Convertable Car Seats

Britax makes great car seats, although they're a bit pricey. The Britax Marathon is suitable for kids up to 65 pounds and keeps them in a 5-pont harness, the Britax Regent goes from 20 pounds up to 80 pounds. So, really, once you spend the initial money, you won't have to worry about buying a booster when they get to 40 pounds.
Good luck!

what's your price range? The following are all good choices because they high height and weight limits and will last most children until they're old enough and mature enough to use a belt-positioning booster. In order of price (low to high) they are:

Evenflo Triumph Advance (~$140 and up)
Compass TrueFit (~$179)
Sunshine Kids Radian (~$200 and up)
Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard (~$250 and up)
this link has brief overviews of the seats -scroll down to the FAQ post :
http://community.babycenter.com/post/a991035/faq_and_car_...

this site has a lot of useful reviews and info, and the forums are a great place to ask questions regarding what seat would be a good fit for your child, vehicle, and budget - many of the regulars are certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians:
http://www.car-seat.org/forumdisplay.php?f=4

Also please bear in mind that although your daughter meets the 1 year and 20 lbs. MINIMUM for forward facing, she can still safely and comfortably rear-face in a convertible seat, and in fact the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children remain rear-facing until they reach the maximum height or weight allowed by their convertible seats because it provides SIGNIFICANTLY greater protection to the head, neck, and spine, particularly for babies/toddlers who have such a large proportion of their weight in their heads. http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

We love our Britax Car Seat, I know they are expensive but worth it. Make sure whatever you get it goes up to 65lbs so you don't have to keep buying and buying.

This is the one we have:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3029006

Good Luck!

Hi T. -

We use Britax Marathan. It is fantastic!! It can face either backward or forward and can accommodate your child's growth. Not cheap but worth every penny. I got mine at Target.com (you should wait for it to go on sale as it often comes with free shipping).

Enjoy!

Act now, but I just bought the Recaro Como from www.woot.com for $99. It is a great seat and best price I have seen for anything of its scope. It will work until the child is 50" and 70 lbs. I bought it for my almost 4 year old instead of going to a booster to replace his current seat that maxes out at 40lbs. It is the deal of the day, so expires at 10PM 3/1.

Hi T.,
I love my Britax Boulevard, it holds up to 35 lbs rear facing and up to 65 lbs front facing. It also has side impact protection. The crotch strap on mine sits a little far back and isn't adjustable, but other then that I love it. Read the reviews on Amazon for any car seat you want, that is what helped me decide.

Britax. My little ones started out in a Britax Roundabout (convertible) used rear-facing. My older one (21 months) is now in a Britax Wizard, and my little one is only 4 months old, so he is rear-facing in the Roundabout. Britax costs a little extra, but they are the safest & most comfortable seats out there. Worth every dime! I don't do the infant seats with the detachable carriers because I was in a bad accident with one of those (empty, thank God!) installed in my car. The seat came detached from the base & went flying around the car in the crash. I use a convertible seat from Day One, and put the baby in a sling when we're shopping or whatever.

I am a chicco fan too and for the convertible carseats, we choose britax marathon. Love it. My 3 year old is still in his and my 10 month old just got into her's a month ago. Go to Goore's if you are in the Sacramento area, once you buy one they do a free installation. They are all certified car seat technician's. Check out Britax's website or Goore's website. Good luck

I have a Maxi Cosi Priori and a Britax Roundabout. They are similar in specs and cost about the same. The Roundabout is a little more expensive.

I love the European styling on the Priori, but I have to admit that installation is a little easier and more secure, and the harness straps are easier to deal with because they are longer.
The reason the Priori doesn't feel as secure when installed is because it can recline in the forward facing position. We love that feature, but we honestly don't use it that often since we don't do long road-trips. The Roundabout also reclines, but you have to take it out to recline it. The Priori has a lever that allows you to recline it while installed.

We have 2 girls 17 months apart. When my youngest turned one in January, we didn't want to spend the money on another Britax. So we gave the Britax Marathon to the younger one and gave my 2 year old a Graco Nautilis. It is a 3 in one convertible seat: forward facing, booster and backless booster. We paid $169 at Target for it. It also has a cup holder. So far, so good.

Hi T. -
We have the Recaro convertible car seats. I purchased one for my daughter while my son had the Britax Marathon, but he liked it so much we got him one too. The side impact protection is great and they just look so comfortable in it.
Good luck.

I love our Britax Marathons! We have two and I wouldn't use anything else. I have a 22 pound 23 month old and a 45 pound 5 year old. Once these seats are installed they don't move. If you shake the seat, the whole car moves. These seats will stay put in an emergency, yet are simple to take out and put in another vehicle. Good luck!

I have to join everyone in touting the Britax Marathon. We waited for a sale and got ours for 15% off at BRU. Check with your local BRU, they had some 15% off coupons that are good until March 5. My son loves being able to see out the windows now and seems pretty comfortable in it too.