?'s re moving into next size carseat

[cgpaytas]

I scanned through the previous posts and need some help please. DD is 9 months and petite for her age. She is 16 lbs but 27.5 inches we found out today. So we need to move up into the next car seat. I know she still needs to RF. But I'm seeing in other posts that maybe she should RF for even longer.

So... here are my questions:

* How long should she RF for? Is it an age, height, or weight thing?
* I was sold on the Britax Marathon, but in her RF Snugride, pulling the strap to tighten is difficult and I'm not confident I get it tight enough.
* I thought about the Evenflo Triumph b/c I know they have a dial knob to tighten the straps. BB rated them highly in the '05 book. Anyone know how they did in '06?
* My car has leather seats and currently we have a Munchkin pad underneath it. I don't really care about the leather being damaged, I just want the seat not to move.
* I have an '00 car with the top tether but is not latch equipped.
* Whatever we decide, we will have it reviewed by a certified tech.

Thanks for your help,
Christina

[j4m4d8]

The AAP recommends keeping your child rear facing to the maximum rear facing limits of the seat. Rear facing, seats have 30/33/35 pound limits and generally their head needs to be contained in the shell. I believe all the car seats on the market require a child to be rear-facing until age 1 and 20 pounds, and studies have shown older children are better protected in side impacts if they are rear facing.

Since your daughter is on the smaller side and you are concerned about tightening the harness, I would go with a Britax Roundabout. It has a harness adjuster strap that is very easy to tighten, much easier than the Marathon, IMO. Your daughter would also be able to rear face in it longer than in the Triumph (which has a short shell). It is easy to install with a seat belt. I never had trouble installing it in my mom's car with leather seats, but every car is different so you'd need to try it out. She will probably need a harnessed combination seat after she outgrows the Roundabout (as she would with the Triumph), but who knows what cool seats will be out then.

Hope you find something that works for you and your daughter.

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

I would recommend going with the Marathon... with the tether to help the recline, you'll be able to tighten the belts easier... it's a pull-click-pull-click thing.

the HUGS... the rubbery things... are only required for forward facing, so you can remove them, and the comfort and belly pads if you like... stick them all in the glove box to keep track of them... and it'll make it really really easy.

Kat