Next Step Car Seat - Overwhelmed!

[LoraLee2011]

Hello all! I lurked extensively when I was pregnant and got awesome advice from all the moms here. I can't tell you how much i appreciated it and I have had great success with all my baby "stuff" you unknowingly recommended. Today though, I need help!

I never registered for convertible car seats because i was so overwhelmed by them that i eventually gave up. Baby has been using a Keyfit since birth (October 2011) but now is 22 pounds, too heavy for the bucket and he cries whenever I put him in because i suspect he is getting to broad for it - he looks a little squished! Either way, it's time for convertibles.

We have a Honda Pilot and a Honda Accord. Since Baby seems to be a little on the bigger side, I'm leaning toward a 65 or 70 limit, over a 55. I had thought we'd get Britax but there are so many and so many brands I see now that I didn't even remember from all my pregnancy research. Also, do you guys typically get the same kinda of seat for both cars? or different? We equally share drive time with baby...

Price is important but not as much as comfort and safety...we are pretty much assumming it'll be a $500 - $600 weekend by the time we get these seats. They totally suck me in with all the padding and head guards, etc - its like the companies know that I think that makes it look safer. Also, I'll go and read all the Amazon reviews and I'll be set on a seat but then I'll read 3 people that HATE that seat and be back at square one.

At any rate, if anyone has some ideas for me - I don't understand the differences between the Boulevards and the Roudabouts and at one point i thought I'd get Radians but I've read they are easy to max out in weight and AHHHHHH!!! Do you see how this is making me crazy? Help please?

[Katigre]

You don't need a 65-70 lb weight limit as your child will not reach that until the seat is long outgrown by height (unless they have an obesity issue). 55 lbs is completely sufficient. The average 6-7 year olds I know are 40-50 lbs FWIW.

If you share equal drive time with the baby then you can get the same seat, but it might be better to get different ones if they fit your car better.

I wouldn't necessarily go with a Brtiax as their shells aren't super high FWIW. Have you looked at www.carseatblog.org for their recommended seats? Go to the baby store, try out in your car for best fit, and then get one and stop worrying about it .

I like the Evenflo Triumph as a good basic convertible - it lets my 3.5 year old still rearface and will last her forward-facing until she's ready for a booster (or combo-booster). It's also under $200 which is a plus .

[emily]

For comfort, ease of install and safety, we chose Britax seats. Our kids were all off the charts for the first year or so. Our carseat sequence is infant seat to Britax BLVD/MA then Frontier 85. DD is 4. We moved her to a Frontier earlier than most because we needed her BLVD for DS. She still rides in a MA (has one slot to go) in DH's car.

[legaleagle]

Highly unlikely to max out a radian before booster age - they're some of the biggest & roomiest seats out there. My kids, esp DS2 are really really tall (he was 38" at his 2 year appt) AND long torsoed (outgrowing 3T shirts) and we rearface until 3+ so I'm really glad I went with radians (got them when DS1 was 18 months). DS2 also prefers it to the britax - I had him in a marathon 70 for a few months and he kept refusing to sit in it but would happily sit in DS1's radian. I find the radian much easier to load because of the low sides. That said, they are definitely not for every car (can be difficult to install and take up too much room) or to everyone's taste. The britax really are awesome to use - super easy installation, super easy to adjust and tighten & loosen, comfy for kids rf'ing until they have longer legs. My marathon is currently installed in my mom's car and it's perfect because it's so easy to adjust the height and tighten since she has 3 rf'ing grandchildren (my 2 younger and my 17 month niece) that she drives around. They will also fit front-to-back in some of the smallest cars.

I wouldn't necessarily get the same seat for both cars, but I'm a car seat nerd and have 6 different car seat models (5 convertibles and the frontier). I actually have 8 seats all together, 7 of which are installed at any one time.

One I'm dying to try is the new peg perego - it seems like a nice cross between the radian and britax, but DH would kill me if I bring home another seat!

[roseyloxs]

DS2 also prefers [the radian] to the britax - I had him in a marathon 70 for a few months and he kept refusing to sit in it but would happily sit in DS1's radian. I find the radian much easier to load because of the low sides. That said, they are definitely not for every car (can be difficult to install and take up too much room) or to everyone's taste.

Same experience here. We have radians and use them in our honda CRV. We get a rock solid install every time in every position I have tried so far. I got some britax seats including a marathon for my husbands very old bmw 500 series. The seats are nice but its a PITA to get my dd in and out of the marathon while its RF. She also has a lot less room for her legs then she did in the radian. I know that's not a safety concern but still she wasn't used to being so cramped.

I don't think I would order the same seat for both cars. Its just more fun to try multiple seats out.

[LoraLee2011]

Thanks for the help so far.

Emily - I dont know what an MA is - Marathon?

Regarding the Radians - one thing I liked IS the low side profile I'm not very big and getting him into my Pilot has been harder as he gets bigger. Am I crazy for thinking the Radians look really straight up and down? I'm glad to hear your kids like them though.

I'm nervous about getting two different seats because I worry he'll hate one and love the other! If he hates both, he wont know the difference? Maybe that makes me terrible...

So in terms of progression, I thought he would have this seat RF till 2-3ish years then have extra time FF in the same seat and then get a booster. Is that wrong? I try to understand from all your threads but everyone is so different and so many of you change seats due to new babies. This will likely be my only baby so I'd love to choose a seat that has a long life span...

Thank you again for the help thus far.

[lizzywednesday]

I have a Boulevard70 (CowMooFlage print) in my PT Cruiser and a Marathon 70 (Riviera print) in DH's Edge.

We like the puffier headwings on the Boulevard for my car because it doesn't have side-curtain airbags like the Edge does, though it can be a PITA to get DD in and out of it (she will climb into her seat if she's motivated.)

DD is 35" tall, most of her height in her legs (like me) and happily RF-ing in both cars.

I'd considered a Radian, but then had a sour feeling with a customer service issue one of the other mamas on the BBB experienced shortly before I put the carseats on DD's wishlist.

My other shortlist seat - prior to realizing my car is pretty small - was a Recaro, but I didn't think it would fit in my PT as a RF-ing seat.

[LoraLee2011]

And THANKS for telling me to stop worrying about it. I know its not a big deal as long as I choose something safe but it FEELS like such a big deal - you know? And LegalEagle - is this what you are talking about? http://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-Con...erego+car+seat

[roseyloxs]

Am I crazy for thinking the Radians look really straight up and down? I'm glad to hear your kids like them though.

Its very upright when its FF but very reclined when its RF which is where the space issue comes in for some cars. I actually just got the radian angle adjuster which makes the seat more upright while RF. Allowed me to move the seat from the center to the passenger side. Its still reclined but it tilts it upwards just enough to give you a few extra inches so you can move the passenger seat back to a comfortable position. The adjuster can only be used with older kids at least one year or older. This is not my kid just the first google image that popped up. I think you can see that it is not upright while RF.

I'm nervous about getting two different seats because I worry he'll hate one and love the other! If he hates both, he wont know the difference? Maybe that makes me terrible...

You are not terrible! You know your kid best. If he would have trouble transitioning between seats then I would get the same seat. My children are 'whatever' kind of kids who have new favorite things every other hour. Let's just say they are not brand loyal.

So in terms of progression, I thought he would have this seat RF till 2-3ish years then have extra time FF in the same seat and then get a booster. Is that wrong? I try to understand from all your threads but everyone is so different and so many of you change seats due to new babies. This will likely be my only baby so I'd love to choose a seat that has a long life span...

My dd is about 32-34 lbs not sure how tall but she is tall for her height and still fits great in the radian RF. I have the old radian so she will need to be turned around when she hits 35 lbs which I expect to happen sometime in the next year. My ds is 5 and is in the radian FF. Has tons of room to grow and he is about average in both height and weight. I think it should be years before I need to get him a new seat and by then I expect him to be old enough to just need a backless booster if anything. Also radian seats expire 8 years from the date of manufacture which is usually a couple years longer then most of the other brands. Something else to check for if you want to maximize the seats longevity.

[arivecchi]

I've had one Radian XTSL and Britax seats and prefer Britax. They are much easier to install and use and my kids prefer them. They have awesome soft covers and easy to use harnesses. My 3 yo rides a Boulevard 70 in our primary car (which I like because of the extra protection and comfort of the headwings for long rides) and a Roundabout 55 in our secondary car (which is only used locally). My older DS moved from the Britax Boulevard to a Britax Frontier - which we also love. Radians are nice because they are so narrow and have really tall shells, but the harness adjustment mechanism was a PITA and the seats are incompatible with some cars. I also think Britax's customer service is head and shoulders above Diono's (formerly Sunshine Kids).