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Stay at Home Moms
MJCF
member
Ugh...vent re: BRU
MJCF
member
DS needs a new car seat. I've been waiting for the trade in event because I have an old car seat to trade in. Well...the trade in event started today and I can't use the discount on Britax. I.could.cry. Really I might. It's just been one of those weeks and I thought I was going to be getting a new car seat today. There are only certain brands I can use it on. So now I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Most likely just sucking it up and buy the Britax but I'm wondering if I should look at the other brands. With the discount I could probably get 2 car seats for the price of the Britax I wanted and DH and I could both have one in our cars. I'm just frustrated. Thanks for reading.
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Re: Ugh...vent re: BRU
I'm sorry you are having a bad week. It sucks that you can't get the carseat that you want.
I would get two carseats. I LOVE having a carseat in both cars.
Yes this. That's really sucky you can't get what you want but maybe it could be a blessing in disguise? We also have carseats in both cars and it really makes travel easier. I hope you find something you like!
That's really annoying and one of the many reasons I haven't set foot in BRU in years and won't be.
That said, there are a lot of seats on the market right now that are better than the britax seats. The current generation of britax seats have shorter shells and shorter top harness slots than most of the competitors, which translates to extra money for a seat that will be outgrown much sooner.
What type of seat are you looking to get (convertible, combination?) and what are your child's age, weight, and torso height (have him sit criss cross on the floor against a wall and measure where his shoulders are)? We can get you a great seat that you can use the discount on! And possibly two of that seat!
Could you help me pick out a few to look at? I know lots about safety, but not specific brands aside from what we've had. We need to get a convertible for dd soon. She's not quite 9mo, around 28in and 18lbs. She'll be rear facing for a while still since we erf as long as the kids will tolerate. Something that's easy to install is a bonus, and I like the ones that you don't have to mess with the back of the seat for the harness tightness (like the chicco's have the strap you pull, I like that).
I have some knowledge, not a ton, but am glad to help! Is she tall, short or average height? Does she carry more of her height in her torso or her legs? And where is she on the weight scale? Also, what vehicle are you in because some seats don't work well in some vehicles? And what's your budget?
My two current favorites for ERF are the diono radian (which is what our kids use, love that seat) and the graco myride 65. I'll be honest and say there are a few new models out that I'm not as familiar with. But both of those have shells that are 2+ inches taller than the current britax models, which can translate to 2 years longer that a child fits in them.
The radian has a reputation for being difficult and/or incompatible in some cars, but I've had no problem at all installing both RF and FF in: 2006 VW Beetle (our only car), 2007 honda civic, 2007 volvo s40, 2008 toyota corolla. It can take a lot more work to install it more upright but can be done (and now they've released an angle adjuster for that which makes it much easier; we never got that because DD2 outgrew it RF at 2y 9m and the adjuster had just come out). I love that it's low profile because we are surrounded by small cars and it fits well, even RF.
The myride 65 is a very popular model for techs to recommend because it has a tall shell, lasts a long time both RF and FF and is not crazy expensive. It's known for being easy to install.
LET'S GO BLUES!! (I'm in MO too
)
I HATE BRU too. We have stopped shopping there unless they have an insane deal I cannot beat with something online or somewhere else.
I dont know what your budget is but we have the Diono Radian RXT convertible carseats and LOVE them. They are super heavy, sturdy, safe and easy to install. They go from 5 lbs to 120 and convert to a booster as well but you do have to adjust the shoulder straps as the child gets taller. We got ours for $250 on amazon with a free carrying bag but there was a sale going on. I think some websites sell them for a little more than that now. I googled it real quick and see Dealshout has it for $260, albeebaby $270 and other vary in price too.
They fit three across in the back seat forward or rear facing. We liked that we weren't going to have to pay for an infant, a convertible and a booster seat which shopping at BRU can end up costing like $700 a child if you go with a Graco or other expensive brand.
If you can get two seats for the price of one though I say go for it. I doubt they sell any car seats that are unsafe. As long as they meet all safety standards and are not too wide to fit multiples in your car then I dont see the harm in stepping away from Britax.
My friend as the myride 65 and loves it. I bought a britax and I'm noticing that the straps are too low as well. I had never heard that mentioned before now! But the other day I was thinking that my 10th percentile for height 2 year old is already in the last slot.
Whatever you buy I would NOT get it from BRU just on principle. I think I ordered ours from diapers.com and they had a 20% off sale. If you save pampers points you can also cash them in for gift certs for that site.
I called to confirm and they said it wasn't always like that. Great. A lot of good that does me. Let me turn back time now.
I need a convertible. As soon as DS gets up from his nap and has lunch Ill measure him. Am I measuring from the floor to the top of his shoulders?
Yup, floor to top of shoulders. Although for a convertible I'll say right now that a diono radian or graco myride 65 would be my top two choices. Both have very tall shells and high top harness slots. The myride I wouldn't recommend if you foresee needing 3 across as it's a big seat, but otherwise it's a fantastic seat for less than half the cost of a britax and will last a lot longer.
Ok...all measured. He's 31.5 inches tall. Floor to top of shoulders is 12 inches. He's 26 lbs and 20 months. I drive a civic coupe so size is a concern. I don't see needing to fit 3 car seats in anything anytime soon. I did test out the Britax Boulevard in my Civic and it fit fine behind the drivers seat. I'm just frustrated because its hard for me to make a decision and I hate researching because I get really caught up in. Ill research forever. Its bad. Thanks so much for your help.
I love BBB. They carry a large variety of the more expensive brands, and not much mid-lower end stuff though. Their customer service is fantastic.
Definitely go for BBB. They're awesome!
Joining the BRU sucks train!!!
I'm also glad I read this because I need to get DS a new convertible and I didn't want to shell out the $$$ to replace his current Britax Boulevard (which was a gift).
So funny you mentioned DH. My DH is also 6'1" but he can't stand driving my civic. He says its not comfortable for him. Good thing its my car because I LOVE that car. Is your MILs car a coupe also? I'm assuming it is. Ok, Ill check out that seat and BBB. I'd like to keep DS RF as long as possible and in the seat as long as possible. One thing to look at is where the top strap position is. You are saying on the Britax that they are low so they will outgrow it in height before weight. My DS is in the 50 and lower percentiles and DH didn't really get tall until HS but I guess you never know when DS might have a growth spurt. Thanks.
Why are you replacing it?
A sippy got left in the car and milk leaked. I've had it cleaned but I can't get the smell out.
You can trade in a piece of old baby equipment and you get a 20% off coupon towards the purchase of a new thing. I can't remember the categories but it's big stuff. They have a lot of exclusions though, and BRU sucks.
Also just an FYI about BBB, you can use Bed Bath and Beyond coupons there too!
Hers is a sedan, not a coupe, but I'm fairly sure the slope of the backseat and amount of cushioning (both of which are why radians play nicely in there) should be similar. And since your son is older I would highly recommend ordering the separate angle adjuster (it's like $10 extra) because it will allow a really upright installation.
Most kids will outgrow most seats in height light years before hitting the weight limits. Manufacturers basically set insanely high weight limits to account for seriously overweight/clinically obese kids. Unfortunately the weight limits are easier to give a hard limit than height (because height depends on whether the child carries it in their legs or torso, so the same overall height kids won't necessarily fit in the same carseat) and so many parents think the weight limit is all that matters and I frequently see kids in long outgrown seats (like the top of the shell even with the neck and I don't know how the harness even fits around the kid anymore) and think it's fine because they haven't hit the weight limit.
My kids are both tall with very long torsoes and my oldest outgrew her radian XT (80 lb weight limit) FF at just barely 40 lbs and just 4 years old. This is basically unheard of though, my niece is 6 1/2 and average size and proportions and just outgrew it forward facing a few months ago, she still fit in it rear facing well after age 4, she may have even been 5 (she had been FF and asked to be turned around because her legs were way more comfortable not dangling). My just turned 3 year old has a 16 1/2 inch torso and is 39" tall, she had to turn FF this spring, at 2y 9m in the radian. I wish we had been able to keep her RF because she can no longer sleep in the car, even if it's late and she's exhausted.
Oh no! Yeah, that's no good.
Actually its 25 off but only 5 brands are eligible.
https://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId4346706abBru_homepage_aspot:2:TheGreatTradeinEvent
Thank you SO much for everything. I didn't know all that. I've learned so much and can see that I need to rethink this car seat thing. I may be back with more questions after I get some sleep : thanks again!
Happy to help! I basically learned a ton about carseats in the desperate attempt to keep our beetle (we are a one car family) with kids lol! Our parents all have small cars too, so we've gotten good at what fits where lol! I will officially have to upgrade before #3 since the beetle is a 4 seater, but the timing is good because DH and I are suddenly going to need two cars starting this fall (we moved out of NYC, he will be commuting 45 mins to work and I'll need a car for school transport since we're too close for a bus but too far to walk). I may be giving in to the minivan thing, but am still desperately trying to make a small car work lol!
i havent shopped at Buy Buy Baby in a long time, but last i did, they also accepted the Bed, Bath and Beyond 20% off coupons! (not expired ones though) - i guess they're owned by the same company. you'd have to check if they can be used on Britax but i don't remember any exclusions on their coupons.
also Labor Day is coming up - there will be sales!!! we got our Recaro convertible carseat a couple years ago from BabyAge.com and i believe it was over Labor Day. the seat was on sale PLUS free shipping, it was a fantastic deal. good luck!