# HELP! infant car seat in the Eos?



## AmyDGC (Jun 3, 2009)

I'm in a bit of pickle here. I have a 2007 Eos and I'm about two weeks away from the due date for my first baby. I went by my dealer the other day because my husband I were having trouble installing the rear-facing infant car seat that we've purchased (Graco Snugride). And the usual service advisor I deal with, who's normally quite good, was stumped as well and basically told me I should consider getting a Routan! Now, yes, I realize the Eos is not the most practical car for babies but it is my primary vehicle and I'm not in a position to buy a new car...at least not in the next two weeks! 
The service advisor is calling Volkwagen to try to find out exactly how this can be done...if it can be done. Odd part about this is if you go to the Nat'l Highway Traffic & Safety Administration website and put in my zip code, my VW dealership is the second name that comes up for an inspection site! 
Just wondering if anyone else out there has attempted this crazy feat and if you have any wisdom for us?
Thanks very much!


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## Small5 (Jan 19, 2007)

Amy, first off: Congrats on your "coming soon" baby!
Here are two threads from archives that might be of some help to you. A car seat can be done, I'm sure of it.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=4124496
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3470692


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## Funmobile (Feb 19, 2007)

*Re: HELP! infant car seat in the Eos? (AmyDGC)*

Amy-
Congratulations on your upcoming arrival! My daughter rode in a Graco Snugride in the back of my 2007 EOS for her first year. As soon as she turned one, I got a forward-facing seat, which she uses today, and will continue to use for the next few years. 
The seats that babies use for the first year take up the most space, so this will be the tightest squeeze. Getting the baby seat into the EOS isn't as easy as a larger car, but it is easily do-able, and not something that requires lots of help... 
I'm pretty surprised that your dealer wasn't able to put a seat in the car given the LATCH connection points. Read the instructions, put the child seat in, and fiddle with the front passenger seat until it is in a reasonably comfortable position. A few notes:
** Getting the bucket in: If the top is up, and you want to put the bucket in back, you will need to temporarily move the front passenger seat almost all the way forward so that the bucket can squeeze in between the back of the front seat and the door frame. This isn't much different from letting an adult in the backseat. If the top is down, you can just lift the baby over the side of the car, but I wouldn't recommend exposing a newborn to topless motoring. 
** Securing the bucket to the car: With the SnugRide and most other bucket seats, you have a choice of a quick-release base, or you can secure the bucket-only to the car using a seat belt. I recommend using the base, making it much easier to lock and unlock the seat. If you use the seat belt, you need to use a brass fitting that came with the child seat, and connect and disconnect it each time. This is OK on vacation, but not good for everyday. 
** Installing the base: The Graco base has LATCH connections, and the back seat of the EOS has latch anchors. You'll have to put the base behind either the passenger seat or behind the driver seat: there is no middle seat, and no middle latch. Installing the base (a one -time activity) is much easier with the top down. You can adjust the base to ensure it is level using the instructions that came with the seat. Be sure to pull the straps tight (I usually sit on the base while pulling the straps to ensure it is secure)
** Driving with the baby (and others): Once the child is in the bucket, and the bucket is attached, return the front passenger seat to its upright and locked position. If you've got another adult riding in the front passenger seat, there won't be a lot of legroom for them. (friends with a Subaru Forrester have a similar problem). If it is just you and the baby, you should still return the front passenger seat to its upright and locked position, otherwise it can block your view of the side mirror. 
** Driving with the stroller: The stroller can just-barely fit into the trunk underneath the luggage cover, but I rarely did this. On cold days, I would leave the luggage cover up, put the stroller in with plenty of room to spare, and keep the convertible top up. On summer days with the top down, it didn't make sense to trap the stroller in the trunk, so I was able to put it in the backseat next to the babyseat, and lift the stroller out as needed. 
** Other seats (first 12 months): Most of the convertible seats are longer than the bucket, so that won't help you for space during the backward-facing ages. I never tried any, so if others have done so with good results, follow their advice !








** Other seats (after 12 months): Once the baby is 1 year-old and 20 pounds, they can graduate to a forward-facing seat. (check your local laws to confirm, please) This provides much more leg room in the car for the baby and the front seat passenger. My daughter also prefers facing forward and watching the road. The down side of this is that rear-facing seats are considered safer in a collision. (Since we had two cars, two bases, and one bucket, we decided to get a forward-facing seat for the EOS ASAP, but the baby spent most of her miles rear-facing in the bucket in the family car.) 
** Installing forward-facing child seats in the EOS: This is also easily done with the LATCH system, following the carseat's instructions. The two LATCH connection points are at the intersection of the "back" and "bottom" rear seat cushions. Many of the forward facing seats have a second connection strap that secures the top of the seat and links in near the headrest. DO NOT CONNECT A CHILD SEAT TOP STRAP NEAR THE REAR HEADRESTS OF THE EOS... the EOS rear headrests are designed to lift up during an accident to prevent rollover injury, and there are no upper-level connection points for this reason. (most seats list the upper connection as optional)
Congratulations and good luck!
All the best, 
David


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## Grinder (Feb 6, 2004)

*Re: HELP! infant car seat in the Eos? (AmyDGC)*

What exactly is the issue?
Assuming the car seat is too big:
-you could try going to a store and take a few out to your car and try some until a better fitting one is found
-some infant seats allow you to use them without the base that normally stays behind in the car; this may take up less room
-have the passenger sit behind the driver and not use the front passenger seat
congratulations and good luck


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