Is the scenera ok to use as the main car seat?

[kristal]

Hi,

Our DS has outgrown his Grace Snugride in the height limits. So we are looking to buy a good convertible seat asap. After reading all the info and recommendations on this forum, we have decided to get him a Britax MA. We were considering buying from travelingtikes which had listed the MA in Onyx color for $219 last week I checked. But today when I went to place the order, the price has increased to $249. (We wanted to go to BRU this weekend to look at the seat in person before we placed the order, hence the delay in ordering).

From the forums I read that the MA is available for as low as $209 in the Sept sale. So, I am considering buying a Cosco Scenera for now - July, August Sept. And then in Sept, order the MA, hopefully at a good price. (We will be traveling by plane in the next one year, so will probably need to buy the scenera or some other light weight seat at that point anyways).

Is this advisable, or should we just bite the bullet and order the MA for $249? Is it not advisable to use the Scenera as the main car seat for 2-3 months?
I have not seen the Scenera in the stores yet. Will do so this evening.

Or, are there any other affordable travel seats that you'll would recommend we use as a stop gap until September?

Thanks for all your inputs!
Kristal.

[o_mom]

Is there some reason you want Onyx? It is not the most popular fabric due to the polyester center panel (like windbreaker fabric).

Albeebaby has some for $219-$225 (Tan Swirl and All Star Blue).

Anyway, yes, the Scenera is fine to use as a main seat. It won't be quite as easy to install and not as solid because it cannot be tethered rear-facing, but still safe.

[KAK22]

FYI - we have the Onyx and love it! It never shows dirt. :)

I don't live in a hot climate though, so that may be why we don't mind it! And, yes I would use the Scenera as a primary seat.

[mom2binsd]

We have a number of covers and I do find Onyx gets a little warm...the All Star Blue is wonderful...as for the Scenera...if it's only your main seat for a few months I'd say fine...the reasons not to use as a primary seat would be the lack of overall comfort (it's pretty hard for long trips) and the lack of Britax user friendly features that make the MA so great (latch connectors, lockoffs, non twisty straps, ease to wash cover). I ordered our MA from Travelingtikes and they were great, I originally wanted the New Blues to match our other seat but it was out of stock so their CS called me and offered me any other cover at the sale price..the difference was 40.00 and I was a happy customer. Also it seems that Onyx is often on sale so if you're set on that cover I'd check other sites..and you might double check to see if your DS is truly out of his Snugride...I know the techs often find people don't look at the baby's head in comparison to the top of the shell....as opposed to the overall length of the child...check your manual carefully for that info and you may buy a another few months...so convenient in the hot summer to use the infant seat I found!

[mimieliza]

One thing to consider is that the Scenera does not have any energy absorbing foam - if you look under the cover, it is just hard plastic. That would be my only concern about using that seat.

[kristal]

Thanks all!
Based on your inputs, we are reconsidering our fabric choice for the MA. We do live in a warm climate, so would not want a seat cover which gets too warm.

[Piglet]

We have used the Scenera as our primary seat in our second car and had no qualms about doing so. It is a safe seat as long as it fits your kid and your car. Granted, part of the "fitting the car" component is getting a great install and the Britax seats are MUCH easier from that end, but the Scenera has been totally fine. From a comfort standpoint, DS2 rode in it for months and never complained and he is a very vocal complainer ;)

[hellokitty]

As far as comfort goes. We have britax MAs as the seats in my minivan, but one of the seats on my DH's car is the scenara. My son who uses it is VERY picky and he has yet to complain about the seat. I think that if it is for a temporary situation, it would be worth it. It IS much lighter to use as a travel seat (which is the original reason we got it), BUT my DH hates that it is a PITA to install. Luckily, that only happens a few times a yr (I guess what I am saying that if this is a seat that is going to be traded in btwn cars, it might be a pain). If you plan to travel anyway, it would be worth it, b/c the MAs are monster carseats to drag onto a plan. Just make sure you try to get the latest manufacture date as possible.