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2nd Trimester
bonitatinabina143
member
Rec your convertible car seat!
bonitatinabina143
member
DH and I were looking at car seats. We were looking at some britax and gracos. Our travel system and infant car seat was already purchased by us so we're going to be putting the convertible on the registry and I would like some recs. 
Thanks!
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Re: Rec your convertible car seat!
I like the graco myride, it's big though so make sure it fits in your car.
I will say I would NOT get a convertible seat prior to having your baby unless you plan to use it from day 1. Ask for gift cards towards it or something, but car seats all expire after a certain number of years (varies by brand, but most are 5-6) which limits the number of years you can use it if it 'uses up' a year sitting in a closet or your attic/basement. Wait until you need the seat to buy it.
I do not recommend the Graco ComfortSport. It is a fine seat. It works well. It has held up well. However, DD outgrew it at 2 years of age. DS is about to outgrow it at 20 months. Its lower shell height just means it won't last you long, and it is better IMO to spend a bit more and get one that will last longer.
We really love our First Years True Fit. It is easy to use, install, is comfy for the kids and will last a long time. We love the removable head rest for RFing installation, and once you put the head rest on it has a very high shell height. It fits young babies well (DS at 9 months) and older kids (DD at almost 4 years). I have heard good things about the gracomyride.
One last note...I know it is tempting to register, but you will lose a about a year of life of the car seat before you use it. Most car seats expire about 6 years after date of manufacture, so if you buy the convertible while you are pregnant you are using up its "life" while waiting for baby and then while the baby is in the infant seat. Wait to buy until you are closer to needing to actually use it.
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we have the graco myride, and love it
I'd also recommend waiting. Especially because your child's size can (and probably should) affect your seat choice. If you have a really tall kid, you'll want a tall shell. If you have a short, but heavy kid, you'll need to focus more on weight limits.
The newest AAP recommendation is rear facing until 2 years. As a car seat tech, I recommend until your child outgrows the rear facing limits of the seat (they're 500% safer RFing in a crash).
My top three seats, personally, are the Sunshine Kids Radian, First Years True Fit and Graco MyRide.
Personally, I would also stay away from Britax (although I do like their forward facing only seats). They used to be the best of the best, but have really fallen behind on making seats that allow for ERF (extended rear facing). While it is true that they recently released an entire line of higher weight limit seats, none of them have any added shell height. As most kids outgrow their seats by height before weight, this is a huge oversight on their part. They're on the higher end of the price range, and won't last as long...you can get more for your money with almost any other brand.
We have a Britax Boulevard CS for DD and will probably get the newer version of the same seat for DS when he's old enough for one. We plan on using our Chicco infant seat as long as possible. Yes, seats "expire" after 5-6 years... but are you really going to be having it sit around for 5-6 years before using it and moving them into a booster eventually anyway? Probably not. I don't think there's any harm in putting it on your registry, at least do it at the very end so if you want to buy it yourself you can at least use your completion discount on something that is technically on your baby registry.
And if someone does get it for you, you can always return it as long as you don't open it if you change your mind and want a different brand. Either way though, go to the baby stores and try the display model out in your car in the rear-facing position and forward facing so you can see if it will really work in your car before adding it to a gift registry.
Generally b/c safety standards change in cars and in seats pretty frequently and an older seat may be outdated. FYI it's also illegal in most states to sell or buy 2nd hand carseats so before checking out Craigslist, or a 2nd hand store - check your state's law...
the foam and plastic breaks down over time and becomes unsafe to use. It doesn't matter how much it was used. Even if it sat on a shelf for the entire 5 years, it expires at whichever point that seat does.
Most are 6 years, some are 8 or 5, but most are 6.