Sell me on your Convertible Carseat

[tchrrx]

My niece (10 months) is getting a carseat for Christmas. I've read tons of reviews, and I haven't found a seat that I'm happy with yet. Does your child have a fantastic carseat? Or, is there one that you definitely recommend against? Thanks!

 

[star72232]

Diono Radian. RF until 40 or 45lb, narrow (can put 3 across in most full size cars), FF as a 5point harness until 65lb (might be 80lb in the US), steel frame, so it can be used after the child's shoulders are above the top straps.

I moved my DD out of hers when she was almost 8 in the spring. She is 90% for height and 60% for weight. Moved my DS(3) into it. My DS (7) is still in one.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Diono Radian. RF until 40 or 45lb, narrow (can put 3 across in most full size cars), FF as a 5point harness until 65lb (might be 80lb in the US), steel frame, so it can be used after the child's shoulders are above the top straps. I moved my DD out of hers when she was almost 8 in the spring. She is 90% for height and 60% for weight. Moved my DS(3) into it. My DS (7) is still in one.

I second this. My BFF just got one for her son and we like it so much we are going to get one for our daughter. It will last her until she is out of a booster seat.

 

[BeckFam08]

Diono Radian. RF until 40 or 45lb, narrow (can put 3 across in most full size cars), FF as a 5point harness until 65lb (might be 80lb in the US), steel frame, so it can be used after the child's shoulders are above the top straps. I moved my DD out of hers when she was almost 8 in the spring. She is 90% for height and 60% for weight. Moved my DS(3) into it. My DS (7) is still in one.

I also agree. We have this in both our vehicles as well.

 

[teacherlisa1978]

I have one too and we love it!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[ChitownFamily]

Diono Radian. RF until 40 or 45lb, narrow (can put 3 across in most full size cars), FF as a 5point harness until 65lb (might be 80lb in the US), steel frame, so it can be used after the child's shoulders are above the top straps.

I moved my DD out of hers when she was almost 8 in the spring. She is 90% for height and 60% for weight. Moved my DS(3) into it. My DS (7) is still in one.

This is an excellent seat, but most likely overkill as far as budget etc. If you hop over to http://www.car-seat.org. Tell them the make of car & some stats on your niece, and budget range. They will be happy to give you some recommendations. All seats are required to pass the same test. They are all safe. The difference in price & brand are different bells & whistles. In the case of the Diono- it has a higher rear face limit, FF weight limit, is known for being narrow etc. Ideally you want a seat that can be easily installed in the specific car & allows your niece to rear face at least to two years old.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Dd uses a britax marathon. It's a bit wide, but we like the seat overall

 

[epsmith921]

We have a Clek Foonf and it's awesome. When you do switch to front facing, the install is ridiculously easy. It's also narrow and has this fabric that water just beads on. My daughter loves this seat as it gives her a ton of space. For rear facing it also has an anti rebound bar that we are excited to use with the next kid since we didn't get the foonf until our daughter was already 2.

 

[Disney44please]

We have the Britax Marathon. We love it and it sells itself. There is a reason that people are willing to spend that much on a car seat. We will never have a different brand. : )

 

[JEWLSVERN]

We have used a Graco My Ride, first years true fit, Radian, evenflo Triumph, and a Cosco Scenera. The Evenflo and Graco have been my favorite. Super easy to use and very comfortable.
The best seat is one that fits the child and installs correctly in the car.
While I love my Radian for longevity it can be difficult to install especially rear facing.
Sometimes you just need to go to a store and play around with a few seats.

 

[Woodmnky]

Diono Radian. RF until 40 or 45lb, narrow (can put 3 across in most full size cars), FF as a 5point harness until 65lb (might be 80lb in the US), steel frame, so it can be used after the child's shoulders are above the top straps.

I moved my DD out of hers when she was almost 8 in the spring. She is 90% for height and 60% for weight. Moved my DS(3) into it. My DS (7) is still in one.

I agree. Yes they are a bit more expensive, but the safety that comes with extended rear facing is well worth it to me. My son is almost 3. He weighs 38 lbs and is 40 in tall with a long torso. He will be able to stay rear facing for a long time still. Also even though all seats are safe the extras such as side impact protection and steel reinforcement do help keep your LO safer.

 

[kiramay]

I was a car seat tech and the best seat is one that fits the car, the child, and is used correctly 100% of the time. Not all seats will fit the car.

That said, I'm currently using a Radian and a Britax marathon. Ds3 likes them both; I find the marathon easier to install and use. Both are installed in a 3-across situation.

 

[maplevale]

Between my 2 kids, our seats (including spares for Granparents) and installing my nieces and newphew seats....

I still LOVE our Britax Marathon the best. That thing installs easily (FF or RF in every vehicle I have tried it in (from a Ford Focus to the rear bench on our GMC 2500, vans, cars etc.). It is just an easy to install and nice to work with seat. Both my girls have loved it - with it being a little taller they can see out the windows well. I will be so sad when it expires this summer (ODD will go to a booster at 6.5 and YDD will go to the Radian at 3)

My second fave is my ODD's Radian. It is nice and narrow. But it is a real upright seat when FF and I can't see a younger child in it (I kept both my kids RF to 2 years old). And I find it a PITA to get a good install (especially in my car - a Kia Rio)

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

My kids each had Marathons and I loved them. We started out with a Cosco Alpha Omega when our oldest was 4 months old (he outgrew his infant seat at 4 months). I fought with that seat for 2+ years, with twisting straps and it was such a pain. When our Target finally started to carry Britax seats, I finally got to see one in person and understood why they got rave reviews online. I ordered it and never looked back.

Of course, my experience with carseats is a few years past current, since my oldest is 11 and youngest is nearly 8. (My youngest is still in a HB booster.) However, if I were to need another seat, I'd buy another Britax without a second thought.

 

[mousehunter3]

http://www.amazon.com/Diono-RadianR...UTF8&qid=1384811442&sr=1-1&keywords=radian+65

We have this one. Works from infant to 100 pounds. Extremely durable- great seat. We bought it because we needed to fit three across in my husband's Blazer and a regular infant seat would not fit. I love it though.

ETA: I just read all the preceeding comments now and see everyone else loves this seat too. Go Radian! I am also one who keeps kiddos rear-facing longer than anyone in my extended family feels is normal/necessary. Haha

 

[tchrrx]

Wow! I am amazed by all of the responses. I will share this link with my sister. Thank you so much for your input!

 

[tms295psu]

We love our britax marathon classics. Kept my daughter in a 5 pt until she was 5.5 yrs old. Comfy and positioned that their heads don't fall front when sleeping while forward facing. And super easy to install! Target carries them for a good price.

When we started buying car seats I thought people were crazy to spend $$ they all have to be safe right? Well safe doesn't mean they are a PITA to use! Love our britax and will never go back!

 

[DopeyDame]

I'm going to go against the grain and say I hate the Radian. I realize it's popular but I hated it so much that it's now our "spare" and I went out and bought a marathon for my car. (Freaking expensive for a spare carseat!) It's incredibly heavy, the straps twisted all the time, it was hard to install, and DS found it very uncomfortable.

I absolutely love our Marathon, and also the Britax Roundabout. (Don't be overly impressed by the crazy high weight limits some of these have. By around 55 pounds your child will most likely be in a booster anyway, having outgrown the carseat by height. And who the heck expects their 100 pounds 6th grader to still be in the same carseat they used as a 1 year old.)

 

[mrsp1030]

I also disliked the radian and used a Britax marathon for years. However, being a fan of the Chicco infant seat, I was all over the new convertible when it came out and by far LOVE it!! It's so easy to adjust as your child grows and works perfectly in our Odyssey and my parents CRV!

 

[hipporina]

Another vote for the Marathon. It is our main seat and I love it. My favorite feature is that the buckle stays forward when not fastened so you never have to pull it out from underneath your child after setting them in the seat.