Convertible Carseats

LaurelBee · July 2014

Can someone link me to one of the many discussions on the best convertible car seats? The search function is fucking worthless. TYIA!

LaurelBee · July 2014

Rear facing. Dd is 18mos.

LaurelBee · July 2014

Thanks for the advice! @rvasc‌ and @CrazyCornball‌

nanabanana06 · July 2014

I use the CSFTL list usually. My personal recs are usually Diono Radian RXT or r120, Diono Ranier/Pacifica/Olympus, Chicco Nextfit, Graco Headwise/MySize/Size4Me/4Ever, and the Clek Foonf. All of these seats are great for ERF. If your child is on the small side then a Diono, Chicco, or Graco is good. If your kid is tall and skinny then Chicco or Graco. If they are just big kids then I suggest one of the Diono seat or the Foonf. Smaller cars do well with Diono or Chicco seats as well.

[Deleted User] · July 2014

The user and all related content has been deleted.

Lolapop29 · July 2014

We have a Recaro Proride, and a Maxi Cosi Pria 70.

I really like the Recaro, but the leg room is very limited (I've heard it's the least amount of leg space in convertibles). It's a very large seat, it will not fit rear facing in small cars without making the driver/passenger sit really forward. We have it in the middle seat of a Silverado and it's a perfect fit. It sits really high so he has a great view out the back window.

We got the Maxi Cosi Pria for my car (Honda Civic) because I had read reviews that it was good for small cars, and it definitely is. I can fit it rear facing in my car no problem with plenty of room in the front seat. This is seat has a lower height limit than a lot of seats, but my kids aren't very tall so it should (in theory) last us RF until at least after 3.

Anyways, those are my seats and my thoughts on them. If I could redo it I would probably get 2 next fits, but I'm not unhappy with the ones I ended up with.

MissyC979 · July 2014

We have an Evenflo Triumph and I HATE it. The straps are always getting twisted and are hard to tighten. It's still safe and very cushiony, but it's a PITA.

ToastieSimons · July 2014

We've had 2 Graco MyRide 65 and a Headwise 70. The Headwise was much cheaper made than my original MyRide65 (3 years older). It actually broke and I had to return it to Graco and get a refund. We replaced it with a DIONO Radian XLT and haven't looked back. I LOVE that carseat. I would never buy a Graco again.

We have a Safety 1st Air Protect 65. Love that carseat, except the strap covers at the neck. They're rubber and don't stay in place at all and the straps always dig into DS1's neck.

We've had a Maxi Cosi Pria 70 (I was in an accident and this was replaced as well as a Graco My Ride 65). It was awesome! for smaller babies but has a small amount of legroom for larger babies. The shell is also a bit on the shorter side. But it fits in smaller cars amazingly.

We currently have a Britax Frontier 90 (FF only) and a Diono Radian RF in a Ford Focus. And it's quite manageable.

ToastieSimons · July 2014

Chillpr said:

I'll be stalking this thread too. I have a really small car (Juke) and pretty much have 3 choices: Pria 70, Britax Marathon/Boulevard, or Safety 1st. I'm leaning to the Pria 70 but haven't heard too much about it.

@chillpr The pria 70 is an awesome seat. the cuphodlers were in a great position, the headwings were super comfortable for DS2 RF and DS1 FF. It fits great in a small car. The fabric is super awesome adn keeps kids cooler, it's actually why we bought it. We got it when DS2 was 4 months and used the tinyfit system. I loved the way it cradled his head because it gave a great open airway position.

I loved that seat. We ended up using it for DS1 when we turned him around because the Graco MyRide65 is very reclined in the FF position adn he hated it.

I ended up having to replace it after an accident and my kids were much older so I was concerned about the boys outgrowing it. If not, I wouldn't have replaced it for anything.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

Chillpr said:

I'll be stalking this thread too. I have a really small car (Juke) and pretty much have 3 choices: Pria 70, Britax Marathon/Boulevard, or Safety 1st. I'm leaning to the Pria 70 but haven't heard too much about it.

Why are those your choices? The Graco4Ever, Chicco NextFit, Graco (all the ones nana listed) are the most compact front to back seats. The Guide 65 is compact as well once the child is over 22 pounds.

Lolapop29 · July 2014

@ToastieSimons

How did you like the Tiny fit? I want to skip the infant seat next time and go straight to a convertible, I have a Pria now and like it and was thinking about getting the Pria with tiny fit for the next kid. I've heard it can be confusing to install.

@ChillPr

I do love my Pria but I think the next fit is actually more space saving front to back. The Pria is a nice seat I do like it, but if I could do it again I'd get the next fit cause it's tons easier to install and has a higher height limit RF. The pria can be a pain to get a good fit, at least it was for me. Luckily I don't need to take it in and out of the car a lot so it's not a big deal now.

slednecksmomma · July 2014

Following. H and I both drive dodge pickups so we need something that will fit in the back center seat, which is not super roomy.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

I'd join car seats for the littles because I have never heard of a vehicle limiting to specific seats.

Unknown · July 2014

This content has been removed.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

Britax seats actually aren't all that big but they're not that long lasting either. In terms of compact, long lasting seats, the ones I listed above are the ones that meet that criteria. I'd honestly hesitate to take advice on a seat from a vehicle manufacturer because let's face it, that's just not part of the scope of their business. Hell, Toyota makes the Rav4 with 5 belts that can only seat a max of 4 people at a time so their judgement on shit can be seriously flawed.

lrn327 · July 2014

@elmoali has it pretty much down I think. Car Seats For the Littles is a wonderful FB group and you will seriously learn SO much. We had a Britax Blvd and loved it but wanted to ERF and it just doesn't last long for that. We ended up getting a Radian and it's worked well. He is over 3.5 and still RFing and is enormously tall. The Radian, Nextfit, Graco clones, and Foonf are all great for ERF if that's what you are looking for.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

If you're looking for narrow (vs shorter front to back) you'll want to look at them Radian.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

Ok so radian with and angle adjuster

Sillygirl85 · July 2014

MissyC979 said:

We have an Evenflo Triumph and I HATE it. The straps are always getting twisted and are hard to tighten. It's still safe and very cushiony, but it's a PITA.

I love my Evenflo Triumph. I find it so much easier to tighten then my Graco Size4me or the Britax Roundabout in my mom's car.

Sillygirl85 · July 2014

elmoali said:

Britax seats actually aren't all that big but they're not that long lasting either. In terms of compact, long lasting seats, the ones I listed above are the ones that meet that criteria. I'd honestly hesitate to take advice on a seat from a vehicle manufacturer because let's face it, that's just not part of the scope of their business. Hell, Toyota makes the Rav4 with 5 belts that can only seat a max of 4 people at a time so their judgement on shit can be seriously flawed.

Has anyone ever found any information that states the Rav4 can only seat 4 people? I keep hearing this but I can't find any information to corroborate this claim. I think the only truth to it is that you can't fit three car seats, but three adults? Or one car seat and two adults? It's not the roomiest but it works.

LaurelBee · July 2014

Sorry to bump, but I looked at the Radian and it weighed like 30 Lbs or something. It was way too heavy for me to consider lugging it around the airport or something. We have the Safety 1st 65 for Ds and like Pp said, the straps cut into his neck really bad. Now I'm left wondering why the Britax's are so darn expensive compared to the other brands.

Thank you for all your replies!

ASmallWonder · July 2014

The Radian has straps you can buy to make it into a backpack

Have you called Dorel to see if they have strap covers that were tested with the seat that you can use? Britax is expensive because they offer nice features and because of the "Britax Bubble" people think they're amazing. They're good and at one point were the tallest seats available and people continue to demand them even though they're no better than other seats.

@sillygirl85 I'm working on finding documentation about the Rav4 for you

ASmallWonder · July 2014

SweetSouthernMomma08 said:

Sorta thread jacking...Hope you don't mind OP...BUT, here goes
DS goes to DCP Tuesday through Friday. Soon, (like 2.5 inches of growth from now... He is 7.5 mo), we will need to move out of his infant carrier. Every day, we leave the carseat with her so she can run errands. library, park, etc. as needed. I realize we will need to leave our carseat or get a carseat for her car. The thought of buckling and unbuckling a carseat EVERY SINGLE DAY makes me want to cry. So, what do we do? I really can't swing spending 300 on 1 car seat, and 300 for a carseat at DCP house. That is just too much. Here's the next thing - I have an older Honda Accord. DS is in the middle seat because of space. His infant carrier and base fit well there. So, I am also in the boat of I need small next seat. Currently, we have the Chicco KeyFit and it fits perfectly with room enough to recline front seats or push them further back.
TL:DR or Summary...
I need a smaller car seat that is easy to install and uninstall. Or do I buy a carseat for DCP? (which makes me want to cry....)

You have a few options. First, I would buy two seats because installing and uninstalling is a pain in the ass and increases room for error. You absolutely don't need to spend anywhere near $300 for any seat, even the one you're using but if that's one you'll use often and you want some bells and whistles, by all means go ahead and splurge if you want to

The NextFit is compact, as is the Graco4Ever and the Graco "clones" I talked about above. But for a less expensive but long lasting option, definitely check out the Safety 1st Guide 65 for the babysitter, assuming her car will allow for the pretty extreme recline it needs until your guy hits 22 pounds.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

SweetSouthernMomma08 said:

elmoali said:

SweetSouthernMomma08 said:

Sorta thread jacking...Hope you don't mind OP...BUT, here goes
DS goes to DCP Tuesday through Friday. Soon, (like 2.5 inches of growth from now... He is 7.5 mo), we will need to move out of his infant carrier. Every day, we leave the carseat with her so she can run errands. library, park, etc. as needed. I realize we will need to leave our carseat or get a carseat for her car. The thought of buckling and unbuckling a carseat EVERY SINGLE DAY makes me want to cry. So, what do we do? I really can't swing spending 300 on 1 car seat, and 300 for a carseat at DCP house. That is just too much. Here's the next thing - I have an older Honda Accord. DS is in the middle seat because of space. His infant carrier and base fit well there. So, I am also in the boat of I need small next seat. Currently, we have the Chicco KeyFit and it fits perfectly with room enough to recline front seats or push them further back.
TL:DR or Summary...
I need a smaller car seat that is easy to install and uninstall. Or do I buy a carseat for DCP? (which makes me want to cry....)

You have a few options. First, I would buy two seats because installing and uninstalling is a pain in the ass and increases room for error. You absolutely don't need to spend anywhere near $300 for any seat, even the one you're using but if that's one you'll use often and you want some bells and whistles, by all means go ahead and splurge if you want to The NextFit is compact, as is the Graco4Ever and the Graco "clones" I talked about above. But for a less expensive but long lasting option, definitely check out the Safety 1st Guide 65 for the babysitter, assuming her car will allow for the pretty extreme recline it needs until your guy hits 22 pounds.

B is 19.5 pounds at this point...Are you saying turn him forward at 22? She has a Honda Odessy. I'm guessing it would allow for the recline :: shrugs:: I don't know a thing.....
I've been pleased with my Chicco products and was looking at the NextFit as ours, but it is $280
Am I looking at the wrong one?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHPZY68/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
And, is this the safety 1st one you are talking about?
https://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Guide-Convertible-Chambers/dp/B00IP8AAZE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406646333&sr=8-1&keywords=Safety+1st+Guide+65

No not forward face him. It just has to recline a LOT until they reach 22 pounds and then it can sit up more but still rear facing and yes, that's the seat

ASmallWonder · July 2014

Oh and no, you're not looking at the wrong NextFit but I was just saying that if you don't have $300 to spend on a seat you can find one for much, much less.

nanabanana06 · July 2014

Another thread jack. However, @Fredelina did you see the new Clek convertible car seat. Looks really really interesting. I wonder if that would fit better in my car than my Foonf.

nanabanana06 · July 2014

Sometimes when installing seats you'll need a pool noodle to help with recline. Safety 1st is one of them as are seats like the Scenera. Other seats have things like a RFing boot to help achieve the desired recline (like my Radian). It's pretty common to need a pool noodle and it's perfectly safe.

Also, we RF well past 2 in our house. This is why we buy the seats with larger RF limits.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

Sometimes straps bug kids' necks but like I said, you can call the company to see if they have tested harness covers or if it's a rarely used seat, just pull their collar up around their neck. But it's not the Guide and then the NextFit in terms of price. You could do a Graco Size4Me/MySize/Headwise for about $180. I got my Size4Me for $106 and though the Target version (Headwise) is more, some Targets have them on clearance right now because they're slightly older (about 1 year) and I've heard of people finding them for $80.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

@sillygirl85 This is from the Rav4 manual. Now, it specifically says not to use the side seat when a child seat is installed in the middle BUT if you read it, it's because the seat blocks the other user's seatbelt, just like a human sitting in the seat would. The seatbelt for the other seat comes literally from the buttcrack area of the person sitting on the seat next to it and that means the belt geometry is changed.

Sillygirl85 · July 2014

@elmoali do you know what year this is from?

ASmallWonder · July 2014

@sillygirl85 I don't know what year this manual is but it's applicable to every year that has the overlapping belts. The only difference is that in some years they didn't acknowledge it but the science behind it is the same.

ETA: I just confirmed that it's the 2014 manual - the first year they've addressed the long standing issue. The 2014 Highlander has the same problem.

Sillygirl85 · July 2014

@Elmoali Thanks for the information. I have a 2004 Rav4 and could not find that information anywhere.

ASmallWonder · July 2014

@sillygirl85 that's because Toyota didn't actually acknowledge it until this year but nothing has changed. For any model years with overlapping belts, it's a 4 seater with 5 position options :-(

Want a personalized experience?

Convertible Carseats

Re: Convertible Carseats

Choose Another Board

Search Boards