baby seat in the rear, how difficult?

[romeo oscar bravo]

Hello,

Looking at getting either the 4dr Taco or FJ Cruiser this week and was wondering how difficult having a baby seat in the rear of the FJC will be, I know it's not a full door and I have test rode each and can see how it would work, but being a future father for the first time I am clueless on how much of a pain it could be over time. Anyone use a baby seat in the FJC? Thanks in advance!

Rob

 

[knoll0351]

I haven't had any problems with my FJ. Two girls two and three had it since they were still in rear facing seats and no more challanging than our Four door Focus. For what my opinion is worth I love our FC and wouldn't change it for anything else on the market, now if you don't plan on wheelin' it then there are many other vehicles on the market that would better suit your needs.

 

[gaylonw]

I have a Eddie Bauer edition car seat in the center rear of my TRDSE FJ.........

I have it clipped in using the rings on the back of the seat.
I would stongly recomend a DVD Player for the child mounted in the roof area where the dome lite is currently.(the little one will thank you forever)
The only time it gets tricky is when you are in tight quarters such as at a Mall parking area.
I put him in the center position to keep him away from the hard surfaces of the doors etc.
Good luck gm

 

[FJCRUZR]

Isabelle was 2 1/2 when we got the FJ and she's been sitting in the back since...we let her out to feed her every so often...LOL

She's now at the age(4 1/2) where I let her sit in the front with her booster seat on the trails and she loves it!

Visibility is somewhat limited in the back so I installed 7" LCD screen for movies/cartoon...

I also drove the Trail team's Taco and would never change my FJC.

 

[Athena]

I have 2 children in car seats and 1 in a booster...haven't had any problems yet... they are a lil snug tho

 

[romeo oscar bravo]

Thanks for the responses folks, I'd sure hate to purchase a vehicle only to find that it won't fit my needs as a father, having previously owned and off roaded a 73' FJ40 and 93' FZJ80, I'm excited to become a member of the new FJ Cruiser family! Thanks again for the replies in easing my mind...

Rob

 

[clarkrw3]

If you go from a snap in infant carrier to a forward facing child seat it is no problem at all....Easier in fact than most 4 doors because the door isn't in the way. However, our kids outgrew the infant seat before one and had to be in a rear facing child seat for a while before we could turn it around. So for those couple of months it was really hard to get them in the child seat, you have to thread them through a little hole and then buckle them up...less then ideal!!

but for the rest of the time it is much easier than a normal 4 dr.

 

[BRICKTOP]

all good

I have a 2007 FJC and a 2008 Rubicon Unlimited 4dr and the FJ is easier with the child seat than the Jeep is. We went throught the rear facing stage and now have a Britax in the FJC and it works great. Access is very easy.
The only down side is legroom if you have someone tall sitting in front of the seat. It's not terrible, but I have long legs and I'm a little further forward than I'd like to be.

 

[phoolio]

i have a 3 month old and my answer is going to be, "it depends." i have a 3" lift and 33" tires on my FJ and before we had our baby, i didn't think it would be difficult at all. we have a Peg Perego system and i have quickly realized that it is one of the heavier systems out there. you have two latch locations for baby seats...behind the driver's seat and behind the passenger's seat. i could not fit the baby seat behind me without sliding my seat forward to an uncomfortable location...therefore, we put the baby seat behind the passenger's seat. if we have another baby anytime soon, we will not be able to use my FJ as family transportation without me sitting in a very uncomfortable position. i also quickly found out that because the front seats don't fold forward enough (more of a slight tilt), with our baby seat, we have to collapse the handle before dropping the seat into the seat base. with the handle up, the seat just won't fit through the space behind the forward-tilted front seat. with my wife's car and sister-in-law's CRV, you can use the handle and drop the seat into the base. personally, i love the FJ and even though the wife complained and tried to get me to sell it throughout her pregnancy to today, i refused to sell it...she is now getting used to it and does not complain as much. with that said, in my opinion, the FJ is not an easy vehicle for baby seats...at least Peg Perego seats. as someone else mentioned, the suicide doors are more of an obstical in certain situations when someone is parked next to you. before you buy, really think about what you want out of the vehicle. i bought my FJ to wheel, so the sacrifice in inconvenience having a baby seat is worth it to me. if this is going to be the only car in your family, i would suggest you look at a more traditional 4-door SUV. if you have another car in the family and you like the FJ for what it is and what for what you expect out of it, then by all means, go ahead and buy one. with my very mild lift and tires, my wife is not able to place the baby seat in the FJ.

 

[Blues Dawg]

I have a 2-1/2 month old and the Keyfit 30 infant seat. I placed it in the rear center postition with no problems and ingress/egress is a breeze. The truck is lifted w/ 35's. The only advantage I have is that I'm short , so the drivers seat is pretty far forward making access easier without moving the seat up.

 

[CandyPants]

I have a 2-1/2 month old and the Keyfit 30 infant seat. I placed it in the rear center postition with no problems and ingress/egress is a breeze. The truck is lifted w/ 35's. The only advantage I have is that I'm short , so the drivers seat is pretty far forward making access easier without moving the seat up.

I have the same seat. It's in the middle as well. The difference is that I am very tall and I can have the driver's seat all the way back with the center placement of the seat. The passenger needs to be up more though and I always get her in and out from that side.

BTW, I had a certified safety seat installer put the seat in, and he said that regardless of the "latch" system, the safest place for baby is in the middle, latch or seatbelt.

 

[MDA Sandman]

Car Seat

I have a britax installed in the center position. I have a 4x4 with rock rails and purchased bolt-on steps which correlate with where the rear passenger door is. This works nicely as a leverage point for getting the kid in/out. I do agree when I am parked next to some one or even in my garage at home you have to do kinda odd dance between the front door and the suicide doors. But my wife and I love the FJ.

 

[joebob2586]

I have an infant and his car seat fits fine as long as you put it in the middle they type of car seat i have is too long to go behind either driver or passenger seat, but the middle works just fine.

 

[redline73]

I have a 2 year old in a recaro young sport on a lifted FJ w/ 33"s. No problems getting her in or out..

one word of advice, just watch the baby's head when going in or out. The suicide door latch hangs a bit low.

 

[jimhendrixx]

We have a 8 year old, 7 year old and a 3 year old all in baby seats in the back of the FJ Cruiser. no problems...except for all the food crumbs. But at least i can hose it out front to back!

Best of luck to you!