Toddlers: 24 Months+

? convertible carseat

I am kind of confused about what to get, so am hoping for some guidance.  I want to buy a convertible car seat, but noticed the weight limit varies from 40-85lbs.  How long are you supposed to keep kids in a convertible seat?  When can you switch to a booster seat?  Is it worth the extra money to buy a convertible with a higher weight limit?  Which brands do you recommend?  Thanks for your help!
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Re: ? convertible carseat

  • i dont know. but am intersted to hear.

    i think its the longest you can keep them in a 5-point harness seat, the better. 

  • I think it's more height than weight for the booster.  They have 5 point harness boosters too.  My doctor said to wait until 3 to put my daugher in a booster though...even if she's tall enough.  I can't picture her over 45 pounds at 3 and that's the weight limit on mine.  85lbs is very heavy.  I doubt your kid will be in it for that long. 
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  • PaigeoPaigeo member

    I would check the car seat laws in your area.  I think many are changing to switching to a booster at 4 instead of at 3.  Definitely look at where your LO is on the their height and weight curves.  My DD is on the small side for both height and weight so we bought the Britax Boulevard which only goes to 40lbs.  I don't see any issues with her being able to use that seat till 4.  If she had been on the bigger side I would probably have looked at a seat with some higher limits.

    ETA: Sorry I meant I have the Britax Roundabout.


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  • We have a Sunshine Radian with a 65 pound weight limit.  It is a narrow and lower sitting convertible that I plan to keep my dd in as long as possible.  (It also has a very high height limit).  Keeping your child in a 5 point harness is best.  
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  • Per Baby Bargains the average child hits 65 lbs between ages 9 and 10.  They will be in a booster seat long before then.  Most kids outgrow seats by height before weight - we have the Britax Marathon and it goes to 48", which the average kid hits around age 7.

    I think it's worth the money to get a seat that goes to 60+ lbs, but 80+ lbs is overkill.  As for specific recs, we love our Marathon.  Here is info about booster seats.

    One other thing to keep in mind - carseats "expire" 5-6 years after production, b/c of breakdown of the plastics.  I got our seat on superclearance b/c it was last year's fabric, and wish I hadn't because I lost a full year of its use.  We'll no longer be able to use the same seat for both of our kids b/c the seat will expire before kid #2 is in a booster, so it totally mitigates the money I saved on the seat b/c it was on sale.

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  • I think the law varies a bit from state to state, but in NY the child has to be a minimum of 40 lbs and 4 years old to move to a booster, and each seat also has height and weight requirements.  I spent the extra money on the Britax which goes to 65 pounds in the hopes of keeping DD in a carseat with a 5-pt harness longer. 
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  • imagevanillacourage:
    Per Baby Bargains the average child hits 65 lbs between ages 9 and 10.  They will be in a booster seat long before then.  Most kids outgrow seats by height before weight - we have the Britax Marathon and it goes to 48", which the average kid hits around age 7.

    I think it's worth the money to get a seat that goes to 60+ lbs, but 80+ lbs is overkill.  As for specific recs, we love our Marathon.  Here is info about booster seats.

    One other thing to keep in mind - carseats "expire" 5-6 years after production, b/c of breakdown of the plastics.  I got our seat on superclearance b/c it was last year's fabric, and wish I hadn't because I lost a full year of its use.  We'll no longer be able to use the same seat for both of our kids b/c the seat will expire before kid #2 is in a booster, so it totally mitigates the money I saved on the seat b/c it was on sale.

    Ditto all of this.

    I own 2 Marathons for DD, and I also bought them on super clearance. However, I bought one when DD was around 7 months old, and then another last summer. I paid less than $140/each. I am guessing she will get all most the entire 6 years out of them. She is a peanut weighing in at only 23lbs, so I am not worried about weight.

    I bought a Roundabout 50 on clearance today at Target for $99. I will lose about a year of life before DS needs it (we may use it in grandma's car til then), but it goes to 50lbs and 49inches, and I think DS will be fine in that seat until 5. I couldn't pass up a Britax seat for $99. I will probably wait and see if they get marked down again since my Target still had 4 left.

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  • You can get 25% off a Britax car seat from albee baby use code BRITAX25  Expires at midnight.  Free shipping if you spend $100+

    We have a roundabout, and my son who turned 3 last week is too tall and too heavy for it. If your kid is remotely large, go for a bigger seat!


    https://carseatblog.com/?page_id=401   reviews lots of seats.  

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