any recommendations for the best convertible carseat?

Colleen - posted on 01/26/2009

I got the britax roundabout and I absolutely love love love it. It runs kinda expensive in stores but I found a good deal on the internet for it. Its totally worth it because it was rated as the best so far as safety features go, and isnt that the whole point of it anyways? Not to mention I fell in love with the cowmooflauge cover lol she moos whenever she sees her carseat.

Heidi - posted on 01/26/2009

Quoting Julie:

Heidi, I'm looking in to the True Fit, and was wondering where you got your info on the carseat techs rating this seat highly...just curious to compare seats...=) thank you

Hi Julie...

I am a part of www.car-seat.org. This board is full of certified car seat technicians. They try out and compare many different seats.

They are in love with the True Fit. Mainly b/c it is the tallest convertible and will last the longest (out of the convertible group). Most of them recomend this seat OVER Britax.. Before the True Fit came out, Britax was tallest convertible.

Feel free to check out the site. They have lot's of useful info as well as pics of kids in the True Fit.

I still want a True Fit for my 2 yr old. But dh says no since I have to Britax Blvds already. LOL.

Heidi - posted on 01/26/2009

Quoting Julie:

Heidi, I'm looking in to the True Fit, and was wondering where you got your info on the carseat techs rating this seat highly...just curious to compare seats...=) thank you

Hi Julie...

I am a part of www.car-seat.org. This board is full of certified car seat technicians. They try out and compare many different seats.

They are in love with the True Fit. Mainly b/c it is the tallest convertible and will last the longest (out of the convertible group). Most of them recomend this seat OVER Britax.. Before the True Fit came out, Britax was tallest convertible.

Feel free to check out the site. They have lot's of useful info as well as pics of kids in the True Fit.

I still want a True Fit for my 2 yr old. But dh says no since I have to Britax Blvds already. LOL.

Julie - posted on 01/26/2009

Heidi, I'm looking in to the True Fit, and was wondering where you got your info on the carseat techs rating this seat highly...just curious to compare seats...=) thank you

Julie - posted on 01/26/2009

Quoting Heidi:

To the OP....

I recomend  a First Years True Fit. They are wonderful seats and will harness your child to age 6 or 7. They have a 7 yr experation date.

They are great seats and HIGHLY recomended by car seat techs.

We have 2 Britax Blvds and if I had to buy a new seat I would get the True Fit over a Britax. It will last longer then a Britax..... (and I love Britax)....

 

Stay away from the 3-in-1's. They are not good seats. They have very short top harness slots and usually outgrown around age 2-3. The booster mode on them sucks also.

 

Amanda - posted on 01/20/2009

I like that second link you posted Amber. After looking into it I became one of those mom's who wants to keep their child rear facing for as long as possible. (We also keep our son's car seat in the middle seat, because that's the safest seat in the entire vehicle.) One of the reasons I decided to pay the cost of the Marathon was so that my son could be rear facing for up to 35 pounds.

Amber - posted on 01/20/2009

this is a beautiful picture!

Amber - posted on 01/20/2009

I was just looking as well and found these sites:

http://www.kidsurplus.com/search.asp?skw...





and

http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Alisha - posted on 01/20/2009

I have to agree that the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat is GREAT.  Yes it can be a lil bulky rear facing however once its forward facing its not that bad.  I got one for my first child and i was getting it for my second.  I wouldn't tried my two carseats for anything.  Also they aren't that much, my first was on sale for like 129 or something and my second was about 200 something, i have already gotten my money worth in my eyes.  they are AWESOME. . . just inmy eyes.  GOOD LUCK on your search.  I would like toknow which on you went with

Carmela - posted on 01/19/2009

Beatiful photo by the way Julie!

Carmela - posted on 01/19/2009

I agree my Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 is bulky, but I think it will be a nice front facing car seat.  It also sits better on straighter seats in rear facing position, otherwise it has room to come back towards the seat to easily.  I just got a Graco ComfortSport which I think I like so far, I did need to get an additional headsupport insert because the onr that comes with it was to big for my 2 month old.  It fits better on seats that are more inclined and was affordable.  My son also seems comfortable in it, we just took a 4-5 hour trip and he looked around and slept the whole way.

Laura - posted on 01/19/2009

Oh, and they also sell carseats for the little ones but they are not convertable.

Laura - posted on 01/19/2009

We have the Safeguard Carseat. Gets good ratings, is trim in size, only weighs 8lbs and can fit into a little case for storage or travel, is easy to adjust for increase in size, and can fold down if you don't want it up while traveling without baby. It converts into a booster seat also. I was able to fit (3) of them across the backseat in my Maxima! They do have requirements on size. I believe your child has to be a certain height and weight. It is also a forward facing seat only. We love them. We had graco's, evenflo's, etc. and this by far is the best one! I also think it is a personal preference though so good luck!

Lisa - posted on 01/19/2009

Sorry, yes you are right - the Graco Nautilus is forward facing only.  We still could have saved ourselves from an extra purchase as the nautilus would have accommodated my daughter after she outgrew the infant seat all the way through 100 pounds.

Jen Thomas - posted on 01/18/2009

Britax Marathon. The Roundabout is good too, but the Marathon hold more weight so will last longer.

Jenny - posted on 01/18/2009

Quoting Heidi:

Quoting Jenny:

I just recently purchased the Britax Marthon based on numerous recommendations....and maybe I need a little time to get used to it, but so far I'm not as in love as most people.  My 8 month old is in it (rear facing) and has zero leg room.  Maybe that's a common problem for convertible seats, rear facing?  Also, the straps are constantly getting twisted.  And it's not easy to tighten/loosentthe straps.  Maybe I was spoiled by the ease of my son's infant seat.  I'm not returning it...just expected it to be glorious based on everyone's praise for it. 

With the leg room that just depends on your vehicle. My son is 28m, 35" and rear-facing in a Blvd. His legs are cramped, but it isn't an issue since it is all he knows.

We can recline the van seat back a few clicks to offer him more leg room. Also reclinging the seat more helps. It can be at a 30-45 degree angle.

As far as the harness twisting are you using the HUGS? They are only REQUIRED for foward-facing.

I would take those off and also use the velcro on the straps and car seat cover to velcro the straps out of the way each time you un-do your son.

All this will help with the twisting.

Good Luck

I have been using the velcro AND the HUGS....so I will definitely try taking the HUGS off to see if that helps.  Thanks for the tip!

Heidi - posted on 01/18/2009

To the OP....

I recomend  a First Years True Fit. They are wonderful seats and will harness your child to age 6 or 7. They have a 7 yr experation date.

They are great seats and HIGHLY recomended by car seat techs.

We have 2 Britax Blvds and if I had to buy a new seat I would get the True Fit over a Britax. It will last longer then a Britax..... (and I love Britax)....

Stay away from the 3-in-1's. They are not good seats. They have very short top harness slots and usually outgrown around age 2-3. The booster mode on them sucks also.

Heidi - posted on 01/18/2009

Quoting Jenny:

I just recently purchased the Britax Marthon based on numerous recommendations....and maybe I need a little time to get used to it, but so far I'm not as in love as most people.  My 8 month old is in it (rear facing) and has zero leg room.  Maybe that's a common problem for convertible seats, rear facing?  Also, the straps are constantly getting twisted.  And it's not easy to tighten/loosentthe straps.  Maybe I was spoiled by the ease of my son's infant seat.  I'm not returning it...just expected it to be glorious based on everyone's praise for it. 

With the leg room that just depends on your vehicle. My son is 28m, 35" and rear-facing in a Blvd. His legs are cramped, but it isn't an issue since it is all he knows.

We can recline the van seat back a few clicks to offer him more leg room. Also reclinging the seat more helps. It can be at a 30-45 degree angle.

As far as the harness twisting are you using the HUGS? They are only REQUIRED for foward-facing.

I would take those off and also use the velcro on the straps and car seat cover to velcro the straps out of the way each time you un-do your son.

All this will help with the twisting.

Good Luck

Heidi - posted on 01/18/2009

Quoting Lisa:

I just bought a Graco Nautilus for my 4 year old.  This is our 3rd car seat - we did the infant seat followed by the Britax Roundabout.  Technically, she could probably go into just a booster seat now, but I wanted to keep her in a 5 point harness as long as possible.  The Nautilus (about $170) could have been the only car seat we would have needed to buy as it will hold the little babies all the way up to 100 pounds.  It can initially be installed rear facing for little ones, then forward facing with a 5 point harness up to 65 pounds, from there it becomes a booster seat with a back and side impact protection and finally a backless booster seat.  It is extremely versitile and with a cup holder and small toy cubbies in the arm rests, my daughter thinks it's pretty cool too.

The Graco Nautilus is a foward facing only seat. It does not rear-face....

Shannon - posted on 01/17/2009

With my daughter we did a Roundabout... but she is a peanut and fit in it till she was over 4 years old... then she went into her booster. However with my son, who is only 4.5 months... we are already moving him into a convertible since he is 18lbs and 30 inches in length... carrying the infant seat is too much for me, and he is really too long for it anyway. WIth him I looked into a lot of seats... the True Fit was my fisrt choice, however because of his length, I couldn't use it without the head rest, and with the headrest it doesn't fitin to my Dodge very well rear facing, plus I believe that according to the directions you are not supposed to use the headrest portion rear facing. I do not care for the ALpha Omegas mainly because of the arm rests on them... too pointy for me, and they move anyway. How many kids really need arm rests really?? My parents and my inlaws both have Even flo Titans for their cars, my hubby uses my Roundabout for his for now, and I just bought a Decathlon from Baby Catalog for $198!!! Not my first choice of color, but I will take it for that price... they are back to $215 I think there now....

Lisa - posted on 01/16/2009

I just bought a Graco Nautilus for my 4 year old.  This is our 3rd car seat - we did the infant seat followed by the Britax Roundabout.  Technically, she could probably go into just a booster seat now, but I wanted to keep her in a 5 point harness as long as possible.  The Nautilus (about $170) could have been the only car seat we would have needed to buy as it will hold the little babies all the way up to 100 pounds.  It can initially be installed rear facing for little ones, then forward facing with a 5 point harness up to 65 pounds, from there it becomes a booster seat with a back and side impact protection and finally a backless booster seat.  It is extremely versitile and with a cup holder and small toy cubbies in the arm rests, my daughter thinks it's pretty cool too.

Erica - posted on 01/16/2009

I know my sister has a lady on her webboard involved in an 80 mile and hour crash with her child in an Evenflo Triumph and he was completely unharmed.

Myself I have a Britax Marathon (my car) and a Boulevard I bought on EBay in Daddy's car. I love them both. I was afraid my daughter would mind the wings or that it would interfere with her view of the world but it doesn't, at all.

Deb - posted on 01/16/2009

I just purchased the Evenflo Triumph and have been very happy with it so far. The only issue is that it is a little hard to release the straps rear-facing to get my daughter out (since the knob is against the seat), but it hasn't been too difficult.

Kristy - posted on 01/16/2009

i have the eddie bauer 3 in 1. i LOVE it. i wish my other two had had one. i wont need to replace it and he looks so comfortable and snug in it. the only down falls i had read about before getting it was how big it was. a lot of people could not get it in there car. i did have to take off the base to make it fit but have had no troubles with it at all.

Jenny - posted on 01/16/2009

I just recently purchased the Britax Marthon based on numerous recommendations....and maybe I need a little time to get used to it, but so far I'm not as in love as most people.  My 8 month old is in it (rear facing) and has zero leg room.  Maybe that's a common problem for convertible seats, rear facing?  Also, the straps are constantly getting twisted.  And it's not easy to tighten/loosentthe straps.  Maybe I was spoiled by the ease of my son's infant seat.  I'm not returning it...just expected it to be glorious based on everyone's praise for it. 

Jessica - posted on 01/16/2009

I have the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat, it goes from rear facing, to front facing, to a booster! Up to 100 lbs. too. It is kinda big, but it fits fine in my sedan (Pontiac G6) and it has a great safety rating. I think its about $150, which is really great considering its a 3-in-one product. Good luck with your seach.

Alicia - posted on 01/16/2009

I got a Britax Marathon w/ my three year old daughter and now have one that I will be using for my new baby. I have had five kids and have been through lots of different seats but the Britax is by far the best I have used. Just my two cents.

Odette - posted on 01/16/2009

Britax makes a compact version of the Boulevard, called the Diplomat. I purchased it on from an online retailer on eBay for $150 including shipping and processing. It was a steal at that price! You can get great deals on a new Britax if you shop around on eBay. I highly recommend the Boulevard or the Diplomat because it has Side Impact Protection. The safety record on these two carseats is unrivled as well!



Good luck!

April - posted on 01/16/2009

Haha...another really good seat is the First Years true fit. It also harnesses to 65 lbs. and the shell is really tall. I wish I would have got this seat for my son!

Dawn - posted on 01/16/2009

Sounds like our christmas gift is going to be returned!!!!

April - posted on 01/16/2009

The bad thing about the Alpha Omega though, is that it only harnesses to 40 lbs, then you have to use it as a booster. It is recommeded to harness longer then 40 lbs.

Dawn - posted on 01/16/2009

Good point, I forgot about the expiration date.

Amanda - posted on 01/16/2009

It is true that consumer reports doesn't rate the Britax very high. I think that is because of their price though, because they make an excellent car seat. I have the Britax marathon, and even on sale it was still 250 dollars!! But when my son outgrows it he'll move into a booster, since it goes up to 65 pounds.

Another thing to remember about those convertibles with the incredibly high weight limits, we looked at one that went up to 80 pounds, is that a car seat is only good for 6 years. After that you have to get rid of it, because the plastic wears down. So even though an 80 or 100 pound limit would allow you to use it until the child was over 8 years old, you won't be able to use it for any more than 6 of those 8 years.

Dawn - posted on 01/16/2009

We have the costco alpha omega elite. it is very affordable and it was actually rated higher than the britax marathon in consumer reports. It also goes up to 100lbs for the toddler/child front facing so you won't need to replace it since most states now require kids to be in a car seat until 7 yrs old

April - posted on 01/16/2009

Do you have a price limit? If not then I would recommend the Britax Boulevard or the Britax Marathon. They are a little pricey, but WELL worth the money. They both rear face to 35 lbs. and forward face (harness) to 65 lbs. They are one of the highest rated car seats made.