Infant Car Seat 2TM+ (repost June board)

laurennkeith

I really want to buy our infant car seat within the next week or so, so we can get it in the car. I originally wanted the Graco Snugride 35 because it was the highest rated by Consumer Reports for safety.

Now (like everything else) I am second guessing it. I am reading all these reviews that say while it is a good seat, it is heavier than others (which I knew and while I don't love that am okay with if its a good safe seat). What I wasn't aware of until reading reviews today was that people have issues with this seat fitting either behind the driver or passenger side seats without having to pull the front seats all the way up, essentially making it uncomfortablle for whomever is sitting in the seat infront of the baby carrier. That's a big issue for me because my husband and I drive a lot of places together. We are planning a 5-6 hour trip with the baby in September and we car pool an hour each way to work every day (baby will be going to a day care on my campus) and thus with us the whole way. So sucking it up once in a while won't be the case. We will both be in the car with the baby all the time.

I drive a Jeep Grand Cherokee (which in my opintion has a small backseat to begin with) and have heard that they only have the latches on the sides, not the middle. Isn't it the safest installed where the latches are? Or is it still okay to install in the middle seat? My husband drives an Altima...not sure about the latches in that car.

What do you ladies think? What kind of car seats do you have/have experience with and do you recommend them? Are all infant seats large and bulky and are going to be an issue anyway so I should just go ahead and get teh Snugride?