Frontier 85, Recaro Pro Sport, Nautilus??

[mrsvt0]

The more I read, the harder it gets to make a decision. Hope you can help.



I started thinking that the Nautilus was it! Found everything i needed, it'll be the last carseat I would need to buy for DS! Then, I read that the Frontier is more comfortable (no flipping head) and the most important that it fits better for taller kids. Then, I read the Recaro is very well made/safer, more comfortable than the Britax, but it doesn't have a cup holder - but that's not an important factor obviously. This is getting harder and harder...



DS turned 3 years in February. He's 36 lbs, 39 3/4 inches. He's always been in the 90 to 97 percentile, therefore looking for a seat that will last for a tall boy is important. I hope it will be the last one I need to buy. We currently have a True Fit convertible that just was turned FF - Yes, i kept DS RF until over 3 years old, some friends would look surprised that the seat was RF for such a tall boy!. Anyhow, i'm getting off the subject. This new carseat will be installed in a X3 2007. It'll be used the most, and we may do 3-4 hours trips once or twice a year. Hopefully it will fit the carseat +2 passengers next to it. Ideally, i'd like to be able to take it when traveling, so weight and width will be important, (if possible) to fit in an airplane seat -- and for DH to be able to carry it. Am I asking to much??



The True Fit will be put in a small second car to be used once in a while for short trips - dropping off/picking up from school. Not sure how long it'd would last. If we want the convenience of not having to be moving the carseat, we may need to end up buying another carseat for the second car once the True Fit doesn't fit. By then, maybe we may need to just buy a booster seat given that DS is on the tall side. Safety is more important than $$. But I don't buy just using the price tag as an indicator of quality (which it's not necessary true in all cases), but instead finding out what's the true value of it. So, if there's a seat that meets the quality and other criteria without the big price tag, i'm open for it - given that we also have side airbags.



Thanks for your experienced advise, it will be greatly appreciated it.

[kimbe]

You can't go wrong with the Frontier. We have two of them and love them.

We just tried out the Recaro Prosport. I absolutely love the seat. Much cushier than the Frontier. Very easy to adjust the harness and narrow enough to get three across. However, if you are going to go the Recaro route please try to find a store that has one and will let you try one in your car first. When we installed ours with the seatbelt, the shoulderbelt actually interfeared with the seat's harness straps. It was heartbreaking to have to return the seat.

[lhafer]

Had a Nautilus for my DD1, and ended up putting it in my DH's car (rarely used for my girls) and got a Frontier 85 for my minivan. LOVE it!! It will be her last seat (she's a petite 5 yr old). I never looked at the Recaro - but I hear they make excellent boosters.

[mommylamb]

I just bought a Frontier85 this morning, so I'm hoping we love it too. Diapers.com has them for $209 now, just like Albee baby.

[mrsvt0]

I'm reading that the Recaro Sportpro is cushier than the FR85, but the FR85 is the tallest in the market (that's what i read) so probably will have to go with the FR85. I want this one to be the last seat i buy

Any suggestions for a spare carseat (once my TF doesn't fit) that could be used for air travel (either to be checked-in or installed in the plane seat)? Looks like many suggested not to check-in the Frontier 85. Anybody has experienced installing the FR85 in the plane seat?.

I'll check out the sites you mentioned. I won't be needing it until Sept (so i have time to get a deal) but is there a best time of the year to buy a new FR85, any yearly sales? Also, is there a month of the year when the new carseats come out? so last year's is cheaper?

[Joolsplus2]

I'd get an Evenflo Maestro for a travel seat. It's about 9 pounds compared to the Frontier's 20ish and would be a lot easier to deal with in an airport/plane.
Not sure about dedicated sale times, but a good deal on a Frontier is 'about' $200, so that's what I'd shoot for. They don't have model years like Strollers do, though I think new covers tend to come out in September (though Maui Blue and Livia just came out, so maybe that rule is out the window, too!)

[kimbe]

We also flew with a frontier and it is doable, but it wasn't easy. It is a beast of a seat. (And we had two strollers and another carseat.) It did not fit through the TSA xray so they have to manually check it. It installed VERY easily on the plane we had. However, DD had NO room for her legs. (She was 4.5 then.) There was no option for anything but criss cross applesauce for the entire flight and although she didn't complain I am sure that it had to be a little uncomfortable for the 3 hours that she had to sit there.

I can't remember what kind of plane that we flew on though. It was not a regional jet, but it was a plane that only had two and two seats. I would think that there would be more legroom on a larger plane. We never flew with it again and I think that we would try very hard not to in the future since most of our flights involve smaller planes.

[lorinick]

You can't go wrong with the Frontier. It's the tallest on the market and nice and wide and there is no head slump. We love the Frontier and have been using it since Jan.

I have not seen the Racaro booster in person so I can not comment on that seat. But love the Frontier better than the Nauti.