Hi -

I posted before on our car seat dilemma, but didn't get a response. I've got to get a new carseat for my oldest daughter, Maeve. She's 2 1/2 yrs old and is a "skinny minny" - she's tall (90% in height), but only 50% in weight (28 lbs or so). She's currently in an older Graco Cargo that I want to give to our everyday baby sitter (who currently can't pick her up from school b/c she doesn't have a car seat!) My youngest daughter, Charlotte, is in what was originally Maeve's Britax Marathon now. Charlotte is huge - over 110% in height and weight at 11 mos and will stay in the Marathon.

So, what's the REAL scoop: Do I need to spend on another Britax Marathon or Husky or is the Graco Platinum Cargo (which is what I think the alternate recommended seat is judging from other posts) going to be just fine? I know the Britax seats are always rated best, and I'm a believer and love our Marathon for Charlotte, but it seems like so much to spend and possibly more than we need.

She's been out of her Marathon for a few months now, and I like that she can climb in the seat herself (we always buckle her, of course, but the Britax seats are so HIGH off the seat that she couldn't get up in it in our Subaru) and I like the idea of a "big girl seat" with the cupholder, etc. The Husky looks really wide - and Maeve is narrow (as is our car), but I like that it's closer to the seat.

I'm just trying to decide if the $100+ for a Britax is really necessary or if the Graco will be great. I am not going to cheap out on my kids' safety but this did start as Baby *Bargains* - looking for really good quality products that weren't necessarily the most expensive - so I'm asking the hard question. If it ends up that the Britax is really hands down the recommendation, we'll do it without a second thought, but I'm asking again.

Please give me your opinion - we've got to solve this before I have to miss more work to pick up Maeve at school. Thanks!

Alexa