Toddlers: 24 Months+
"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the one person you can't live without."
Recommend your convertible carseat
Hi everyone! I don't post on TB very often, but I'm really at a loss
when it comes to carseats. DS is getting too big for his carseat and I
would like to move him into a convertible one that changes into a high
back booster then just a regular booster. DS is 42 inches tall and
36lbs. Any recommendations of what you love? Or even what you hate?
"You don't marry someone you can live with, you marry the one person you can't live without."This discussion has been closed.
Re: Recommend your convertible carseat
You'll want a 5 pt harness to booster seat.
Evenflo Maestro (and there's also a new one by Evenflo) - My niece has one. It's a nice basic seat. Top harness slot is 18". About $80, so you can invest in a dedicated HBB later if needed.
Graco Nautilus - Top harness slot is 18". Runs around $150 I think. We have one. It's okay. We used it as a harnessed seat for DD1, and now DD2 is using it as an extra seat in Grandma's car. Reviews say it doesn't generally make a good booster. It tends to position the lap belt on the abdomen instead of the hips or thighs. We never tried it as a booster.
Recaro ProSport - Top harness slot is 18.5". We have 2 Recaro HBBs that we love Vivo and ProBooster, but I've never seen the ProSport. This would be my top pick though just because we like the brand so much. Around the same price as the Frontier ($250-300), but a couple colors are $200 here.
Britax Frontier - New version has a 20" top harness slot. Reviews say it has a good booster fit for almost all kids IIHS best bet. It's also a more expensive seat ($250-300 range). Found it here for $215 in 3 colors.
Those are all the seats I know about or have seen recommended.
ETA: Technically the Diono Radian is a booster seat now. I personally wouldn't buy one for use as a booster. (We have the older version that's a convertible seat.) #1 - The seat is super expensive now. (Retail price is $340, though I did find it for $234 with quick google search.) #2 - The minimum weight for boostering is 50 lbs. (DD1 hit 50 lbs at 6 years.) #3 - They didn't make the seat any taller, so it will be outgrown at the same height harnessed as it will as a booster. (In booster mode, the belt positioning slot has to be above the shoulders.) I do like the seat a lot as a convertible though.
Charlotte Ella 07.16.10
Emmeline Grace 03.27.13
We haven't used it yet so I can't say if it's worth recommending, but we just ordered a Graco Nautilus for DD1. It was recommended by a few friends and a car seat tech.
FYI, Target is having their baby sale right now, ends Saturday, with a few harnessed boosters on sale. Might be worth checking out if you decide on a seat before then.
DD1 Feb 2010
DD2 Sept 2011
I am a car seat junky. My seven year old rides in a few different harness booster combo seats.
She is 52 pounds stands 46 inches with a 14.5 inch torso. She is booster trained, but prefers a harnessed seat over a booster seat.
In Dh's truck she is in a Frontier 85. I have had the Canadian version as well. I love it for the ease of instal. It fits quite a long time. con it is kind of heavy.
My truck, she rides in a Hanna Prosport. I
this seat. It is also bulky, but it is hands down my favorite.
Her travel seat is a Secure Kids 400. It isn't as comfortable as the others, but it works. We are flying to Ireland on the fifth, and this is the seat that she will use. I am planning on taking it on the plane. It is fairly light weight and super easy to instal.
My five year old is currently rear facing in a diono RXT, but forward faces in the same seats as her big sister, other than her travel seat is a Maestro. We are taking the RXT with us to Ireland. She has been forward facing since she was three, but recently asked to rear face again. She stands 41 inches and has a 14 inch torso. She weighs 39 pounds.
I have the graco argos. It goes from FF to high back booster to backless bosster. I love it and its decently priced!