Convertible Car Seat

jessica_gail2

S is getting big so I'm thinking about going ahead and getting her next car seat. What are you mamas using as your convertible car seat? Any recommendations? Any to stay away from? Thanks!!

pinkmickey24

I'm thinking about convertibles too and I was talking with one of my friends who is a car seat inspector about which ones she recommends. She first recommended the Graco MySize 70, then the Chicco NextFit, and then the Evenflo SureRide DLX. I think DH and I have decided to go with the Graco MySize 70.

I will be following this post to see what the other ladies have to say about convertible car seats.

luvboston

Maxi cosi pria

I abs love it. It goes to 70 pounds it has a small base so fits in any car. All fabric washable. Only thing is there is a ton of padding but its very safe.

jessica_gail2

Thanks for the info pink! Her car seat now is Chicco and it's held up so well that I'm leaning toward the NextFit but I will look up the Graco now. Thanks!!

phishgirl29

We have the Nextfit. I love it, but the sides are very high. My DH was bitching about that yesterday but I think I like the high sides. I feel like he's well protected in there! I'll post a picture once I decide to leave the house again .

phishgirl29

I found this online. See how it might be difficult to put a baby in rear facing if you have a tiny car?

Ruthie04

We have two Britax seats. I think it's the pavilion? I really like them and I think they look great.

laura1

We have 3 Diono Radian R100s because I have them three across the backseat (and the radians are one of the only seats that are narrow enough to do that).  We love them - they are super sturdy and can fold up for travel.  Although they are so heavy that I am not sure how people do that!  They are low to the seat, so both DS and DD can climb in easily on their own, and have been able to for a while.  My kids are all very small - DS is almost 5 and only about 37lbs, DD#1 is 3.5 and around 32 lbs, so we went with the lower weight limits.  It RF until 40lbs, FF until 65lbs, then turns into a booster seat until 100lbs.  Both were FF between 2 and 3 (so under 40lbs), and will probably be in middle school by the time they hit 100lbs, so I doubt I will still be able to keep them in a booster seat by then!  

We also have a Britax Marathon in DH's car - that was DS's first seat.  Like that too, also sturdy and feels well made, gets great safety ratings.  Just far bigger than the radians, so we would have needed a new car to keep DS in that seat!   And it doesn't convert to a booster, so its use is limited.

Finally we have some sort of evenflo seat also in DH's car.  I think it is the Titan - it was about $80-90ish when I bought it 3.5 years ago.  Not such a fan of that.  The buckles seem cheaper and not as sturdy as the marathon or radians, and the straps don't seem as thick and often get twisted and tangled.   Also not as cushy and harder to install.  We only use it once or twice a week, but I don't recommend this one!

PurpleIris30

Planning to get two Diono radians because of their narrow width so we can fit two in the back seat of our wagon and still have some room.

amandaleigh1

I chose the radian r120 (no head wings).

What I like-

low sides. Easy to get DS in and out

High rf height and weight limit

Slim- I can for adult human passenger next to the seat.

Has a rear facing tether. I think this feature enhances safety.

I chose no headwings because I thought we might be able to squeak more use out of the seat. I have heard that shoulders can hit the headwings before seat is outgrown in height in ff mode.

We use it with the angle adjuster which gives a lot more room for the front passenger than without. DS seems to be able to sleep and enjoy the ride just fine being more upright. Fits in our small 2012 ford focus car!

amandaleigh1

phishgirl29 said:

I found this online. See how it might be difficult to put a baby in rear facing if you have a tiny car?

I didn't think about this before I got our radian. But now that I experience the low sides in our small car, this turns out to be a rather important thing!

PennyLane26

I'm a big fan of anything Britax- safest car seats out there IMO! They are big, though. We have the Boulevard and Marathon, love both if them.

mcgeeva

We have a Britax pavillion and have had no problems. I Think we should be able to use it for a really long time!

morgs8384

We are big fans of britax in our cars. We have a britax boulevard for our convertible carseat and it's been great. Easy to install rear facing as well as forward facing. We also have a britax frontier combo booster for our older son. Great quality brand that I feel safe putting the kids in. I know people say they are bigger car seats, in my pilot I don't really notice it. They sit side by side and I have plenty of room for a person to sit next to them or another car seat.

kmc84

We have Clek Foonfs and we love them! They have 50 pound and 43.9 inch rear facing limits. It has an anti rebound bar, easy to use, narrow, fits surprisingly well in smaller spaces. It's very heavy, and the install takes a little practice-but we LOVE it! (It's $$$, but we got both from amazon on huge sales!)

kmc84

@jessica_gail2

There is a Facebook group called car seats for the Littles. It's fantastic! It's moderated by lots of CPST's. You can post asking for recommendations that are best for your baby's age/height/weight, your vehicle, and your budget.

It's a great resource!

mdiblasi10

We have the Britax Marathon and I really like it.

BabyKsMommy

I have a Marathon and I love it. Super easy to install and adjust. I also have a evenflo something for DHs car. It's a little harder to install and adjust.

Ds is 2 1/2 and I'm just waiting for him to grow out of his car seat by height. I kind of wish I had went with the Diono because it has a taller shell. So if u are tall you might look for the one with the tallest shell.

I have heard really good things about the next fit too but I dot have any personal experience.

jessica_gail2

Thanks for all the feedback!

@kmc84 that's awesome. I'm heading over there!!