ERF: Convertible Carseat Recs

PineApple85

I apologize if this has been asked frequently; I looked back a few pages but I may have overlooked it if another thread recently posted this same question.

I want to ERF to as close to 4 as possible.  My son is already 2 but has stayed at the top of the growth charts for height and SO and I are both tall and come from tall families.  I would like a seat that will accommodate up to 40 lbs rf but I'm more interested in one that will accommodate for a tall child.  

I'm also looking for something affordable (preferably below $200) and hopefully one that will fit in a small car, too.  I'm trying to talk my mom into buying a carseat for her car, too, which is small and I know she won't want to spend a lot. (If the price is right I may spring for it just for the convenience of her having one and not needing to always move mine over when she has him.)

I did some searching as best I could but I'm not seeing a lot and I love to hear opinions and recommendations from a lot of people, too.  Thanks!

valeriegp

You should check out the FB group Car Sears for the Littles. They are very helpful with questions like this.

My son is in the 70-80th percentile for height and weight and we went with the Graco Size4Me 70 for erf in smallish cars.

kjsmith9

I love my Diono Radian R120, but it's a bit pricy and may take up more room front to back than you would like.  I picked it because I knew DD would be tall (currently 95th percentile at 19 months), and I love that the sides are low and I don't have to lift her up and over.

I would look at the Chicco NextFit or the Graco Size4Me/Headwise/MySize seats for a smaller car.  Every seat will fit differently though.  Agree with PP - check out car seats for the littles.

PineApple85

@kjsmith9‌ I found the R120 and that looked awesome and may be an option for SO and me. I'm looking to upgrade our car seat, too, if I can find one that I like in my price range.

I'll check out that FB group. Thanks, y'all!

kjsmith9

PineApple85 said:

@kjsmith9‌ I found the R120 and that looked awesome and may be an option for SO and me. I'm looking to upgrade our car seat, too, if I can find one that I like in my price range.

I'll check out that FB group. Thanks, y'all!

The angle adjuster is sold separately, but will save you lots of room if you get a radian. I got both of ours from justkidsstore.com for $200-225 and free shipping.

jess9802

We have a Graco Headwise (one of the Graco clones). It RF to 40lbs, but is the tallest seat on the market IIRC. It normally retails at Target for $199, but is currently on sale online for $159.99. I would check out the coupons and Cartwheel because you may be able to get a very good deal at the seat in store. I took advantage of a similar sale in April when I bought the seat and managed to get it for $101.

Myaflowers

We got the Graco because it's the tallest and DD is in the 95th percentile for height. We love it so far. My husband has a small car, and so does my mom. They both have a Graco seat in their cars behind the passenger seat. We bought 3 Graco seats and got the best price at Buy Buy Baby using 20% off coupon. It was $145 after tax.

redhead610

Another vote for the Graco headwise 70 / size 4 me. It fits all of your criteria. We love ours.

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nanabanana06

For tall and skinny kids I'd go for a Chicco Nextfit or Graco Headwise/MySize/Size4Me/4Ever. I love me some Diono seats though and are my most recommended. However, the 2 I named do only have a 40lb RF limit, but have the 2 tallest shells on the market. I personally have my son in a Clek Foonf since he's tall, but hefty. So I need to 50lb RF limit since he'll probably hit 40lbs before he outgrows the shell height.

chillypenguin

We have a Chicco Nextfit and I love it. We got it at BRU and used a 20% off coupon so it ended up being $240, but that was when it very first came out, so there may be better deals now.

sunkissed7804

Choosing a carseat can be such a pain!  We went through this and after much research chose this one for our DD (she was then 11 months, now 13 and very comfy in it):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H8MSK1Y/ref=oh_details_o05_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My oldest daughter just recently graduated out of one (at 7 1/2 and she is quite tall) and we moved her up into this one (she will use it until she no longer needs a carseat):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHVR7ZI/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, wanted to offer up some safety information...This website has amazing information on not only helping to choose the right type of seat for your child (i.e. It is recommended that children stay in a five point harness as long as possible.) but also how to install it! 

https://www.safercar.gov/parents/CarSeats.htm 

Hope this helps!  Good luck!!

PineApple85

Thanks, y'all! All of this is such helpful information. I think at least a 40 lb rf limit well get us pretty close. SO and I were both tall skinny kids and it looks like DS will follow - he stays above 90% on height but hovers consistently at 50% for weight.

I saw on FB, Carseats for Littles, a woman post that the Graco Headwise was on sale at Target, but it must have been specific to her store or area. Oh well. I'll look into your recs and keep an eye out for good deals or sales. :-)

LyndseylovesHugh

We have the Clek Foonf in my car and love it, but it's very pricey. In H's car we have the Evenflo Sureride and like that one too, plus it was under $100 at Walmart. It was one of the seats the techs on Car Seats for the Littles recommended when we were looking for a second seat that would RF long term and not break the bank.

nanabanana06

The Graco MySize 70 at BRU is good. It's currently 179.99$ right now, but was just on sale for less. Do a 20% off coupon and that would make it more in the 150$ range. That would be a good seat for your needs.

vvvvvfee

another vote for the chicco nextfit. we plan to ERF, and the nextfit has one of the taller shells on the market. it's also super easy to install and adjust. target has great deals on them during their baby sales- i got mine on sale at target.com for $200.