# Britax companion-is it worth it?



## HippieMamaBE (Oct 5, 2005)

I love Britax, mainly for their great safety ratings. I wasnt planning on getting a new bucket seat for this LO, since it will more than likely be my last. However, after talking with SO, he said I can splurge on the new seat if I want to, even with the high price tag. One of the main benefits I'm looking at it is the true side impact protection, since more than likely this LO's seat will have to be on the side-I'm not quite sure yet if it will fit in the middle beside DS's blvd. Has anyone else bought it-loved it, or hated it???? Just looking for opinions!


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## JennaW (Oct 11, 2007)

I haven't used that seat but I wanted to say you might want to x-post in family safety, there are a lot of car seat guru's over there


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## babyjelly (Jan 12, 2008)

i'm no help either...i was also not planning on a bucket for this one, but a friend brought her companion over a couple of days ago, and i figure i might as well, because i'm definitely splurging on the convertible, i may as well give myself a couple extra months.
anyway, haven't used it yet obviously, but it looks comfy...


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## madiesmommy (Dec 10, 2007)

Well, according to consumer reports you'd be better off with the Chicco Key fit carseat that is cheaper by $30... However, I am with you, we have only Britax for dd and generally they are extra safe. Consumer reports does not say it is "unsafe" - the Chicco was an 88 and the Britax was a 77 - based on a difference in the ease of use category. Hope that helps some with your decision!


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

In keeping with the DDC Guidelines, I am moving this to Family Safety.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *madiesmommy* 
Well, according to consumer reports you'd be better off with the Chicco Key fit carseat that is cheaper by $30... However, I am with you, we have only Britax for dd and generally they are extra safe. Consumer reports does not say it is "unsafe" - the Chicco was an 88 and the Britax was a 77 - based on a difference in the ease of use category. Hope that helps some with your decision!

Consumer Reports should NEVER be used to evaluate car seats. Washing machines and toaster ovens, sure, but car seats? Never. Their testing methods are fubarred and they don't have a clue what they are doing.

That being said, the Britax Companion is a fine, if pricey, seat







It does have some installation issues, and it will not last you terribly long if you have a larger baby.

If you don't mind that, and you have the money to buy it as well as the convertible you will need in a fairly short amount of time compared to a seat like the Chicco Keyfit30 or the Graco SafeSeat 1, there's certainly nothing wrong with it


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *madiesmommy* 
Well, according to consumer reports you'd be better off with the Chicco Key fit carseat that is cheaper by $30... However, I am with you, we have only Britax for dd and generally they are extra safe. Consumer reports does not say it is "unsafe" - the Chicco was an 88 and the Britax was a 77 - based on a difference in the ease of use category. Hope that helps some with your decision!

Consumer Reports is useless when it comes to carseats. Not a reliable source at all.

-Angela


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

We have a companion and like it. Glad we spent the $$ on it even though dd was only in it around 4 months or so.

For me the big selling point is the anti-rebound bar. When we got the seat for dd it was the only one on the market with one. Now I believe there is one other.

-Angela


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

It's ok, but there are better seats out there for cheaper. Honestly I would get a different bucket and then splurge and get a good convertible.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

I love Britax seats, I have owned 6 of them.







That being said, I did not care for the Companion at all, in fact I sold it as soon I moved DD2 into a MA. It installed fine, my biggest issue is that I couldn't get the seat out of the base. I didn't use it as a carrier often, just when DD2 was asleep in the car and I wanted to take her in the house without waking her up, but I never could because by the time I finally would get the seat out (it always seemed to stick in there), she was awake from all the pulling.







I am eyeing either a Chicco Keyfit or a Graco Safeseat for when #3 comes along.


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## 77589 (Mar 7, 2007)

when consumer reports goofed last year and ran the test like at 60-70 instead of the 30-35 like they are supposed to, the companion failed. Also there is a chemical analysis site linked somewhere on the main site here. Do a search for car seats and u should find it. I know one of the britax didn't do well, but can't remember which. This is coming from a britax fan as well. I almost bought the companion, but changed my mind cause of the cons report, I spend most of my time driving 60+


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## GooeyRN (Apr 24, 2006)

We have one now and I hate it. Its so heavy compared to our old Graco bucket. Its also more difficult to pop in and out of the vehicle. I do not recommend it if you want to carry it as a bucket. I do not carry it as a bucket. I find it difficult to get a baby in and out of ANY bucket while the bucket is in the car. So, I do pop it in and out to come in/out of the house, but could never lug that thing with a baby in it around the mall. With this bucket, I rarely get lucky to carry a sleeping baby into the house. He aways wakes up when I am popping it out. I used to get lucky with the Graco bucket. But, the companion seems to be safer so I use it until I feel ds is big enough for a convertable seat. It seems wider than our Graco, too. You may want to do some measuring to see if it will fit alongside another carseat. We could not fit the companion next to a rear facing marithon so we replaced the marithon with a scenera.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OceansEve* 
I almost bought the companion, but changed my mind cause of the cons report, I spend most of my time driving 60+

Please, don't worry about that report. It was ridiculous. You may be driving at 60+ mph, but you don't CRASH at 60+mph. Why? 99% of the time, you will BRAKE prior to impact. Even at highway speeds, the vast majority of accidents are well under 30mph at time of impact.

By and large, impacts TRULY at 70mph, no brakes, are nonsurvivable, and the best car seat in the world is pretty irrelevant.


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## GooeyRN (Apr 24, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Peony* 
. It installed fine, my biggest issue is that I couldn't get the seat out of the base. I didn't use it as a carrier often, just when DD2 was asleep in the car and I wanted to take her in the house without waking her up, but I never could because by the time I finally would get the seat out (it always seemed to stick in there), she was awake from all the pulling.









Thats my biggest complaint, all of the pulling required wakes ds.


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## junestars (Dec 2, 2004)

I had one for my ds. I do believe it's the cushiest bucket out there. I have an obsession for pushing down in car seats and if I feel plastic I'm horrified







I loved the rebound bar and do believe it made a much sturdier install.

Unfortunatly it wouldn't fit in my current car so my dd rides in a Keyfit 30. I'm do like how it is a bit easier to get her in and out out the keyfit, the install was SO easy, it's missing a crotch pad (and the sip head thing) which i liked in the companion but overall the cushiness is close to the britax. Feel wise - I still think the britax is a better seat, but the keyfit is a close second and i'm very happy with it. A good install is so important that that alone might put it over the britax...


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## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

I loved my companion, and I will get a new one for this baby. If you plan on taking the seat out of the car a lot, you might look at another seat. It is harder than the others to get in and out of the base. I left mine in the car 90% of the time though, so that wasn't an issue for me. I felt (and feel) it is the safest seat available. I know all of the seats have to pass the same tests, but I trust Britax as a company and the companion has features other seats dont.


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## chann96 (May 13, 2004)

We have the Companion for my son who is a large baby (90th percentile). I have things I like and don't like about it.

Good:
Side impact protection

Rebound bar helps to make a very tight install. You can't move our seat for anything.

It _says_ (and if a cst here can confirm this for me I'd appreciate it) that the baby outgrows it by height when the top of their head is above the top of seat rather than the one inch below rule with other infant seats. If really true this will allow my son to stay in this seat longer although I'm going to have to watch the weight issue as well.

Bad:
As others have mentioned it is really really hard to get the seat out of the base. I rarely care about this, but have had a couple of times I wanted to try to keep him asleep and just carry the bucket. The first time I tried I gave up thinking there must be some other button to push. The other times I tried I figured out how to get it out, but by the time I got it I had woken him up. The bucket is also crazy heavy.

The straps get twisted a lot. With my Marathons I have never had the straps twist on me, but with this one it does it frequently. It's really annoying.

All in all I feel it is a very safe seat and I'm glad I have it; the other things are just annoying.


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## lovingmommyhood (Jul 28, 2006)

I have it. My baby isn't born yet so I can't say much about that but it was easy to install with latch & seatbelt (separately, of course) I love the look & feel of the seat, it seems very comfy. I'm happy about the side impact protection.

The thing I don't like is it IS very hard to get out of the base and I am one that always takes the seat out of the car... Flame away!







It's also very heavy.

So far though I like it a lot.


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## madiesmommy (Dec 10, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
Consumer Reports should NEVER be used to evaluate car seats. Washing machines and toaster ovens, sure, but car seats? Never. Their testing methods are fubarred and they don't have a clue what they are doing.

But yet the recommendations of all are right in line with their report


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *madiesmommy* 
But yet the recommendations of all are right in line with their report









Not quite sure what you mean here....

-Angela


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## treqi (Dec 31, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *madiesmommy* 
But yet the recommendations of all are right in line with their report









the recommendations of the people here have to do with ease of use, which IMO you really should try to leave the bucket in the car, not safety which is a lot more important...... I'm pretty sure the Companion has one of the tightest installs on the market


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *madiesmommy* 
But yet the recommendations of all are right in line with their report









Um, no they aren't.


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## chann96 (May 13, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *treqi* 
the recommendations of the people here have to do with ease of use, which IMO you really should try to leave the bucket in the car, not safety which is a lot more important...... I'm pretty sure the Companion has one of the tightest installs on the market


I agree that safety trumps all and it is a very tight install. I am glad we have it. I do think they need to work on the straps though as mine get twisted a lot. I am always careful to check them when I put my son in, but I don't think everyone does that and that is a safety issue. I really expect better from Britax so I think it frustrates me even more.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chann96* 
I agree that safety trumps all and it is a very tight install. I am glad we have it. I do think they need to work on the straps though as mine get twisted a lot. I am always careful to check them when I put my son in, but I don't think everyone does that and that is a safety issue. I really expect better from Britax so I think it frustrates me even more.

I agree there are lots of *tweaks* I would make on the seat. I keep hearing they're coming out with a new infant seat soon... no sign yet though.

-Angela


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## munkeesmama (May 17, 2005)

I think the top two carseats recommended by techs recently are the chicco keyfit (my top pick, easy to use, fits wide riange, etc.) and the graco safeseat. With that said the anti rebound on the companion is nice, but it is heavy, i HATE the flimsy chest clip, and it gets HOT in the summer. I have all britax seats but actually returned my companion for the chicco keyfit.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Yes, the Keyfit30 and the SS1 are the two top recommended seats, because of their 30 pound weight limit and ease of use.


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## munkeesmama (May 17, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 

For me the big selling point is the anti-rebound bar. When we got the seat for dd it was the only one on the market with one. Now I believe there is one other.

-Angela

The Babytrend Latch lock with RIGID latch is the other anti rebound seat.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *munkeesmama* 
The Babytrend Latch lock with RIGID latch is the other anti rebound seat.

Nope, the Combi Shuttle.


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## HippieMamaBE (Oct 5, 2005)

I sorta lost track of my own thread, lol. Thank for all the recommendations, I'll definately look into the other seats mentioned and make my decision from there. But keep the posts coming!


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## 77589 (Mar 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
Please, don't worry about that report. It was ridiculous. You may be driving at 60+ mph, but you don't CRASH at 60+mph. Why? 99% of the time, you will BRAKE prior to impact. Even at highway speeds, the vast majority of accidents are well under 30mph at time of impact.
By and large, impacts TRULY at 70mph, no brakes, are nonsurvivable, and the best car seat in the world is pretty irrelevant.

I'd still rather have on of the two that passed the test


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

There are many more important things in choosing a seat than whether or not they 'passed' a fundementally flawed test.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OceansEve* 
I'd still rather have on of the two that passed the test









The test was unreliable and probably unable to be recreated making it totally useless.

-Angela


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OceansEve* 
I'd still rather have on of the two that passed the test









I understand the appeal to getting one of the 2 seats that didn't go flying out the window at 70 mph. Really, I do







That said, I feel comfortable using any seat on the market since they all pass not only manufacturer testing but also random NHTSA testing. Well, with the exception of Evenflo infant seats since they have had 4897587677 recalls and shoddy "fixes."


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## 77589 (Mar 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
There are many more important things in choosing a seat than whether or not they 'passed' a fundementally flawed test.


I don't care about anything other than the crash test ratings. That is the purpose of a car seat. I don't care what "features" it has. All I want to know is how well it holds up in a crash.

I would love to see crashes at higher speeds though (tests that is







). I do not feel 30 mph is good enough. There are plenty of crashes that you do not see coming. Why not raise the standard a bit? I admit 70 may be a bit too high, but 30 appears to low.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OceansEve* 
I don't care about anything other than the crash test ratings. That is the purpose of a car seat. I don't care what "features" it has. All I want to know is how well it holds up in a crash.

I would love to see crashes at higher speeds though (tests that is







). I do not feel 30 mph is good enough. There are plenty of crashes that you do not see coming. Why not raise the standard a bit? I admit 70 may be a bit too high, but 30 appears to low.

Actually 30 mph is a very educated number. Once braking and other factors are considered 30 mph is really a pretty good estimate of most crash situations from my reading.

Unfortunately there is NOT a lot of testing done on carseats. Personally I'm quite annoyed that they only test on sleds, not in real cars. The sled disregards a great proportion of crash dynamics (like crumple zones and how they function to slow the motion)

-Angela


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

They ALL hold up in crashes, or else they won't be on the shelf.


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## lexbeach (Mar 6, 2002)

I am generally a huge Britax fan, but I didn't not like the companion at all. Installing it is a pain because it does not have a very good level indicator (it just has a line that you are supposed to make parallel with the ground). It's hard to know when the seat is really clicked into the base (I'd always have to shake it a few times to make sure), and it's more difficult to get out of the base (which, since the only reason I'd ever take it out of the base was if there was a sleeping baby in it, is a huge issue--very hard not to wake the baby up!). While I liked the idea of the side impact protection (and it worked quite well as a head stabilizer/support), my baby hated it. He'd get very sweaty in there. After 3 weeks, I switched him over to the boulevard (he was already over 12 pounds at 3 weeks so he was plenty big enough for the boulevard). For us, the companion was a huge waste.

I love the chicco keyfit 30. It is like night and day with the companion in regards to ease of use with installation and clicking in and out of the base. If you're going to get a bucket, that's the one I'd get.


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## 77589 (Mar 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Unfortunately there is NOT a lot of testing done on carseats. Personally I'm quite annoyed that they only test on sleds, not in real cars. The sled disregards a great proportion of crash dynamics (like crumple zones and how they function to slow the motion)









:

aurora - the more and more I delve into this natural living lifestyle, the more I'm learning most stuff on the shelves are not safe. These companies are more concerned with making money than anything else aka Make it out of the cheapest materials possible that still get us past the minimum requirements for the market rather than making a fantastic, worthwhile product that may cost a bit more. That is what I like about britax, they are more expensive because they have a quality product (most of the time).


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OceansEve* 







:

aurora - the more and more I delve into this natural living lifestyle, the more I'm learning most stuff on the shelves are not safe. These companies are more concerned with making money than anything else aka Make it out of the cheapest materials possible that still get us past the minimum requirements for the market rather than making a fantastic, worthwhile product that may cost a bit more. That is what I like about britax, they are more expensive because they have a quality product (most of the time).

I concur







My technical answer is that they are all safe, but of course I have my favorites due to ease of install, overall quality, extra features, high weight/height limits, history of recalls, etc.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Carseats are tested a lot, just not by a company that is going to put them out and rate them etc. NHTSA just doesn't have the time and $ to test EVERY seat out there multiple times in many facets, they have to rely on the manufacturer for that info. If there is thought to be a problem, NHTSA will test the seat and issue a recall if needed etc. NHTSA recently tested the Evenflo infant seat and found it can come off it's base during testing, Evenflo now has a fix it kit available to parents, which is an absolute joke of a fix, to prevent this from happening. The major flub w/ CR last year has really made them step it up I think and get techs on board etc. Their latest release listed the Chicco Keyfit as their top choice, it's one of my top choices as well. I LOVE this seat (though I prefer the 22# version b/c I think the 30# limit is misleading for most babies) and I used the Graco Safeseat for 16 mos for my dd.









I personally don't like the Baby Trend seats much at all (though installing the Latch Loc w/ LATCH is a breeze) and I hate installing Graco Snugrides w/ seatbelts. A seat that is easy to install w/ built in lockoffs is more likely to perform better in a crash IMO b/c parents are more likely to install them right. A seat can only work as well as it's install. It's no secret 90+% of carseats are installed incorrectly.









I liked my SS1 and was very impressed by how deep the sides were, which is good as far as side impact protection. I don't normally reccomend the Companion, but if you want it, get it.


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## 77589 (Mar 7, 2007)

I heard a while back they were going to start recommending rear facing to 30 lbs?? Anyone know anything about that? They would have to totally change all the carseats cause the kids feet won't fit.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OceansEve* 
I heard a while back they were going to start recommending rear facing to 30 lbs?? Anyone know anything about that? They would have to totally change all the carseats cause the kids feet won't fit.

Actually, the recommendation is to rearface to the limits of the convertible seat, which is 35 pounds for the vast majority of seats now.

It is perfectly safe to have the child's feet over the end of the seat


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Dd was rear facing until she hit 34lbs at 3.5yrs old.

-Angela


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *OceansEve* 
I heard a while back they were going to start recommending rear facing to 30 lbs?? Anyone know anything about that? They would have to totally change all the carseats cause the kids feet won't fit.

They are reccomending, the AAP has been for at least 2yrs, and the people who are trained in carseats (like several of us on this thread) have been reccomending it longer than that. My oldest rf till 34# and 34 mos. Evan is still rfing at almost 3.5yo and 27# and of course my youngest is rfing too at 18 mos and 22.5#.







There are plenty of threads on this forum about rfing to the limits of the seat, which for all but 2 companies right now is currently 35# (techs feel free to correct that if needed, lol).







Here's a great album of kids all over 1/20# rfing, including my boys.
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFalbum.aspx


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Yes, the only convertible currently being manufactured that only RFs to 30 pounds is the Comfortsport. Well, and the Combi Zeus, but nobody EVER recommends that seat so 99.9% of people have never heard of it. Currently the Radian only RFs to 33 pounds, but they are planning on upping their RF weight limit to at least 35 pounds.

And to OceansEve, yes we recommend that you rear-face your child to the limits of the seat. I've only been a tech since October, so I can't speak for other techs as to when the RF weight recommendation changed, but I know it's been that way for awhile (at least 5 yrs).


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

Can someone post the link where all the older kids are sitting in their RF carseats? I think for a lot of people it's hard to imagine what the kids will do with their legs.....


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## AllieFaye (Mar 7, 2007)

We used a Companion for dh's car (and a convertible in mine). I would only use it if I were putting him in the Preview stroller (with which it makes a travel system.) I really loved that stroller, and would never use the bulkier, unwieldy travel systems that are so popular. Granted, I babywear, so I only pushed him around in the stroller for my exercise time. If I were using it in and out of the car, and for shopping and socializing like conventional moms, I might not be so pleased. With the new baby, we're going to try the Companion in my car as well, so I may be singing a different tune come fall. For now, I give it a thumbs up.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *an_aurora* 
Yes, the only convertible currently being manufactured that only RFs to 30 pounds is the Comfortsport. Well, and the Combi Zeus, but nobody EVER recommends that seat so 99.9% of people have never heard of it. Currently the Radian only RFs to 33 pounds, but they are planning on upping their RF weight limit to at least 35 pounds.

And to OceansEve, yes we recommend that you rear-face your child to the limits of the seat. I've only been a tech since October, so I can't speak for other techs as to when the RF weight recommendation changed, but I know it's been that way for awhile (at least 5 yrs).

And the Evenflo Tribute V. Wait, is it still being manufactured or are there just an oversupply of those dreadful seats in the stores?


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Twinklefae* 
Can someone post the link where all the older kids are sitting in their RF carseats? I think for a lot of people it's hard to imagine what the kids will do with their legs.....

You ask, I answer









http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum.aspx


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ThreeBeans* 
And the Evenflo Tribute V. Wait, is it still being manufactured or are there just an oversupply of those dreadful seats in the stores?

I think they may still make these for institutional purposes, I'm not sure. We have the old Titan for our convertibles at checks and those are only 30#, but aren't made anymore afaik. Again, they may make them for institutional purposes.


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## 77589 (Mar 7, 2007)

Thanks. When I had DD1 everyone said 20 lbs and when I brought up 30 lbs to the nurse that is supposed to be in charge of checking the car seats at the hospital before having DD2 she thought I was absurd. Yeah, it is hard to imagine feet fitting so thanks for the pic.


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