tell me about your convertible car seat

Bunnyfer · May 2014

I know we had this discussion in the past.. But I am about to purchase our new seat. I really want the Next fit, but unless I can find an extra $100, the Gracco MySize 65 is our next option.

So what are you all using and why do you love or hate it

LokiLahve · May 2014

Cicco next fit..it's just ok IMO. I have a crossover/small SUV and it is hard to get her in and out of it. I feel like it would be easier in a car lower to the ground.
If I had it to do over again I would get something else. It also seems so small...I have no clue how this kid will fit in it until 3yo or even 2yo.

Emeraldeyed315 · May 2014

we have the graco and like it a lot!

CitrusSwallowtail · May 2014

Britax boulevard. Love it!

Revez · May 2014

I'd marry our foonf if I could.

carrotcake06 · May 2014

The littles are still in buckets. The big one is in a Diono Radian in one car and I love that seat. It has its advantages and disadvantages, though.

Good: very narrow w a low profile. If you plan on having multiple kids or ever needing to fit 3 in the backseat, cat seats or not, a narrow seat is essential. It also has high RF and FF limits. My 4yo is a giant and he still fits in the Radian.

Not so good: it's heavy and not easy to install which makes it a bad commuter seat. NBD if it stays in one car, though.

vulpini · May 2014

We're still using the bucket but will be switching soon. We bought the Graco MySize 70 and it's waiting it's turn in the garage for now.

janneann1127 · May 2014

We have the Evenflo Momentum 65 for DS1 and the Britax Marathon for DS2. I always liked the Evenflo and I can say that he is a big boy and was able to RF to 2 years pretty easily. The Britax feels like a nicer quality seat (sturdier?) but it's small. I don't see him RF in this one past 18 mos. we may have to switch him to the Evenflo to make it that long.

BellaOso · May 2014

I have an Evenflo for my toddler, which I like, but DD2 really loves the Graco My Size 65. We swapped her out of the bucket when she was pretty little because it seemed to make her cranky. We got the Graco and she got much better about car rides quickly.

For me, the Graco is easy to adjust, small enough for my CRV, but has enough room for her or DD1 to be comfortable in and it is not intimidating to take in and out if we need to swap cars. DD2 also was pretty barfy for awhile and the Graco was easy to clean. The cup holder is also super nice. I wish the Evenflo had one too.

I'm happy with both car seats. Maybe a little happier with the Graco.

BlueJewelM · May 2014

I'm a Britax fan. I love the no rethread straps and its very comfy. I also love that the entire cover comes off for cleaning. We had a big vomit incident last year...and potty accident earlier this year, so the removable cover has been great for us. My friend has a couple Evenflo seats for her twins that were really inexpensive and she is really happy with them. My son rode in one of them and was very comfy (and he is a big boy).

mommabmb · May 2014

Love my nextfit. It was worth every penny. In fact, it's so easy to get in and out and secure him in, I got rid of our backup seat.

boymamaco · May 2014

I'm sure its been discussed before but how did you decide it was time to switch? I have an Uppababy Mesa which has a 35lb limit and 32" limit. We may be approaching the HL soon but certainly not the WL. I was planning on putting a convertible in DH's car so that we can use his car this summer for road trips but was thinking we'd keep the bucket in my car for awhile longer.

boydlinds · May 2014

We have the Diono RTX! I like that its easy to buckle LO in and get her out. I also like how easy it was to wash when she projectile vomited all over it. The not so good is that if you will be moving it around it is EXTREMELY heavy. I can't even lift it.

Slpafford · May 2014

We have 2 Chicco Nextfits (one in my jeep and one in DH's truck) and I LOVE THEM! I had some issues at first with tightening the straps but after doing it a few times its no big deal now. We also tried the Britax Boulevard but ended up liking the Nextfit better. Also the nextfit was 10x easier to install than the Britax. If you go to a Babies R Us they will usually let you take the car seats to your car to install them and see how they fit. We also went to Target and pulled the seats that we liked off the shelf and strapped DS into them to see how it was. I also want to rear face DS as long as possible and the Nextfit has one of the highest rear facing limits.

TrueBeliever925 · May 2014

I'm with @LokiLahve. I'm a little nervous how J is going to fit in his Chicco Nextfit for the next year or two. Also, we have a Nissan Xterra and it is a BITCH!!!! to get him into. I either bonk his head on the ceiling, smack my head getting out of the car, or whine until my husband puts him in it (if he's available). Also, not sure if it's just us because of the way the seats are, but it seems like we'll be stuck on setting 1 for the entire time of rear facing because of the angle our seats are at.

The worst part is when we went to BBB we were looking at the Nextfit and a couple with a daughter around the same age a J came up and started talking to us. Well they were actually having the store employee try all these different carseats in their car for them to see what they liked best. We were like "BAH! We're fine... we'll just get it!" Well... low and behold. I bet those people got exactly what they wanted. Haha.

Snowbird7 · May 2014

We need three convertible car seats, one each for my car, DH's car, and my sister (who takes care of LO all day). We have the Britax Marathon in my car, and it's great and everything, but it seems like all the extra bells and whistles just make it more clunky and hard to buckle him in. Plus the lap belt part seems to stretch across his thighs more than his actual hips.

In DH's car, we have the Graco My Ride 70, and LO loves it. We took a trip this past weekend, and LO slept for hours and hours in his seat. Plus it doesn't make him all sweaty, and he loves playing with toys in the cup holders. Gonna buy another Graco My Ride 70 for my sister's car this week.

V&G101808 · May 2014

We've had the Recaro Performance Ride for a few months but it's still in its box, lol. I'm no help

I keep saying we need to make the switch but when LO falls asleep in his bucket seat it's just so much easier to get around versus being stuck in car jail or waking him up. Sleep always wins, haha.

Speshul · May 2014

We have the Maxi Cosa Pria 70. We have a small SUV and I can put the front seat all the way back now! Before I could only have short people in the front with me because the seat had to be all the way up due to the carseat. It also has a cup holder that the minion uses to put her pacifier in.

It runs about $250. You don't have to re-thread the shoulder straps to adjust height. The head rest is adustable. You do have to re-thread the bottom strap. It's rear facing up to 40 lbs.

ETA: It's easy to install with the latch system. We have moved it between vehicles several times. We got it bc (other than safety)some leg space in the front seat was important to us.

ETA: The thing I don't like is the straps can get a little twisted. Sometimes it's difficult to buckle her in but it is getting easier with experience.

MammaBear81 · May 2014

We switched at 9 months because LO maxed out the height limit on the chicco keyfit we have. I was pretty bummed that he was only 18 pounds and we had to switch seats. We have several seats because I have a few kids but LO is in the chicco nextfit now and I love it except the high sides are annoying. I also have a foonf and diono radian and they are great too.

@Bunnyfer‌ if you really want a radian you can find them on sale for around $200. If you have never used diapers.com they will give you a 15% off code. Khols also sells the radian and they have 20% and 30% coupons often. The link below is a group that specificly looks for car seat deals- post the seat that you want and poeple will post codes etc to get a good price on that seat.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/751825598182424/

FinallyMrsS · May 2014

What about a convertible carseat that's easy to install and uninstall? My mom wants to pick up LO from time to time at daycare, but she's constantly lowering the seats in her Kia Sorento to make room for the "treasures" she finds at yard sales. Is there anything that she can easily take in and out of her car?

Speshul · May 2014

FinallyMrsS said:

What about a convertible carseat that's easy to install and uninstall? My mom wants to pick up LO from time to time at daycare, but she's constantly lowering the seats in her Kia Sorento to make room for the "treasures" she finds at yard sales. Is there anything that she can easily take in and out of her car?

Does she have a latch system? When we move ours we just press the latch buttons on the latch thingies, loosen the belt and move it to the other car. Then we latch it back in and tighten.

It's a little bulky but I can carry it with one hand between cars.

ETA: I haven't used the seatbelt but it doesn't look difficult to thread through.

Speshul · May 2014

I read in reviews that the Britax Marathon is easy to install.

carrotcake06 · May 2014

I should clarify that if you use LATCH, it's easy to install but my gigantic 4yo definitely exceeds the LATCH limits (65lbs of combined kid + seat), so we have to use the seatbelt.

Bunnyfer · May 2014

Thanks for the suggestions. We ended up putting the Gracco MyRide on layaway at BRU today...since we dont need it just yet...Thanks all for the suggestions

BlondieBia21 · May 2014

We have the Chicco next fit zip convertible car seat in one car, and the next fit convertible car seat in the other. The zip one is basically just an updated version of the other one. I definitely recommend the zip one more than the regular version. The shoulder straps are easier to buckle and give a better fit, the chair itself has a lot more padding, and the buckle has padding around it so you're not pinching little legs when trying to buckle the straps.

BlondieBia21 · May 2014

FinallyMrsS said:
What about a convertible carseat that's easy to install and uninstall? My mom wants to pick up LO from time to time at daycare, but she's constantly lowering the seats in her Kia Sorento to make room for the "treasures" she finds at yard sales. Is there anything that she can easily take in and out of her car?

So you're saying your mom would move the car seat around to make room for treasures? If my mom was that worried about treasures that she couldn't leave her seats up for a couple hours, I wouldn't be having her pick up my child.

Cosmic+Love · May 2014

petey1106 said:

FinallyMrsS said:

What about a convertible carseat that's easy to install and uninstall? My mom wants to pick up LO from time to time at daycare, but she's constantly lowering the seats in her Kia Sorento to make room for the "treasures" she finds at yard sales. Is there anything that she can easily take in and out of her car?

Um ... most seats these days?

Treasure...

sftbllstr87 · May 2014

Just looked at the target app to price some seats you all mentioned, they are having a baby sale up to 15% off!

BlueJewelM · May 2014

FinallyMrsS said:
What about a convertible carseat that's easy to install and uninstall? My mom wants to pick up LO from time to time at daycare, but she's constantly lowering the seats in her Kia Sorento to make room for the "treasures" she finds at yard sales. Is there anything that she can easily take in and out of her car?

I will say that with my britax seats they are installed and there for good. There is no way id want to install and reinstall them. Just too big.

We have a Cosco Scenera we bought from target for $50 that's perfect for this. It's pretty bare bones and doesn't have much padding, but it's easy to install In grandparents, uncles car in a pinch. I'd recommend that for your mom.

MammaBear81 · May 2014

Bunnyfer said:

Thanks for the suggestions. We ended up putting the Gracco MyRide on layaway at BRU today...since we dont need it just yet...Thanks all for the suggestions

Just an FYI- the "my ride" and "my size" are two very different seats- the my size which you mentioned in your first post will last much longer. I don't know if this was just a typo- I didn't want you to end up with a different seat than you were expecting.

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