Convertible Car Seats

seg6394 · May 2016

We're switching to a convertible car seat, and I was wondering if anyone has experience with the few we are looking at. We have the Britax B-Safe infant seat and we have loved it, so we were thinking about staying with Britax- either the Marathon, Boulevard, or the Advocate. However, after trying our little guy in them, I think they were definitely inferior to other brands. We are leaning towards the Graco 4ever, because it will likely be the only seat he will need vs. the Britax lasting only three more years max. The Graco is pretty compact as far as convertibles go in my opinion which is great, because we have a crossover SUV. We were also looking at the brand new Evenflo Safemax-- it's the new rollover tested seat.. I'm wondering if anyone has this seat? It seems very comfortable, nice breathable fabric, but it's extremely wide and bulky and honestly, it was very difficult to pull tight for a secure install. We were also looking at the Diono Rainier. At this point I'd say our vote is on the Graco 4ever, but I would love any experiences or opinions out there! Thanks

chelseajeanene · May 2016

I'm obsessed with ours! He has so much room and he's comfy now. He doesn't scream like he did in the infant seat. He has so much room for toys too. He keeps his socks in his cup holder lol you can use the monthly 15% off coupon for it too. I ended up getting this for around $120

hollidar · May 2016

We also have the Graco Contender 65 and love it!!! We got ours for about $135 from Target and I installed it myself. While my LO still seems to hate being in the car, he tolerates it a little better for sure. The seat is so much more plush and comfortable than his Eddie Bauer car seat which I hated! This one will last him forever as well (until 65 lbs). We will be buying another for my husband's car.

wilcoxev · May 2016

We have the britax advocate clicktight and love it. I couldn't believe how easy the clicktight is to install. It must be comfy too because he falls asleep every time we go somewhere. It goes up to 65 lbs so he will be in it for several years. What did you not like about the britax?

amp61470 · May 2016

We have the Graco 4-ever and love it so does the little man.

Livvyloo87 · May 2016

We've got the Diono Radian XT ($399 but we are in NZ where prices are CRAZY!). We love it - it will last her until she's ready not to have a booster seat. This was the narrowest seat we could find - you can have three across the back if needed, which is good if you have multiple children. Really safe and secure and the babe finds it really comfortable!

tviste · May 2016

I have a Britax Boulevard Click Tight and my daughter loves it. The only issue I have is one strap always gets caught and doesn't tighten like the other one. I will be calling Britax about this soon.

mpache06 · May 2016

My daughter hates getting into her infant car seat. Do the convertible car seats have a more upright sitting position? Also, when can babies front face in car?

LoveLee85 · May 2016

About to order the Chicco Nextfit Zip Air Convertible seat! $359.99, but he can rear face for 40 pounds and forward face up to 65 pounds! Years of use. Top rated and the part LO sits on zips off and on for easy cleaning. And, from reading hundreds of reviews, it is compact enough to not take up tons of space. It reclines into 9 different positions so no head hanging while he sleeps in the car!! I'm excited. 20% off coupon and free shipping helps! The Air part of the seat is breathable fabric. My LO is a sweaty guy!

LoveLee85 · May 2016

I JUST ordered it! I'll let you know how it is in 3-6 business days! Lol

tlc11934 · May 2016

DD is in the Britax Boulevard and my older two also had the Marathon. Britax felt top of the line to me! My only gripe is that it's too wide. I have 2 boosters and 1 Boulevard in the same row and it's tight!

jht4 · May 2016

mpache06 said:

My daughter hates getting into her infant car seat. Do the convertible car seats have a more upright sitting position? Also, when can babies front face in car?

Convertible seats are often more upright than infant seats. Children should rear face until at least two years but preferably until the child has maxed out the rear facing limits of their seat.

Heres some more information:
https://csftl.org/why-rear-facing-the-science-junkies-guide/

kkerner87 · May 2016

We want to get Graco 4Ever. I have heard nothing but good things. Right now she is still in her infant seat (Britax 35) and we have a hand me down Britax Round About.

seg6394 · May 2016

Thank you so much ladies!! Sorry for the delay!! We ended up going with the Graco 4-ever--it just had so many things we liked. We should get it in a few days, I'll post an update on how we like it!

missliz53 · May 2016

Do the Britax or Graco convertibles recline at all? DD falls asleep in her infant seat in the car a lot and lately her head has been hanging forward, which makes me worried about position asphyxiation.

laurenr92 · May 2016

We really like our Diono Radian XRT. It has a steel frame and our daughter finally is comfortable in a carseat. It's pricy but it's the ONLY carseat you'll ever need to buy and will last the carseat lifetime of your child!

momofsweetps · May 2016

We are researching hard. We have two Dionos RXTs and 1 Diono Rainier but I'm looking for something different as they can be a pain to install and I want one that doesn't require rethreading and easy to wash. I'm town between a Chicco NextFit, Graco 4 Ever and the Maxi Cosi Pria.

mrsbacz · May 2016

This is probably a really dumb question, but here goes. As our infant seat we had the Graco SnugRide, and we are now using the Graco MySize 65. In the infant seat I used to be able to clip the chest piece and the lower clips and then pull to tighten the straps which worked really nicely. In the MySize, I can't do that. I have to tighten first and then clip everything and it's really frustrating and takes forever! Is this just this seat or all convertible seats?

wilcoxev · May 2016

The nice thing about the britax clicktight is the easy installation. I have not found another car seat that is easier to install and that is what I worry about since it doesn't matter how great a car seat is if it isn't installed correctly. It makes me feel better knowing whether he's traveling with me, his dad, or grandparents, he will be safe in his car seat.

momofsweetps · May 2016

I like the britax infant seat, but my lo sweats too much in it. I'm afraid he will do that in the convertible britax. Is the material breathable?

FatPony · May 2016

I borrowed a britax Advocate from a friend (it's a few years old). My guy sweat in his Britax Bsafe but isn't wet in the advocate. It is also easy breezy to install. I would buy one if they weren't priced at $479 CAD.

LoveLee85 · May 2016

momofsweetps said:

We are researching hard. We have two Dionos RXTs but I'm looking for something different as they can be a pain to install and I want one that doesn't require rethreading and easy to wash. I'm town between a Chicco NextFit, Graco 4 Ever and the Maxi Cosi Pria.

We got LO Chicco Nextfit Zip Air tomorrow! I can let you know how instillation, room in the car and how he likes it if you would like?! I'm excited.

mmd091909 · May 2016

We love Britax and use them exclusively. LO is in a marathon currently. I just moved my two older boys to Britax frontiers. They are 5 and 3 and were both still in marathons. I'm not sure why you'd think it would last only 3 years, they have pretty high limits, my 5 year old just grew out this year by height.

My suggestion is to get a click tight if you do choose Britax. They are incredibly simple to install, no room for error at all.

Good luck!

mmd091909 · May 2016

tviste said:

I have a Britax Boulevard Click Tight and my daughter loves it. The only issue I have is one strap always gets caught and doesn't tighten like the other one. I will be calling Britax about this soon.

Try uninstalling and checking the straps on the backside. We were have the same issue and noticed some slack stuck behind the seat.

momofsweetps · May 2016

Yes! Please do!

lynnaeschr · May 2016

We have the Graco 4ever and LOVE it!! I have an Equinox and I have plenty of room with him right behind me (I would prefer in the middle but I can't seem to get any seat to not move more than an inch side to side). My husband has a Santa Fe and it fits very well in his as well. I also love that it is the last seat we will have to buy for him.

LoveLee85 · May 2016

Okay, Chicco Nextfit Zip Air for the win!!! LOVE it!!! When rear facing, it can be on setting 1-4. 1 is so laid back, it's amazing! It's so nice not to have to worry about head flopping forward when asleep ever again! It was so easy to install!!! Two people can fit comfortably next to it in my Malibus back seat! He rides in the middle. So happy we bought this. My LO loves it. It's so cushy and soft compared to his infant carrier!

momofsweetps · May 2016

LoveLee85 said:

Okay, Chicco Nextfit Zip Air for the win!!! LOVE it!!! When rear facing, it can be on setting 1-4. 1 is so laid back, it's amazing! It's so nice not to have to worry about head flopping forward when asleep ever again! It was so easy to install!!! Two people can fit comfortably next to it in my Malibus back seat! He rides in the middle. So happy we bought this. My LO loves it. It's so cushy and soft compared to his infant carrier!

Question, do you have to rethread the harness when it's time to move up a slot in this seat? I'm glad you like it!!!

aharders89 · May 2016

@momofsweetps No! It's the best thing ever! There's a button on the top where you can adjust the head rest and it automatically adjusts the straps! We love this car seat and we're about to buy another one for my husband's truck! They're pricey, but they're worth it based on the ease of installation and adjusting alone!

LoveLee85 · May 2016

aharders89 said:

@momofsweetps No! It's the best thing ever! There's a button on the top where you can adjust the head rest and it automatically adjusts the straps! We love this car seat and we're about to buy another one for my husband's truck! They're pricey, but they're worth it based on the ease of installation and adjusting alone!

I checked it out yesterday but forgot to reply! It's so convenient!!!! I was like YAYAYAYYAYA when I made this discovery! I'm just impressed with how little room it takes up in the back seat of my Malibu. The person in the passenger front seat still can sit back and not eat the dash! My 6'1" tall DH can even sit there without his knees touching the dash! And two people can sit next to him, kind tight in the middle seat, but totally possible.

momofsweetps · May 2016

Thank you ladies!!!

dmbfan46835 · May 2016

15% off at Albeebaby.com for the Chicco Nextfit Zip if anyone is shopping. Plus free shipping. Can't find a coupon for the air unfortunately

oh, and zulilly has the Diono Radian RXTs on sale

dmack911 · August 2016

If I could start over with the products I have. I definitely would go for the Graco 4ever all in 1. You would get your money's worth. I just stopped using a used convertible car seat to buy a brand new one. I went with the Graco Fit4Me 65. So easy to install compared to the old one. It also has a rapid removal on the cover. I also like the little pockets for the metal buckles. At least my daughter will be in this one now for a long time.

booksandcleverness81 · August 2016

I was looking at the graco my size 65. Anyone have experience with this one?

AmandaNacora · August 2016

We have the Graco 4ever seat and love it! We switched at 4 months since the bucket seat was heavy and she was uncomfortable. We got this one because we didn't want to keep buying carseats so it seemed like the best way to go. I just wish we would have started with this one! It is kind of big, but fits in my Camry just fine. I love the cup holders, especially for long drives, she has her water cup in one and snacks in the other, both are easy for her to reach so she's very happy. It's also easy to install since it has the clips but using the seat belt isn't hard either. All the fabric pieces come off also, so when it needs cleaning I just throw them in the wash and hang dry. The cup holders also come out for easy cleaning. 3 different recline positions for rear facing and 3 for forward. Strap height is super easy to adjust, just squeeze and pull up the back.

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