CarSeat Question

[flamyngo]

Okay, I know this has been asked... but the grandparents said they would get us a safe carseat for DD, and I need specific answers hehe

She is 28 inches long, 16.3 lbs, and almost 7 mo, she is about to outgrow her carrier! She only has one more inch left, so we are ready to get her the Britax... but there are so many and I am confused....

I drive an '05 Jeep Liberty (we have the carrier installed on the center with the latch, and it works well, but DH can't quite get the seat back as far as he would like, but we have the Eddie Bauer carrier, and it is bigger than most of the others)

We don't have the side airbags, and for now she is in the center... but we are planning on starting on that next kid soon :) So she would eventually be next to a door... sooooo... can you please tell me which Britax would be the best? Thanks in advance!

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

First of all you can not have your carseat installed with latch in the center. Ford/Britax are the only things that are allowed. Does it say anywhere in your manual that you can use latch in the center? If it does not specifically say that then you can not and you must use the seatbelt.

If you have no price limit i would get the BV because of the SIP wings. I personally like the harness adjuster and 3 crotch buckle positions of the DC but i know that people have had problems with the adjuster and some things about the seat are different than the MA. The MA is the "basic" britax seat.

All of these seats can be RF to 33 lbs and i hope you will keep your dd rf that long. I am sure some other people can pop in with some sites to look at that show the benefits of extended RF.

HTH

Post back with more questions if you want...

Ilana

[flamyngo]

I think it says that I can have it installed with the latch... in the car manual it said that was the safest way to do it (that is the thingy that came with the carseat, right?) Crap... I am thinking it said we could do that... I guess I should check again, huh?

I want my daughter RF for as long as possible...

Also... my daughter is super long in the torso and she has long legs too... should this make a difference in my decision?

[flamyngo]

I checked... you can do the latch thing :)

[schums]

Many (if not all) of the Chrylser products have 3 LATCH positions in the back seat. If there are 3 sets of LATCH anchors in the back seat, she is fine to install in the center using LATCH.

Sarah
Mom to Alex (3/2002) and Catherine (8/2003)

[DebbieJ]

You can't go wrong with any of the larger Britax seats: Marathon, Wizard, Decathalon, and Boulevard. They are all the same basic seat, but with different features (and price points).

They are all safe for rearfacing up to 33 pounds, so you can keep your babe safer longer.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
2 year check up: 25 lbs with clothes on and 35 inches!
BFARed for 20 months and 6 days
(Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org)

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

Ok good. Some people do not have latch in the center seat but use it anyways because they do not know that it is not allowed so i just wanted to make sure you are ok! Good!

I think the DC/MA/BV would all work out well, do you have a store nearby that you could try your dd in the seats? Sometimes playing with the seat irl, installing it in the car etc helps you decide which you like best.

Have fun shopping!

Ilana

[SusanMae]

Since your daughter is 7 months old, she doesn't need to be reclined as much as she was when she was a newborn. That should get you a little bit more room to move the seat back some more. Even the big Britax's don't take up any more room front to back than the infant seat does. If the car seat touches the back of the front seats, it's not a problem.

Also you said your daughter is tall in the torso and long in the legs, so you definatly want a higher weight limit seat so that you can get the height as well. The 40 pound limit seats aren't as tall. Also you will notice that her legs will have to be bent when she is rear facing as well. Many parents think the children are cramped and uncomfortable....they are not. If they cry when put into the seat, more than likely the problem is that they are being confined and strapped in. It's just a phase you will have to get through.

A great source of info is www.cpsafety.com There is lots of info about extended rear facing and extended harnessing for when your daughter gets older.

Susan