Hello! Does anyone have any recommendations for convertible car seats? What do you use, and why do you like it? We already have our infant car seat, but we are looking ahead since we know the first six months or so will fly by!
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First off, I would research what other parents that drive the car you're putting it in use. We had a Graco infant seat that fits fine in my husbands car but didn't fit well in my Audi (had to have the passenger seat so far forward it wasn't funny) so I went online and looked at forums. Most cars will have user/fan forums. It's impressive.
Most parents that post on those won't lead you down a path with a crappy rec. It's really important to get a good fit in a car v. what is the trendy thing or the newest on the block.
That being said we have the Recaro ProRide in my Audi. Recaro actually does a lot of the interiors of Audi & VW's so they know what they're dealing with.
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I agree with looking at what fits in your car. We ended up with the britax boulevard. I really like the side impact wings especially because we are using it now at 3 months and she's still a bit small.
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There are a ton of options for a convertible seat, you don't have to shell out a lot of money for safety. You should also consider if you plan to travel and use the seat, you might want something a little less wide and lighter.
You also need to consider the tether points in your car. Some seats, like the Britax Boulevard, require it to be tethered forward facing. The Britax channel on YouTube has some great videos. You should also check if you need to adjust the angle of the seat with pool noodles or a towel or if the seat has built in adjusters...some people aren't down with using something else to level the seat.
I've heard excellent things about the Britax Marathons and the Graco MyRide 65. We have a Boulevard that stays in the car and a cheapy Cosco Scenera that is our airplane/travel seat because it's super light and I got a great deal on it.
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We also got a Recaro ProRide because it's built like a tank and is one of the safest on the market. Huge bonus is that your LO can stay rear-facing 'til she's 37.5" tall which is a LONG time.
It is, however, a very big seat (3" taller than the Britax). I drive a 2002 CVR and have it installed in back of the driver's seat which is fine with me cause I drive with the seat pulled fairly close to the steering wheel. My husband, however, requires more leg room and has to move the car seat to the middle position if he drives my car. Most baby stores will let you test -fit seats it in your car - you should definitely take advantage of it.
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Thanks for the recommendations! We will have to search what works best for our car - a Ford Fusion. I'll be sure to take advantage of the test-fitting option at baby stores.
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@looch: How do you compare the Britax to the Cosco? We have a boulevard and are looking for a second seat for my husbands car (Toyota 4 door Tacoma). I drive her to daycare daily in my car with the Boulevard but we need something for his truck for errands on the weekends. The boulevard fit in his truck, but the sides of the seat are high, so it was a bit of a pain to get her in and out of it while RF. I've heard good things about the Cosco (price, high RF weight limit). I am just concerned about quality.
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@Thehistoryofus: The seats are like night and day, they are very different.
I bought the Scenera for travel. I bring it on the airplane and my son sits in there when he has a seat on long haul flights. I've also checked it because I paid so little for it that I don't mind if it gets broken. I've mostly done seatbelt installs while on vacation in rental cars or older models that don't have LATCH/ISOFIX and it's easy enough, the belt just threads through and there is a locking clip that you can use.
It's very difficult to get a good install on it rearfacing, it requires a noodle or a towel. It's a lot easier to install it front facing.
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