Sheesh with the carseats..

hayatiggs · July 2011

Hubby and I are having the hardest time deciding on our next carseats. The girls travel in my car 90% of the time. It is not LATCH equipped. The other 10% of the time they're in my husband's vehicle, which is LATCH equipped. For the most part the seats stay in my car all the time, but every now and then we have to switch up, like if he comes to pick up the girls or something.

He is all about the safety ratings (which I'm not saying is a bad thing) and the higher weight limit, so he likes the Graco MyRide65. I like it too, but it's just so big..

We only have the twins right now, so we only have to fit the two carseats in the cars, but I don't necessarily want the ENTIRE backseat covered up.

I've read reviews until my eyes hurt.. what carseats do you have, what do you like and not like about them?

flyingsaucer · July 2011

With DS #1 I had the evenflo triumph for a convertable carseat. It was great, but big (we only had 1 LO at the time). When we needed to make space for the extra car seat (for DD), we got the Graco Nautilus for DS (for older kids). Right now we have the snugride 35 for DD

CelticWife · July 2011

We love our Maxi Cosi Priori. RF it goes up to 35lbs. You can recline the seat when it is FF without having to take it out and reinstall it. It has a smaller footprint then most seats (takes up less space). We don't have any problems putting it in a car without latch, other then the fact it is heavy.

DS loved it, and now DD loves it.

AshtonMain · July 2011

I love my Sunshine Kids Radian XTLS seats. They are super safe, the brand has never been recalled, and they are skinny. I've got a big boy and there is so much room for him to grow. It's easy to get him in and out of and the seats are both latch and seatbelt equipped.

The car seats are also FAA approved to take on airplanes. They're not cheap, but so worth it so far.

MaddysMama07 · July 2011

If I could do it all again I would have gotten Radian's for both girls. They are much more narrow than most other car seats.

We have a Graco Nautilus for DD1 and an Evenflo Triumph for DD2. I like them both but there is no way we'll ever be able to fit a 3rd car seat in either of our cars. I'll need something bigger before we have a 3rd and we'll probably have to get new car seats for DH's car.

2JB2004 · July 2011

We bought the Graco My Ride 65 and love it. It is kinda big, but I like the way he fits in it and he looks like he is really protected in it. It is also really comfortable for him(I am assuming so anyways lol) since he has no issues napping in it.

Lynn07 · July 2011

My two are 13 months apart, and both rear facing. I understand the carseat dilemma! After a lot of research, we went with a Britax Decathalon (they don't make these anymore now, though) for DS1 and a Britax Boulevard for DS2. We LOVE the boulevard... So easy to use, especially RF, and is a bit smaller than our other Britax. I have a CRV, but they still take up most of the back seat. You can squeeze someone between them if you have to, but they wouldn't be able to buckle up, so it's not great. I honestly couldn't figure out a way for them to not take over the back seat... Unfortunately, I think that comes with the territory of two little LOs

hayatiggs · July 2011

I have a CRV also, hubby has a Hummer. The backseats are actually about the same size.

I had looked at the Maxi Cosi, but hubby dismissed it because of the max FF weight. He likes that the Graco goes up to 65lbs. But here's my question (since I'm a first time mom and have never had to deal with this before..) about how big does baby get before it's time for the next carseat anyway? Do babies even make it to the 65lb limit in that seat?

monkeyqueen · July 2011

If you want more room in your vehicle, go for the Sunshine Radian. It's a bit pricier but it is much more narrow than other carseats. It also has a high height/weight limit. IMO, height limits are more important than weight limits.

We have Britax marathons and love them, but in your case I'd go with the radian.

monkeyqueen · July 2011

hayatiggs:
I have a CRV also, hubby has a Hummer. The backseats are actually about the same size.
I had looked at the Maxi Cosi, but hubby dismissed it because of the max FF weight. He likes that the Graco goes up to 65lbs. But here's my question (since I'm a first time mom and have never had to deal with this before..) about how big does baby get before it's time for the next carseat anyway? Do babies even make it to the 65lb limit in that seat?

With a 65lbs limit seat and depending on the height limit, the seat could very well be the last carseat your children would need before a booster....so possibly 4 - 6 years old (or older). So far, my nearly 5 year old is 36lbs and about 40inches tall.

eta: on the flip side, my friends 4year old is around 60lbs. It really depends on your child.

grr_aargh · July 2011

hayatiggs:
I have a CRV also, hubby has a Hummer. The backseats are actually about the same size.
I had looked at the Maxi Cosi, but hubby dismissed it because of the max FF weight. He likes that the Graco goes up to 65lbs. But here's my question (since I'm a first time mom and have never had to deal with this before..) about how big does baby get before it's time for the next carseat anyway? Do babies even make it to the 65lb limit in that seat?

My 8 year old is 55lbs. My 5 year old is 40lbs. So, um, sometimes not so much. My 8 year old is long enough and tall enough to be out of seats altogether (though we use a booster with her for some rides for her own comfort and to ensure proper belting).

Radians are AWESOMELY NARROW, though I've read some people have issues with RFing installation with seatbelts only, so I'd check on that. My answer actually isn't much of an answer - it really depends on your car.

We just went through seat installation here - I have a Cosco Alpha Omega, a Britax Marathon, and a Cosco Scenara. The Britax took 10 mins tops to install in each of our vehicles, but we can't use it because it's too big (way too wide). The Alpha Omega took 45 mins to install in one car before I gave up, 30 to install in the other. It was HORRIBLE. The Scenera took 10 mins in either car and is the most solid seat I've had that didn't have the RFing tether (like the Britax). Long answer longer: It's not just about ratings - it's about what fits in your cars. I think it's carseatdata.org that has listings of seats and vehicles for more reading for you guys. . . it's an excellent resource.

hayatiggs · July 2011

I'm really appreciating all of the input here everyone. Thank you so much.

CelticWife · July 2011

hayatiggs:
I have a CRV also, hubby has a Hummer. The backseats are actually about the same size.
I had looked at the Maxi Cosi, but hubby dismissed it because of the max FF weight. He likes that the Graco goes up to 65lbs. But here's my question (since I'm a first time mom and have never had to deal with this before..) about how big does baby get before it's time for the next carseat anyway? Do babies even make it to the 65lb limit in that seat?

Not sure if you are coming back to this post, but I thought I would give it a shot anyway.

The Priori was not DS's final car seat, but we didn't expect it to be either. He switched to the Graco Nautilus when he turned 2, so it lasted him about a year and a half. Now DD rides in it. Since she is physically smaller then DS was, we are expecting her to ride in it until she is 3 or so, before moving her into a Nautilus.

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Sheesh with the carseats..

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