Please help me pick a convertible car seat!

Meery82 · July 2013

I've been looking into the Chicco Nextfit, but the reviews aren't as fabulous as I thought they would be. Could you please recommend a good convertible car seat? I have a Honda Civic, so not a ton of room, and I put the car seat in the middle. I would like to keep DS rear facing for as long as possible. Please tell what you like (and don't like!) about your convertible seats! TIA!!

Rosebud2587 · July 2013

safety 1st guide 65

evenflo sureride

graco mysize/size4me/headwise 70

diono radian with the angle adjuster

All of these seats should get your LO close to 3-4 rear facing and all of them should fit well in a smaller vehicle.They are listed in order of price, lowest to highest.

orangecurls · July 2013

I really like my nextfit, so I recommend it.

Meery82 · July 2013

Thanks everyone! Keep 'em coming! The whole family is tall: me, DH, and DS. Good idea about taking him in to BRU and putting him in the different seats. I will have to try that.

Meery82 · July 2013

I'm really liking the R120 so far. I definitely need something that's easy to get him in and out of. We usually make multiple stops when running errands, plus it's a little more cumbersome with the seat being in the middle, but I'm willing to keep it there if it's safer.

ebp913 · July 2013

I second trying them out or ordering from Amazon where you can get free returns. I had a Radian and didn't like the ratcheting harness at all even though tons of people love that seat. I now have a Peg convertible which I adore and it will last almost as long as the Radian. I plan to do another Peg, the Nextfit or maybe Foonf for DS.

jobiann · July 2013

Honestly, and I'm really not knocking anyone. I really just think the Nextfit is a bunch of hype because everyone LOVED the KeyFit30 infant seat....I loved our Chicco seat but the duration of kids in the Nextfit don't seem very long especially for taller kiddos.

We just ordered the Graco Size4Me from albeebaby.com and got a discount for it. I can't wait to get it!

AKB090609 · July 2013

We love how our nextfit fits in our civic, so that would be me pick. The straps were harder to tighten when we first got it, but they are much easier to use now.

ebp913 · July 2013

jobiann:
Honestly, and I'm really not knocking anyone. I really just think the Nextfit is a bunch of hype because everyone LOVED the KeyFit30 infant seat....I loved our Chicco seat but the duration of kids in the Nextfit don't seem very long especially for taller kiddos.
We just ordered the Graco Size4Me from albeebaby.com and got a discount for it. I can't wait to get it!

Just want to say that the Nextfit is one of the longest lasting seats on the market. It has very tall harness height positions that are as tall as the Radian and Foonf. The Size4Me is the tallest seat on the market but the Nextfit is definitely still a long lasting seat. I want to say it's like 2nd or 3rd in height limits for rear facing compared to all other convertibles.

Meery82 · July 2013

So what's up with the Clek Foonf? How does it compare to the Radian R120? Or is the only difference a couple hundred dollars?

ebp913 · July 2013

Meery82:
So what's up with the Clek Foonf? How does it compare to the Radian R120? Or is the only difference a couple hundred dollars?

Size wise, they will last about the same amount of time. The Foonf is slightly taller but it's a very small difference. The technology in the Foonf is what drives the price. I am going to have to get a narrow convertible for DS when we move him and I am between these 2.

jobiann · July 2013

ebp913:
jobiann:
Honestly, and I'm really not knocking anyone. I really just think the Nextfit is a bunch of hype because everyone LOVED the KeyFit30 infant seat....I loved our Chicco seat but the duration of kids in the Nextfit don't seem very long especially for taller kiddos.
We just ordered the Graco Size4Me from albeebaby.com and got a discount for it. I can't wait to get it!
Just want to say that the Nextfit is one of the longest lasting seats on the market. It has very tall harness height positions that are as tall as the Radian and Foonf. The Size4Me is the tallest seat on the market but the Nextfit is definitely still a long lasting seat. I want to say it's like 2nd or 3rd in height limits for rear facing compared to all other convertibles.

Thanks for clarifying, I didn't mean to spout off wrong information, I thought I had heard it wasn't very accommodating for tall or larger children and that was the reason I've heard some negatives about it. Maybe it was just a few special incidents.

momtoRaegan041008 · July 2013

The First Years True Fit

Meery82 · July 2013

Thanks everyone! You guys are so helpful! LauraT25, you seem to be an expert on this topic! What car seat do you use for your kids?

teshy1 · July 2013

We have a Britax Boulevard 65CS (it's the 70 CS in the U.S.) for our Subaru Outback and an Evenflo Triumph 65 for DH's Volvo S70.

The Britax gets used by far the most, since the Outback is our family car right now.

Angela814 · July 2013

LauraT25:
I have the MySize 70 and the Radian R120. I really like both seats for different reasons. The MySize is a bit wide at the top and we install it in the center, so it doesn't leave much room for adults to sit in the back seat. However, it is extremely easy to install (like, two seconds) with LATCH and when I tried the install with the seatbelt it was also fairly easy. The adjustment of the harness and headrest is ridiculously simple. When we bought it, K was 95th %ile for height, so its high shell really appealed to me. I also think it's awesome that it's so relatively inexpensive for a seat that will rear face so long. Some people have had a lot of issues getting the straps to tighten, but Graco has been good about exchanges so if you buy one, keep your receipt.
The R120 is a little more difficult to install, though not hard for me - others have complained about it, though, so this may depend on your car. I like that you can tether it while rear-facing, though I am embarrassed to admit I haven't actually done it yet. The low-profile sides really won me over, because it is VERY easy to get K in the seat and also seems to keep her cooler than the Graco. I did need the angle adjuster (sold separately) to get it to fit in our car, and it can't be used until the child can sit unassisted, so that is something to keep in mind. It is very heavy but folds for traveling and is VERY narrow so we can actually fit people in the backseat.

Can I just ditto this exactly... except we have the older Radian XTSL. We have 3 carseats across in our SUV using the Radian. In our minivan we have the MySize in a captain chair with the other 2 in the back row. My kids have been very tall but thinner, and a 40 lb weight limit should get us to at least 4 years.

LyndseylovesHugh · July 2013

We have the Clek Foonf and LOVE it! It does sit very tall like PP said, I could not put it behind the passenger because it blocked my view, but it fit well behind the driver and it would fit no problem in the middle too. I am tall-ish (5"8'), my H is 6"1' and we have it in our VW Tiguan (a very small SUV). My 6"3' dad can even sit in the driver's seat with it behind him, although he is a bit cramped.

What I love about it: it has some really great technology and I feel that my DD is extremely safe in it. This was the biggest seller for us. You can RF for a very long time. The fabric is awesome, it is stain proof, water resistant and bacteria proof. My DD barfed and it and it just wiped right off. Since it sits so high my DD can see out the window, and she loves that. The manual was a tad confusing, but once you know how to, it is very easy to install. And, Clek's customer service is amazing. It is a pricey seat, but for us it was worth it.

My parent's have the Britax Boulevard 70cs in their car and we really like it too, but it does not RF as long as the Foonf or other seats that PPs have mentioned do. But my DD is very comfortable in it, it was very easy to install and it seems like a really solid seat.

Meery82 · July 2013

I tried talking to my husband about the Foonf, but he's being a turd about the price. If I can't convince him, we will probably go with the Radian. Thank you all!!

pibaby · July 2013

I drive a 2004 Honda Civic. I have the NextFit rear-facing in the middle of the back seat. Love it. My child seems happy in it, too.

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