Need new 2nd carseat-higher weight limits

jamlsull · December 2013

I have a Britax Boulevard in my car (where our 2 1/2 year old is mostly). But we got a Cosco Scenera in my husbands car & both of my parents got one of those too since they were cheap & wouldn't be used a whole lot.

Well at her checkup, she was 38 lbs. I never would have thought about it but we looked at one of the seats & they are only up to 40 lbs forward facing! So I need some recs on another seat with a higher weight limit but a lower price tag! Thanks!

blondie42107 · December 2013

We went from the Cosco Scenera to the Britax Frontier 70. We got a great deal on Amazon so I would look around. I'm hoping it'll be the last car seat Ds1 needs.

ebp913 · December 2013

Do you want to continue rear facing? If so, the Peg Perego convertible and Diono Radian R120 and RXT go to 45 lbs and the Clek Foonf goes to 50. Nothing cheap is going to rear face longer unfortunately.

jamlsull · December 2013

Thanks for the suggestions. No, she is forward facing so I'm not concerned about the rear facing limits.

tracey4228 · December 2013

I like our Graco Nautilus 3-in-1.

Rosebud2587 · December 2013

Combination Seats (forward facing only, 5 point harness and belt positioning booster):

Note: All listed seats will fit the average kid to around age 6 in the harness and generally provide a proper seat belt fit in booster mode.

Evenflo Maestro:
Stats: $70, harness to 50 lbs with 18” top harness slots, high back booster with 19” top guide, 6 year expiration
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to install
Cons: Booster function is outgrown in height very quickly after the harness is outgrown, narrow set harness straps may dig into a child’s neck.

Harmony Defender:
Stats: $100, harness to 65 lbs with 18.5” top harness slots, high back with 20” top guide and backless booster, 10 year expiration
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to install, narrow enough for 3-across.
Cons: Requires assembly, short crotch strap that can be uncomfortable (a longer strap is available at no charge from Harmony). Does not allow any part of the car seat to overhang the vehicle seat. Hard to find in stores right now.

Evenflo SecureKid:
Stats: $120, harness to 65 lbs with 18” top harness slots, high back booster with 20” top guide, 8 year expiration
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to install
Cons: Narrow set harness straps can be uncomfortable and dig into the child’s neck.

Graco Nautilus:
Stats: $130, harness to 65 lbs with 18” top harness slots, high back booster with 21” top guide, backless booster, 10 year expiration.
Pros: Inexpensive, easy to install
Cons: Crotch buckle is not very deep and can be uncomfortable for bigger kids, doesn’t have great head support for sleeping and can be uncomfortable to sleep in for some kids.

Britax Pioneer 70:
Stats: $180, harness to 70 lbs with 18.5" top harness slots, high back booster with 20" top guide, 9 year expiration
Pros: Easy to use and install, no re-thread harness
Cons: This seat is basically a stripped down version of the Frontier 90 with slightly lower harness heights and none of the fancy features like the ClickTight installation and EZ buckle pad.

Britax Frontier 90:
Stats: $250, harness to 90 lbs with 20.5” top harness slots, high back booster with 23” top guide, 9 year expiration.
Pros: Click tight clamp makes it extremely simple to install using the seat belt, highest harness height capacity available, no re thread harness, converts to booster mode without removing harness, EZ buckle holds the buckle forward when buckling/unbuckling.
Cons: Not FAA approved for air travel.

DianeRog · December 2013

I agree with the poster who suggested the Graco My Ride 65. It is an excellent car seat that holds children up to 65 pounds (you have a long time to get there

. This seat is very easy to install with just the car's seatbelt which is probably something important for your husband and parents who probably don't always leave the seat in the car. Don't go for a seat that holds 50 pounds or you will find yourself buying a third seat before you're done!!
I bought mine at Amazon https://amzn.to/Jmugkd since they have the best prices

Joan89 · December 2013

The Graco My ride 65 is the only one that holds more than 50 pounds. If you're buying new cause 40 is too small, don't just go to 50 or you'll be buying again

kderham · December 2013

We have a MyRide and Size4Me (same car seat but two different names). The Size4Me is sold at Bed Bath and Beyond and you can use the 20% off coupon for it! I think it was $150 when we bought ours. I chose it specifically because I didn't want to have to buy another car seat.

ASmallWonder · December 2013

There's a lot of misinformation in this thread

First, yes, the Cosco Scenera only forward faces to 40 pounds and while it could take your daughter quite a while to gain 2 pounds, you're smart to start looking for a new seat. You do not want a convertible seat if you're going to forward face because you'd be paying for a feature (rear facing) that you won't use. The Graco Nautilus is a great forward facing combination seat (FF harnessed booster that converts to a non harnessed booster and then a backless). The Graco Argos is also great, with slightly higher weight limits and a no re-thread harness.

All that said, for anyone who IS looking for a convertible, the MyRIDE is not the same as the MySize/Size4Me/Headwise (same shell, three names at three different stores). Also, the MyRide is not the only seat that holds more than 50 pounds. There are lots of seats that exceed 50 pounds for forward facing

jamlsull · December 2013

Thanks everyone for the help. One parent is going for the Graco Nautilus & I think we may too!

sunnyday016 · January 2014

The Harmony Defender would be a great choice for you. You definitely don't want to buy a convertible seat for a LO that is FF. Go for a harnessed booster.

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