Please! Help me pick out carseats!!

[chinook]

Hi,

I could use some help. This carseat business is confusing.

I have 4 1/2 month old boy/girl twins. They are both very long (at our vaccinations yesterday my son was over 16lbs and 26 inches long) and soon I'll need to get them out of their bucket seats.

Which carseat should I move them up to? We have a mazda minivan and it doesn't have tons of space for rear facing seats (with our infant seats we have to pull the front seats up a bit and can't recline them very far).

From what I understand babies should be rear facing until at least a year and then remain in a "harnessed" seat until 40 lbs, do I have this straight?

Everyone speaks highly of the Britax but I see other seats (on Sears etc) that can be rear facing, forward facing, and then the booster for up to 80 lbs. From what I can tell the Britax would only last to 40 lbs.

So, basically, I'd love any advice about what carseats to get for my tall babies that will fit in our van!!

Thanks so much for your help.

[Piglet]

The carseat forum has a ton more traffic than we have here on our little Canada board, so you would do well asking the question there as well. First of all, the new recommendation (although we have been pushing it for a long time on the carseat forum) is to RF as long as possible (i.e. to the limits of the seat). As such, you want a seat that can be used comfortably RF to 30 lbs (the max in Canada). The other thing you will want is to harness (FF) as long as possible, so up to 48 lbs (the max. in Canada). Every step up in carseats (from RF to FF to booster to seatbelt) is a step down in safety, so your goal is to stay at the lower level as long as possible. The reason Britax is so highly recommended is the tall harness slots and high weight limit, which is more important at the FF/booster point, not at the RF/FF point. The Marathon will allow your kids to stay harnessed until they are 5-6 years old, and that is even more important if they are on the tall side, since seats like the Alpha Omega (the one you saw at Sears) is usually outgrown by height VERY early. My friend has 3 year old twin girls that just outgrew the AO by height, but are nowhere near mature enough to sit in a booster correctly. She is now looking for a new seat, even though she thought the AO would be the "only seat" she ever needed (according to their ads).

There are other seats that are well liked at different price points, so depending on budget you might have luck with them instead of the Marathons. The Cosco Scenera has high slots, so will last a while, but is quite under-padded and only goes to 40 lbs FF. The good news is that is costs $90 at Walmart, so even if you have to then buy a FF/booster you won't be out a ton of money total. The other seat that has won a lot of people over is the Sunshine Kids Radian (available at Canadian Tire for about $200 or a bit more). It is built solid - it weighs a TON, but it is a great seat in every way. My friend just bought one when her DD outgrew the infant seat and loves it. It tethers RF (just like a Britax) and installs very well in her Pontiac Montana. Finally, the grandaddy of great carseats is the Britax Marathon ($300 at specialty stores). We have one and love it to pieces. We also have a Scenera for my parents' car and travel, which I can see that I wouldn't love day in and day out, but it works for a second car very well.

I hope that helps a bit. Again, if you need clarification on fit (with your car), installation, preferences, etc. you might want to ask this question on the carseat forum as well. They will also provide lots of reasons why RF is safest well past a year!

[bubbaray]

Yup, what Marina said.

The two harnessed Canadian spec'd seats that have the highest top slots are, IMO, the Britax Marathon and the Sunshine Kids Radian. I have both and prefer the MA, but the top slots on the RN are higher. Which is better for you depends on your vehicle, your kids torso length and how good you are at installs (the MA is easier to install in more cars, the RN is a bit tricky). Both are OK to fly with, though I can't imagine lugging the RN around an airport -- its HEAVY! Both seats are approved FFg to 48lbs in Canada.

HTH

Melissa

DD#1: 04/2004

DD#2: 01/2007

[chinook]

Marina,

Thanks so much for your reply!

Yes, I had heard from my friend (a public health nurse) that babes should be rear facing as long as possible as it's the safest way to ride out a crash, and then she qualified that statement by saying that she had a hard time keeping her kids RF past a year because they screamed their heads off!! Hopefully I get better cooperation from my two.

She also said that as long as there is 1" around their heads in their infant seats that they're OK to stay in them even if their legs are too long. Have you ever heard that?

And than you VERY much for the advice on the Alpha Omega because I'd heard it was highly rated, but if it's short then it will be of little good to us.

Do you know if the Britax Roundabout is available here? I haven't been able to find it online.

Anyway it looks like we'll be seriously considering the marathon.

Thanks again for your advice!!

[jujucb]

Yes, the Roundabout is available here. It's $50.00 cheaper than the MA, about 2-2.5" shorter and only harnesses to 40lbs. Both are great seats, but the MA offers more use for a few dollars more.

I have both seats. I got the RAs simply because the MA was not an option when I needed it for my twins back in '03. All three of my kids outgrew the RA in height at about 30-33lbs. So 7-10lbs before legally allowed to ride in a booster. The smaller two made it to around their 5th day and taller girl was 3.9yo. She still fits in the MA at 4.9yo and even my 7.5yo has room to grow in it. The boy could still fit rf in the MA (mine rf to 33lbs). As it was my twins were still rf past their 3rd b-day in the RAs. Yes they did scream at about 14mo, but I won :)

I could fit the MA rf in quite a few cars; including a 2dr. Cavalier. It is actually the same size front to back as an infant seat with the handle down. Besides, once the babies get better head control, you can place rf restraints more upright. This 'shortens' the restraint a bit and gives the front seat passengers more leg room.

FWIW, I have my eye on the Radian. I hear the way the kids sit in that seat make the slots a bit taller than the MA. I've also heard it can be a bit tricky to install with seat belts, so it is something I'd really want to try out first. If the RN and MA are too much (too big, too costly etc.) then the RA and Scenera are my next choices. They have decent height for 40lb seats and fit well in a lot of vehicles. Most of my friends are getting the Scenera for now and then going to a higher weight combo seat (like the Evenflo Generations/Bolero). The Scenera has a twin seat called the Regal Ride (Canadian Tire calls it Regal Rider). Same shell with a blue cover. Zellers has it for the same price as the Scenera while CT charges $10.00 more.

dd 06-99 Britax Parkway & Graco TurboBooster
b/g twins 03-02 RA & van built-in/Ma & Evenflo Express
(Yes. The girl is much bigger lol)

[Piglet]

I am glad your nurse friend is so well informed! I find it can be very hard to get good information. She is right about the 1" rule. Some kids are all torso and others are all legs. The best way to tell is by applying the 1" rule - see where your kids' heads are relative to the seat shell (not the padding). In a crash, there has to be enough room above their heads to let them ride out the crash and not go over the seat shell.

The Roundabout is available, but I would really look at the MA first -it fits RF in my 2000 Mazda Protege, so I can't imagine it will be too big for an MPV! Britax is one of the few companies that allows the seat to be braced by the front seat. Other companies don't allow your RF carseat to touch the front seats, so getting the MA will actually buy you some space that way.

On the issue of kids getting upset RF, I thihk a lot of it is parents' perception (the idea that we would hate to sit backwards sticks with us). The MA is a such a comfy seat that I would sit in that thing forwards, backwards or upside down if I were a kid, LOL! My DS2 is quite "spirited". He makes his preferences known all too clearly, and he never complained in his seat unless we were in for a long ride. We drive to downtown and back every day with him, so 40 minutes 2 times a day and he never minded. Last week we turned him FF (after finding he was 30lbs at 21+ months). The novelty wore off pretty quick and now all we hear from the back seat is that he wants a toy or a book or some attention. I spend a lot of my time (as the passenger) turning my neck to see what is bothering him. When he was RF, he knew that he was in his own little world and didn't expect mommy and daddy to help him out so much. Also, he didn't drop his toys all the time like he does FF! The thing with FF vs. RF is that kids at that age don't know any better. If you never FF them, they don't even know it is an option, YKWIM?

PS - are you in Calgary? Just based on your userid... I am in Calgary too, as is another poster here. Either way, welcome to the wonderful world of Baby Bargains! It's addictive

[chinook]

Hi Marina,

Yes, I'm in Calgary. Small world, eh?! And you're right, this site is addictive...now I'm checking out highchairs!!

That's great to know about the Marathon being allowed to touch the front seat. I think we'll be going with that one for sure. You don't happen to know of a retailer here do you? I'm going to check with BoBebe and eChildren as I inagine they'd be the most likely place.

And you're right, if they've never been FF how will they know the difference? In fact I had supper with my friend last night and she says she thinks it's worse since they turned her around too. So, I'll definitely try to keep them rear facing for a loooong time.

I very much appreciate your expertise. Thanks again for your advice.

Kelly-Ann

[Neatfreak]

Poking in to say you're right about checking BoBebe and eChildren, but I have also seen Marathons at Kacz' Kids in the SE (mind you, it's been over a year since I've been there).