[HipMiniMom]

My first baby is on his way and I was a bit dismayed to find that the infant car seat barely fits in the back seat. The only way I think I can make it work is by driving with the passenger seat propped completely forward (as when someone is climbing into the back seat). Is this even legal? Does anyone else have any experience with infants and toddlers and how their car seats and gear (strollers, etc) fit? I need some encouragement because I love my MINI and don't want to buy a stereotypical family car just because I have a baby!!

The good news is that most of the time it'll just be me and the baby. My husband has a 2004 Toyota Prius (mid-size) for anything more than that.

[CooperS4us]

It can be done. Remember that the rear facing baby car seat needs to be used for about 6 months until the baby reaches a certain weight. Then after that it can be installed facing forward in the back seat.

Most car seats in the market today are designed for Suburbans and Hummers, not normal sized cars. My sister has a Britax car seat in her Chevy Impala and it takes almost the entire back seat (And that is a pretty big car).

Like I said it can be done. One alternative is for one of you to ride with the baby in the back while the other one drives. Try different seating positions and see which one you find better suited for you.

The truth is that no couple with a new born child needs to run out and purchase a Minivan or SUV. That is what the marketers of these vehicles wants us to believe. In Europe entire families go out in a VW Golf or other smaller cars.


The MINI forces you to be organized and to carry only what it is strictly necessary for the baby. When you have a bigger car, like my sister, you carry so much unecessary junk and clutter in the trunk and the back seat is not even funny.

[CooperS4us]

By the way, congrats on the new baby!

[Meg]

I have had my 6 month old nephew in my MC a few times now. He is still in the car seat carrier that snaps into the base. The base fits nicely into the backseat, especially with the attachments already in place. It is kind of tight when you put the carrier onto the base. The seat can go back, but the bottom of the passenger seat must be all the way forward and the back of the seat has to be straight up. It is a tight fit, however his 6 foot tall father did sit in the passenger seat the other day while the baby was behind him, so it can be done.