convertible seats for twins?

[skymcc]

We'll be moving soon from our Graco SnugRides to convertible seats for our twins. They'll still be rear facing for at least 6 more months, so I'm not sure what would be the best fit for our Jeep Liberty. It's already a tight squeeze for my husband to drive w/ the SnugRides in the back!

Are there certain brands that are smaller or some that are definitely too big? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Splash]

If you have the money, I would buy Marathons. But keep them rear facing for a lot longer than another six months! Children should be kept rear facing until they outgrow the limits of that particular seat, normally 30-35 lbs (depending on the seat, Britax is 33).
If two new marathons (about $250 each) aren't in your budget, the next best bet would be the Cosco Scenera, at $50. Get the one WITHOUT the overhead shield. Both of those should fit just fine in your car. The huge advantage to the Marathon (or all the Britax 'big' seats) is that it can be tethered RF (as can their smaller seat, the roundabout) and harnesses to 65 lbs. Most other convertible stop at forty pounds, but they also normally don't go that high because kids outgrow them by height. By harnessing to 65 pounds, not only is your child much safer than in a booster (especially if they are of the many kids that outgrow their convertible around two and a half years old), but you normally eliminate the need for a high back booster (about $100) since they can go into a simple backless booster ($20)
The most important thing though is that you find seats that fit your car well, that you can safely and properly install and use, and that you keep those kids RF for as long as possible!
E

[Joolsplus2]

Marathons will take up the same space as Snugrides, front to back, but of course will last till age 6 or so (that's when most kids get too tall, then you can move them straight to a booster till age 10-12). Roundabouts will take up less space than Snugrides, but of course only last 3-4 years (at which point, they may be too young to be out of a harness, so you might end up buying more seats with taller top slots, from age 3-6, THEN getting the boosters). Evenflo Triumph or Orion is nice, but have a funky harness adjuster...so play with it a lot before you decide if you can tolerate it day in, day out, for 3-4 years. And yup, the Scenera is a *great* bargain seat... really very nice for the money.

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