# What kind of Convertible Car Seat should I buy?



## icy02 (Oct 28, 2008)

I am starting to think about a convertible car seat for my 8 mo. He still fits in his bucket car seat fine, but I would like to take my time researching. I am planning on keeping him rear facing for as long as possible. What car seats do you have or recommend? I have a 2008 Prius. I am also thinking about buying a used convertible car seat on craigslist for our 2nd car a 1997 F150. DS is only in F150 2-3X week when DH picks him up after work. I know that car seats expire after 5 years but is there anything else I should look for in a used seat?


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## ChristyH (Dec 10, 2003)

Personally I would not buy a used seat unless it was from a very trusted source and you knew for sure the seat was never in an accident.

For a convertible though my favorite recommendation is the True Fit, we have one for our DD and love it. It has a 35lb rear facing weight limit with a 65 forward facing limit, plus I found it very easy to install. It also seems to work well for some smaller vehicles because it has a removable headrest that you can not use until your baby is 22lbs and then it has to be put on. Lots of rear facing leg room and dd seems to be very comfy in it.


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## icy02 (Oct 28, 2008)

I will probably buy then one of the cheaper car seats from walmart for our truck (2nd vehicle). Also, how are the Britax seats? When it comes to a car seat money isn't an issue, but I would like one I can use for a looooong time. Is there one coming out that will RF til 45 lbs? Should I wait and look into that one?


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## ChristyH (Dec 10, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *icy02* 
I will probably buy then one of the cheaper car seats from walmart for our truck (2nd vehicle). Also, how are the Britax seats? When it comes to a car seat money isn't an issue, but I would like one I can use for a looooong time. Is there one coming out that will RF til 45 lbs? Should I wait and look into that one?

A Scenera would be good for DH's truck, it's not expensive and it rear faces to 35lbs and forward faces to 40lbs.

I like Britax, in fact I've had several through the years but I've found lately that there are just so many other great seats out there right now.
The Radian XT is rumored to be able to RF to 45lbs very soon, I have had a Radian and really liked them but they aren't compatible with all cars, especially smaller cars because of their really tall shell when rear facing.
True Fits have a nice deep seat and a tall shell but because they aren't up on a base then sit lower in the car. Another feature I like is that you don't have to rethread the harness every time you need to change the height.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I'd consider a radian (wait to see if the xt rf's to 45 before buying one), safety first complete air (rf to 40lbs with tall shell), Graco MyRide (rf to 40, but has a shorter shell so a lot of kids won't make it quite that heavy), the True Fit, or any of the britax convertibles that go to 50lbs or 65lbs ffing. The radian or complete air will last you the longest rfing, the radian or true fit the longest ffing of those.


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## wombatclay (Sep 4, 2005)

We used to have Britax Marathons and they were great. However they are really bulky and filled the entire back seat. So they weren't great for "real life" moments like leaving a seat at the preschool for field trip day, or for use in rental cars or airplanes, or for leaving with grandma for a few hours (she couldn't lift/install them on her own).

We have radians now and really like them... good for traveling (because of the folding feature and relatively light weight), easier to swap between vehicles/carry up the preschool stairs, and really the only seat we can use now since we need to fit three across (two ff and one rf). If you think you might have another babe (our third was a surprise







) then the slim fit of the radian is a plus.


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## MichelleAnnette (Aug 20, 2006)

We have a Britax Boulevard and a Radian XT. I much prefer the Boulevard. It is so much more user friendly. It takes me longer to strap ds into the Radian and I have to uninstall it to adjust the strap height. It is a great and safe seat but just not so user friendly like the Boulevard. Also, it is tall, which is not a problem in our minivan but could be in a car. I love that it goes to 40 lb rf though and for that reason alone, would probably buy it again over a second Boulevard. It has a longer life than the Boulevard I think.


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## GaSMom (Sep 7, 2009)

Take a look at the Eddie Bauer. It's very comfortable, easy to use and hold a lot of weight so you can use it longer = money saver.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GaSMom* 
Take a look at the Eddie Bauer. It's very comfortable, easy to use and hold a lot of weight so you can use it longer = money saver.









:

I don't know of any eddie bauer seat you can use as long as even a britax, much less a radian.

Personally I don't purchase seats made by that manufacturer.

The radian is a great choice, as is the true fit.

-Angela


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## ChristyH (Dec 10, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 







:

I don't know of any eddie bauer seat you can use as long as even a britax, much less a radian.


I think she might be thinking of the 80lb weight limit they have on the box, it doesn't harness to 80lbs I think it only harnesses to 40lbs (maybe 50lbs on the new ones). After that it has to be used in booster mode but alot of people see 80lb weight limit and this otherwise.


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## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *GaSMom* 
Take a look at the Eddie Bauer. It's very comfortable, easy to use and hold a lot of weight so you can use it longer = money saver.

The Eddie Bauer (which, incidentally, means you paid more money for an Alpha Omega Elite with the words "eddie bauer" stitched on the cover), while a decent convertible, certainly doesn't last longer than many of the equally priced convertibles on the market today. A First Years True Fit will last equally as long, possibly longer. A Sunshine Kids Radian will last much longer.

The seat you mentioned converts to a booster, but it makes a very unsafe booster, and I would never recommend using it as such.


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## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ChristyH* 
I think she might be thinking of the 80lb weight limit they have on the box, it doesn't harness to 80lbs I think it only harnesses to 40lbs (maybe 50lbs on the new ones). After that it has to be used in booster mode but alot of people see 80lb weight limit and this otherwise.

Any Eddie Bauer currently on the market (and for the last year and change) rear faces to 35 lbs, forward faces to 50 lbs, and technically is rated as a booster to 100 lbs (although that's an outrageous piece of fabrication.







)

The new version of the seat has the top head rest position reinforced for harnessed use, so this seat will fit most kids from 6 months to 5 or 6 years as a harnessed seat. Really not a bad deal! It just makes a terrible booster, and it doesn't fit newborns, so it can't be used from birth.


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## ChristyH (Dec 10, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Maedze* 
Any Eddie Bauer currently on the market (and for the last year and change) rear faces to 35 lbs, forward faces to 50 lbs, and technically is rated as a booster to 100 lbs (although that's an outrageous piece of fabrication.







)
.

100lbs! I cannot see that seat lasting to 100lbs for booster stage, I'm just not a huge fan of them anyway.
I've also seen quite a few people think they can harness to 80lbs (or 100lbs now) because of the way they have it written on websites that sell them.
Plus you can get a True Fit for almost the same about of money which I much prefer over the AOE.


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## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

Seriously. Setting aside, for a moment, the fact that the booster makes a TERRIBLE booster (unsafe lap belt fit), it's really designed to only fit kids to a few inches over four feet in height. Now, if you could squeeze a four foot child who weighed 100 pounds into that seat, more power to you, but you're going to need a crowbar and a jar of vaseline to get him out again


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## icy02 (Oct 28, 2008)

Thanks so much for all your input!!!







: This is what I've narrowed it down to, but I have a few more questions:

I like the Britax because the straps are so sturdy they don't tangle up. (which is currently a pain in the butt with my Keyfit 30) BUT it is a rather large seat. The seat I buy for my car isn't going to be removed for grandma, etc... so weight doesn't really matter. I guess at this point size of the seat isn't THAT big of a deal b/c we only have one baby. It will be a few years before I am trying to fit 3 across in a prius! But when I do have to fit 3 across should I buy Elijah a new seat?

I like the looks of the True Fit and the price!!! But I was wondering how the straps are, do they tangle a lot? How big is it compared to a Britax?

ChristyH: You mentioned that the Radian's are not compatible with all cars as the shell is very tall. On another website a prius owner was able to fit 3 seats across using the Radian. That is a plus for me as we do want more kids and it would be nice not to need another seat for Elijah for a loooong time! OTOH by the time we have 3 kiddos I just may have a bigger car! So I don't know if that should be a deciding factor.

Sorry for all the confusion! I just feel all over the place deciding on the 'right' seat. I might just have to go into a baby store and put DS in a few and see which one fits him best. Unfortunately the Radian is only available online


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## azmomtoone (Aug 30, 2008)

We have two Radians, and absolutely love them - much better than the Britax Marathon, IMO. (not that there is anything wrong w/ the Marathon, not at all, we just like the Radians better). We have an older one (33 lb RF limit) forward-facing in DH's Neon, and a newer 40-lb RF one in my car. We had the one in DH's neon rear-facing for over a year, however, at the more upright install allowed for older kids it fit fine......it would not fit at the 45 degrees required for a newborn however. (unless the passenger seat is pulled all the way forward, and the seat back folded forward, but I'm not sure if that's safe either so I wouldn't install it that way).
The straps don't twist easily like on some seats, and it's a great seat for erf - the low bottom and shorter sides on the seat make it easier for toddlers to climb in and out of, plus more room for longer legs to hang over the sides. Also - DS outgrew the Marathon RF by height at 27 mos - whereas now, at 33 mos, still has a couple inches to go before he hits the height limit on the Radian. The extra height also means it'll last longer forward facing.....whereas many kids in a marathon/boulevard will need another harnessed seat because they get too tall for that one before they are old enough for a booster, most kids will get to booster age in a Radian.


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## ChristyH (Dec 10, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *icy02* 
I like the looks of the True Fit and the price!!! But I was wondering how the straps are, do they tangle a lot? How big is it compared to a Britax?

ChristyH: You mentioned that the Radian's are not compatible with all cars as the shell is very tall. On another website a prius owner was able to fit 3 seats across using the Radian. That is a plus for me as do want more kids and it would be nice not to need another seat for Elijah for a loooong time! OTOH by the time we have 3 kiddos I just may have a bigger car! So I don't know if that should be a deciding factor.

I've never had the straps on the True Fit tangle and I've found it's about the same size as a Britax but it doesn't sit up as high because it's not on a base like the Britax.

That's awesome that someone with a Prius was able to install a Radian. I would look at the Radian XT since they will soon be able to rear face to 45lbs. We had a Radian and LOVED it, but I would make sure to order it from somewhere with a good return policy just in case. I've seen people with minivans that have had to return them because they couldn't get a good install.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

I believe the true fit will last you longer than the Britax seats.


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

We have a TrueFit and I've never had the straps twist/tangle. It is taller than the Britax seats, so it will last longer. It seems to be about the same width wise. It wouldn't be great for a 3-across in a Prius - that's a relatively small backseat so you'd really need to stick with something like a radian if that's a concern.

Though keep in mind they only last 6-7 years, so depending on your child spacing the seat you buy now may have expired two children from now...


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## Ceili (Nov 21, 2001)

I had a really really hard time installing my marathon rear-facing in my MIL's Prius. I had to move it outboard to get a decent install.

I have a True-Fit and the straps are comparable to Britax straps, they don't twist or tangle. It's a really nice seat.


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## goodheartedmama (Feb 1, 2007)

My friend has a prius, and I've installed with her the britax convertibles RF and a radian. The britax seats installed easily (except in the center...we had a time with that), but she could not do the radian alone. With both of us, we got a good install but it took some time (and she's a tech). I love the radian, but I'd make sure you get a tech to help install the seat. It fits fine behind the passenger seat.


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## Mal85 (Sep 3, 2008)

I have a 6 mo and am in the same boat as you. She's our only baby so far. I drive a Dodge Caliber, so not a real big back seat. We're hoping to get her into a convertible next month, possibly the next. Definitely before Christmas. She just hates her bucket seat so much.

She's fairly small for her age, skinny. Her dad and I aren't real big, so I don't foresee her being real tall. We're on the fence about whether we'll get a True Fit or the Graco MyRide. I like that the MyRide rear faces up to 40 lbs. Since she's built small, I might actually be able to squeeze that out of her, considering it's not likely she'll be very tall. My concern is that since she is built small, she'll be in kindergarten before she hits 40 lbs and I'd have a hell of a time keeping her rear facing for that long.


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## jillmamma (Apr 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Mal85* 
She's fairly small for her age, skinny. Her dad and I aren't real big, so I don't foresee her being real tall. We're on the fence about whether we'll get a True Fit or the Graco MyRide. I like that the MyRide rear faces up to 40 lbs. Since she's built small, I might actually be able to squeeze that out of her, considering it's not likely she'll be very tall. My concern is that since she is built small, she'll be in kindergarten before she hits 40 lbs and I'd have a hell of a time keeping her rear facing for that long.

If she is skinny as well as short, the Truefit may last longer as I understand it has a taller shell than the MyRide. BTW, I have a tiny girl too, who just turned 4 in August, and is still riding RF to PreK4 in her Britax Decathlon. At 1 year, she was like 16.5 lb and 28 inches, now at 4 she is like 29 lb and maybe 37 inches? Her seat has a 33 lb limit, so I am guessing sometime within the next year or so I will turn her. But she technically may be able to ride RF while in K! But I believe I will let her ride the school bus to school, so would be FF in that, and therefore will probably want to ride FF in the car too.


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## icy02 (Oct 28, 2008)

Does anyone know a store that carries the True Fit? This is the seat I would like to go with but really would prefer to see it in person and try my DS in it. I tried him in a Britax Boulevard and really like it, but can see him getting too tall, too soon! Thats why I think the True Fit is the best bet for us. The radian just looks too uncomfortable for an 8 mo baby! IMO of course. It's just very straight-backed.


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## TheGirls (Jan 8, 2007)

Babies R Us carries it here, and Target used to.


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## icy02 (Oct 28, 2008)

our babies r us doesn't







I was just there, but I will check target! Thanks


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