OT: Carseat suggestions for 6mo and 2.5 yr

[goofy4wdw2]

Just want to preface this with...I have done a search on this forum about carseats, but I'm having trouble making heads or tails of which would work best for our kids and our situation.

We're looking for reasonably priced carseats for DH's car for DS 6mo (20#) and DD 2.75 (22#). DS is outgrowing his infant seat that we use in both cars. For DD 2.5 we currently have a Britax Boulevard in my car and a Britax Marathon in DH's car. We plan to put both Britax's in my car as we use my car more, but DH does drop off one or both of the kids some mornings, so we need carseats for both of them for his car. We'd prefer not to spend the money on 2 more Britax seats if we find alternatives that we like...in regard to safety and how long they will last. I would love to hear some suggestions for us to consider.

I've been reading about the Graco Nautilus which would work for DD and would last a long time for her, but I'm a little nervous about having her forward facing since she's safer rearfacing and she's just over the 20# mark. Am I being paranoid? Should we just go with the Nautilus for her? Any other seats you would recommend for DD that could do rearfacing for a while but aren't super expensive?

What recommendations do you have for DS...he's a big guy (he will probably outweigh his sister soon!), and I'd like to get something that is going to last for a while. Nautilus is definitely out since it's only forward facing. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[LISmama810]

Hi there! I'm new here and mostly just a lurker, but I thought I'd chime in on this one! I'm a Child Passenger Safety Technician, so car seats are my "thing."

We do recommend keeping kids rear-facing to the limits of their seat. You DD is definitely small enough to rear-face for a while, and I commend you for considering that. (You're lucky you have that option, too--my child is on the other end of the spectrum!)

For inexpensive seats, there are a couple options. The Cosco Scenera rear-faces to 35 lbs and forward-faces to 40. It's about $40 at WalMart, Target, etc. (You'd probably need another harnessed seat after that, but it's a good inexpensive option.) It's bare-bones, though...no padding other than a thin cover, but it makes a great seat for traveling.

Your best bet might be the Evenflo Triumph Advance. It's about $130, I think. It rear-faces to 35 pounds and forward-faces to 50 pounds. The harness height is high (comparable to the Marathon), so kids will last longer in it by height. (Most kids outgrow car seats by height--when their shoulders go over the top straps--than by weight.) It also has nice padding, and it has a no-rethread harness, so you can adjust the height really easily.

If you have questions about other seats, I can try to answer those, too.

I just wanted to mention, if you keep your DD rear-facing, remember that you have to turn her forward-facing when there's less than an inch of shell over her head, even if she still weighs less than the weight limit. (That's always a possibility, especially with a child as light as she is!)

Good luck

--Jennie

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I have an Evenflo Triumph. It's about 4 years old so it's not the Advanced that's on the market now, but very similar. I love it. It's very easy to use. I like the knobs on the side to tighten the belt much better than the models where the belt adjustment is on the front of the seat. Those are near impossible to adjust when the seat is rearfacing.

I was able to get mine on sale at Target for $99 when the non-sale price was $120 so maybe you can find a sale on the Triumph Advanced as well.

 

[riley2008]

I'd go with a couple of Cosco Scenera seats, until your DD (or DS) could fit into the Nautilus.

JMHO - those seats are terrific for the money!

If your DD doesn't fit into the Scenera due to height, then I'd go ahead and do a Britax or Radian 65 (no need to spend the extra $$ on a Radian 80).

 

[lucigo]

We just upgraded to the Nautilus and have been extremely happy with it. Its definitely something to consider in the future if you don't want to get one now.