# Start newborn in convertible seat?



## DomerJen (Feb 11, 2007)

We have a while to go, but I'm already stressing about our car situation.

We have a 2005 Ford Focus 2-door hatchback. It is pretty compact. We don't intend to buy a 2nd car at this point.

I think it might be less hassle just to take the baby out of the seat and use a carrier or stroller, rather than trying to get the whole seat out of the back. DH and I were both on the small side as newborns, so I'm concerned about size/safety.

Is there a safe way to go w/ just a convertible seat? Or do we need to start w/ a bucket? They all *say* they are good at 5lbs... but I know you gals are the experts.


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## daughteroftruth (Jun 12, 2008)

I think they are just as safe...if not safer. I really recomend going with one that has a deep seat in it. And as long as you have the head bumper things....also, I really recomend taking your carseat to the firedepartment or poice station and having them install it. Thats what we did.

I don't use a convertable on our smallest, we have a bucket...but we don't take it out of the van. even though its easy to take out, its a pain in the butt to carry around. I have a sling. Its much easier to take baby out and carry the baby in the sling...then I"m hands free, easy to nurse, and I never have those situations in the store were the baby starts crying in the car seat. lol...I just want to carry extra slings around and give them away to those poor parents who are trying to carry and comfort a newborn in one hand and stear a grocery cart full of food in the other while the carseat sits there empty and in the way....


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## BeckC (Nov 27, 2006)

You can definately start a newborn in a convertible, but your options are limited. A lot of convertible seats say that they'll fit a child as small as 5 lbs but then the child won't fit height wise. The straps need to be at your below the shoulders rear-facing and that's where many convertibles end up not fitting newborns.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance, the Compass/FirstYears True Fit, and the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 and 80 all fit most newborns well and RF to 35 lbs and FF beyond 40 lbs. The Cosco Scenera also fits newborns well and RF to 35 lbs but only FF to 40 lbs.

The Radian is narrow but takes up a TON of room front to back when rear facing a newborn because it needs that 45 degree recline. It FF to either 65 o 80 lbs, but they both have the same size and shape shell (the 80 is just more reinforced) The 65 is $200 and the 80 costs around $280.

The EFTA has a nice tall back and infinite adjust harness (no rethreading straps!). It FF to 50 lbs but the top harness position will still last most kids quite a while. It runs around $140.

The True Fit also has a knob adjust harness (again no rethreading straps) and great infant padding. It FF to 65 lbs. It has a removable headrest for when the child is RF below 22 lbs and usually by that time the child has good head control and you can install the seat more upright. It's around $180


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

I use a bucket for my newborns because the convertibles I like won't work well for newborns (britax)

If I had to start with a convertible it would be a radian, which is a great seat, but takes up a lot of front to back room.

-Angela


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## paquerette (Oct 16, 2004)

I have big, long-torso'd babies, and I don't plan on going anywhere with him/her for several weeks, so I believe I will be fine with a convertible. But I know lots of people aren't able to do so.

Like others said, just because you have a bucket doesn't mean it needs to come out of the car.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *daughteroftruth* 
And as long as you have the head bumper things....also, I really recomend taking your carseat to the firedepartment or poice station and having them install it. Thats what we did.

Don't use anything that didn't come with the seat, and make sure you see a certified tech, not just a random firefighter. They will be more than happy to install your seat incorrectly, but what you really need is someone to check your seat and teach you how to install so you can do it properly.


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## morganeldi (Nov 9, 2007)

Other than the size issue, my only reason for wanting a bucket seat next time around is that with my son, he would occassionally fall asleep in the carseat and even from the time he was a newborn, if you tried to move him OUT of his seat to put him in a sling or take him into the house while he was asleep he would wake up almost 100% of the time and not return to sleep. The bucket seat allowed me the option of carrying the seat into the house to allow him to continue sleeping. If he was awake though, I would just take him out of the seat and transfer him to a sling or into the house without carrying the whole seat it. It just gave me more options.


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## UptownZoo (May 11, 2003)

Even though I had big babies, I always used an infant seat for the first few months. I was in the same situation as you with my first - tiny 2 door car. It's just as easy to leave an infant seat in the car as it is a convertible, IME, plus you can take it out if needed. (A very hot or cold carseat is not a nice thing for a brand new babe.)

At any rate, I felt much more comfortable with the fit of a bucket with a newborn/very young baby. I could get the straps snug all around/across their bodies more easily than with a convertible. It can be hard, too, to get a good recline with a convertible seat RF in a small car. Of course, if you and your DP are both small, that may not be as much of a problem. Before we got a bigger car (when I was pg with #2), but after DS1 outgrew the infant seat, we put the convertible seat RF behind the passenger seat which we had to move way forward. VERY uncomfortable for anyone in the passenger seat!


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

my kids are big and fit perfectly in britax bvs at birth so thats what we use


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

One thing to watch out for is that you can still put the seat back enough to drive safely with the convertible seat RF in the back. The infant buckets are smaller, and by the time the bucket is outgrown the baby can sit at a steeper angle, taking up less space.

A small car and a tall driver may not work with a RF convertible seat.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

True, although I had a parent with a 3-in-1 seat and a tiny Focus, and it fit fine at the 45* angle.

The True Fit doesn't take up much room at all RFing without the additional head rest on it.


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

How big were you and DH at birth? Did your moms smoke or anything else that would've made you small? Were you preterm? I only ask b/c DH was 6# something (mom smoked) and I was 9#6oz, but born at 42 wks. My kids have all been w/in 6ozs of each other w/ the biggest being 7#8oz and he was the shortest, lol. Ilana fit well in the Radian at about 8#, but she was 6 wks old by then. I suppose you could get a convertible if you wanted, but keep the receipt in case you need to go get an infant seat before leaving the hospital.


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## luckygreen713 (Apr 9, 2008)

I have a small car also, but its 4 door, so not the same s your situation. I used a bucket for my newborns, but not for long. I decided to get Britax Roundabouts because they are small and fit rearfacing in my car better than most other carseats I looked at. They aren't as tall as others I've seen. I really don't know how well a newborn would fit in it though. My younger dd starting riding in it at 2 months and she fit well.


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## Jes'sBeth (Aug 30, 2004)

I would recommend a bucket too (if you can borrow one all the better!) our 9 lb baby didn't fit in her convertible until 3ish months. She was in a bucket until then and it was a royal pain in the rear. The handle hit the top of the door EVERY TIME we put it in the car unless we moved the handle first. We drive a small sedan. It totally sucked. That said, we don't have air conditioning in our car so we took the carseat out so that it didnt' get too hot in the car before we put baby in. We use sheets over the convertibles in the car to keep them cool.

It is nice to be able to take them out occasionally but I hear you on not wanting to wrestle with a bucket. They really do fit little babies better though.


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## lolar2 (Nov 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *morganeldi* 
Other than the size issue, my only reason for wanting a bucket seat next time around is that with my son, he would occassionally fall asleep in the carseat and even from the time he was a newborn, if you tried to move him OUT of his seat to put him in a sling or take him into the house while he was asleep he would wake up almost 100% of the time and not return to sleep. The bucket seat allowed me the option of carrying the seat into the house to allow him to continue sleeping. If he was awake though, I would just take him out of the seat and transfer him to a sling or into the house without carrying the whole seat it. It just gave me more options.









:

At first we just had a convertible, and he fit fine but I always felt heartless getting him out when he'd fallen asleep in the car, and he'd cry and cry. When we got a bucket it was nice, I didn't have to wake him. He was happier.


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

FWIW, we did the bucket in several different 2 door vehicles, and on the sleep issue: by the time we wrestled the dang thing out the door, the baby was awake and we then had to unbuckle him AND carry the bucket. Total PITA.

We just have a convertible this time (Radian)


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## ~Megan~ (Nov 7, 2002)

When I spoke to a carseat tech she said that most babies are too short to fit in an convertible despite their weight.

Do you have a friend or relative you can borrow a bucket seat from for a bit?


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

other than the britax BV, there is also a new seat (the True Fit by Learning Curve) that is a neat convertible and much less expensive. its nice for a smaller baby b/c the top is removable and provides for more of an incline than w/ the top on (at least in alot of cars it will). another nice thing is that it RF's to 35 lbs. and FF's to 65 lbs.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BeckC* 
You can definately start a newborn in a convertible, but your options are limited. A lot of convertible seats say that they'll fit a child as small as 5 lbs but then the child won't fit height wise. The straps need to be at your below the shoulders rear-facing and that's where many convertibles end up not fitting newborns.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance, the Compass/FirstYears True Fit, and the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 and 80 all fit most newborns well and RF to 35 lbs and FF beyond 40 lbs. The Cosco Scenera also fits newborns well and RF to 35 lbs but only FF to 40 lbs.

The Radian is narrow but takes up a TON of room front to back when rear facing a newborn because it needs that 45 degree recline. It FF to either 65 o 80 lbs, but they both have the same size and shape shell (the 80 is just more reinforced) The 65 is $200 and the 80 costs around $280.

The EFTA has a nice tall back and infinite adjust harness (no rethreading straps!). It FF to 50 lbs but the top harness position will still last most kids quite a while. It runs around $140.

The True Fit also has a knob adjust harness (again no rethreading straps) and great infant padding. It FF to 65 lbs. It has a removable headrest for when the child is RF below 22 lbs and usually by that time the child has good head control and you can install the seat more upright. It's around $180

The EFTA is what I just installed this morning (with a carseat tech's help!) and at the lowest point on the straps it's 7 inches from the seat to the straps. The infant seats I measured at Target once were 10 inches from seat to straps, so I think the EFTA might actually handle smaller babies than some infant-seats. It also comes with side padding and head rest, plus instructions to use a rolled up blanket or towel if the head rest isn't enough padding (which I could see with a small baby).

For us, we've had family shoving one or two year-old infant-seats, including the strollers to go with them, at us. So if Aka_chan hates or won't fit in the convertible, we just stay home until DH drives to get one of those seats.


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## DomerJen (Feb 11, 2007)

Thanks - the First Years True fit looks like it could work b/c of the removable head rest.

Does anyone know if it is a lot wider than other seats? It looked huge width-wise.

Also, is there a place to see if one seat is safer than another? It seems like everyone gets a Britax, but at least on consumer reports the Marathon didn't even get good ratings. However, I think they take price into consideration.

We just want what's best/safest for the baby.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DomerJen* 

Also, is there a place to see if one seat is safer than another? It seems like everyone gets a Britax, but at least on consumer reports the Marathon didn't even get good ratings. However, I think they take price into consideration.

We just want what's best/safest for the baby.

Nope. There is no safety comparison out there. Consumer Reports is NOT a reliable source for carseat info.

Personally I won't use any seat manufactured by evenflo or dorel or any of their other companies. They have BAD track records of not issuing recalls unless children die.

-Angela


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## PassionateWriter (Feb 27, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DomerJen* 
Thanks - the First Years True fit looks like it could work b/c of the removable head rest.

Does anyone know if it is a lot wider than other seats? It looked huge width-wise.

Also, is there a place to see if one seat is safer than another? It seems like everyone gets a Britax, but at least on consumer reports the Marathon didn't even get good ratings. However, I think they take price into consideration.

We just want what's best/safest for the baby.

i have 2 TF's. they arent wider than teh MA by much but i think the dimensions are on the website (learningcurve.com). i cant visibly tell a difference but i dont want to say it and then it be 1 inch wider. i can measure later today but we are headed out to music class and the zoo later so it may take me a bit to come back.

ratings? nope, as Angela said. The TF is a good seat. BUT, if you can afford a Britax, i prefer them more...just b/c of the co. voluntary recalls and i find the quality of the straps to be nicer and its definitely easier to use. We were going to use the 2 TFs as extras in the 2nd car but i found the BV on sale at amazon last week for $229 so i ordered 2 of those instead.

having said that..i have a bit of an obsession w/ car seats so im certainly not the typical car seat user. lol! one of my friends took the TF off my hands to put in her dh's car. she has the same compliments/complaints about it as i do. MUCH cheaper than the BV, same weight limits, SIP, nice that the top can come off (her son is only 1 yo right now)...but also, straps are not as easy, installation not as easy (the LATCH isnt 2 independent snaps but connected to each other).

it is wide though inside the seat. my son (2.6 yo) has alot more room to grow width wise in teh TF (w/o all the padding) than the BV. i dont think he's doing to grow that way though so its more just a comfort thing for him.

anway, sorry for the book.


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## NightShiftMom (Aug 7, 2008)

I'm new to MDC but I have to say I drive an even smaller car..a 1998 nissan 2 door with two kids in the back...I went with the RF roundabout for the first, and moved my oldest to a FF marathon when the little one arrived.

The bucket was just too hard to get in and out the door, and it was IMO much easier to get the baby out of the RF convertable than out of the bucket when leaning into the back.

The cars is so small there are only 4 belted positions total! and forget about latch! The RF seat made the passenger seat closer to the dash..but as long as the smallest adult sat there it was not really all that much of an issue.


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
The EFTA is what I just installed this morning (with a carseat tech's help!) and at the lowest point on the straps it's 7 inches from the seat to the straps. The infant seats I measured at Target once were 10 inches from seat to straps, so I think the EFTA might actually handle smaller babies than some infant-seats.

I'm also hoping to put a newborn in a convertible seat. Anticipating bigger baby b/c Huz and I, and our siblings, were all over 21 inches/8lbs. at birth; don't plan on going any where for first four-six weeks; 2003 ford escape seems to have plenty of room in center of back seat; would rather spend more $ on one convertible seat than some on travel system and more on convertible at 2/3 mos., etc. I also don't mind a "smaller" convertible to properly fit a newborn, as I'm hoping to have secondbaby on the way before firstbaby outgrows the "smaller" convertible.

So. I live in a very remote town, so there's really no where I can go to measure car seats. To me, the difference between seven and ten inches seat-to-straps seems pretty significant. *Is there somewhere online to find out how far the straps are from the seat at the lowest setting on different brands?*

Second question. Obviously the Britax models are the favorite here on MDC. This is the one item where I won't mind spending the $, but it doesn't sound like they're considered "best" size-wise for newborns. Is that correct?

Third question, somewhat related. *Assuming I go with a convertible seat, do I need to get a second seat for Huz's truck?* I want to get the best, strudiest seat for my car (the Escape) because that will be the car we use 85% of the time with baby. Huz drives a big F-150 lariat (I know, not green, but necessary b/c of his job), which does have decent size back seats. Should I consider a less expensive seat for his truck, just to save time/energy, like the Cosco Scenera? Baby will eventually ride with him more, I imagine...and it sounds like the Scenera might be better for air travel...

Thanks in advance for all of your help!







I'm going to go measure my back seat and check to see if I have the latch system thing or not. I guess that might help narrow down my choices.


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

I think there are some threads on car-seat.org talking about good convertibles for newborns, but I don't think there's an all-out comparison of bottom slot measurements.

The Radian also has really low bottom slots. Here is a pic of my 3 day old 19 inch newborn in his Radian, the straps are right at, maybe a touch below, his shoulders. The Radian has a lot of the same awesome features that I love in the Britax seats (namely, you can top tether when rear-facing). Plus you can buy the R65 and the infant padding that comes with the R80 seperately, and it'll be cheaper (they have the same shell).
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m...rstride017.jpg
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/m.../riding013.jpg

The Scenera would be an OK back up (And I *would* get a backup) but if you can spring a little extra, I'd go to Big Lots (if you have one) and get the Safety 1st Uptown... has higher top slots and EPS foam, plus it's very plush and padded







I got mine for $65.00, and don't forget a pool noodle on your way out


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## BeckC (Nov 27, 2006)

Below is a list of bottom slot heights for different convertibles.
The list is somewhat misleading though because those are all bottom slot heights without infant padding. The convertibles that best fit little babies are: Cosco Scenera, Evenflo Triumph Advance, The First Years True Fit, and the Sunshine Kids Radian.

Out of all of those, my favorite is the True Fit with the EFTA coming in second if you have enough space (it's a very wide seat) and the Radian if you need to fit 3 across.

The Scenera is a great idea for a backup seat for your husband's truck. I would also recommend the Avenue/Uptown or the EFTA.

*Cosco Scenera*
Bottom Slot Height: 7 in

*Safety 1st Avenue*
Bottom Slot Height: 9 in

*Evenflo Triumph Advance*
Bottom Slot Height: 8 in

*Compass/The First Years True Fit*
Bottom Slot Height: 9 in

*Sunshine Kids Radian 65/80*
Bottom Slot Height: 9 in

*Recaro Como*
Bottom Slot Height: 10 in

*Recaro Signo*
Bottom Slot Height: 10 in

*Britax Marathon*
Bottom Slot Height: 10 in

*Britax Boulevard*
Bottom Slot Height: 10 in


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## justKate (Jun 10, 2008)

sunnymw, thanks for the photos. Your little man is adoreable and seeing him fitting snugly makes me feel much better about going with a convertible.

Becky, thanks so much for the info! You've made my task much much easier.


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## BeckC (Nov 27, 2006)

I hope it helps, but like I said it's only a ballpark. Some kids fit differently in certain seats in certain cars etc.


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## AngelBee (Sep 8, 2004)

:


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## jennifercp8 (Nov 10, 2005)

I was just nosing around the Britax site - they state that the Marathon, Decathlon, and other convertible seats are a 9.5" seated height on the straps.







My current MA (that I got in 2006) measure around that, but could be 10" (depending on how you measure







). Have they adjusted the strap height recently?


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## thepeach80 (Mar 16, 2004)

No, they're still 10", but you can use them at 9.5", so the straps are slightly above the shoulders. When sitting in Target, my dd's shoulders were just even w/ the bottom slots of the MA at 10 mos. She's even w/ the 2nd slots now at 21 mos and has been for a while.


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## galincognito (Nov 23, 2007)

we have the britax roundabout which dd has fit in quite well since birth (21.5 inches long, 8lbs 13 oz). we've done lots of cross country driving and she is super comfortable. with the roundabout being the smaller of the britax models we haven't had any fit in car issues. we didn't get a second car seat mostly because we can't afford it. but i find it very easy to switch the roundabout to whatever car we are using that day (my mom picks us up a couple of times a week).
now that number 2 is on the way we bought the radian 65 (maybe 80, i can't remember for sure; baby brain!). dd will go in the radian and baby will go in the roundabout (mostly because it doesn't take up as much space rear facing). we went with the radian this time because we are going to need to be able to fit three carseats across our backseat in the next couple of years so the roundabout will fit in the middle with a radian on either side.
most stores will let you try the seat in your car so you can see how it fits in different positions/angles etc. i understand that sometimes it's difficult to make it to the store to try these things but i do think it's worth it. just my two cents!
good luck to you gals that are still on the lookout for what will work best for you and your family!


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