Convertible carseat for very large infant?

[lisajay]

My mom's friend is looking for a convertible carseat for her very large 4 mo old. He is right off the charts for both weight and height. They know I always do the research on these things and went through this process not long ago and wanted my input. However, they thought I was ridiculous for buying the 'Rolls Royce' aka Marathon.
So I figured I would come to you all again and get your input on this situation, you were all so very helpfull when I was picking my carseat for my car and my secondary carseat for my parents car. BTW, after getting my MA I am spoiled for every other carseat. It's so easy to use! That said the Comfortsport has worked very well as my secondary carseat.
Keeping in mind that this 4 mo old is HUGE and has stayed and is likely to stay that way, what recommendations can you give that aren't as costly as the Britax seats, that he will be able to stay in for quite awhile?
Thanks,
LisaJ

[C99]

> Keeping in mind that this 4 mo old is HUGE and has stayed
>and is likely to stay that way,

Why is he likely to stay that way? A 4-m/o's growth isn't necessarily indicative of future growth. Most kids slow down at some point.

[Tondi G]

my first thought was a Marathon! My DS is HUGE... was 50 lbs at 3 years of age! He is also off the charts in height. He was a tiny baby but has done all his growing on the outside. We tried to go with other car seats but when he was rapidly approaching the weight limit on his convertible we realized we needed to take the plunge and buy 2 MA's! Best thing we ever did! In the long run they will actually save themselves some $$$ if they just invest in an MA now!

Good luck

~Tondi
Mommy to Mason 7/8/01
and Aidan (edd 5/5/05)

[kijip]

Toby is a big kid as well and I agree with both of the previous posters:

-4 month size may not correlate to size later. Toby was not small at birth, but he was not the biggest either. He is currently bigger than several babies that outsized him till 4-6 months. Now Toby seems to be slowing down (which is good, saves me the clothing cost!). It really varies.

- Investing in a Marathon NOW is the best money saver in the long run if they can afford it. Online it is $220-240 or so. We bought the RA to save money and in less than a year went back for the Wizard.

[lisajay]

Well, I can't be 100% sure that he will continue to stay on the same growth curve that he has been on so far, I guess it is better safe than sorry. Also, it helps that his dad is a pretty big guy from what I understand. He was born close to 10 lbs and has been doing a good job so far of staying ahead of the curve.
My dd was born only 6 lbs 5 oz 21 "L, but she has well made up the difference at 1 yr she weighed 23 lbs. Although there is no gaurantee that she will continue to be above average, I wouldn't go out and buy one that is known to run shorter or have a lower weight.
Unfortunately, they are buying 2 carseats and think that I'm nuts for spending what I did on a Marathon, they won't even consider a Rounabout. Although I'm sure it will save them money in the long run, not to mention how great they are to use.
So what I'm looking for is the next step down. My 2nd carseat is a Graco Comfortsport, but I thought there might be one or two seats in between the two.
Thanks for your input!
LisaJ

[Joolsplus2]

Maybe a Triumph and a Touriva? Those both have taller top slots than the Comfortsport, and the Touriva has a 35 pound RF weight limit, in case he's a chunker before he's age one and needs the higher RF limit. The Safety 1st Intera is also a great choice...VERY tall top slots, and it fits great if you just take that booster/base off immediately and stow it in the closet for years down the road.

But trust Tondi...I watched her talk herself right out of those Marathons when they first came out, and watched her buy them both later, lol.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[lisajay]

Julie,
Thanks so much for the info, I will pass it on. I so agree with everyone on getting the Marathon or Wizard. Try as I might I can't convince them, just too expensive for them. I think if everyone had the opportunity to "test drive" a Marathon and than to try out the others, they would spring for a Marathon. It's just so easy to use.
Thanks for helping me yet again.
LisaJ

[DebbieJ]

Just got a MA at babyuniverse.com for $206.99. Still expensive when compared to others, but the lowest you'll find if you're willing to buy a MA.

~ deb
DS 12/03

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif