So the wifey and I went down to the community park around the corner for an official DPS car safety seat installation class. We had several pros on hand to show us how to properly and safely install our new seats. They prefer to install them in the middle, which makes perfect sense from a pure safety perspective.

Unfortunately the Fit's LATCH points are only on the outboard. No middle/inboard option without using the seat belts. There was also the problem of the driver's seat - I'm over 6' and require the seat to be pushed back pretty far. In order to have room for the seat while in the middle my knees are in my chest. So to the passenger side it goes. The seat had to be pushed pretty far forward and bolt upright, so whoever is riding shotgun better be short.

The it hit me - we're planning to have two kids, probably about 2 years apart, so there will HAVE to be a seat behind me. This car might not work! I know there are smaller seats available, but ours (a Safety 1st Air) is one of the smaller ones you can get. Maybe the toddler seat will be smaller, but as of now I'm pretty concerned about having two seats in the Fit. Will it work? Has anyone tried having two child seats in the back at the same time, and if so what brand/model were they and did you have to compromise your driving position?

 

i understand your problem. we just had our first child. the car seat has to go on the passenger side to be able to put the driverseat back far enough (and my wife and i are short). i expected a much better fit in the fit, thats acctually why we bought it.
but... in your case... if you have the children 2 years apart, then the older should be in a foward facing seat. then i would assume there would be plenty of room for it behind the drivers seat.

 

Infant seats are tough as they are REALLY big. I think a child has to be at least 40 lbs before they're supposed to face forward (I may be wrong on this as my youngest is now 8). We've had two booster seats in the Fit which has worked well but they are forward facing and not as space critical.

Many critics have suggested that one of the reasons modern SUV's have gotten so big is to accommodate current child seats

 

That's why I bought a minivan. Rear sliding doors and huge headroom is a big win when maneuvering an infant seat in and out of the vehicle. My friend has to basically tile her infant seat sideways with the baby inside to get it in and out of her Camry.

Check the owner's manual to see if it's even possible/allowed, but can you use the inner anchors from each of the outboard position and place the child seat in the middle? Would that even allow you and wife to both move your seat back more?

Sorry can't be more helpful. I haven't actually even tried to put the infant seat in the Fit.

 

My sister is a CPST (Child Passenger Safety Technician) and has the LATCH manual.. Honda DOES NOT allow mix and match latch anchors.

Being of the investigatory nature, I poked into why/why not... it sums up to in a crash, the Honda anchors are attached in such a fashion that the two sets can move towards each other, allowing excessive forward movement of the child restraint, which places the child in danger from the front seats upon rebound.

 

I sent my sis a link to this thread, here's her input:

: I assume you have the OnBoard 35 (an infant-only seat), not the Complete Air (a convertible), and presumably a newborn or soon-to-be-newborn as well. Because newborns have little to no head control, they need the seat reclined to approximately 45 degrees to protect the airway. A seat that is too upright will allow the baby's head to flop straight forward, chin to chest. This can completely cut off the airway in an infant, and a newborn doesn't have the strength the pick their head back up. Little heads flopping to the side isn't a concern, nor is head flopping forward in a toddler who has the strength to reposition.
: The 45 degree angle means that the seat takes up a lot of room front to back. As the baby gets older, the seat can be reinstalled so that it sits more upright, generally up to 30 degrees. Then it will take up less front to back room. A rear facing convertible seat generally takes up even less room front to back than an infant seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children remain rear facing until the limits of their seat. Many of today's covertibles can accommodate a child up to 40 pounds. Rear facing is safer for infants, it's safer for toddlers, and it's even safer for adults, though it is less of a difference.
: As for not being able to use LATCH in the center of your Fit, that's pretty common. Vehicle manufacturers are required to provide two sets of lower anchors, so guess where they put them? Outboard. LATCH isn't any safer than seatbelt. It was supposed to make things simpler, but believe me, it didn't. As long as you can get a secure installation (less than one inch of movement in any direction at the belt path when checked with one hand, giving the seat a firm handshake) it doesn't matter which you choose (except no LATCH in the center). Sometimes LATCH is easier, sometimes seatbelt is easier. LATCH has a 40 pound weight limit in Hondas, and after that weight you have to switch to a seatbelt installation.
: The Fit's upright seating leaves plenty of room for adults, but there is little front to back room in which to install child restraints. It's just the nature of the beast. I have had several different convertibles, all rear facing, in my brother's Fit, several of them behind the driver. When it comes time to shop for a convertible, take the vehicle to a baby retailer that lets you try seats out in your car before you buy, or buy from some place with a good return policy.

If ANYONE wants/needs help with carseats, PM me and I'll get you in touch with my sis - she is passionate about helping folks with seats, would gladly take the time to help one-on-one.

 

^ that

We had this Safety 1st OnBoard 35 Air infant carrier for my little girl in our 08 Fit and had the same problem. Luckily my wife is only 5 feet tall! The carrier was installed with the base system so it sat forward even more. It was a tight squeeze getting the thing in and out of the car, but it could be done. The wife didn't have a whole lot of leg room, but she managed just fine.

If you are going for a convertable car seat instead of an infant carrier first- don't. Rear facing, a convertible seat simply does not fit (no pun intended) correctly. We liked the Air infant carrier so much, we got her this Safety 1st Convertible car seat. These seats are huge and you'll need a Suburban for it to be used rear facing. Forward facing is no problem for the Fit though. We had to buy two different child seats. Luckily, the child size ratings overlap so she was rear facing in the infant seat until she was big enough to ride forward facing in the convertable seat.

When the time comes, move the older child (now forward facing) behind the driver and have the 2nd baby behind the passenger side. When they are both forward facing, put them wherever. When they're fighting, put them in the cargo area. :P

FYI- the "Silverleaf" color on the seats I posted matches the Fit interior colors perfectly!

 

I have 2 kids that ride daily in the Fit.
I am only 5'4" and my youngest, 2.5 sits right behind me.
My oldest is 5.5 and he sits behind the passenger side. His car seat is not as big or bulky because it's more of a booster now. But, my daughter rides in a Britax convertible carseat. She is now forward facing but I cannot see how I would get it to fit in if she was rear facing. Those carseats are huge and bulky. it definitely is an issue but thankfully, I'm pretty short. Fits weren't made for tall dads

FiTs don't fit EVERYTHING (common misconception )


here's a similar thread
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/gene...able-kids.html

 

That's for all the advice, especially to KBRI's sister! My poor wife, who's almost 5'10", is pretty scrunched up in my passenger seat with the child seat behind her. More than likely, my wife's Camry will remain the family car, and it's large enough that both of us can be in the front with the child seat on either side, so even with two rear facing seats, we're OK. We also figure we'll want to replace hers within the next few years anyway and are already looking at larger wagons or even, dare I say it, crossovers. I'm DYING for Ford to bring us the awesome European Mondeo wagon as a Fusion (with an Ecoboost 4-banger) within the next few years. She also likes the Ford Edge, Subaru Outback and a few other what I'd consider mid-sized crossovers.

At any rate, I think we'll just play it by ear. Thanks again!

 

Take a look at the VW Jetta SportWagen. My folks just picked one up... and it's NICE! She got the TDi model rated at 40 MPG

 

This is so good to know as I am just getting ready to start a family of my own. Thanks to everyone who posted! Definitely will be using another car for the safety seats.

 

Interestingly, I was just wandering Edmunds.com comparing interior space of the Fit to other cars I'd like - GTI, Mazdaspeed3, WRX wagon, new Focus, and in almost every case the Fit was almost exactly the same in terms of interior volume, particularly the back and overall cargo space. Hmmm...

 

Interesting. I would think the WRX would have at least, a little bit more room. . . The interior 'used' space inside the FIT, isn't very large IMO. Perhaps some of that interior volume is the space under the seats in the fit and all that head room? So it's more like, wasted space??

interior space doesn't necessarily mean the space we need & use the most. Does that make any sense?

 

Well that's what I was wondering, although some of the dimensions are very specific - leg, hip, shoulder and head room. How is interior space calculated? Especially space that's dependent on configuration? Like rear leg room, for example. As I said in a previous post, I'm over 6' and drive with the seat almost all the way back. The end result is hardly any leg room for anyone sitting behind me. I've driven a friend's Masza3 hatch and there's a LOT more room in the back with the driver's seat in my preferred position. Even my buddy's GTI 3-door seems to have more room. Yet the official numbers indicate the Fit has as much or more than either of those cars.

Bottom line, I think, go and see for yourself how livable the cars you're interested in actually are.

 

I can fit 2 rear facing seats in my Fit and can fit a 3rd when needed. Sunshine Kids Radian seats allow bracing against the front seats so you could install it in the center puzzled between the others at a recline suitable for a newborn. For an older child, you can rear face at a more upright angle with a Radian behind the passenger seat. I do not use latch since I find I get a better install with the seatbelt.

 

Numbers don't tell you everything. By the numbers, my tC has the same amount of legroom as the Fit. When I sit in the front seat with it all the way back, I have WAAAAAY more legroom than the Fit did. I have to slide it forward 3-4 notches to have my legs as jammed up as they were in the Fit. The rear seat measurements show an extra .1 inches of legroom, but it feels tighter. The overall passenger volume is tighter than the Fit, but for two adults in the front and my kids in the back, it feels more spacious for everyone.

EPA volume is measured based on several measurements, including headroom - having a high ceiling gives the Fit great numbers, but doesn't give you anywhere to stretch your legs.

The Fit (and most subcompacts) are not great for rear facing child-seats. My ex-wife had a Toyota Echo for a while - the interior layout was similar to the Fit - high seats without much longitudinal space. The rear facing seat didn't work well in there. The difference when she swapped it for a CR-V was phenomenal.

If you want a TON of rear seat legroom, check out the Element.



No way I could have fit a rear-facing seat in my Fit when I had it:

 

New to the forum, any advice/experience on a rear facing infant carseat which fits together with its base in the Honda Fit? We wanted to get the Britax chaperone, and although we haven't tried it out at Babies'R'Us, I've seen in several places on the internet that it will NOT fit in the Honda Fit (too much hangs off of the seat and it violates the 80/20 rule). We are also considering the Chicco keyfit 30 - input very much appreciated!

 

I have an 07 Fit and I got the Chicco Keyfit 30. I put it behind the passenger seat. It does make it hard for an adult to sit then in front seat though. My husband is 6'3" so no way to use on that side of car. I love the seat, we bought a second base so could be used in both of cars. So worth the cost of the seat. My son was very small, a month early, and fit great in seat. I just sit in the back with him when we all go in the car. My problem now is that I have a second one that will be ariving and need to upgrade my 9 month old to a rearfacing seat.

 

This is going to sound stupid, but we realized the handle for the carrier portion of the seat actually swung all the way down, giving about three more inches of clearance behind the passenger seat. It's not a lot, but it does give my wife JUST enough room to ride up front. We're hopeful if/when we have a second kid, our oldest will be in a front-facing seat and can go behind me. We'll just play it by ear.

 

I have 2 kids in my Fit every morning. One is 3.5 and in a front facing toddler seat, and the other is 4mos in a rear facing infant carrier. Both are in place with the LATCH. The 3 year old is behind the passenger (seat kicking and what not) and the infant carrier the driver. Both front seats are a bit further forward than what would be ideal, but I only drop them off at daycare and occasionally run around town. So it's is livable. Long road trips are in the wife's CRV.