Need a 3rd car seat

[MrsDLB]

I need some help picking out a 3rd car seat for my 1 DD. :ROTFLMAO:

DD is 13 months and about 26-27 pounds. We have a MA for my car and a MA for her granddad's car. We need another car seat for her babysitter's car. I would prefer to not spend the money on another MA, but I will if it is my best option.

Is the Graco Radian an option for me? Do children have to be older to go in that? I feel like at least that one will last her for a number of years. Or is the MA my best choice because that will also last her? Some of the other less expensive convertible seats only go up to 40 pounds and since she is 92%, I'm afraid we'll reach that way too quickly and that will just be a waste of $100 when I should have just bought the MA. Did that make sense?

Help! I've spent an hour combing threads and my head is spinning! :bouncy:

Thanks!

[bubbaray]

cr@p, i just lost a huge post.

Anyway, she is still RFg, right? It is 5x safer and recommended that they RF to the limits of the seat, which for her MAs should be 35lbs if you are in the US.

The Radian is made by Sunshine Kids, not Graco. It RFs to 40lbs now and is a great seat if it installs well in your vehicle. However, it is heavy and definitely DOES have install issues in some vehicles. If you want a RN, I might install it on a permanent basis in either yours or the GPs vehicle instead of in the babysitter's vehicle if the babysitter wants to install/uninstall it on a regular basis. Then you could have the babysitter use one of your MAs, which are a breeze to install.

Are you thinking of a Graco Nautilus? No WAY would *I* put a 1yo in a GN. Seriously.

I would actually recommend a RFg Scenara or Uptown/Avenue for the babysitter's vehicle. Maybe a Graco MyRide (RFs to 40lbs).

[o_mom]

I would add the Evenflo Triumph Advance and the Britax Roundabout 50 to your list. The Roundabout 50 is $199 MSRP at BRU, but with a coupon you can get it for around $170. You can usually find clearance MA's at AlbeeBaby.com for around $199 as well. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is less expensive at $140+, so read up on that as well and see how you like it.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We love having multiple Marathons so we can switch the covers around when necessary (cleaning) AND we both know how to install them properly. That's a huge plus. For such a long-lasting seat with a lot of pluses, you can't go wrong.

travelingtikes also has them for $199. They also have the Roundabout50 for $175 which would (I think) have the same installation and cover and useful life.

[vonfirmath]

We love having multiple Marathons so we can switch the covers around when necessary (cleaning) AND we both know how to install them properly. That's a huge plus. For such a long-lasting seat with a lot of pluses, you can't go wrong.

travelingtikes also has them for $199. They also have the Roundabout50 for $175 which would (I think) have the same installation and cover and useful life.

The cover on the Roundabout 50 is not exactly the same as the Marathon -- it has 3 holes for the crotch strap whereas the Marathon has only 1. I don't know if any of those 3 holes lines up with the one place on the Marathon, but I do know you can't use the 3rd hole on the Roundabout 50 for rear-facing.