What else should I consider besides Apex?

[jillmom]

The twins are 17 1/2 and 18 1/2 pounds so haven't hit the 20 pound limit of our Snugrides, but they are now over the length limit of 26 inches--they're 27 inches. So, I don't feel like I can wait too long. :(

[kellyotn]

The true measure of outgrowing an infant seat is how much plastic shell is above their head. The overall limit doesn't take account torso v. leg length. The gov requires a plain overall limit though, but its just not a definitive number (like weight).

If they have 1" or more of plastic (not cover) above their heads, they are fine - for the moment.

What measurement did you take for your oldest? The important measurement is seated to *shoulder*, if she's 20" from bum to shoulder, she's freaky tall and way too tall for the WZ, which is a 17.5" top slot. ;)

Put her seated up against a wall and mark how high from the floor her shoulder is. Or, just note how much more slot room she has before maxing out her WZ for comparison.

[jillmom]

Oops! I remeasured and edited DD1's torso height in the previous post--its 13 inches. Thanks for calling my attention to that.
I'll take a look when we go out tomorrow to see how far each of the twins heads are from the top of the shell. Even if we have an inch to spare, I still think I'd rather get them in convertible seats soon, although I guess it would be nice to know there's no rush if the carseat we decide on in backordered or something.
Jill

[kellyotn]

At 13" seated torso, she's got a TON of time in her WZ's. That's over 4" of torso growth, which is probably well over 10 inches of overall growth.

I'd be very tempted to leave her in them and get the babies something equivalent. (Bouldvards, Marathons, etc.) Then, each kid is set until they are 5-6 years old in a single seat, you get to continue with the Britaxes that you like, etc. Or, if she's doesn't like the "wings" give her a new MA and put a baby in a WZ.

Boosters or combos can be worried about later, and maybe some fun cool stuff will be available! :)

[belovedgandp]

I do have a Radian and Apex, but based on your situation, I would do what a previous poster suggested - mostly pushed for me by the height of your older child. The almost 3 year old can probably stay in the Wizards until a seatbelt booster (or who knows what else will be on the market then) since that decision will be postponed at least 2 years from the sounds of things.

Buy the twins a pair of Marathons or something equivalent to definitely attempt to last them through the majority of their harnessed years, you'll get great use out of them and won't have to worry about the Wizards expiring and having to purchase new high weight/height 5-point seats in a couple of years.

[tjham]

>Do check how much room she has left in the WZ by height. At
>her age, they REALLY slow in the torso growth, she could last
>for a long time in her WZ. My own DD has been in a MA since
>she was 2 and now at 4.5 is really just a bit taller relative
>the the straps in that time. So much so, that we bought her a
>second MA at 3.5 years old and don't regret it.
>
>Her legs have grown like mad, but the torso has been pretty
>steady.

Your last sentence sounds just like my granddaughter!

I bought her a Marathon (for her mom's car) at 4 1/2 and a FP SVD (for my car) at around 5 yrs old. She's almost 6 now and still fits fine, but I just bought a Radian for her dad's truck to replace the Cargo since she is 38 lbs and it has a 40 lb limit. I also have a grandson to pass down.

[jillmom]

Whew! What a lot to think about. That is sooo helpful!
Now I'm leaning against the Apex, but still considering the Radian. Based on all of these helpful posts, I think I'm going to look into getting something Wizard-like for the twins. We really like the Wizard except that it's so bulky and I've always found the buckles hard to fasten. I really do like the wings though.
I guess I have some more research to do!
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out.
Jill