Convertible Car Seats

[Courtney Apgar]

Help! My 3 month old has just topped 17 pounds, so the infant seat we currently have him in is clearly not going to cut it too much longer. I'm looking for a really great, usable convertible seat. I have a car with a large interior, so no worries about the size, but it needs to be easy to get in and out of quickly, as my son currently hates riding in a car seat, but tolerates it if I can get the car moving quicky once he's in or get him out quickly once we're home...

[Anci]

I second the Britax Marathon.

[barbara]

I got the Sunshine 80 carseat for my son. He was about the same size as your little one at that age and I knew he would be a big kid so I wanted to get something that would last. I have been really happy with it. It is smaller than the Britax, but it has great safety ratings. And it folds down for traveling. Check it out and see what you think... Good Luck, Barbara

[Anime]

Britax are the cream of the crop... I have one and I love it (Marathon - goes up to 65lbs) but there is also a less expensive one that gets good reviews called the First Years true fit and it's in my mom's car as a second one and it is pretty good too.

[Eli]

The Britax seats will soon be on sale at most online stores. The sale should be around Sept. 15 - 21.

[Marci]

You need to get a Britax. Either the Roundabout or the Marathon. We got the Roundabout, and I wish I had gotten the bigger Marathon. Our daughter was the same, she got big very quickly, and is still in the top percentiles for height and weight, she needs to upgrade from the Roundabout soon, I just can't give it up. The Britaxes are comfortable, and so easy to install and get the child in and out of. Plus they have one of the highest safety rating. The extra money is worth it when you consider the benefits they have.

GOOD LUCK!

[mamas_playtime]

Marci wrote: "Plus they have one of the highest safety rating. The extra money is worth it when you consider the benefits they have."

I'm just wondering where you found these safety ratings that you speak of? I would be interested in seeing these rating for myself. Thanks!

[sparkyd]

Any new seat that is for sale in a reputable store and meets federal safety standards should be "safe". The safest seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used properly. The Britax convertible seats are often highly recommended because they install easily in most cars and the harness has a few features that make it user friendly (e.g. the straps don't get twisted). The Marathon also has reasonably high top slots to accommodate taller children, although there are other seats that are higher.

If you can't afford a Britax, there are other options that are perfectly safe.

I'm just going to mention the website car-seat.org one more time because it is an excellent place to research car seats and to ask questions of very knowledgeable car seat enthusiasts (yes, there are people who get very excited by car seats).

[Vera]

We use Sunshine Kids Radian 80. It's sort of pricey but has very nice cushion (stylish too!) with excellent safety reviews. Also it fits from newborn to 80 lbs. My son loves it. We did a trip to Virginia by car last month when he just turned 6 months. It was about 8 hours each way and he didn't complain much! (He is normally an active and picky baby... doesn't like to stay at same spot for over 20 minutes!!)

We have a tight budget, but instead of buying 3 car seats over years, this one is all we need! And for older kids it provides better protection than a booster seat. It's not a super popular brand... I first saw it at Babies R Us and really loved its quality, but only decided to get it after long hours of research. Here is some info http://www.csnbaby.com/Sunshine-Kids-18550-XW1006.html

Happened to see it on Jon and Kate Plus 8 a few weeks ago... they have installed 8 Sunshine Kids Radian 80 in their van.

[Jenn]

I agree with other posters about the Britax Marathon. Great seat, and currently on sale on a lot of online retailers right now too

[Anne]

I've heard great things about the Britax models, but I bought a convertible Graco Comfortsport when I was babysitting a friend's daughter all the time. That's what I plan to use for my little bruiser too (16 lbs at 11 weeks).

[marvelwinds]

Seat covers are a quick and affordable way to give a complete makeover to your baby's car chair. They are also a perfect choice to transform the look of a seat to match the new interiors of your car. Although these are not mandatory, parents often add seat wraps to provide extra cushion and warmth Toddler Car Seats for their infant traveller.

[sparkyd]

This person clearly works for the company that runs the website they linked to. I just visited that website and there is very bad information about car seats on there, so if anyone is doing their research to learn about car seats and best practice for using car seats, please do not visit the website this person linked to. As for seat covers, changing the cover on your seat is fine, as long as it is a cover made specifically for that seat by the manufacturer of that seat. I have no idea what a seat wrap is supposed to be. You should NEVER add anything to your car seat, or change a part on your car seat that did not come from the manufacturer of the seat and was not made specifically for that seat.