Need advice on selecting Convertible Car Seat!!

[TgrGrl]

Hello! My 9 month old is about to outgrow her Graco SnugRide and I am looking for a convertible car seat. She is 20lbs and 29" long currently...This is what I'm trying to figure out. Since our family needs two seats (one for each car), should I....

A) Go with a more "inexpesive" seat that only goes up to 40 lb RF/FF, knowing that I'll have to replace with a booster (I think??) when she hits 40lbs, or...

B) Suck it up and buy a more expensive ($150++) seat that goes up to 65++ FF?

My husband seems to lean towards A, saying that the seat will get dirty, etc so we'll replace it at some point anyway because he doesn't think we'd keep it long enough for her to reach the 65lb weight limit.

THought???:confused:

[catsnkid]

B!

tell your husband you can wash the cover of the carseat. Just replaced my Graco comfort sport even though I loved it because DS was outgrowing it and I got a screaming deal on a Britax RA50 which will last for sometime! I would go with a RA50 or better Britax or a myride 65 which will last quite a while. We have ways to go in our Britaxes. At some point will get a FF booster but not for a long time... DS is pushing it on his scenera for grandma's car.

[BabyBearsMom]

The covers can be washed. We have a Britax Marathon 70 and a Britax Boulevard 65. We really like both seats. They are easy to install and DD is very comfortable in them. The Marathon rearfaces to 40lbs and the Boulevard rearfaces to 35lbs which will be enough to keep her rearfacing until she is past 2. That was important to me because my DD is a very big girl (20months old 30lbs 35") so a smaller seat wouldn't cut it.

There are other lower cost options like a First Year's True Fit Premier or a Graco MyRide 65. Both RF to a good weight and will last a while. We had a True Fit and really liked it, but had to get rid of it after a car accident. It is a nice tall seat and you will get plenty of use out of it.

I plan to keep my DD in a harnessed seat (i.e. not a booster) as long as possible.

[rin]

If you can swing it financially, B for sure.

Car seat covers can be washed. Cheaper car seats often are more of a pain to use; harder to adjust the straps, harder to get a good install, etc. Also, the higher weight carseats often have slightly nicer padding, fabric, etc, which for some people is a nice perk.

(Also, I don't know if the seat you're considering is the Scenera, but it's kind of a PITA to use. We have one which we use as our travel seat (and I do love it for that), but I would be sad if I had to use it as my everyday carseat. I'd look for a good price on a Britax or as PPs have said, a Graco Myride 65.)

ETA: Also, depending on if your DD is a bigger kid, you may well max out a cheaper seat by weight before she's legally/develomentally ready to be in a booster, so you totally might end up having to buy another harnessed seat at that point, which would definitely be pricier. There's a 5-point checklist of things that kids need to be able to pass before they are ready to sit in a booster, and a lot of kids won't be able to pass that even if they do weigh 40 lbs.

[AnnieW625]

I would go with seat B. Even if you buy seat A when your child outgrows it due to height at around 3 to 3/1/2 they might still need a harnessed seat especially if they are under 30lbs. I wouldn't consider a belted booster for my child until they are at least 5 yrs. old. My DD1 outgrew her 40/40 seat at just shy of 3. We moved her to a Britax Frontier, which is around $200.

You might want to look at the Britax Roundabout 55, and the Graco My Ride. I have the RA 55 and I am very happy with it. It should last DD2 until she is at least 5 yrs. old.

[lorinick]

Love the Britax seats. My son still fits in the MA and BV. He is 4 yrs. old. My seats never really get gross. But they are washable. I would take a look at the Evenflo Sy 65. I like those alot more than the Graco MyRide. Better latch conn. nicer seat imo. The price is about the same.

Buying a nice car seat is so worth it. You use it daily, and I find them to be so much more user friendly.

[zag95]

We have marathons in my car (which does not have latch), dh's car (which does have latch) and my parents car for daycare, both which have latch. Totally would spend the money- DD has been using these since she was about 7-8 mos old- and she'll be 4 the end of Jan. We may still have a little wear left! And DD is 39.5 lbs and over 40 inches.

A car seat is something that you will use nearly daily- ease of straps, installation, and comfort for your kiddo are all things to consider. For us, the Britax Marathon was that seat (we have an older one that goes to 65 lbs) and we scored great deals on them for about 170, at target when they were changing patterns!

GL!

[mom2binsd]

My Britax Marathon's have lasted us 5-6 years and covers still look fabulous, they wash up well, we take long trips and my kids eat in their seats but still no problems.

ALthough the seats last till 65lbs, with most kids it's the height rather than the weight, the cheaper seats tend to skimp on height.

Other than the Britax, cheaper would be the Graco MyRide or True Fit, I don't have any experience with them, I loved my Marathon's and that's what we got, then moved to the Frontier 85 for my 5 year old (I don't feel he is ready for a booster n(he just now hit 40lbs at 5 years 8 months) and he loves the Frontier).

[edurnemk]

I love the Britax install, and generally everything about them. But there's tons of options that are cheaper and have a higher limit than 40 lb. I don't think she'll be ready for a booster when she outgrows the low limit seat (it's not just height and weight, it's also about maturity). DS is almost 4 and definitely not ready to sit correctly in a booster all the time.

But if you go for A, once she outgrows it you should get a harnessed seat that converts to a booster (such as the Evenflo Maestro) so you can keep her harnessed longer.

FWIW our Boulevards look as good as new, but we only allow dry snack and water in the car (i.e. Cheerios) that you can brush off or vacuum. Also DS has never thrown up in the car or anything like that. But since the covers are washable I wouldn't worry too much about that either.