NWMR - Car Seat Rec

chloebeth930

We need a new car seat for our daughter. She is 2, #35, would like one with a cup holder.  Any suggestions, favorites, seats to stay away from?

mommatotwo2

We have a Britax SICT 85. We love it. She us 5 pointing comfortably still at 6 years, 4 feet and 47 pounds. It does not rear face though. We didn't put her in until 3. It has two built in cup holders.

jlaOK

Is she forward facing?  If so I highly recommend the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1.
https://www.target.com/p/graco-nautilus-3-in-1-harness-booster-carseat/-/A-15397179#prodSlot=medium_1_2

It is highly ranked in consumer reports (top in its class), is a 5-pt harness/back booster/backless booster in 1, is very streamlined, easy to put in and take out, and super easy to clean.

We got one for DS and are going to buy another for DD as soon as she is forward facing.

mexicolombiana

I love our Diono and we have a Nautilis too and love that one.  Both are great car seats. 

Mustardseed2007

You should check out the carseatblog.com: https://carseatblog.com/11231/draft-dorel-maxi-cosi-pria-70-convertible-review/

This is the review on the maxi cosi pria 70, which is what we have and I really like it. Our little one is small for his age, though, so it is no problem keeping him rear facing until 3 with the cosi pria, which maxes out at 40 pounds. You can use it forward facing, though, until 70 pounds, 43 inches.  

chloebeth930

Thanks everyone!  I joined the FB group and am checking out those other recs.  My head is already spinning. 

MommyAtty

We have a Mxi Cosi Pria 70, and it pretty much blows. Out of 4 adults who regularly put DD in a car seat, I'm the only one who didn't take that seat out of their car and replace it. Just glad I bought the seats with Amex points so they were free. The stalk the buckle is on that comes up between her legs is about 3 inches too short to be user-friendly. DH has the Diono, and it's great front-facing, but rear-facing its HUGE. Too big for a Volvo SUV unless the front seat passenger has no legs.

minirella

My favorite is the Recaro Proride. Don't listen to the reviews about the side wings being too big (I also have a Britax and the Britax is almost an inch deeper than the Recaro).

If you have any type of arthritis issues, don't go for the First Years True Fit. My MIL had this one in her vehicle but had trouble with the buckle due to her arthritis so I had to get her a different one. She now has a Jeep (can be used as a seat belt booster or has 5pt harness) and she likes that one a lot.

ss265

chloebeth930 said:

Thanks everyone!  I joined the FB group and am checking out those other recs.  My head is already spinning. 

Convertible seats are hard. There are way too many options. I would consider the weight and height of LO, the type of vehicle you have, whether you are planning to FF or RF and then go from there. Off the top of my head, there are 4 super popular seats/brands (I am sure I am going to miss someone's favorite seat here but these are the ones that popped into my head).

• Diono Radian - especially good for extended rear facing (highest height limit for RFing so good for taller kids where the parents want to RF longer) and if you need to fit three seats in the back row because it is pretty narrow
• Britax seats - these are just really well made seats but have shorter shells so they are not good for taller kids if you want to RF for as long as possible. If your kid is short and you want to continue RFing, this seat could work
• Chicco Nextfit - new on the market but super easy to install and you can RF for longer since the height limit is higher than most seats. Common complaints are that the straps are too hard to tighten but they loosen up over time and the new Zip fit brand did not have this issue
• Clerk Foonf - people who have this seat love it but it's super expensive

I would go to a baby store, look at the seats in person, talk to a salesperson and even try the seats out in your vehicle to gauge the fit. Definitely do your research as well before purchasing - the sales person I talked to at Buy Buy Baby recommended the Recaro car seat because it breathes well and I live in TX but online research showed that it's not good for extended RFing so I got something else instead.

Good luck!

[Deleted User]

I have the Complete Air 65 (from Safefty 1st) for both cars.  I have zero complaints. 

It rear faces 5-40lbs and forward faces 22-65lbs.  The cup holder can be removed or placed on either side. The harness is 5 point and the headrest adjusts.  It isn't bulky so we don't foresee using a high back booster and just using this.

It runs around $170-$200 depending on the sales you find.     

ASmallWonder

Car Seats for the Littles is great  You'll need her height because, except in cases of a very heavy child, height is usually the factor that either rules some seats out or gives you more options.  Your budget and vehicle are important also because recommendations don't help if they're not in your price range and won't fit in your car  

jennyelf

Another plug for the Diono Raidian.

The other reason I love it is that it can be taken on airplanes pretty easily. It's narrow enough to fit down the aisle and it fits in the airplane seat. Also the bottom folds up so the whole thing can go through the x-ray machine (I don't trust luggage handlers to not drop the car seat and I'm not visiting people that have an extra car seat I can borrow.)

jtmomma13

We have a Chicco Nextfit. I love it. Rear facing and forward facing limits are high and the shell is really tall. It works great in small cars- I have a VW Jetta and my passenger seat still has comfortable leg room. 

My only issue with it is that the cover doesn't come off for cleaning. You have to spot clean. They came out with a new BRU exclusive version for more money and the cover zips off. If I had realized that I would have spent the extra money on it!

My MIL has a Britax in her car- now in my husbands car and we also love that. But the height limits are low and I hear that children grow out of them by 3. 

ASmallWonder

jtmomma13 said:

We have a Chicco Nextfit. I love it. Rear facing and forward facing limits are high and the shell is really tall. It works great in small cars- I have a VW Jetta and my passenger seat still has comfortable leg room. 

My only issue with it is that the cover doesn't come off for cleaning. You have to spot clean. They came out with a new BRU exclusive version for more money and the cover zips off. If I had realized that I would have spent the extra money on it!

My MIL has a Britax in her car- now in my husbands car and we also love that. But the height limits are low and I hear that children grow out of them by 3. 

The cover comes off  It's kind of a pita but it's possible.  The zip version just makes removing the cover easier.

jess9802

We have a Graco Headwise 70 for DS in my husband's vehicle, and I like it well enough - the harness is a bit hard to tighten, but it was easy to install, comfortable, has a cupholder, and can RF for a long time.

FWIW, Britax is releasing new versions of a couple of their convertibles that will have greatly extended rear-facing limits - some of the highest on the market. They will be $$$$ and I haven't seen accessories for sale, but are supposed to be amazing seats.

litzo27

We have the Britax Frontier in both our cars for DS1 and love it. We got it when he was 3 and at 6 he still uses the 5 point harness because it has a really great height maximum compared to other seats. And then it converts to a booster so I expect we'll get several more years out of it. And they've upped the expiration to 9 or 10 years, I don't remember, so we'll probably have a chance to use it for DS2 as well.