LO is going to grow out of his infant seat by height in another month or so. We're going to need two convertible car seats, not necessarily the same brand/model for both. One of them has to fit rear-facing in a Corolla without making the front passenger side too uncomfortable. In the other car size is much less of an issue.
What seat do you use? What features do you really love or wish you had?
I'm amazed your LO still fits. Joel hasn't fit since he was 3 months old. There are a lot of threads on this already, so you might want to look back a few months.
We have the Chicco nexfit and love it.
Married DH : 7/7/12; 3 fur babies (2 dogs and 1 cat) DS born 9/3/13; DD born 7/22/15; LO due 5/28/18 FS (age 5) and FD (age 2) to become AS/AD very soon!
I'm amazed your LO still fits. Joel hasn't fit since he was 3 months old. There are a lot of threads on this already, so you might want to look back a few months.
We have the Chicco nexfit and love it.
Thanks! I'll do a board search for the other threads.
Ethan was a little premature, so he's only in the 5% percentile for weight currently and isn't close to the weight limit on the baby seat at all. His seat goes up to 30 inches for height (or one inch above the top of his head) and he's getting closer to that now.
We have had a Diono radian, an Evenflo, and a Britax roundabout.
We have gotten the most use out of the Diono. It was also the most expensive but my oldest is a 50lb 4yo and still fits in it. He outgrew the other two a while ago one way or another.
The twins will be in buckets for a while. I can't quite wrap my head around the logistics of getting two non-walkers to the car plus bags in one trip. I don't have enough hands.
We have an alpha omega. We have a tiny Ford Focus and it fits in the most reclined position in the middle. But it's nice and comfortable and was $60 cheaper than all the other ones we saw.
I love, love, love our foonf. I plan to keep LO rear facing as long as possible and definitely think it's worth the money. It's the only car seat that she's genuinely seemed to enjoy being in.
We have a britax marathon. DS1 moved out of it to a britax frontier this month.
I admit I was most drawn to rhe marathon for the cow print....but I love the no rethread straps and being able to pull the whole cover off and machine wash it. It's been handy when he's gotten sick on road trips or the occasionally potty training fail! It's so soft and comfy too.
My only complaint is it doesn't (or didn't at the time) come with a cup holder.
I'm kind of a britax brand whore, admittedly. Lots of good choices out there!
We have 2 Chicco Nextfits one in my jeep and one in DHs truck. We tried a few different ones an the Nextfit fit best in both, and had the easiest install. I love it and LO seems super comfy in it also.
D is in the 70th percentile height and weight and he's still in the infant seat. We are planning to move him into a Britax probably this weekend. I can't offer any feedback on it yet cause we haven't used it.
We haven't bought a convertible seat yet (LO is still in her Keyfit 30 since she's only 15.5 lbs and 26" tall), but if you haven't already, check out the Facebook group Car Seats for Littles - they can give great recs based on your car, budget, LO's height/weight/age, and your goals (ie extended rear facing). I plan to get recs there once were on the market for a convertible.
We haven't bought it yet but we will be purchasing a Recaro Performance Ride. If they make seats safe enough for race cars I think it'll be safe enough for G.
This is what we have! She's been in it about a week and we love it.
Another Chicco Nextfit user here. Bought awhile ago but just installed today. We were waiting for warmer weather.Super easy install and LO seemed happy. He still fits in his infant seat so we will use that as a second seat til he out grows it. We have about 2 inches of height left for him to go.
Those of you with the chicco nextfit, do you find it difficult to pull the harness straps tight? I have one in my ford edge & it is like tug of war to get the straps tight enough. Then it always seems like one side is tighter than the other. @mommabmb@detroitmama@lindsey61811
I have the peg perego and love it. Besides the foonf, it has the highest weight limit for rear facing. (Same as the diono radian)
Edit: typos
I think the height limit is going to be more important than the weight limit for my little string bean. I'm reading reviews to figure out what seat has the best combo of high height limits for both rear and front facing, leg room for kiddo when rear facing, and small footprint to fit in my car.
LO is still in her Graco Snugride but we have the Evenflo Triumph 65 for our toddler and will get the same one for this LO. Best feature: a knob to tighten and loosen the straps! No more pulling and yanking to try to get those things tight enough! Love it! ETA: it fits well in our honda civic
Those of you with the chicco nextfit, do you find it difficult to pull the harness straps tight? I have one in my ford edge & it is like tug of war to get the straps tight enough. Then it always seems like one side is tighter than the other. @mommabmb@detroitmama@lindsey61811
No, not at all! It's so much easier than in our graco back up seat.
Married DH : 7/7/12; 3 fur babies (2 dogs and 1 cat) DS born 9/3/13; DD born 7/22/15; LO due 5/28/18 FS (age 5) and FD (age 2) to become AS/AD very soon!
Agree! We installed the Britax Marathon today, which we bought new for this baby, and I can already see that there is not much legroom for him to be rear facing for very long. Luckily, we also have an Evenflo Momentum that DS1 has been using, and he was able to RF in that up to the 2 year recommendation (and he is tall). I have a feeling they will be switching seats in a few months.
FWIW we do like the Evenflo, though I've been told its huge. But we don't mind; it's not like we move it around or anything. It's easy to adjust and user friendly.
Ya I have a wicked hard time adjusting the straps. I know that's a common complaint though about this seat. DB has tried showing me a bunch of times how to make it easier but I just can't figure it out.
We haven't bought it yet but we will be purchasing a Recaro Performance Ride. If they make seats safe enough for race cars I think it'll be safe enough for G.
Recaro all the way! We've been using ours for over a month and DS loves it. I love how you never have to rethread the straps and how easily adjustable they are.
I had issues with tightening my Nextfit at first (to the point I boxed it back up to take back). Before I actually returned it I did some research which changed everything and now I love it!
1. I put LO in the seat and click the buckles into the crotch strap.
2. I move the shoulder pads down away from the back of the seat. (Or else they would actually cause friction in tightening it because they were up against the seat).
3. Pull the straps around LO's legs tight and pull the tightening strap.
4. Do the "pinch test" at his shoulders to make sure it is tight enough, then position the shoulder pads and close the chest clip.
Also after talking to a tech I was told the straps around his hips do not have to be as tight as they were in his infant seat and the most important thing is to make sure it passes the "pinch test".
Re: rec your convertible car seat
We have the Chicco nexfit and love it.
DS born 9/3/13; DD born 7/22/15; LO due 5/28/18
FS (age 5) and FD (age 2) to become AS/AD very soon!
We have gotten the most use out of the Diono. It was also the most expensive but my oldest is a 50lb 4yo and still fits in it. He outgrew the other two a while ago one way or another.
The twins will be in buckets for a while. I can't quite wrap my head around the logistics of getting two non-walkers to the car plus bags in one trip. I don't have enough hands.
Mama to 2 girls - H&I
I admit I was most drawn to rhe marathon for the cow print....but I love the no rethread straps and being able to pull the whole cover off and machine wash it. It's been handy when he's gotten sick on road trips or the occasionally potty training fail! It's so soft and comfy too.
My only complaint is it doesn't (or didn't at the time) come with a cup holder.
I'm kind of a britax brand whore, admittedly. Lots of good choices out there!
Edit: typos
DD2 8.22.13
MMC 1.4.17 at 16w
Expecting #3, EDD 1.29.18
ETA: it fits well in our honda civic
DS born 9/3/13; DD born 7/22/15; LO due 5/28/18
FS (age 5) and FD (age 2) to become AS/AD very soon!
Luckily, we also have an Evenflo Momentum that DS1 has been using, and he was able to RF in that up to the 2 year recommendation (and he is tall). I have a feeling they will be switching seats in a few months.
FWIW we do like the Evenflo, though I've been told its huge. But we don't mind; it's not like we move it around or anything. It's easy to adjust and user friendly.
Ya I have a wicked hard time adjusting the straps. I know that's a common complaint though about this seat. DB has tried showing me a bunch of times how to make it easier but I just can't figure it out.
Mama to 2 girls - H&I
I had issues with tightening my Nextfit at first (to the point I boxed it back up to take back). Before I actually returned it I did some research which changed everything and now I love it!
1. I put LO in the seat and click the buckles into the crotch strap.
2. I move the shoulder pads down away from the back of the seat. (Or else they would actually cause friction in tightening it because they were up against the seat).
3. Pull the straps around LO's legs tight and pull the tightening strap.
4. Do the "pinch test" at his shoulders to make sure it is tight enough, then position the shoulder pads and close the chest clip.
Also after talking to a tech I was told the straps around his hips do not have to be as tight as they were in his infant seat and the most important thing is to make sure it passes the "pinch test".