While it might seem it's all glory around here with M3s and Ferraris, the real world does occasionally intrude, such as when I hoisted myself into our long-term Tundra SR5 Double-Cab recently. One of my less-than-glorious daily duties is picking up my almost-2-year-old daughter from daycare, so I had the sometimes-daunting task of installing her car seat before I left our office parking garage. Sexy, no?
Maybe not, but I was pleased with how well her rear-facing convertible car seat fit in the center position, once I folded the center console armrest down. (Even though sheâs technically old enough and heavy enough to switch the seat to forward-facing, experts agree that you should keep kids in the much-safer rear-facing position as long as itâs physically possible.) Unlike with a lot of our smaller vehicles, I had enough room to maneuver back there, so installation was easy, too...
I wasnât the only one in the family who was pleased with double-cabâs performance. The next day when I picked her up in a different long-term vehicle, my daughter said, âWhereâs my Tundra truck, mommy?â
Bryn MacKinnon, Senior Editor, Edmunds.com
desmolicious says:
05:17 PM, 02/ 1/08
"One of my less-than-glorious daily duties is picking up my almost-2-year-old daughter from daycare"
Bite your tongue! Picking up your 2 year old should be the most glorious part of your day!
drinkduff77 says:
11:15 PM, 02/ 1/08
+1 Well put Desmo.
noflash1 says:
09:50 AM, 02/ 4/08
Where do I begin?
First, ditto the previous comment.
2nd, your pleased you can fit a car seat in that monster? I have no problem fitting a rear facing convertible seat in my Honda Civic.
3rd, doesn't that truck have LATCH? It's far safer to use the LATCH system than a shoulder belt.
Lastly, it that an acceptable use of the top buckle of the LATCH system? I believe it's intent is ONLY for forward facing, where it attaches to the LATCH in the rear dash. When rear facing, that buckle should be tied up and stored in the seat. Otherwise, during an accident it can swing around wildy and injure someone. It looks like you have it hooked to the center console. Is that a new design feature?
Maybe it's time to stop by you local fire dept.
Ian
genius163 says:
10:07 AM, 02/ 4/08
Just wondering why your daughter is rear-facing. I thought the switch to forward-facing happened at 1 yr + 20 lbs.
thebigal says:
10:42 AM, 02/ 4/08
my daughter would throw a fit if we tried to keep her rear facing. She is only peaking 30 lbs, but at almost 33-34" tall her legs hang over the edge of the seat and to have them scrunched against the seat back doesn't seem very comfortable. Plus she wouldn't be able to see where we are going which she very much enjoys doing.
Not going to knock on which way you position your seat, but doesn't it seem more feasable, especially with that particular style of seat to have it face forward?
jaguar36 says:
10:49 AM, 02/ 4/08
*looks around*
Wait, isn't this supposed to be a car enthusiast site? Not "Proper Baby care 101"? Why does it seem like half of the comments on these posts are complaining about something other than the cars?
genius163 says:
11:17 AM, 02/ 4/08
Jaguar36: Chill out. I was just wondering in case she has some information I don't about rear-facing vs. forward-facing. Sometimes people have questions!
gobryngo says:
02:19 PM, 02/ 4/08
Wow. A lot of questions to address.
1. You’re right, des. Picking up the kid at daycare actually IS the most glorious part of my day. I should have said that it might not be the most GLAMOROUS of my daily duties as an automotive journalist.
2. noflash1: If I hadn’t had to put down the front center armrest, I would have been more pleased with how the seat fit in the Tundra. Re: LATCH being safer than using the seatbelt: when each is properly installed, there’s no safety difference between LATCH installation and seatbelt installation. LATCH is just supposed to be easier to use for parents. Re: the top tether, apologies for leaving that in the photo. It’s not hooked to the center console. It had come unclipped from the storage hook and was just hanging there. You’re right. If left like that, it’s a huge hazard.
3. genius163/thebigal: While you can switch to forward-facing at 20 lbs and 1 year (and must not switch before that), the American Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that (when feasible given how the child fits in the seat) the child remain rear-facing for as long as possible. As she approaches her second birthday, my daughter is on the small end of the growth chart and still fits very comfortably rear-facing. We will turn her seat around when that is no longer the case.
4. jaguar36: It’s not out of the realm of possiblility that car enthusiasts can also be parents, too. Feel free to skip the posts covering anything that doesn’t interest you.
noflash1 says:
03:14 PM, 02/ 4/08
Thanks for the reply and the explanation.
genius163 says:
12:53 PM, 02/ 5/08
Bryn: Thanks. I didn't know that about rear-facing.