Convertible Carseat?

[meloneyb21]

Any recommendations for a good, reasonably priced convertible carseat? It's for my 6 month old son and his current car seat, which came as part of a travel system, sucks.

TIA!

 

[NYCDiane]

The Cosco convertible car seat worked for us. It went from rear-facing, to forward facing with the bar across to a booster seat (basically removing the bar). It lasted my daughter from infancy until she was big enough for a regular booster seat.

 

[Disneysun]

We have three kids and three Britax Marathon car seats. They are incredibly sturdy and they will last to 65 lbs (i think).

Cheers!

 

[3girls4me05]

Well I think you need to ask and answer a few questions (to yourself..I don't need the answers really) first.
Convertible carseats can be both rear and forward facing or just forward facing. You are going to need one that is rearfacing. Infants should rearface till at least 1 yr and 20 pounds however...it is safer for them to rearface much longer than this. So if this is something you want to do for your child then you should look for a seat that rearfaces till 30 pounds.
Forward facing: Most seats go to 40 pounds forward facing. However many children reach 40 pound about about 4 yrs of age and that is much too young to reasonably sit safely in a booster seat. Therefore you should really think about looking for a seat that forward faces (with a harness used) past the 40 pound mark.
Here is a link with some great information
http://www.car-safety.org/guide.html

I would think that a Britax would work for you but they are pricey (250-300). I have a Marathon for my daughter and I love it. She rearfaced happily till she was about 2 and is now 3 and forward facing and will be in that seat for a long long time.

A cheaper but still great option would be the Cosco Scenera for now. It is a basic seat that is safe and rearfaces to 35 pounds and forward faces to 40 pounds. It only costs $40-50. Then you could get a Graco Nautulis which forward faces to 65 pounds with a harness and then converts to a booster after that. It retails for about $140 or so.

Hope that helps and let me know if you have any questions!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

We have a Britax Roundabout (up to 40lbs) that DS loves but he has already practically outgrown it at age 2. I wish we had sprung for the Marathon so he would still be in it.

I'll be selling his Roundabout on Craigslist as soon as I get him a bigger seat.

 

[1sttimemickeymom]

We also have the Britax marathon -- and I love it. yes, it's pricey but Babies R Us usually has sales every few months with coupons for a little bit off of carseats. And, they have a rewards program so you'll get a little extra bang for your buck! I also thought about the fact that it will last until he's 65 pounds and that I wouldn't have to buy another one. He's a big boy for his age (2 1/2 years old -- 3 feet tall & 35 pounds) but he is very happy in his seat. Good luck!

 

[worm761]

Being pregnant, we have researched and researched car seats. We really like the Britax. They have the best safety ratings and some go to 65 pounds. I plan to purchase mine through http://shop.happymothers.com/ . They have them cheaper than Toys R Us and you can find a discount code on retailmenot.com usually. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Mommy2LittleVols]

After trying several different convertible carseats, including the Cosco Scenera, Graco Comfort Sport, and Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe, my recommendation would have to be a Britax Marathon. It is the easiest to install, will last the longest (up to 65 lbs and has 17" harness slots), and the material is soooo soft. The cheapest Marathon that I found was at Traveling Tikes for $199.99 with free shipping. HTH!

 

[GoofyMomInOhio]

We loved the Britax carseat! We used Graco/Century with our first 2 kiddos and a Britax with our youngest. The Britax was soo much better - easier to install, DD fit better, easy to adjust, etc. We were lucky enough to win ours but if we had another child, I would definitely pay for another Britax (even with our tight budget).

ETA: Watch at Target if you have one because they change the patterns once or twice a year and I have seen them on clearance for less than $50.

 

[WDWorBUST]

We LOVED our Britax Marathon. It is expensive, but a GREAT seat.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

Well...I personally have two car seats that are both highly recommended by the car seat techs...and they are very different in price.

The highest recommended seat is the Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathlon/Roundabout...they run from about $200 on up, and all but the Roundabout FF and harness to 65 lbs. We have the Marathon in my car.

Our second seat (for DH's car) is a Cosco Scenera...it is a no frills, basic convertable car seat...and you can find them on sale at Walmart or Target sometimes as low as $39, but usually no more than $55. It only goes to about 45 lbs FF, but is a great seat as far as safety is concerned.

So...it just depends on what you want to spend. But you can get a very safe convertable seat for not a lot of money.

 

[StefnMike]

Our main car seat is the
Evenflo Triumph Advance Premier

Our second is Even Titan Elite

them both and have ratings equal to Britax at a much lower price.

 

[erin.w]

Check out the Recaro seats as well, they have one for $159.00 on albee baby's website. www.specialtybaby.com

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Target has the Marathons on clearance for $195 in some stores. We bought one but I am still deciding on keeping it or returning it and ordering a Britax Frontier.

 

[Lisa_M]

We have a Britax Marathon and an Evenflo Triumph Advance LX. They are both easy to install. I like the way the Evenflo adjusts better, but I like the strap cushions on the Marathon. The Evenflo was about $70 cheaper so I like the price better, but longevity wise, I think the Britax is a better option. The chest clip on the Evenflo is starting to get loose and we've only had it about 4 months. I think I'm going to call the manufacturer about that one.

 

[jessica52877]

I would check out Recaro seats too! We loved ours. Had the young sport (it only forward faces so you would need a different one first) but they have 2 other options now that weren't available when we needed them.

We also have a Britax (and I honestly like Recaro better). And we have a Graco Nautilus. It is nice for our 2nd/airplane travel seat.

 

[summerrluvv]

Well I have a Britax Boulevard, which is not reasonably priced, but I also have a Graco Comfortsport that is. Both are safe, but the Britax has better features IMO. For one, you don't have to re-thread the straps when they grow. You just turn a knob and they adjust. The chest clip is also a lot sturdier than the Graco. She can unbluckle the Graco one, she can't do the Britax one.

 

[blessedby3]

Well...I personally have two car seats that are both highly recommended by the car seat techs...and they are very different in price.

The highest recommended seat is the Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathlon/Roundabout...they run from about $200 on up, and all but the Roundabout FF and harness to 65 lbs. We have the Marathon in my car.

Our second seat (for DH's car) is a Cosco Scenera...it is a no frills, basic convertable car seat...and you can find them on sale at Walmart or Target sometimes as low as $39, but usually no more than $55. It only goes to about 45 lbs FF, but is a great seat as far as safety is concerned.

So...it just depends on what you want to spend. But you can get a very safe convertable seat for not a lot of money.

These are the exact two car seats that we have. DD rides in the Marathon in my car (primary seat) and the Cosco when in DH's car. I LOVE the Marathon. Never had one with my other kids, but wish I did. Lots of great features with the Britax car seats.

 

[meloneyb21]

Hmmm, I really leaning towards the Ricaro Signo or the Evenflo Triumph Advance.

 

[cole6179]

I would look for a seat that harnesses to 65 pounds like the Graco Nautilius. My guy is 3.5 and now almost hitting his weight limit so we are replacing his 40 pound one b/c he isn't ready for a booster (and longer harnessing is safer). I've heard good things about it so far.