Just get an adjustable mirror if you want to keep an eye on them. From an actual brand, not random Amazon stuff. Why would you set up a video monitor for that? That seems needlessly complicated and hard to swap between vehicles.

https://a.co/d/0CSrZD2

I used this one b/c it came with a light which was handy at night or low light times but if you're not out at night with the kid (haha, the memory of me driving around for an hour at 2am trying to get her to sleep is burned into my memory) then any brand name mirror will do.

Passed the adjustable mirror suggestion along. Are there any reputable brands you would suggest them to look into?

They have one car. I'm not even sure why they specified Tesla Model 3 to be honest, unless there's some specific things that work only with the Tesla as an integration?

Thanks, I'll pass this along! I don't envy my friends for what they're about to go through LOL

What do folks do when you're traveling with a small kid who still rides in a car seat and need to take Ubers/taxis? Are you hauling a car seat around with you, downgrading to a backless booster or just taking your chances? My kid is ~30lbs, about 39 inches or so tall.

We're likely to go down to Sydney in October for a wedding and now am trying to figure out if the logistics will work for us (or if I should just go by myself). We've never travelled without our own car with her.

https://www.mifold.ca/common/images/...open-close.gif

https://www.mifold.ca/en/product/hif...oster/HF02CRED

Mifold Hifold booster

Your kid meets the height requirement but not the weight.

This is a hard seat to find regarding purchasing, as the manufacture website and local retailers haven't restocked in the longest time.

EDIT:

Quite strange, the American website for this has expired as per GoDaddy

We've used a Jolly Jumper one from Babies R Us and it seems to have held up well.

At some point they may need to swap it into a family members car/loaner car/rental/etc? idk what their lifestyle is like but it's something to think about.

I would just buy those cheap "Cosco" convertible car seats that's super lightweight compared to your normal car seat (7lbs), but approved by FAA for aircraft travel. I think having a car seat also helps with keeping your kid with sleeping on the long flight, but YMMV

https://www.babiesrus.ca/en/Cosco-Sc.../DF150380.html

Looks like prices have gone up a little bit, these used to be $48-$60 usd or so...

lol wtf does the car have to do with it. You absolutely do not need a baby monitor for your car, let alone a mirror.

Also consensus is you don't want anything (especially hard/solid) hanging or loose in case of a significant accident, it becomes a projectile.

I get first baby and all but it sounds like your friends are heading down a bad path lol

We had a mirror for the first kid in the X3, none in the M3 cause there was no way to hold it in place.

For the second one we are just like fuck it, she cries she cries.

I looked into this a couple months ago, as I had been looking for the compact MiFold and was trying to find out about restocking. We ended up getting a couple unexpired ones from friends who's kids had outgrown them.

The company went silent last fall, and from what I was able to find, was that the company/inventor was bought by some investment group in Dec '22. There was something about them restarting production/distribution in the future, but who knows at this point.

Thank you for the informative post, because I got other parents asking me regarding stock the for the Mifold in which I didn't have an answer for them

FYI this seat is on sale for $80 and tomorrow is the last day. This seat comes up quite a bit when you research travel car seats

Here's a link to Canadian Tire stores that have it on stock for $80: https://stocktrack.ca/?s=ct&q=0468824

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/e...+car+seats#srp

https://media-www.canadiantire.ca/pr...1&imwidth=1244

Anyone looking for a cheap 2 in 1 booster, Canadian Tire has these for $49.99. Sale ends June 1st today before closing

EDIT: 2 in 1 as in you can have a back booster or backless

What are some good stores that are let you try out convertible seats?
I heard they are pretty much final sale items so that makes it a lot more challenging.

I have a Mazda3, so I would prefer something compact if possible, but it seems like most seats in the rear facing position is going to take up a lot of space regardless.

But no one sits in the front passenger seat so I figured I should be ok if I just push that seat forward all the way in worst case scenario?

I'm also looking at the Diono Radian 3RXT SafePlus.

West Coast Kids (Main St) have lots on display and you can probably ask to take their display one out to try in the car while there. I wouldn't suggest any 3 in 1 type car seat if you have a mid size vehicle. As much as it saves money to just buy one, they are a lot longer/taller and heavier therefore it will not be ideal for anybody to sit in the front. I have a couple of Nuna Rava's rear facing in the STI and I don't have to change my seat position at all for myself or the passenger. I'd stay clear away from any 3 in 1 if compact is important for you.

Keep in mind kids can stay rear facing up to 3-4 years. It's not short term inconvenience to save some money.

TJs on Marine and Manitoba will let you take any of their displays out to install in the car.

Which gen Mazda3 do you have? I've fit the Graco 4ever and the Clek Foonf rear facing in my M3. I've also had the latest Alfa-esque Mazda 3 hatch as a loaner and put the Clek forwards facing into it. The newest Mazda3 really sucks for space and it took some manuvering to get the seat in.

I have a 3rd gen Mazda3 hatch.
I think for forward facing, I wouldn't have any problems. It's really just the few years of rear facing that I'm trying to make it work.

Are non "3-in-1" types supposed to be generally cheaper? The prices seem to be similar regardless.. lol.

Yes they are generally the same price or cheaper. They usually aren't as comfortable and heavier. Cleaning car seats is another factor you should consider as well. Vomit, spit ups, and food can make it very frustrating to clean up as well with certain models.

Diono's are usually taller from what I remember, and probably harder to fit rear facing than most.

But if you are planning on having multiple kids and needing 3 various car seats in the back at the same time, then your choices are really only Diono or Clek as they are the only ones that advertise "3 across", but YMMV

In our CX-5 (which I feel like the back seats are going to be the same as a Mazda 3) we tried pretty much every single car seat out there and the only one we could comfortably fit in our car rear-facing was the Nuna Rava. But it all depends on the how close your front seats are to the dashboard.

My wife likes the front passenger seat relatively far from the dashboard, so that made putting any seats behind the front passenger challenging.

We were able to fit the Nuna behind the driver seat without having to change the seating position, so we went with that one. But if you or your passenger doesn't mind sitting closer to the dash, then you might have more options.

q: what's a nice forward facing seat that can become a booster that folks like? We use a Graco 3 in 1 and now that we're forward facing we're thinking about alternative seats especially as my daughter has never much liked the Graco (we've had to pad the back to make it comfy). Doesn't nap anymore in the car, is pretty petite (less than 30lbs), is over 4.

You're looking for a "harnessed booster" and unfortunately there isn't a lot of them to choose from.

We have a Britax "Grow with you" and it's arlight, but heavy. If it's just staying in one car then it should be just fine. I only bought it because my priorities nowadays are easy installation and this one has click tight. It also costs almost $500 though, although it's currently on sale for $399: https://www.westcoastkids.ca/grow-with-you-clicktight

Your other options are ones made by Graco or Harmony, or you could go with an all-in-one seat, but then it's a bit of a waste

[EDIT] Nuna did come out with their version a few months ago...and it's $780 lol

We bought a Graco 4ever, but honestly we aren't sure if we are ever going to use the booster modes because we might just buy some standalone boosters anyways.

We have the Graco Tranzitions for our older daughter as she's tall enough for a booster, but not really heavy enough for a traditional booster.

It's not the best seat, but you can get them at a reasonable price when they're on sale and can stack the discounts, like Canadian Tire Money.

Anyone know good organisations that accept donations of goods that help low income parents? We've got a few things like our infant car seat that I'd rather donate than try to sell.