WWY buy in my situation?

[JTsMom]

Before I even start to research any of this, I'm just going to ask, b/c I know you all will have the best info out there. :)

DS has a MA, I think the man. date is around 5/05 (I may be off by a month or 2). He is about 41.5", and weighs 39.5 lbs, and he still has a good amount of room before he'll be even with the top shoulder strap slot. It's in our 09 Sienna, which is the car we use 99% of the time.

On occasion, it would be helpful if DH could pick him up from school, or run a quick errand in his 05 Camry, which we have no seat for, so we end up switching cars, or moving the Britax into. I'd love to get a second seat for him, but don't want to break the bank if I don't need to, especially since it will be rarely used, and only for short distances. DS will not sit properly in a seat if he isn't strapped down, so it 100% has to be something that doesn't require any voluntary compliance.

We also have a new baby due in June. In storage, I have a PP Primo Viaggio (sp?), but I'm sure it's coming up on the exp date (b/c it's only 5 years on that one, right?)

So, in short, we've got the MA that probably has another year to year and a half of use left, the need for a second seat, and soon, another seat suitable for an infant.

I'm ready to take notes. :)

[jjordan]

I do believe PP's have a 5 year life, so you will need to get another seat for the baby. Do you want an infant carrier or do you want to go straight to a convertible? I am one who likes the convenience of a carrier but I know some people don't.

If you want to go with a carrier, then it might work out well for you to get one of the higher capacity ones (eg snugride 32 or keyfit 30). Those should last the baby at least a year, at which point your ds will be 6. You could get him a nice convertible now and plan to use it for the baby when he/she outgrows the carrier, and get two highback boosters for your son then.

If you decide to go with a convertible for the baby, then you have to think about if you'll be ready for ds to be in a booster when the baby is born. If not, then there is no point in getting a convertible now since you'll need to get another harnessed seat for ds when the baby is born. You might as well get the harnessed FF seat now and the convertible for the baby later.

It would also be fine to get a relatively inexpensive combination seat for your ds now, regardless of what you want to do with the baby. The combo seat can be his backup harnessed seat now and his backup highback booster (if the seat works well for a booster for him) when he outgrows the harness. Try him in the Generations 65 and the Apex 65 and see what you think of those. The next step up (in price) would be a nautilus if neither of the other two work.

Final note, if you do want to use a convertible with a newborn, make sure it is one that will fit a newborn well. My personal choice would be a Radian 80SL or XTSL.

[KrisM]

I'd get a Britax Frontier or a Graco Nautilus for your main car and move the MA to DH's car. The Frontier or Nautilus both harness and will last another 1.5 years or so past the MA. They then change to a belt positioning booster and will last a long while after.

Another option would be to get a Radian or other bigger convertible and plan on giving that to the baby in a couple of years and buying a dedicated booster at that time.

For infant seats, I really my Keyfit 30. DS is still in it at 15 months.

[HIU8]

You could look at the new snugride 35 that is coming out as well for the infant seat. Our DS's are about the same (DS is 40 lbs and 42 inches, and he currently rides in a MA that he is about to outgrow--he has a long torso). For your DS you could get a frontier (I happen to like better than a nautilus, but the nautilus is much less $$) or you could get a radian as Kris said and pass it down to the baby when the time comes and then get a really good dedicated booster. Oh, and move the MA to your DH's car.

[AnnieW625]

We are expecting our second child next May and our DD will be 4 and DD's old Evenflo Triumph 5 will expire when #2 is 2 years old, and since our Marathon is now out of commission (it would've expired in March, 2012) due to the car accident we will need to buy two new convertables. So I was thinking of skipping the infant all together (we didn't use the infant seat much except in the car, and I never really cared for the print and back adjusters) so the most economical way to go for us would be to buy two Combi Cocorros (one seat will be going in an 01 Corolla so we can't use a Radian Rfing) and then when #2 outgrows the Combis DD will/should be ready for a backless booster so #2 will then inherit the Frontiers.

We love our Frontiers and DD has been very happy with her "big kid seat!"

[arivecchi]

I would get a convertible for the baby that your DS1 can use now as well before baby arrives. When baby arrives, you could get a Frontier/Nautilus as the main seat for DS1 and leave the Marathon as the back-up seat. When the Marathon expires, you can re-evaluate the situation and decide what kind of secondary seat makes the most sense at that pont in time. The Radian XT SL would be nice if it fits in your car. It can be used for older kids front facing, rear faces to 45 pounds, folds for travel, is narrow and will occupy less space, and I hear it fits newborns really well.

[codex57]

I'd get a Britax Frontier or a Graco Nautilus for your main car and move the MA to DH's car. The Frontier or Nautilus both harness and will last another 1.5 years or so past the MA. They then change to a belt positioning booster and will last a long while after.

Another option would be to get a Radian or other bigger convertible and plan on giving that to the baby in a couple of years and buying a dedicated booster at that time.

:yeahthat:

Frontier is my first choice. Nautilus is 2nd. BIL has a Frontier in his Sienna. Fits great. Works great. We're saving up to buy a minivan now and Frontier is gonna be our choice when DD is ready to move out of the infant seat (which is gonna be in like 1 yr or more). Move the MA over as the spare seat.

For infant seat, I'm a Graco fan. Yes, I prefer the KeyFit over the Gracos if you only consider install and ease of use. However, I like strollers and all the other baby gear. Because of the limited compatibility of the KeyFit and the near universality of the Gracos, I much prefer the Gracos. Or the Teutonia (which is just a Graco with nicer fabrics).