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Julia Sathler
06-18-2002, 11:04 AM
Hello everyone,

Here's hoping someone, or perhaps Toby, has run across our problem and has already investigated. I have pored over all of the online data and discussions and still confused.

We have a big and rather heavy 2 year old (33 lbs.). He fits in the Britax Roundabout well for the moment, but we are looking for a 2nd seat for our other car and that we can use more than another year or so, since we expect him to continue to hover around the 100th percentile for height and weight. I would like to find one that will go past 40 pounds, is well-rated for safety, with 5 point harness straps that adjust in front, but is also somewhat comfortable for snoozing. Is there such an animal?

The car it will be put in is a 2000 Honda Civic, but I was hoping to find one with the latch system because we will be trading in our 4Runner in December, and we will probably be using the new seat as our primary car seat in whatever family car we choose by then. But the latch is not the most important thing if it comes down to a choice between that or the other features we are looking for.

Does anyone have any suggestions for the best seat for our situation? THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS VALUABLE SERVICE!

Julia

tobymc
06-18-2002, 12:16 PM
Hi Julia.

There is a pretty limited set of choices right now. Really, the only thing that will meet your need is the Britax Super Elite. It goes from 20 to 80 pounds. It requires a tether past 50 pounds. It is heavy and wide. It is 23 pounds and I think it is 22 inches wide. The RA is 18" wide, for comparison. And the SE is hard to find. But it works pretty well, and will keep your son harnessed until he is 4-5 years old, when he can move to a booster seat. I just saw a post saying that the Toy House (http://www.toyhouseonline.com/index.asp) has 6-8 in stock for $199 plus shipping.

This fall, Britax is slated to come out with the Marathon, a seat built on the RA shell, but which goes to 65 pounds with the harness. It is another option. But it is NOT out yet, and it is always hard to know when their seats will really come out. They are guessing late September, I think.

The SE will also be released as the Husky in the fall with the latch attachments. I doubt there will be a retrofit kit.

There is also another new seat, the Safety Baby Airway, which should go for less than $100, that might do well. It harnessed to 50 pounds then turns into a booster. That would probably be enough for your son to reach 4 years old. It should be released any day now, or by the end of the month. But of course, they originally said April, 2002. So we'll see it when we see it.

That is all I can think of for now. The range of choices is gradually increasing, but it is taking time.

I guess the other choice is to get a standard combo seat, like the Evenflo Express or Apollo, or the Graco Grand or Ultra CarGo. They have harnesses that only go to 40 pounds, but the top slots are higher than the RA (though not by too much). So if your son slows down a little he might make it to age 3 1/2 or 4 in one of those. All of those have latch retrofit kits.

Julia Sathler
06-19-2002, 09:26 AM
Toby,

Thanks so much for that info. It was very helpful. A few last questions, if you don't mind:

1. can you tell us who will be making the Safety Baby Airway and where we might be looking out for it?

2. Do you like the Century Next Step MX, if we can find it with a latch kit? That looks like it might be good for our needs, based on some favorable reviews from people with 2 1/2 year olds (even though Alex will be turning 2 in July, he's big so I figure they're about the same).

3. There are some new in box Fisher Price Grow With Me's on ebay (bought in Canada, but made in the USA) for about $40 more than the Century Next Step. I thought that might be worth it even though there won't be a latch available and Fisher Price won't be supporting it anymore. They are legal here in the US, correct? Any opinion on going this route?

Thanks a bunch!

Julia

tobymc
06-19-2002, 02:01 PM
1. I'm not sure who will carry the Airway. Try asking your local baby stores.

2. The Next Step MX is fine, if you and your son like it. The Century/Graco latch kit runs $25 and works on it.

3. The FP GWM seats from Canada are NOT legal here. FP says that they are the same, but they do not carry the same stickers. I do not recommend them. It is too bad, since the GWM is a nice seat, but using non-US seats is a slippery slope and I don't recommend sliding down it.

You might also want to check out the Evenflo Apollo. It has some nice extra features. I think it costs less than the Next Step too.