Recommendations on Convertible Car Seat

Adrienne - posted on 05/22/2010

We really liked the safety ratings for the Boulevard and our main vehicle is larger so we weren't concerned with the size of the seat or having to take it in and out because it'll just stay in that vehicle 24/7.

The secondary carseat was a tougher choice because we rarely take our son in that vehicle and it's also a very compact car. However, we obviously needed a secondary carseat that could be kept in that car or easily installed in other cars like the grandparent's. We chose the Radion80SL because of it's slim size, you could fit 3 across a backseat if you needed, its fast and easy installation, and because it can be folded flat to be kept in a trunk or for travel. It even comes with a shoulder carrying strap or you can purchase a carrying bag if you're planning on flying to a destination and you'd like to check it. Also, despite its smaller size, it doesn't compromise on the rear or forward-facing weight limits. The versatility of this seat made it an easy choice. I hope that helps because I've spent about a month researching and finally came to this conclusion. I know it won't be the right choice for everyone but hopefully it'll save someone else some research time.

Here's the links to the carseats to save you even more time. :-)

Sunshine Kids Radian80SL:
http://www.skjp.com/product/97556/185XX/...

Travel Bag for Radian80SL:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sunshine-Kids-...
(You can find this at several different places, this was just an example.)

Kellie - posted on 05/11/2010

Britax Roundabout and love it!

Emerald - posted on 05/11/2010

I went to the sherriff's station and spoke with a carseat "expert". they do research on all types of carseasts. All the Britax seats are reccomended but were beyond our price range. The Graco My Ride 65 was 2nd after the Britax and we ended up getting that one. She loves it! And it fits in the back seat of my nissan altima so size shouldn't be an issue for you. Let us know which one you go with :)

Marie - posted on 05/11/2010

I have the Graco My Ride 65. We have a Toyota Corolla and have the problem of space as well. It was recommended for my size car and it works great. I can sit in the front, but prefer to sit in the back (comfortably now) with Xav and play in the car.

Noreen - posted on 05/11/2010

Thats the carseat Abby has!! We switched her at the end of November. She LOVES her seat!!! I love her seat!! Very cushy and comfortable, has 3 different ways to recline it, and it fits until 100lbs!! Best part about it..... the LATCH belts. They are SOOO easy to install and if you have two cars, it makes it so easy to switch the carseat into the different cars!

Kristy - posted on 05/11/2010

I have the Evenflo Symphony car seat too and we love it! Even with it behind the passenger seat you can still put your seat back pretty far. I have also heard the Britax seats are great too. We were going to get one but It seemed like it was too tall for our civic!

Misty - posted on 05/11/2010

I've got an Evenflo Triumph Advance and love it. It has the 'infinite' adjust harness (meaning you'll never have to re-thread it as baby grows taller), you tighten the straps by turning a knob on the side, and it's got the quick-latch connectors to make it super easy to install. It's safety ratings are just as high as the $300 car seats, but it's half that price.

Holly - posted on 05/11/2010

Britax Roundabouts...basically the same as my Britax Marathon, but not as bulky and fits in the middle. We have a Roundabout for our smaller car.

Brianen - posted on 05/08/2010

Maxi-Cosi Priori convertible car seat...I LOVE IT! Bought it when my daughter was around 6 months old. She used it for a year and a half, now my son uses it. Once you turn it forward facing, it reclines into 4 different positions. Since she had to upgrade I bought a Sunshine Kids Radian65SL Convertible Car Seat. I like it for her but never tried it rear facing. It is heavy (45#) but has excellent saftey ratings. To me it was worth paying the extra money to have a seat that would last longer. I have both of them in a Pontiac Grand Am.

Amy - posted on 05/07/2010

the combi coccoro looks fairly small not sure how comfy it would be tho. we have a full size dodge 4 door truck and our baby(born sept 27th) also has to set behind the passenger seat. which is fine now because my husband is deployed but when he was home it was a real pain in he bum! the seat is just so big that the passenger seat has to be scooted way up and cant recline. my husband is about 6 foot 2 i think and he couldnt set in the passenger seat because of his long legs. we also had to take the head rest off the front seat because the carseat was in the way of it. my daughter loves it but we dont care so much for not having a front seat either. it is the evenflo triumph hansen. it came from sears for about 130 dollars. i ould not suggest this car seat in a small vehicle because of how large it is. but it is a great carseat and some stores like toys r us will let you take like a display seat out and try it in your vehicle to see if it fits because on one wants to get all the way home to find out its to big. good luck

Karen - posted on 05/07/2010

hi there! i have the evenflo syphony 65 car seat and i love i! very easy to use, fits well in small cars so i would think you wouldn't have a problem with it fitting. we have a very small car and i like to have my seat back all the way and there is still a good two inches between the back of my seat and the baby's car seat. i have a friend who has the same seat and it fits very well in the back of her austin mini car :)