Talk to me about convertible car seats

kbowman78

Cason is nearing the one year mark and the poor kid looks totally cramped in his infant seat. I want to switch to a convertible soon, but I honestly do not have the time to research this as much as I want to. It seems that most everyone I have asked so far is recommending Britax, but I know there are a few different models.

So...what do you have? Do you like it? Pros/cons?

Roci26

No advise here, but I just wanted to say that I am in the same boat as you. So far everyone has pretty much Britax.

One thing that someone recommened to do was to take DC to Babies R Us and test out carseats to see what fits more comfortable and fits better in your car.

Daisy22

We have the Marathon and love it. It is big through and takes up a lot of room. It's better now that we have him forward facing but rear facing the passenger seat was in the dash board almost. So make sure it'll be good for your car. Bailey likes it and it is roomy plus he can see out the window in it.

julienandy

I got the Britax Marathon, because of reviews and safety and also because I got a GREAT deal on it.  SC is very tall so I went with the Marathon vs the Roundabout as I wanted it to last a long time.  She really likes it always has.  It is a big beast, but fit into our jeep grand cherokee and also into our minivan.

We never had a second seat for DH car until we got a new on....Got the Graco Natuilus which I love.  I actually got my Britax for about the same price as the Nautilus.  I really love this one as does DD.  When DD needs a booster, the nautilus will convert into a booster first with a back, then without.  When we decide to no longer use our Marathon, this will be moved into the van as our primary carseat. Its also very easy to use.

I would highly rec both.  Do a little research on safety and see what will fit in your car.

MrsKLB

We have 2 of the Britax Boulevards and are very happy with them.  My DS is pretty big so we definitely wanted to get a seat that was going to have a higher height/weight limit.  We have also read that these are very safe seats and come highly recommended.  I think you can't go wrong with Britax, but I know a few other seats have been recommended on here, too, that may be less expensive.

tracigator

We have the Britax Marathon for both boys.  They both love it and have from the start!

mrsd0907

We have a Britax Boulevard, Britax Roundabout 50, and a Graco My Ride 65 in my mom and MIL's cars.

The only reason I love the Britax seats more than the Graco My Ride is the easy latches with the Britax. Otherwise, the Graco is much cheaper we put them in our parents cars and they're staying in. Derek's nice and comfy in all 3 seats.

MrsBrandiGreene

We have Britax Boulevards....the main thing that differentiates for us is the extra side impact protection.  Both kids are very comfortable and Harrison is now 4-1/2 and still in his.  GREAT investments!

dleigh2020

I currently have the Evenflo Symphony 65 in my car. I like it just fine. Easy to install and a comfortable ride for Graham. It gets good safety reviews in BB as well.

I just bought a Britx Blvd on Albeebaby.com for a good deal. There Blvds and Marathons are on sale. I called Albee and the manufacturing date was 2010 so I bought it. I haven't received the Blvd yet but it gets excellent reviews.

slwprincess

Go for a Britax.  Now's a great time- they are coming out with a whole new line so all the old models are being clearanced.  You can get some great deals.  As for models, we have a Marathon and just bought the smaller sized Roundabout (not the 50 lb one).  We actually have the Roundabout installed RF right now b/c I washed the Marathon cover and we just wanted to see how it fits RF compared to the Marathon- so much more room!  It is actually installed behind the drivers seat and DH is able to sit comfortably with room to spare and he's 6'2".  And Gavin fits fine in it even RF and he is very tall.  Basically, I think their safety ratings and ease of install make it worth the price no matter what, but if you can get a deal- even better!

to-be-lam

If you're interested in looking at something other than Britax, I highly recommend the Sunshine Kids Radian SL.  It seemed to be a favorite of some women on the carseat.org chat boards.  You can rear face up to 45 pounds in it - DD was RF until today (she is 34 months).  This is the only carseat she's ever liked - she is comfortable in it and doesn't scream her head off like she did with previous seats (including the Roundabout). It has a really narrow profile on the seat too.  DH loves it too, mainly because it is made of steel back instead of plastic.  It is HEAVY though, so not ideal for transferring between cars.  

amanda_holbird@hotmail.com

Both of my boys are in the Britax Marathon. 

decaturbride

We have a Britax Marathon and an Evenflo Triumph. I definitely like the Britax better. DS is pretty comfy in both, but the Evenflo is smaller and the straps twist and drive me nuts. Their wasn't that much difference in price, maybe $50 because I got an awesome deal on the marathon.  A good thing about the Evenflo is it is lighter, so this is the one we take on trips and switch into other peoples cars. The Marathon and Blvd are pretty big seats so unless you have a bigger car or SUV, I think they might not fit as nicely. The Sunshine Kids seats are highly rated also and good for tall kids. They are skinnier and you can fit 3 of them in a back seat together. That's a big selling point for people with multiple kids.