Convertible Car Seat Suggestions?

I love, love, love my britax marathon. It is bulky, and heavy, and a total pain to wash-yes, but the straps don't twist, and it is soooo easy to adjust! I have my daughter in a sweater in the morning, and when I take it off and get her back in the car, I just tug the strap at the bottom and it's perfectly snug. It's a pain to travel with- I have carried that thing through the airport more times than I can count, but I still love it.

3 of my friends bought theirs online with this model:

http://www.albeebaby.com/coedbaalomel2.html

It is a better deal than buying with a retail price. I am looking for one too for my 8 mo old son and might consider buying the same model. Good luck!

We're big fans of the Britax Boulevard carseat. I think it's the most expensive one usually around $290, but well worth it in my opinion. It has the side impact wings that are next to the head. And we were just in a car accident last week and my daughter was totally fine. So that's the one that I would totally recommend. I think tinyride.com has them on sale right now for $260 http://www.tinyride.com/Britax-Boulevard-Car-Seat-P435.aspx

We used the Britax Marathon. It has good ratings and is very durable and safe. Don't buy the fuzzy fabric ones, they tend to retain heat and make your child hot. Denim is better. Try to make sure it fits in your car before you buy it, it's quite large.

Hi N.
We have a Britax Blvd and love it but its kinda hard not to love something that has just about every convenience feature available. It really depends on a few factors which carseat will be best for you: what you drive(it has to fit in your vehicle), size of child(shorter/taller,petite/chunky), and your budget. Check out Car-safety.org. It is now recommended that you keep children rear-facing as long as possible, no longer just until 1 year so you may want to look for a convertible that will allow you to do that. There are a few on that site to suit any budget that are highly rated safety wise and have some of the highest height/weight limits available. That way you can minimize the number of carseats you need to buy. Good luck as you wade through the sea of information, I know it can be very overwhelming. I researched for close to 3 months and bought 3 different seats(to see how they worked in our car)before ending up with he Blvd. Also if you choose to buy online elitecarseats.com is a great site with awsome customer service, they also have cheap flat rate shipping and you can buy return shipping insurance for a couple dollars if you are not sure if you will keep it. (BTW I dont work for them just really liked them and thats rare ;) Hope that helps.
S.

We have 2 convertibles and love them both. I have the Britax Roundabout in my car which is a little more plush and "comfy" than the Radian 65 my husband has. That being said, we love them both. The Britax is what she is in most of the time (since I drive around with her most) for longer car trips as well. The radian is great because the saftey features are right up there with the Britax AND it will hold her until she is 65lbs! (So its the only one my hubby will ever need for her.) We decided on the Radian for my hubby too because he has an extended cab truck and its a little tighter in the back and the Radian has a sleeker fit (You can actually fit 3 across in most back seats if you needed to. Once DD grows out of the round about (45lb) I'll get her a Radian for my car as well and the new baby will get the Britax.

Hello :)
We did a lot of research, and although more on the pricey side, we chose Britax. We have one in each of our cars for our 2 year old and will soon be buying another for our 8 month old. And then again in the future (I am 9 weeks along). We got the Britax Marathon as it has the 5-point harness and holds up to 60 pounds. Other brands I'm sure are fine, but when it comes to our children, the extra money for a better brand is well worth it to us.
Good luck!
S.

Hi, we have 2 britax marathon and 2 britax roundabouts and love them all! The benefit of the marathon is it goes to 60lbs instead of (I think) 40lbs like the roundabout. Easy to get kids in and out and ranked #1 by consumer report. They are pricey, but worth it and check biz rate for the best deals on discontinued fabrics.
Good luck!

This is similar to the car seat I have for my daughter. Evenflo Triumph Advance LX Convertible Car Seat - Barley Twist Target carries it.
I really like it because it reclines so when she falls asleep in the car I can recline the seat one handed easily so that she is not slumped over. It has a five point harness that is easy to get in and out of sleeping or awake.

Hi N.,
I have the Britax Marathon and absolutely love it. Britax has one of the safest crash test ratings on all of their seats. They are a litte bit more pricey but very worth it. The Marathon is a rear facing and forward facing seat. It is a 5 point harness that will hold up to 70 pounds. They make covers in a variety of colors and patterns to fit your style and are very comfortable. I highly recommend anything by Britax. I can tell you from first hand experience that when your child is in a car accident as mine was with his father and even the police officer comments that I was lucky I had the car seat I did otherwise it would have been a lot worse for my son, I would never think about putting my son into anything else but a Britax. I do suggest that you do your research though, find out what the height and weight limits are on the seats you are thinking about, go to the consumer websites and read the crash test ratings. If you still need help, I also recommend going to The Right Start (it's a baby store in Sherman Oaks and Pasadena), the employees are trained on all of the carseats that they sell and will be more than happy to answer any and all of your questions. Hope this helps.
Take care,
H.

We have the Britax Marathon and Love it!

The Britax Marathon is fantastic! We've had it for both our girls and wouldn't change a thing. Alot of our friends did their research, bought the same, and feel exactly as we do. Hope this helps. :-)

N., My son is about to turn 4 and ever since he grew out of his infant car seat I have been using the Alpha Omega by Cosco. It reclines in a forward facing position and has been comfortable for him on long car rides. We go to L.A. alot to visit relatives and the drive is around 2 hours. It also has a cup holder just for him. I would look at either Target or Babies R' Us. Take them down and test them to see which one suits your son.

I have the britax blvd. But i have been hearing a lot of good tings about the Recarro seats. They are made by a car company that actually makes racing seats. So you know they are safe. The only thing with them is that at forty pounds you have to take off the five point harness and use the seat belt with it. Which a great option if your child is smaller and will be forty punds at say 5 but if you have a 2 1/2 year old who is already 43lbs and 41 inches like me it doesnt work because you want the five point harness still. I have a three month old too and when he out grows the infant seat i will putting him in the britx blvd and buying the Regent by Britax because it is bigger and goes up to 80 pounds. And just make sure when you buy a new one that it is rear facing and foward facing. Sometimes the cheaper ones arent rear facing too.

I purchased the Britax Roundabout and Britax Marathon for my daughter Jordyn. I highly recommend either of these car seats. In fact, I think almost any Britax car seat is a great buy. After doing my own research, I chose not to get the Britax Boulevard because of the inability to adjust the crotch belt. Other than that issue, I think you're safe with any of their car seats. Also, these car seats are both good for up to 60 lbs. so no need to keep upgrading the car seat. The initial investment is more, but in the long run, I think that you will break even.

We have the Britax Roundabout, Marathon and Regent.
Nuff' said (-:

M.

Hi N.,
I loved our Evenflo Triumph convertable. I used it for two kids and it was fantastic. The down sides are it is really heavy is you move it alot between cars and the straps do not come completely off. It is really comfy and very easy to adjust the straps or wash the cover.

The Britax Marathon is the best for safety. It goes up to 60 lbs roughly, which seems like it'll last you forever!! It has a washable seat cover and it comes in so many different patterns. My twin daughters love it and have never complained about getting in their seat.

we absolutely LOVE our Britax Roundabouts. My cousin is a saftey carseat installation expert (a certification he took a 40 hour course to receive as a highway patrol officer). He recommended this carseat or the Marathon (basically the same seat but bigger for up to a higher weight-limit). He insists they are the best due to two factors: 1. they receive the highest saftey ratings and 2. they are the easiest to install which makes them more likely to be installed properly and thus live up to their safety rating. My dughter is very comfortable in the seat and often sleeps in it and the roundabout is a good fit in our cars (Corolla and Accord) as well as on airplane trips. My neighbor has the marathon which fits just finein her SUV but cannot fit it on an airplane and has borrowed our Roundabout for such occasions (I think that's the main problem with the marathon...its just so big!) The roundabout is suitable up to 40 lbs and then you would need to move your child to a booster, whereas the Marathon goes all the way to 65 lbs.

Hope that helps!

Hi N.,
My daughter has a Britax Roundabout - I love it and so does she. She's almost 4 and I need to "upsize" now, but there's nothing on the market that I like as much as that one.

Many of my friends have this also and everyone really likes it.

Britax makes the best!

I have both Britax: Marathon and Boulevard seats for my son and love them. When my daughter outgrows her seat, I'm thinking about replacing her Evenflo Triumph 5 (though it has been a great, inexpensive alternative with good reviews) with the Recaro: Young Sport Booster

We have the Graco Cargo for our youngest one (18 months). We have an older model (I think) for our 5 year old, that we like better, but they don't make it anymore. We're happy with the carseats we have. When I was first pregnant with my daughter, we did a lot of research and asked our friends for their opinions. We went with Graco for that reason. I think it's a good quality car seat that's reasonably priced. My friends that are starting to have children are getting Britax and are happy with their purchase, too. I found that it's too bulky for my taste and it's rather expensive. You should check them out in the store and see what fits your needs (i.e., will it fit comfortably in your car and have room for another person to sit next to them comfortably, does it fit your budget, etc.). Good luck!

the most popular one that i found is the britax marathon or britax boulevard. we have the marathon because it was recommended by everyone i asked. the thing i don't love, is the belt between their legs is too short. you have to extend the shoulder straps in order to latch it & it's annoying. otherwise, it's fine.

Check out the Britax Boulevard (or the newest version of that.) My daughter will be 6 years old in April, and she is still in hers. We got it when she was about 2, to replace another, and I had wished then that I had it when she was an infant! It is great. You won't have to buy a seat for a very long time, and your son won't have to go into a booster sooner than he should when the time comes.

I have an evenflo Titan Deluxe and it is great. I have a two year old and an 8 month old and they both love it. It is very comfortable, easy to install and I love that it reclines. Good luck.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2739373

Hello N.,

If your son is both at least 1 years old (shoulder and hip bones need that time to solidfy) and at least 20 lbs, you can get any forward facing seat. If he is not 1 years old yet, but over 20 lbs already, Graco makes an infant carrier rated to 30 lbs, Graco along with Evenflo, Cosco / Dorel, and Britax (expensive) all make good convertible seats.

I am a Safety Seat Tech and see a lot of parents in your spot. If his legs are long, but his back head and spine all fit in the seat properly, you are probably OK. Hoped this helped. Jim

I have two kids one boy 2 and a half and my daughter is 16 months we are a britax family. They have the highest safety rating, are a bit pricey but they are good all up until your little guy is 65lbs which means you wont have the extra cost of a booster seat.We have the decathalon. I have the link for you.http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2864820 My friend also has the britax boulvard and is planning on buying another when her little girl arrives http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2738091. Good luck

Hi N.,
Check consumer reports on line. It gives you all the latest safety ratings on the car seats. I love my Britax - and Britax always rates high.

Good luck.

L.

We have a Britax Marathon and it is great. We also bought the Graco Comfort Sport for travel (lighter, fits better on the plane, etc) and for our extra car or grandma's car. It is also comfortable, easy to use, and traveled well. It is recommended in Baby Bargains (a very trustworthy review book) as a extra seat and costs only about $70. We are now getting another seat for our new car and will choose between the Britax Marathon and Roundabout, just based on seat width. Check Baby Bargains or Toddler Bargains before any major purchase!

We have an evenflo titan and love it. It fits nicely in my Saturn and has a release for the belt, to make it easier to get the baby out. We had it in the house and my daughter loved to climb into it and play.

Just another vote for the Britax Marathon. We love ours!

I love my Britax Wizard. I am not sure if they make that model anymore, but I've heard good things about other Britax too.

everyone seems to agree on a couple of seats. I actually like my
Alpha Omega Elite Convertible (Grayson). I don't know that any one is better than the other. My advise is to look at the weight limitations. Mine goes from backward to forward facing and then to a booster seat up to 100 lbs. but some seats only go up to 40 or 60 and with the requirement going up all the time ... I would rather buy one seat (2 with the carrier) than 3.