[alexandre_baril]

Originally Posted by bpang1234

Some people have shown pictures of getting a Rear Facing Seat into our cars but it looks ridiculous and you really need to have a short wife that still doesn't mind being crammed forward into the dash (which is dangerous for her). Seriously, you can do it but you SHOULDN'T do it other than for emergencies.

You will learn in short time, if you try to do it on the regular, your wife will want to kill you or you will just hate the hell out of it compared to using her FJ Cruiser. Seriously, get a Chevy SS.

I wouldn't run a Camaro for daily kid hauling until they get into front facing seats at least but even better when they switch to booster seats because they can buckle themselves in. I imagine having to do a baby seat and getting my girl in there and all buckled up...just makes my back hurt thinking about it.

This is why you have to choose the right seat, especially for the rear facing phase.

This is what this thread is all about.

I have 2 kids, one of 13 months and one of 5 years old and I run my camaro daily, with kids going to daycare every day and really, it is not worst than when I had my WRX 2016. My girlfriend also prefer the camaro to the WRX, more space for her even with kids in the back.

[xX-MIKE-Xx]

Originally Posted by m666etal

Any pictures?

Pictures not that great, but yeah

[mduck]

Looks good the front facing ones.
I will show you my solution when the Fifty arrives end of May or June....
Will be one front facing + one booster seat

[m666etal]

Originally Posted by xX-MIKE-Xx

Pictures not that great, but yeah

That makes sense, I was trying to visualize how did you manage to fit it in the center with the lack of space.

I'll try this position as well when I go to test some seats.

Do you a wireless charging pad? So it fits fine even with the wireless charging pad in the center?

[MEDISIN]

Originally Posted by bpang1234

Some people have shown pictures of getting a Rear Facing Seat into our cars but it looks ridiculous and you really need to have a short wife that still doesn't mind being crammed forward into the dash (which is dangerous for her). Seriously, you can do it but you SHOULDN'T do it other than for emergencies.

You will learn in short time, if you try to do it on the regular, your wife will want to kill you or you will just hate the hell out of it compared to using her FJ Cruiser. Seriously, get a Chevy SS.

I wouldn't run a Camaro for daily kid hauling until they get into front facing seats at least but even better when they switch to booster seats because they can buckle themselves in. I imagine having to do a baby seat and getting my girl in there and all buckled up...just makes my back hurt thinking about it.

^ x 1000: Just because you CAN do something, doesn't make it WISE.

First - congratulations and welcome to parenthood! Your life is over as you know it

The American Association of Pediatrics recommends children remain rear-facing until age 2 or they reach the max height/weight for the seat rear-facing. Absurd? Inconvenient? Perhaps.

In the unlikely event of a collision, how in the world would you get a small child out of the back quickly? I couldn't even fit my head out of the front window of the 5th gen without turning it sideways lol

While I realize the current recommendations are inconvenient for MANY reasons, even a conservative 18 months contorting in and out of the Camaro on a regular basis with an infant in a rear-facing seat is beyond what I consider prudent. If you have to climb into the backseat every time you need to put a child in/out, I would consider alternatives. Just my opinion.

It's much easier when the child is old enough to climb in/out, buckle/unbuckle in a forward facing seat.

The other challenge with kids in the backseat is the long doors. Look for parking spaces with natural barriers (curbs, grass, empty space etc) on the side you get the kid in and out of. A tight parking spot will make loading a kid a nightmare. Of course, park way out in the open with empty spaces all around and when you come out of the store a jalopy will be parked right up next to you on the side you put the kid in on. Never fails!

As others have said the Chevrolet SS is calling you. It wasn't available when I had my first so I ended up with a V. Now with 2 kids in car seats, and all the grocery runs, fitting a stroller and baby baggage, I couldn't imagine being in a coupe today!

[m666etal]

Originally Posted by MEDISIN

^ x 1000: Just because you CAN do something, doesn't make it WISE.

First - congratulations and welcome to parenthood! Your life is over as you know it

The American Association of Pediatrics recommends children remain rear-facing until age 2 or they reach the max height/weight for the seat rear-facing. Absurd? Inconvenient? Perhaps.

In the unlikely event of a collision, how in the world would you get a small child out of the back quickly? I couldn't even fit my head out of the front window of the 5th gen without turning it sideways lol

While I realize the current recommendations are inconvenient for MANY reasons, even a conservative 18 months contorting in and out of the Camaro on a regular basis with an infant in a rear-facing seat is beyond what I consider prudent. If you have to climb into the backseat every time you need to put a child in/out, I would consider alternatives. Just my opinion.

It's much easier when the child is old enough to climb in/out, buckle/unbuckle in a forward facing seat.

The other challenge with kids in the backseat is the long doors. Look for parking spaces with natural barriers (curbs, grass, empty space etc) on the side you get the kid in and out of. A tight parking spot will make loading a kid a nightmare. Of course, park way out in the open with empty spaces all around and when you come out of the store a jalopy will be parked right up next to you on the side you put the kid in on. Never fails!

As others have said the Chevrolet SS is calling you. It wasn't available when I had my first so I ended up with a V. Now with 2 kids in car seats, and all the grocery runs, fitting a stroller and baby baggage, I couldn't imagine being in a coupe today!

That's a major concern that's been bothering me as well. I love my Camaro but like you said in an event of getting into an accident having a baby in the small space in the back scares me.

[alexandre_baril]

Originally Posted by MEDISIN

^ x 1000: Just because you CAN do something, doesn't make it WISE.

First - congratulations and welcome to parenthood! Your life is over as you know it

The American Association of Pediatrics recommends children remain rear-facing until age 2 or they reach the max height/weight for the seat rear-facing. Absurd? Inconvenient? Perhaps.

In the unlikely event of a collision, how in the world would you get a small child out of the back quickly? I couldn't even fit my head out of the front window of the 5th gen without turning it sideways lol

While I realize the current recommendations are inconvenient for MANY reasons, even a conservative 18 months contorting in and out of the Camaro on a regular basis with an infant in a rear-facing seat is beyond what I consider prudent. If you have to climb into the backseat every time you need to put a child in/out, I would consider alternatives. Just my opinion.

It's much easier when the child is old enough to climb in/out, buckle/unbuckle in a forward facing seat.

The other challenge with kids in the backseat is the long doors. Look for parking spaces with natural barriers (curbs, grass, empty space etc) on the side you get the kid in and out of. A tight parking spot will make loading a kid a nightmare. Of course, park way out in the open with empty spaces all around and when you come out of the store a jalopy will be parked right up next to you on the side you put the kid in on. Never fails!

As others have said the Chevrolet SS is calling you. It wasn't available when I had my first so I ended up with a V. Now with 2 kids in car seats, and all the grocery runs, fitting a stroller and baby baggage, I couldn't imagine being in a coupe today!

If you want to know if a vehicle is a safe car for your child, look at proven data like IIHS rating. It is not how fast and easy you can get out a chldren or a body of the vehicle that makes it safe. At the very end it is if the body is alive that maters.

As an example, IIHS rating for the camaro 2017 is very good and compare to the CTS, it is even slightly better (I think this is what you are driving, if not, that was just to give an example)
Camaor:
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...oor-coupe/2017

Cadillac:
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/cadillac/cts-4-door-sedan

I would also add that buying a good quality car seat and installing it correctly is the most important and will determine how safe your setup is at the very end and this is what this thread is all about.

I do agree it is safer to keep rear facing as long as possible. American tend to switch to front facing seat as soon as they can no mater the car. While I read somewhere Sweden are keeping their child in rear facing position until 4 years old. You can always put the car seat in the middle if you want to keep it for very long. The Diono I suggested, you could put 3 in a row in the back of the camaro, they are built very narrow.

I agree also the reality of driving a coupe or a sport car is different than other car, long door, etc. But when you are into sport car, you don't care about that, at all. You already park far from other car and choose parking spot carefully because you want to avoid other vehicle to slam door, etc.

At the very end it is a mater of choice and you don't have to give up on things you love because of children and this start with keeping the Camaro.

[KMPrenger]

The Chevy SS sedan has been in the back of my mind also. I've tossed around some numbers on trading and such. But its just not the car that the Camaro is. If the SS had one or two differences (in my mind, being the LT1 V8 and....honestly more importantly to me...didn't look like a fancier last generation Malibu) I'd likely be very close to trading off my Camaro on one.

BUT....my Camaro is NOT my daily driver, and currently our daughter is forward facing. So no real issues right now. The issues will come again when we have another child. Our daughter was rear facing in my 5th gen Camaro. While not great...it wasn't absolutely terrible either. She was also rear facing when we first got the 6th gen. Rear facing in the 6th gen IS terrible. So, in the Camaro only...we did move her to forward facing a little earlier than we had anticipated.

When another child comes...I'm afraid the Camaro may never get driven. Its a fear of mine, and I'll end up losing interest and selling it off (along with my daily which is a crew cab 1st gen Colorado) for a nicer newer truck. I don't really want to do that. I love the Camaro...so I guess my current gameplan is to stick it out even if it doesn't get much use over the course of a year or two, and then hopefully get past that hump of inconvenience.

[MEDISIN]

Originally Posted by alexandre_baril

As an example, IIHS rating for the camaro 2017 is very good and compare to the CTS, it is even slightly better (I think this is what you are driving, if not, that was just to give an example)
Camaor:
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/veh...oor-coupe/2017

Cadillac:
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/cadillac/cts-4-door-sedan

There is nothing wrong with the crash rating of the Camaro. Which of those crash-test scores measures infant mortality in the back seat? My point was, if that crashed vehicle is on fire, or in a river or a dangerous roadway with more vehicles rapidly approaching, which would you rather remove a small child from - a Camaro or a sedan? As an EMR I can tell you which I would rather face.

Originally Posted by alexandre_baril

I agree also the reality of driving a coupe or a sport car is different than other car, long door, etc. But when you are into sport car, you don't care about that, at all. You already park far from other car and choose parking spot carefully because you want to avoid other vehicle to slam door, etc.

The difference is, getting yourself into/out of a narrow door opening is FAR easier than attempting the same with a small child you have to latch into a rear-facing seat. You can't always control where you park, or who parks next to you. Entry/egress through a shorter sedan door is simply easier than entry/egress into the back seat with a long coupe door.

Originally Posted by alexandre_baril

At the very end it is a mater of choice and you don't have to give up on things you love because of children and this start with keeping the Camaro.

In a perfect world yes, we should have our cake and eat it too. We as parents do a lot for our children, priorities change dramatically when the tikes arrive. What was once so important to us, is suddenly <gasp> insignificant. Don't take my word for it, read KMPrenger's post above mine. There are plenty of options for the OP. No one is going to take his Camaro away because he had a baby lol. I'm simply pointing out the obvious predicament MANY of us have been through and laying out options.

The OP is wise to be thinking ahead and considering the input of others. It will serve him well throughout life.

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by MEDISIN

There is nothing wrong with the crash rating of the Camaro. Which of those crash-test scores measures infant mortality in the back seat? My point was, if that crashed vehicle is on fire, or in a river or a dangerous roadway with more vehicles rapidly approaching, which would you rather remove a small child from - a Camaro or a sedan? As an EMR I can tell you which I would rather face.



The difference is, getting yourself into/out of a narrow door opening is FAR easier than attempting the same with a small child you have to latch into a rear-facing seat. You can't always control where you park, or who parks next to you. Entry/egress through a shorter sedan door is simply easier than entry/egress into the back seat with a long coupe door.



In a perfect world yes, we should have our cake and eat it too. We as parents do a lot for our children, priorities change dramatically when the tikes arrive. What was once so important to us, is suddenly <gasp> insignificant. Don't take my word for it, read KMPrenger's post above mine. There are plenty of options for the OP. No one is going to take his Camaro away because he had a baby lol. I'm simply pointing out the obvious predicament MANY of us have been through and laying out options.

The OP is wise to be thinking ahead and considering the input of others. It will serve him well throughout life.

[fighting irish]

So I've got a 1 year old. I bought my 2016 2SS Camaro when our son was 3 months old, and I tested our rear facing infant seat in it before buying. What I found to work best was to place the base of the infant carrier in the middle like xX-MIKE-Xx. Looking through the manual, I'm not quite sure if Chevy intended this or not. Generally speaking, the safest place for an infant is in the middle of the back seat, so I think it should be OK. The base was super secure there, and both front seats could move back and forward at will. We had a Chicco Keyfit 30 with base. I even took my wife and son on a couple road trips with this setup, as long as 250 miles each way. So I would actually say that year 1 worked out fairly well.

That said, our son recently outgrew the infant seat, and is now on to rear facing/stage 2 carseat. This definitely makes it more difficult since the seat itself is larger. I got one of the smallest seats (Safety 1st Guide 65 Sport Convertible), and placed it in the middle again. This seems to work the best, however, actually picking him up and placing him in the seat is quite difficult. I am 6', so I don't quite fit in the back seat well. However, the main difficulty is actually picking him up to place him in the seat- the main issue is the rear roof height. It is somewhat difficult to describe, but it isn't as easy as sliding an infant carrier into a base.

So today I will be picking up a new Silverado (don't worry, I'm keeping the Camaro)! To give you a bit of background, the primary vehicle for transporting our family is a 2017 Honda Pilot Elite which we own outright (like the Camaro). I put almost 15k miles on the Camaro in 1 year, including a bit of winter driving. I'd rather save the winter and bad weather driving for a 4x4, and trade it in in 3 years before I get much damage from the road salt here in upstate NY.

Essentially what I am saying is that although the Camaro is do-able, you might have difficulty with rear facing car seats after age 1. We plan on going to forward facing sometime after he turns 2, and that should be a lot easier getting him in and out.

[xX-MIKE-Xx]

Originally Posted by m666etal

That makes sense, I was trying to visualize how did you manage to fit it in the center with the lack of space.

I'll try this position as well when I go to test some seats.

Do you a wireless charging pad? So it fits fine even with the wireless charging pad in the center?

This base clears the charging pad. Others may not.

[Dfelux]

Just an update, went to Babies R Us this past weekend and tried a Britax out as that's all they had that we found might fit. They only had the marathon, but we wanted the Boulavard and they didn't have it (but same size, so whatever). Fit it in the back, and the wifey still had extra room (even at 6 months pregnant). So looking promising!

[alexandre_baril]

Originally Posted by Dfelux

Just an update, went to Babies R Us this past weekend and tried a Britax out as that's all they had that we found might fit. They only had the marathon, but we wanted the Boulavard and they didn't have it (but same size, so whatever). Fit it in the back, and the wifey still had extra room (even at 6 months pregnant). So looking promising!

Good you found a seat that fits!

I tried that one, but I am not sure it is that exact model, but it looks like. The downside I was having was when extending the seat (the top for the head), the belt shortened in a way it would be to tight for even a one year old baby to fit with clothes. Of course you don't need to extend the seat for a 1 year old baby, but it is just to give you an idea. Were I live, we have very cold Winter, so that was a show stopper for me. Maybe you want to double check this, just to be sure. Bay R us has a 45 day return policy. Car seats are not cheap, you may not want to have to buy another one in a year.