XP from FB: Can you ladies help me buy a convertible car seat?

Re: XP from FB: Can you ladies help me buy a convertible car seat?

• Sept07b2b member

  June 2013

  What is it that you want most out of your carseat (I don't mean that to sound so dramatic)? 

  I have always been a HUGE fan of Britax carseats.  They are really easy to install/tighten, really easy to get your kid in and out of, seem very comfortable and are obviously very safe.  

  Not specifically what you asked, but we have two Britax Roundabouts because I felt that the other Britax seats were very large and when rear-facing made it very difficult for someone to sit in the passenger seat, and we hope to rear-face for a while.   Also, we have two kids, and we like to have an adult squeeze between the carseats in the middle in the backseat, so we can transport someone else if necessary.  The other Britax' are very wide, so it might be more difficult to do this with two.   They are also heavier.

  I think the biggest advantage to the larger Britax' (Marathon, Boulevard and Pavillion) is that they have a higher front facing weight limit (Roundabout only goes to 55lbs).  With my ODS, I have noticed that he fits much better in the Britax Frontier that we got him when DD needed his Roundabout.  It's a 5-point harness that converts to a booster.  It has cup-holders and allows for him to get in and out of his seat easily himself.  I honestly can't see him in a normal convertible carseat any more. He is also only 42lbs, so he would still fit in the Roundabout if we had gone that direction.  

  I mention all this because you might want to consider getting something a little smaller/cheaper, like a Roundabout, which is lighter and fits better rear-facing and then just committing to having to get another carseat when your LO is older (something like a Frontier that converts eventually to a booster).  When all is said and done, spending the money on the two comes out to about the same as one of the big ones anyway, and I think changing the seat as the child grows is a good option.   

  Just my two cents.   

  

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• ssimon621 member

  June 2013

  Ladies those are awesome pros and cons thank you so much for the input.

  Sept - I really like the Diono because it is a seat that she can have until she's 10 if needed.  I won't need to switch to a high back booster so in the end it seems like a better price and less things to store since it will be the only seat I need.  Not many people have it and stores don't carry it so it's hard to decide without being able to try it out.

  I like my Britax and it's easy to install and use and I figure if I can fit the Chaperone with the huge base behind my driver seat any other seat should be okay.  (DH barely made it with it in with it behind the driver seat but he can push the seat back appropriately when it's in the middle.

  Starbuck- That is an awesome list of pros and cons and I really like the idea of being able to fold it up for travel because we plan to do it a lot in the near future. But was concerned with how easy it is to use on a daily basis and if it was too tall for my car. 

  

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• ssimon621 member

  June 2013

  Starbuck128:

  I tried the Britax Marathon in my car and it did fit. I think the Radian with the adjuster takes up as much or just a little less room.

  If you think you might want to move the seat between cars on a semi regular basis, I would not ever consider getting a Radian. It takes us a minimum of 15 minutes to get it in a car and it is hard.

  I thought it was easier to get Cody sitting in the Radian versus the Marathon. I don't think that part will ever strain my back, but it is much, much easier to tighten the strap with the Britaxes. 
  

  I definitely don't plan on moving it between cars. 

  

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• sunnyday016 member

  June 2013

  ssimon621:

  Ladies those are awesome pros and cons thank you so much for the input.

  Sept - I really like the Diono because it is a seat that she can have until she's 10 if needed.  I won't need to switch to a high back booster so in the end it seems like a better price and less things to store since it will be the only seat I need.  Not many people have it and stores don't carry it so it's hard to decide without being able to try it out.

  I like my Britax and it's easy to install and use and I figure if I can fit the Chaperone with the huge base behind my driver seat any other seat should be okay.  (DH barely made it with it in with it behind the driver seat but he can push the seat back appropriately when it's in the middle.

  Starbuck- That is an awesome list of pros and cons and I really like the idea of being able to fold it up for travel because we plan to do it a lot in the near future. But was concerned with how easy it is to use on a daily basis and if it was too tall for my car. 

  Don't count on using the Radian in booster mode. I have heard on Car Seats for the Littles that it is essentially useless as a booster, since it is outgrown at the same time as the FF harness. No matter what seat you get, you're going to need to buy a dedicated booster down the line.

  Another option for you to consider is the Graco MySize/Size4Me/Headwise. It's got the tallest shell on the  market, yet sits pretty compactly if you need it to fit behind the driver or passenger seats. I can fully extend it in my Ford Escape without even moving the front seat up. 

  S- March 09 E- Feb 12 L- May 15
  

  
  

  
  

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• CotterpinDoozer member

  June 2013

  If you want advice from professional techs, look for the group "car seats for the littles" on the facebook. It's awesome!

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• sunnyday016 member

  June 2013

  Starbuck128:

  sunnyday016:

  Don't count on using the Radian in booster mode. I have heard on Car Seats for the Littles that it is essentially useless as a booster, since it is outgrown at the same time as the FF harness. No matter what seat you get, you're going to need to buy a dedicated booster down the line.

  It's outgrown height wise at the same time FF or booster, at 57", but the weight limit for booster goes up to 120 lbs vs 80 lbs for FF carseat mode. I'm worried about the height limit for my guy, and for a boy in the 95th percentile for height, he will reach 57" when he is 9 years old. That is about the time they recommend moving out of a booster seat.

  I'm no expert on booster seats but I've drooled over Clek's booster seat, and it also has a 57" height limit, both with the back and backless. I know Clek is a very popular company for tall kids, so I'm guessing 57" is going to be a high max height limit for many seats. So while the Radian can be outgrown at the same time for FF and booster, for most kids I don't think that will be a problem.
  

  It also has a 50lb MINIMUM to use the booster mode. If your LO's shoulders are over the top slot of the harness, but he's not yet 50lbs, he can't use the harness (outgrown by height) and he also can't use the booster (doesn't meet the minimum).

  The Radian is a great seat and I see it recommended all the time on Car Seats for the Littles, but it shouldn't be counted on to be used in booster mode.

  S- March 09 E- Feb 12 L- May 15
  

  
  

  
  

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• ssimon621 member

  June 2013

  Thanks for the input Cooter and Sunnyday.  I will look up that group on FB.  I didn't get to buy a seat over the weekend because the seat was an online item and you can't use in store coupons on them.  BRU sucks!

  

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