I asked my daughters pediatrician about putting her in a wrangler and how long till it was okay to drop the top. She said between 3-6 months would be fine as long as it was not direct sun shining on her. So a little overcast day would be good.

 

OOOPS! I meant Britax in my earlier post. It's the Roundabout.

 

I've got three kids in the backseat now. (2 six year olds and a two year old) They have all ridden in jeeps since about birth. Previously YJ and TJ. The best thing about the JK is I don't have to tie my sons carseat in the middle of the back seat with cargo straps anymore. That was the only way I could get all three of them in the back of the previous two models.

 

With a newborn you'll have one rear-facing seat. You'll use the LATCH system, and for the first while you'll have a system involving a base and bucket for the JEEP. You'll leave the base securely mounted in the JEEP using the LATCH system; the bucket clips into the base when in the JEEP, and unclips and re-clips into the matching stroller (which you will ensure fits conveniently in the back). We used a Peg Perego, first for our twin boys, and then used one of them for our daughter when she came along a year later; the boys had graduated out of those seats by then.

Once your baby graduates from the bucket to a carseat, you'll want to purchase a convertible 3-in-1 carseat. It will start its life with you rear-facing, and then when your baby hits the approved marker for age/weight you'll turn the seat around to be forward-facing. Ultimately, you'll convert the carseat into a booster seat once your child has reached the approved height/weight/age for booster seats.

Britax makes one of the best convertible seats on the market; another highly regarded option is the Radian (65 or 80). The Bentley of carseats is made by a company called SafeGuard.

What will eventually be important for you is selecting a carseat that employs a 5-point harness in the forward-facing position (instead of using the JEEP's 3-point shoulder-lap belt to secure your child). There is a tragic and compelling video floating around the 'net that will help you understand the importance of this (in the event you were not already aware of it), and you'll find a number of links to useful information on carseats and carseat-related chatrooms, etc., by doing a little surfing from there. Here's a link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

I know I sound preachy, but I'm speaking from some knowledge; I've represented a number of families on lawsuits involving fatalities of infants and children ejected from their seats in collisions. I've read the expert reports and I've argued at trial.

With all the time and effort and money I am prepared to devote to modifying and tweaking my JEEP, keeping my kids securely and comfortably seated regardless of the circumstances I find myself in is THE one modification I'm prepared to blow the bank on.

Congratulations on the JEEP and the new addition to the family...

 

Barno-- I just pm'd you!! I have two kiddos and you know what? the JK is very easy with car seats... you will not have any problems with the latch system...I would suggest...actually getting a few trying them out then returning what dosen't fit....each seat is so different-- as is each infant carrier-- and yes this would be alot of work but hey we are talking about safety here... My girlys are 4 and 10 so I do not have an infant seat but we do have a forward facing 5 point harness for the 4 year old...and it fits great and is very easy to get in and out when we need to move it. Congrats!!! Do you know if its a boy or girl??? How exciting!!

 

I'm one of those guys(CPST) that check car seats (aka: child passenger safety seats). All seats on the market have to meet the same federal safety standards. Don't confuse price with quality. You should'nt have a problem with any seat that you buy. It's pretty straight forward on the instalation in this Jeep. Keep in mind that the LATCH anchors are only on the outboard positions & most car seat manufacturers & vehicle manufacturers recomend using LATCH over the vehicle seatbelts if it can be done safely. So, any seat in the proper weight/height range that you find at a retail store (Toy-R-Us, WalMart, etc...) will work fine for you.

 

Thanks to all for some really good info! I appreciate it!

 

All great, except you won't use the LA part of LATCH. Probably not the TCH part either. Your one newborn will be much safer in the center position, which means you can't use the lower anchors. And, unless you use the Australian method, you won't use the tether either. The anchors are for the outboard positions only, its in the owners manual, and they are too far apart; especially with a base, as they are narrow. Remember: infant seat rear facing for at least 1 year and 20 lbs ( not or); and baby is safer rear facing as long as possible, until max weight for seat is reached. Get some help if all seems too much, call your fire department, of birthing center.

 

Well having just bought a JK the same week as our newborn I can say it's easier to get the seat in and out of the JK than it is in our WK. We have the Graco infant seat and use the Latch system and it has been no problem, and with even more front leg room than in the Grand. We're going for a ride later today and I will try to snap some pics with the seat in place.

BTW we have already riden with the top down for a short trip and she loved it (ofcourse she slept the whole time) just kept the windows up and the sun shade on the seat pulled over most of the seat and my wife rode in the back with her.

 

Jeepguru - pictures would be great. Thanks!