Please help pick out a car seat for baby #2!

[ktshea]

Hello car seat gurus!
I have done extensive searches/reading on this board and STILL don't know what to do -- I'm hoping you all can help. I'm expecting baby #2 in September and DD1 will be 22 months old at that time. DD1 is currently rear-facing (again, after seeing crash-test videos that someone on this site linked to!) in an Evenflo Triumph 5 (which I kind-of hate and am considering replacing). We had her in that from birth, and I really want to use a convertible car seat from birth with DC2 as well. I thought I wanted a Roundabout for the new baby, but now am considering a Decthalon or Boulevard due to their infant-friendly head padding. I also wanted to replace DD1's car seat with a Roundabout, but she's fairly tall and I'm afraid she's going to outgrow it pretty quickly. We have a Volvo V70, and it sounds like lots of folks have had problems with the MA in that car, so that puts me in a bit of a bind.

Sooo, if you've gotten this far -- thanks! My questions are: should I buy a new seat for DD or is the Triumph an OK seat? Is it silly to get her a RA at this point (16months)? Should I get a RA for DC2 or go with something that has more head padding, like a Decathalon? And (finally) is it silly to think that I can buy a Decathalon for DC2 and a Roundabout for DD and then switch when DC2 doesn't need all of that head support and DD needs a larger seat? And will anything except a RA fit in my darned car? :) I'm just so overwhelmed with the choices at this point.

Thanks for any help you may be able to offer! Sorry for the gazillion questions.

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

Okay... IMO, what I'd do is this... I'd get the Roundabout for your new baby... the Decathalon for your 16mo old... but take the extra padding... and put it on the roundabout.

the Roundabout is basically the same as the Decathalon, but smaller... the straps are the same, buckles, everything it needs to work with are the same.... so it should be useable.

[kellyotn]

But I thought the bigger Britaxes didn't fit well in her car.... sits too high and the car has immovable, intrusive headrests??

Can you go to a BRU and try them out? You can buy them online to get the color you want, but try it at BRU. But, I thought I did just recently read that they have serious fit issues in that Volvo (for front facing).

[jeanum]

Yes, I agree the headrests are a potential fit issue, so the original poster should try before buying. And unless Britax says it's okay, I wouldn't advise using the Decathlon infant insert/headrest in the RA either.