BR: Convertible carseats

Mrs. Mo · April 2012

What brand/type of convertible car seats are you ladies using?

Are Britax all that they are hyped up to be? I am debating between a Britax Boulevard CS & the Graco Smart Seat. Thoughts? I want to get a really good one for the car which will be transporting Gabby each morning/evening. The other car will have a good one, just not with all the bells & whistles (so not a really expensive one). What would be a good seat for the lesser travelled in car?

As of right now, I do the dropping off & picking up. Then, we exclusivley use J's car on the weekends. If he gets the job he interviewed for today, he will be doing most of the dropping off/picking up and I will just need a cat in my car for the days when I leave work early and want to pick her up.

amelianguy · April 2012

We have this here cheapo one and it works just fine:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-Scenera-Convertible-Car-Seat-Clementine/16932754

They all go through the same safety checks so I don't think it's necessary to buy a really expensive one for your second car. Ellie actually seems to prefer this seat over her more cushion-y Graco seat. Go figure.

ChristinaDawn · April 2012

I don't have any advice yet but I'm glad you posted this because we ne to get a front facing carseat for Alex in the fall before baby 2 comes. At that point he'll be 20 months and that's close enough to two for me.

MBMcC421 · April 2012

Honestly, I don't understand the hype with brand names in regards to car seats - every seat has to follow safety guidelines, therefore when you start paying more for these "bells and whistles," you're really just paying for the ability to say "Oh, we have a Britax." I am perfectly content with Graco's MyRide 65, so much so that we bought one for each car regardless of how much it's used.

YouandMe912 · April 2012

We got 2 Britax Boulevard CS's. They were on sale and about $170 each. I LOVE THEM!!!

We looked at the Graco myride. While that is a nice seat, it's very wide. We know we'll need more than one in the car eventually (I have 2 convertibles in my car now) and they offered us no middle seat availability. At BBB, they brought the seat out to our car and they're just very large. We have 2 3rd row SUV's too. But they're a great seat and get great reviews.

The boy I nanny has a Graco something or other and I hate it. It's a PITA to tighten, loosen, and adjust the straps. Our seats are so simple and feel so much more sturdy. The britax seats are a breeze to install.

Ive also heard good things about the Cosco seats (I think maybe Ames has one? I think I'm spelling it wrong) we jut decided to get the ones we did bc they were clearanced at BBB. They're a year old but that's ok. We will not likely need 2 more for future kids anyway.

Syncronicity09 · April 2012

We have the MyRide 65. My sister bought it for us because of the higher weight limit...Ash is a tank. It is a bit bulkier than the old Evenflo one we have in J's car, but I like it.

michelle142 · April 2012

I've been looking at these a lot lately, since C is almost too tall for his infant seat already!! Another 1.5 inches and he'll be ready for a new seat.

I can bring myself to spend what they want for a Britax. Like was already said, they all go through the same tests. We don't really need all the bells and whistles since we don't spend a ton of time in the car with DS anyway.

I've been considering either the Evenflo Titan Elite or Titan Sport or the Graco My Ride 50 or 65

I'm leaning towards the Titan Elite. We have to buy 2, so we can't afford to spend a ton.

kelklump · April 2012

michelle142:
I've been looking at these a lot lately, since C is almost too tall for his infant seat already!! Another 1.5 inches and he'll be ready for a new seat.
I can bring myself to spend what they want for a Britax. Like was already said, they all go through the same tests. We don't really need all the bells and whistles since we don't spend a ton of time in the car with DS anyway.
I've been considering either the Evenflo Titan Elite or Titan Sport or the Graco My Ride 50 or 65

From what I was told by our car seat specialist on the fire department, weight is more of a factor than height. Most of the convertable seats dont start until 20lbs so make sure your little one is heavier than that.

We have the Evenflo Triumph Advance dlx- they were rated right behind the Britax on consumer reports. We bought them on albee baby for like 120 bucks. Great deal and so far so good. they are big seats, but they do reverse well.

michelle142 · April 2012

kelklump:
michelle142:
I've been looking at these a lot lately, since C is almost too tall for his infant seat already!! Another 1.5 inches and he'll be ready for a new seat.
I can bring myself to spend what they want for a Britax. Like was already said, they all go through the same tests. We don't really need all the bells and whistles since we don't spend a ton of time in the car with DS anyway.
I've been considering either the Evenflo Titan Elite or Titan Sport or the Graco My Ride 50 or 65
From what I was told by our car seat specialist on the fire department, weight is more of a factor than height. Most of the convertable seats dont start until 20lbs so make sure your little one is heavier than that.
We have the Evenflo Triumph Advance dlx- they were rated right behind the Britax on consumer reports. We bought them on albee baby for like 120 bucks. Great deal and so far so good. they are big seats, but they do reverse well.

Convertible seats can be used from 5lbs to 50/65lbs in most cases. Rear facing 5 to 20lbs (or whatever the seats limit is) and front facing from 20 to whatever the limit is.

Once babys head is 1 inch from the top of the carrier, you're supposed to switch. Especially with infant carriers.

YouandMe912 · April 2012

Our decision I get britax was also the higher weight limit. As we all know Nate is gigantic. Their rf limit is 40lbs and goes to 70lbs forward facing. If I could only use a seat that rf-d to 20 pounds Nate wouldve been ff-ing at 4 months or so :-/

billyandsara · April 2012

We also have the graco my ride 65 and so fat have had no problems with it.

Mrs. Mo · April 2012

Thanks ladies ! I definitely have to do some more research on these but it may come down to whatever fits in J's car & is high on the safe list.

MIL gave us an Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 for our shower. I looked it up and it is only rated for ff up to 40 lbs. (the harness has a 40lb rating as well). Also, Baby Bargains gave it a "D", so I do not feel comfortable using it. Sure, the gesture was nice but the poor rating & low weight limit was most likely why places don't really carry it anymore & why she got it at Marshalls.

tarmar81 · April 2012

As has been pointed out, all car seats do go through the same tests for safety, but they do differ widely on ease of use and size. It's not so much paying more for "bells and whistles" as it is for something that fits your car well, fits your kid well, and is easy to adjust.

We bought the Britax Marathon because most people I know who have one have been really happy with it and it consistently gets good reviews. We did get a good deal on ours, though, so that helped our decision. It's really easy to adjust the harness and super-easy to move in and out of both our cars. (Though with the LATCH system, I think pretty much any car seat is a cinch to remove or install.)

Some people think cup holders are a must. The Britax doesn't have cup holders built-in, but they sell ones for $11 that you can attach.

BR: Convertible carseats

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