looking into combos vs. covertible

[michelleMSPT]

i have a 2-1/2 mo. old and a 2-1/2 year old. i need a second car seat for the older one for a second car as well as for when the baby moves into his convertible. he is about 30 pounds and 34 inches. he is currently in a century accel (5pt. harness) and fitting well. i don't know whether to get a combo (and which one to get) or to get another convertible and then move him to a backless booster (that my mom already owns) when he outgrows the convertible. i sometimes have to put three car seats across the back of my nissan altima so width is definitely an issue i need to consider.
please help!
-michelle

[Joolsplus2]

I'd definitely look at the Graco Ultra/Platinum Cargo...it's quite narrow, has tall top harness slots (to get to the full 40 pounds harnessed) and a front harness adjuster. Also, when used as a booster later, it has no armrests to get in the way of easy buckling, esp. if you are still doing 3-across at that time.
The Evenflo Chase/Vision may be a little wider, but it might also work...sometimes it's more about getting seats to "mesh" than picking the narrowest one. It, too, has high top slots, a front adjuster, and the seatbelt goes sort of behind the armrests, not under them, when used as a booster.
I tend not to recommend cosco/eddie bauer boosters, given they have highly twisty straps and low top harness slots, but if you are really needing another option for fitting those seats in, then the plain armless highback booster...make sure it has a front harness adjuster, of course!-- might well be a decent choice.

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

[michelleMSPT]

a car seat tech recommended the graco ultra/platinum cargo or the evenflo comet. i can get either one by me and tried them both in my car, quickly they both seemed to fit with my snugride and accel also in the car. the shoulder belt guides are very different and the harness tightener are very different. also the comet has that EPS foam. any opinions on one versus the other?
-michelle

[Joolsplus2]

The Comet is a good choice, too, if it fits and you like the harness adjuster.
It's not the best seat for sleeping kids, as the wings don't help much with floppy heads, especially for shorter/younger kids. But then again, I've never heard of a sleeping kiddo complain about a sore neck, either, so who knows! :)

I wouldn't worry about the seatbelt guides..NHTSA recommends they not be used unless absolutely necessary to keep the belt off the neck, but kids who are 40 pounds usually fit in these seats well without the adjuster at all...so go ahead and just look at the harnesses and fit of the seat in the car (and also which is easiest to buckle as a booster).

I like the EPS foam in the Comet, but it's (to my recollection, I used to own an old Apollo---the early Comet--) only really on the sides of the head for a tall kid. If it's now in behind the head, then it would do a lot more good than if it were on the sides.


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

[michelleMSPT]

thanks julie, you've been very helpful.
-michelle, PT