I need to buy 2 carseats for my kids. They are both 35 lbs. and about 41". Their current seats are supposed to go up to 43" but they have definatley outgrown them! I'd like to get a 5pt. harness, high back booster. They currently are in Cosco Sceneras. They have never complained of them being uncomfortable and they were what we could afford at the time. So, anyway, I would love some recommendations. Would love to get a Britax but we just can't afford 2 of them and will need to buy our youngest a new one soon as well. Thank you in advance!
I purchased the Radian R100 carseats. 3 of them fit across our Pilot with room to spare. The kids love them and I love that they are very safe and can be harnessed up to 65 lbs.! Thanks to all those who gave me advice ;-)
If you can't afford the britax, I would get the Graco Nautilus. We have one in my husband's car and are pretty happy with it. The britax frontier is a little more comfortable and the armrests move up and down, but my son has never complained about the graco and seems happy with it. He is approx 45" and 48 lbs and has plenty of room to grow in the seat.
they def still NEED a 5 pt harness - and i see you've posted before about fitting three across - look at the sunshine radians, they are designed specifically to fit three across in virtually any vehicle. they can also rearface, not sure you young your youngest is, but look into getting 3 of those... check www.albeebaby.com and www.babyuniverse.com for sales and free shipping.
I have a Sunshine Radian XLT and a Britax. Like the Britax in our other car but LOVE the Radian. Radian are also known for slim profile to fit three across. While pricey, so worth knowing they are safe. They are made from STEEL. The newest Radian and newest Britax will take your kids all the way through the weight-height ranges.
i believe it was fisher price who was a sister company to Britax.
I too wanted a britax for my twins but i couldn't afford 2 of them..so after a lot of research I found out the fisher price had the exact same seat as the britax just not the prettier fabric etc and the price was a lot less.
I felt really comfortable that my kiddos were safe in these. ( they were 5 pt )
Otherwise i found Graco to be a good brand...just my two cents.
Good luck...have you looked on allbebaby.com?
My son (6 yo, 43lbs, 49' yes, he's a string bean) has been riding in a Graco Nautilus since 3 yo. It's very comfortable for him.
HOWEVER, I could NOT fit three of these across my backseat.
Look into Sunshine Radian (they're pretty much the narrowest seats out there). They ARE pretty expensive though I seem to remember.
My advice is to go someplace like BabysRUs IN PERSON. Look at the seats compared to the size of the seats you have now. Also, I'm pretty sure they do some kind of "bring in your old seat and get a discount on your new seat" promotion at BRU.
HTH
T.
I love our Britax Frontier 85, but if you can't afford that then I too would go with the Graco Nautilus.
Check out Diapers.com for deals.
My son is 6 and 50 " and 50 lbs. We have the graco nautilus. He was using the 5 point harness until a few months ago. I was rear ended in November and I was so thankful he was still in the harness. Fortunately he wasn't hurt at all. It goes up to 100 lbs as a booster. You can use it with the back on or off.
We bought our Britaxs (2) from allbeebaby.com and did really well w/a sale price. If you subscribe to their emails, you'll get notices about special promotions all the time. I LOVE them. They really didn't compare to some of the others we tried, esp w/the belts...these never tangle, etc. We're usually in a hurry, so futzing around with belts and parts that break is not an option! Check Amazon, too...
My kids are just slightly bigger than yours... 38 pounds and 43" tall. We have the Graco seats and love them. My girls say they're comfortable, they have cup holders and little hidden compartments on the sides (perfect for little toys). Plus, the car seats are full five point harness seats that convert to high back boosters and then low boosters. We looked at the Britax models (and had the money to buy them) but liked the Nautilis much better.
Graco nautilus .....have had 3 and loved them all (except the pink one gets dirty and won't come clean). Stick with darker colors :)
Cosco also makes a high back booster with a 5 pt harness. I was about to buy one for my oldest, but they were all out. Since I didn't feel like waiting a couple of days, I bought the Evenflow for $10 more. I actually ended up liking it more than the Cosco version, just for the way the straps adjust. So much easier.
I'd get an Evenflow highback booster with a 5-pt harness.
Do you have a Babies R Us near you? A few times a year mine has a deal where you turn in old baby gear, like a car seat, and get 20-25% off the purchase of a new one. Call and find ask about it. Then maybe you could get the Britax. We have the Britax Frontier right now for my 8 and 5 year olds - love it!!
My oldest 2 kids are in Graco Nautilus seats. The oldest is 44" and 43 lbs and he likes this seat better than the Graco high back booster we also have. Even my 3 year old can buckle herself in most of the time. I like that they can be in a 5 point harness for so long and that the seat can convert to a booster when necessary. The kids think they are comfortable and love the cup holder and cubbies. Right now I have all 3 kids in the middle seat of our Sequoia (youngest in a rear facing Evenflo) so depending on how big your car is, you could put 3 across. I'm not sure you could fit 3 across in a smaller vehicle.
Britax all the way! We bought my daughter's from Target online, they had a really great sale, and free shipping on orders over $50.
In my opinion, there is no compromise when it comes to my child's safety.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
I'm not affiliated with the above link in any way, but find it very informative and eye opening, I hope that you do too!
