Convertible car seats-looking at Britax 70-G3&Graco smart seat???

BabyNewbury2012

We have to move from infant carrier to convertible. Of course I want one that's safe but I also want something comfortable and easy to buckle up. Also we have a sedan so we want something that fits well.

Currently we are looking at the britax 70-G3 and the Graco  smart seat all in one...any thoughts on these???? Or any other opinions on any other seats would be great too!!!

thank you!!!! 

lancyjo

We have the Britax Boulevard 70-G3, and it fits really well in the back seat of my '11 Chevy Malibu. We have it rf behind my driver's seat, and hubs (who is 6'3") can still comfortably drive my car. We switched Aria to it last summer when she was getting too hot in her infant seat. (we had an unnaturally hot summer)

The Britax was very easy to install, and is really easy to use. If you aren't using the infant positioning pillow (which we never have needed), the straps easily velcro out of the way for easy boarding. I also love the e-z buckle system. Aria hates getting buckled in, so anything that makes the process smoother is worth the $ to me. I love that you don't have to rethread the straps to change the height of them. You simply pull up on the lever at the top, and the straps and head wings move easily to wherever you need them. I think this will be even nicer once she's forward facing. The material is great. It's a breeze to clean, and I've never pulled Aria out of the seat sweaty. I also really love that you can tether it rear facing. (we tether it to the driver's seat track, where it anchors to the car frame. -this was per the car seat inspector's recommendation)

Some people will say that the Britax has a short shell, which taller babies will outgrow before they hit the weight limit. Aria is tall (95% for age), but I'm not worried about it. By the time she's too tall for it, she'll most likely be ready for a booster anyway.

I found the best price on the Boulevard 70G3 on amazon.com. They had it for the same price on albeebaby.com, but they were sold out of the pattern I wanted at the time. (we got the purple one... Caitlin maybe?)

I don't know much about the Graco Smart Seat. I do think it seems like a waste of money to buy it for $299, then the base for $99 (assuming you'd buy the base to swap it in and out of your vehicles instead of buying two seats), when for that amount of money you could buy two really nice seats and not worry about switching around all the time.

Cheerio B

I have a Britax Marathon 70 G3 and really like it. It's super easy to install and buckle. We had a Marathon for DD too and loved that seat for the 2 years we had it.

I don't know much about the Graco Smart Seat but I suggest going to a store that lets you take if off the shelf and play with it. Graco has been using a really stiff buckle on most or all of their seats lately and it's a pain. Before I bought DS's Marathon I planned to buy the Graco My Size 70 but I put it on the floor and practiced loading DS from the side like in the car and i hated the buckle. Hated it enough to spend a lot more on a Britax seat. 

JENandJEH

If your child is on the taller end of the spectrum, I would skip Britax because of their shorter shells.  Kids will likely outgrow them by height before reaching the max weight and before making it to age 2 rear-facing.  It will last some kids well past 2 rear-facing but for the price, if you are planning to practice extended rear facing, I would consider a seat with a taller shell. 

The Graco Size 4 Me/My Size/Headwise are all the same seats but with different names/patterns.  They have the highest shells on the market and would likely last most kids close to age 4 rear-facing.  They Graco buckles can be a pain and there have been some harness tightening issues with the Size4Me's but it's a great seat. 

I agree with the PP about the SmartSeat.  For $299 and then an additional $99 for bases, you could get 2 good convertible seats.  There are some very knowledgable ladies on these boards who can give you great seat recommendations.  Try posting on the Nurseries and Baby Gear board.

sunnyday016

JENandJEH:

If your child is on the taller end of the spectrum, I would skip Britax because of their shorter shells.  Kids will likely outgrow them by height before reaching the max weight and before making it to age 2 rear-facing.  It will last some kids well past 2 rear-facing but for the price, if you are planning to practice extended rear facing, I would consider a seat with a taller shell. 

The Graco Size 4 Me/My Size/Headwise are all the same seats but with different names/patterns.  They have the highest shells on the market and would likely last most kids close to age 4 rear-facing.  They Graco buckles can be a pain and there have been some harness tightening issues with the Size4Me's but it's a great seat. 

I agree with the PP about the SmartSeat.  For $299 and then an additional $99 for bases, you could get 2 good convertible seats.  There are some very knowledgable ladies on these boards who can give you great seat recommendations.  Try posting on the Nurseries and Baby Gear board.

This is pretty much everything I was going to say I would definitely skip the SmartSeat- waaaayy too expensive and there are far better options out there. We have the MySize and love it. DS will be RFing to 3.5-4y and this seat will get him there for sure. 

SuperCuteBenz

lancyjo:

We have the Britax Boulevard 70-G3, and it fits really well in the back seat of my '11 Chevy Malibu. We have it rf behind my driver's seat, and hubs (who is 6'3") can still comfortably drive my car. We switched Aria to it last summer when she was getting too hot in her infant seat. (we had an unnaturally hot summer)

The Britax was very easy to install, and is really easy to use. If you aren't using the infant positioning pillow (which we never have needed), the straps easily velcro out of the way for easy boarding. I also love the e-z buckle system. Aria hates getting buckled in, so anything that makes the process smoother is worth the $ to me. I love that you don't have to rethread the straps to change the height of them. You simply pull up on the lever at the top, and the straps and head wings move easily to wherever you need them. I think this will be even nicer once she's forward facing. The material is great. It's a breeze to clean, and I've never pulled Aria out of the seat sweaty. I also really love that you can tether it rear facing. (we tether it to the driver's seat track, where it anchors to the car frame. -this was per the car seat inspector's recommendation)

Some people will say that the Britax has a short shell, which taller babies will outgrow before they hit the weight limit. Aria is tall (95% for age), but I'm not worried about it. By the time she's too tall for it, she'll most likely be ready for a booster anyway.

I found the best price on the Boulevard 70G3 on amazon.com. They had it for the same price on albeebaby.com, but they were sold out of the pattern I wanted at the time. (we got the purple one... Caitlin maybe?)

I don't know much about the Graco Smart Seat. I do think it seems like a waste of money to buy it for $299, then the base for $99 (assuming you'd buy the base to swap it in and out of your vehicles instead of buying two seats), when for that amount of money you could buy two really nice seats and not worry about switching around all the time.

The whole issue with Britax is that it has a shorter shell for rear-facing, and then most kids will outgrow it forward facing BEFORE they are ready for a booster. Especially, if your child is tall. Children should not move to a booster before the age of 5, so is is very likely that you will be buying another harnessed seat.