and as much as we love that car..I guess we are gonna have to quit that idea jeje..Thanks again!!!!!

[Judi]

In the tech class I just helped will, we had a Beetle. Infant seats fit, but not if the parents are tall, well, or medium height. You need to think of the safetly of everyone if the car. The driver needs atleast 12" between him and the air bag, the passenger, 18".

[monica]

I have a Volkswagen Beetle and have put an infant carrier and convertible car seat in the back. The infant car seat, an Evenflo, fit well with the base but it does make limited space in the passengers seat. My husband who is 6 ft can fit in the front for short car rides, but long ones are out of the question. I am 5'4 and I don't have a problem.
The convertible car seat, a Britax Roundabout, fits well in the back, but it is the same problem with the passenger seat. The Britax is the only car seat we could find that would fit reclining and rear facing. All of the others we tried require the seat to be moved all the way to the front which makes it impossible to have a passenger in the front seat. Another thing to think about is that you have to actually sit in the back seat to get the child buckled. The roof is tall so it is not as bad as it could be, but still not ideal. Overall it is fine as a second car or when it is just the baby and I, but for family trips it is not the greatest.
We need to call Volkswagen and see if it is an option to latch the car seat in the middle of the backseat because that would solve all of the problems, but we have yet to do that.

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Infant Car Seats Infant-only rear-facing seats are for babies up to about 22 to 30 pounds, depending on the specific car seat. You will need a new seat when your child gets bigger. Infant-only seats have handles that allow you to move the seat from the car to the house or other locations. Some have a base that you can leave installed in the car, so you can just click the car seat into place each time you use it.

	Britax Roundabout - Click for more info With the introduction of the new LATCH laws, Britax has improved even further upon their famously popular Roundabout Convertible Car Seat. This car seat has been praised by just about every consumer safety organization and mom and dad out there - and for good reason. It is easy to install, compatible in just about every car, super comfortable for baby, stylish and most importantly safe! Ask around and you will see that everyone raves about this car seat.

	LATCH LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. It is a system mandated by the Federal government in an effort to standardize and simplify the installation of child restraints without using the vehicle's seat belt system. New vehicles and child safety seats manufactured on and after September 1, 2002 will be equipped with the LATCH system. Cars, minivans, and light trucks will be required to have anchor points between the vehicle's seat cushion and the seat back in at least two rear seating positions, and a top tether anchor (with the exception of convertibles). Child safety seats will have a lower set of attachments that fasten to the vehicle anchors. Most forward-facing child safety seats will also have a top strap (tether) that attaches to the top anchor in the vehicle.