Convertible Car seat.

Heyjordynhey · August 2013

DS is 8 months old, and we're thinking about switching over to a convertible rear facing car seat instead of his infant carrier.

We've been looking into the Britax Boulevard, and haven't heard any negative reviews about it. So i was just wondering if anyone has used this kind? Or what kind you're using. Pro's con's of them! Any input will be appreciated!!

ASmallWonder · August 2013

I have this seat (ours is a few years old). Personally I find adjusting the headrest/strap height to be a PITA. And this isn't a safety issue but just a personal annoyance that I didn't know better on until I had a toddler - this seat has no cup holder. Petty issue, probably, but I curse that seat anytime we're on a longer trip and my son has a drink or snack and it always ends up spilled or on the floor because he can't put it anywhere safely.

smileybabyboy · August 2013

I heard Britax seats are known to have very little leg room.

kjsmith9 · August 2013

The best car seat for you depends on your budget, how much room you have in your car (so the seat fits appropriately), and your LO. We were between the diono radian and britax seats. We settled on the radians because we're both tall, and the britax shells are much shorter than the radians. We also want her to rear face as long as possible... Hopefully until around 4 years old. We both have diono radian r120's in our vehicles (ford fusion and ford escape), and we likely won't have to buy another car seat again, since this one turns into a booster.

nuttycoconut · August 2013

I went to Buy Buy Baby and got a mini-tutorial on car seats. They man working there had just gone to a Britax convention and strongly recommended the Advocate because of the side-impact protection. He definitely sold me on it and the reviews are fantastic. I think they are huge though so it depends on your car. Diapers.com is having a 30% sale on Britax I believe!

Heyjordynhey · August 2013

Heyjordynhey · August 2013

elmoali said:

I have this seat (ours is a few years old). Personally I find adjusting the headrest/strap height to be a PITA. And this isn't a safety issue but just a personal annoyance that I didn't know better on until I had a toddler - this seat has no cup holder. Petty issue, probably, but I curse that seat anytime we're on a longer trip and my son has a drink or snack and it always ends up spilled or on the floor because he can't put it anywhere safely.

I noticed that it didn't have a cup holder but i ordered on from diapers.com for $12. Not too bad but i can understand how it would be annoying that it doesn't have one included.

Heyjordynhey · August 2013

I drive a Nissan Altima, and have pretty good room in it so I think this is the seat that we're going to go with. I'm nervous but excited!

I know he'll be a lot more comfortable in a seat where he can move around and play.

Thanks for everyone's input. It means a lot!!

TMWarren85 · August 2013

kjsmith9 said:

The best car seat for you depends on your budget, how much room you have in your car (so the seat fits appropriately), and your LO. We were between the diono radian and britax seats. We settled on the radians because we're both tall, and the britax shells are much shorter than the radians. We also want her to rear face as long as possible... Hopefully until around 4 years old. We both have diono radian r120's in our vehicles (ford fusion and ford escape), and we likely won't have to buy another car seat again, since this one turns into a booster.

How is this size wise rear facing? I was reading that until a certain point it had to be fully reclined and it looked like it took a lot of room in the photos. Also I keep seeing that it has to be reclined like that until "around 8 month" so I was also looking for a more solid timeline (sitting well, etc.) I am between this and the Chicco NextFit- both offer tall shells and more leg room for big kids but I like that the Radian turns into a booster for longer use.

ASmallWonder · August 2013

Heyjordynhey said:

elmoali said:

I have this seat (ours is a few years old). Personally I find adjusting the headrest/strap height to be a PITA. And this isn't a safety issue but just a personal annoyance that I didn't know better on until I had a toddler - this seat has no cup holder. Petty issue, probably, but I curse that seat anytime we're on a longer trip and my son has a drink or snack and it always ends up spilled or on the floor because he can't put it anywhere safely.

I noticed that it didn't have a cup holder but i ordered on from diapers.com for $12. Not too bad but i can understand how it would be annoying that it doesn't have one included.

Again, because mine is a few years older this may be different but I also bought the cupholder and lo and behold, it can't be used with the Boulevard X(

kjsmith9 · August 2013

TMWarren85 said:

kjsmith9 said:

The best car seat for you depends on your budget, how much room you have in your car (so the seat fits appropriately), and your LO. We were between the diono radian and britax seats. We settled on the radians because we're both tall, and the britax shells are much shorter than the radians. We also want her to rear face as long as possible... Hopefully until around 4 years old. We both have diono radian r120's in our vehicles (ford fusion and ford escape), and we likely won't have to buy another car seat again, since this one turns into a booster.

How is this size wise rear facing? I was reading that until a certain point it had to be fully reclined and it looked like it took a lot of room in the photos. Also I keep seeing that it has to be reclined like that until "around 8 month" so I was also looking for a more solid timeline (sitting well, etc.) I am between this and the Chicco NextFit- both offer tall shells and more leg room for big kids but I like that the Radian turns into a booster for longer use.

It definitely took up a lot of room in the full recline position. I drove a Hyundai Elantra before, and the front passenger seat was pushed *almost* all the way forward. I now have a Ford Escape and it fits perfectly in the back with the seat in a normal position. My husband drives a Ford Fusion (which is a bit roomier) - when the radian was in full recline, I could still sit comfortably in the front seat (and I'm 5'8"), but it's much better now that we put the angle adjuster in.

As far as how long it needs to be in full recline, I think it depends on the baby. They want them to be able to sit independently and have good head control for safety reasons. We put the angle adjusters in around 7 months (she was sitting independently at 6 months).

Even though it took up quite a bit of room at first, I wouldn't change my mind on purchasing the radians. A few months of uncomfortable seat positions is no big deal, if you think about how long they actually get to remain in this seat (and the fact that you don't have to buy a booster later in the future)!

minervacullen · August 2013

We chose the Graco Size4me, same as the Graco My size and headwise. Our budget was around 150, it has the tallest rear facing limit on the market, and does not take up a lot of room. DD seems to really like it. It was SUPER easy to instal, no rethread harness, and a cup holder. I have zero complaints.
I swear by car seats for the littles on facebook, they also have a website.

Heyjordynhey · August 2013

elmoali said:

Heyjordynhey said:

elmoali said:

I have this seat (ours is a few years old). Personally I find adjusting the headrest/strap height to be a PITA. And this isn't a safety issue but just a personal annoyance that I didn't know better on until I had a toddler - this seat has no cup holder. Petty issue, probably, but I curse that seat anytime we're on a longer trip and my son has a drink or snack and it always ends up spilled or on the floor because he can't put it anywhere safely.

I noticed that it didn't have a cup holder but i ordered on from diapers.com for $12. Not too bad but i can understand how it would be annoying that it doesn't have one included.

Again, because mine is a few years older this may be different but I also bought the cupholder and lo and behold, it can't be used with the Boulevard X(

Dang! Well I hope this one works! If not, i guess i'm going to be returning it. We're acutally looking into trying another brand for my husband's car so we can kinda see whats out there. We're looking into the Recaro Euro carseat. My husband is really into modding his car, and Recaro makes the seats that he has in his car, so we know its a good brand just not sure about their car seats because we've never tried them before. But read nothing but good things about it.

michant · August 2013

I just purchased the graco size 4 for me 70 because my daughter is tall, britax didn't rank well for tall babies. And fits well in my toyota camry rear facing

ashcody2 · August 2013

I ordered the Graco MyRide 65 LX (x2), the first one arrived yesterday and is huge, I'm pretty sure it will fit in my Sorento but not so sure the 2nd one will fit into my SO's Grand Prix - he seems to think it will, but it really looks enormous. It looks super comfy and has 2 cup holders on it.

I got deals on both of them - so if it doesn't end up working out in my fiance's car I guess we will be making a trip to BRU to try some out.

Heyjordynhey · August 2013

Has anyone tried the Safety 1st Air car seats? I'm also looking into those as a back up but would really like for it to have a cup holder and it looks like some have it some dont and i cant seem to find a place to order just the cup holder.

Heyjordynhey · August 2013

mhaley1107 · August 2013

I haven't decided on a car seat yet big if you're on Facebook, check out Car Seats for the Littles. Certified techs give great advice on which seat is best for your child.

winecastle14 · August 2013

kjsmith9 said:

The best car seat for you depends on your budget, how much room you have in your car (so the seat fits appropriately), and your LO. We were between the diono radian and britax seats. We settled on the radians because we're both tall, and the britax shells are much shorter than the radians. We also want her to rear face as long as possible... Hopefully until around 4 years old. We both have diono radian r120's in our vehicles (ford fusion and ford escape), and we likely won't have to buy another car seat again, since this one turns into a booster.

Bought the Radian RXT for the same reasons (except we aren't tall but LO is 75% for height somehow. Lol). Didn't want to have to buy another seat and it's a great steel frame seat that fits in most cars. I did A LOT of research and this was the best choice for us.

shimmershine91 · August 2013

Because our finances took a hit, we've had to go with Evenflo for DD's convertible car seat. Honestly I can say that so far I am pleased with it. It adjusts easily, the material seems rather comfy, and it is easy to switch to other vehicles if someone else takes DD somewhere. Though it wasn't my first choice, I am rather pleased with using evenflo. I got my DD's convertible seat at Sears, where I'd never shopped before. Compared to the more expensive ones they had on display as well as hers, I'm not sad in the slightest we had to go with an economy brand.

apritch88 · August 2013

kjsmith9 said:

TMWarren85 said:

kjsmith9 said:

The best car seat for you depends on your budget, how much room you have in your car (so the seat fits appropriately), and your LO. We were between the diono radian and britax seats. We settled on the radians because we're both tall, and the britax shells are much shorter than the radians. We also want her to rear face as long as possible... Hopefully until around 4 years old. We both have diono radian r120's in our vehicles (ford fusion and ford escape), and we likely won't have to buy another car seat again, since this one turns into a booster.

How is this size wise rear facing? I was reading that until a certain point it had to be fully reclined and it looked like it took a lot of room in the photos. Also I keep seeing that it has to be reclined like that until "around 8 month" so I was also looking for a more solid timeline (sitting well, etc.) I am between this and the Chicco NextFit- both offer tall shells and more leg room for big kids but I like that the Radian turns into a booster for longer use.

It definitely took up a lot of room in the full recline position. I drove a Hyundai Elantra before, and the front passenger seat was pushed *almost* all the way forward. I now have a Ford Escape and it fits perfectly in the back with the seat in a normal position. My husband drives a Ford Fusion (which is a bit roomier) - when the radian was in full recline, I could still sit comfortably in the front seat (and I'm 5'8"), but it's much better now that we put the angle adjuster in.

As far as how long it needs to be in full recline, I think it depends on the baby. They want them to be able to sit independently and have good head control for safety reasons. We put the angle adjusters in around 7 months (she was sitting independently at 6 months).

Even though it took up quite a bit of room at first, I wouldn't change my mind on purchasing the radians. A few months of uncomfortable seat positions is no big deal, if you think about how long they actually get to remain in this seat (and the fact that you don't have to buy a booster later in the future)!

This is so interesting to me! We got the same seat, I drive an explorer, and the seat is HUGE. It takes up so much room that the passenger seat has to be all the way forward. My husband cannot sit over there, and when I do (5'7") my knees are crammed into the dash and I am praying that we don't crash because I'm pretty sure the airbag would kill me.

I LOVE the seat but I hate the room it takes up. I am hoping the angle adjuster will help, but I was reading (the owners manual I think) that said they should be around a year old before you use it.

Maybe I should go back and re-read......

ebp913 · August 2013

For the Radian - You can use the angle adjuster when the child has good head control. You don't have to wait til 1 year. Be aware though that literally everyone is out of stock on them until September.

minervacullen · August 2013

ebp913 said:

For the Radian - You can use the angle adjuster when the child has good head control. You don't have to wait til 1 year. Be aware though that literally everyone is out of stock on them until September.

On Car Seats for the Littles someone said they called Diono and they are completely out of them. It's crazy!

smileybabyboy · August 2013

You shouldn't buy a car seat based on a cup holder. You really don't want LO to be using a sippy cup because anything loose in the car can become a projectile in an accident and hit someone. We have been using Britax and are most comfortable with their products so we will be buying a Britax Pavilion in a few weeks for DS. We are a short family so the short britax shells work fine for him

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