Convertible Car Seat

Our son is very tall for his age. I had to purchase a convertible before 6 months as well. After searching all reviews we chose: Evenflo Triumph Advance Deluxe.

Positive features:
1. Adjustable straps
It is a little more difficult to do with the seat rear facing (not impossible) but the car seat has knobs on the sides to make the straps loose or tight. Comes in very handy when it is cold and they are wearing a coat or thicker clothing.
2. Very Cushy and comfy
3. Safe
We were in a car accident (rear-ended by another car going 50-60 mph) and my son did not budge in the car seat... he was fine! of course... insurance co. bought us anohter one!)
4. It is rounder and sits more like an infant seat than a toddler seat when rear facing. It does recline back.
5. It is a lot cheaper than the Britax and it has good reviews.

Negitive features:
1. The only real negative feature we can find it it's size. It is a little wider than some others I've seen. This didn't bother us because we drive a Yukon SUV. If you have a smaller car.. it may be a concern.
2. In the reviews... some people complained about the straps becoming tangled. We have NEVER had that problem... but, we use strap covers that wrap around the straps. They help protect the baby's face from rubbing the straps... but they also keep them from tangling.

Over all we love the car-seat and so does our son! :) I think we paid around $150 for it a year ago. Good luck!

I had NEVER considered this before I was in your shoes last month, but please look at the Evenflo Triumph Advance Deluxe:

http://www.evenflo.com/Homepage/ProductList/tabid/203/nav...

We had to get a convertible seat for our 6-month-old son and I had heard all the wonderful things about Britax too, but in doing research (Consumer Reports and TONS of parent reviews on Babies R Us, Target, etc.) I found that many parents liked this one just as much as the Britax and for about half the price. Also, looking at them at the store side by side, they really feel about the same. I even think the Evenflo feels more comfortable. He's been in it for about 3 weeks now and is so much more comfortable than he was in his infant seat. You're right about missing the fact that you can't carry him in the other seat - I also miss the umbrella-type sun shade on the infant seat and using our stroller that we could drop the infant seat into, but the trade-off is definitely worth it. Highlights of this seat are the comfort, the very easy "adjustment dial," the better view it offers our son and most of all the excellent safety rating from Consumer Reports (better than Britax.)

Good luck shopping - I really hope you check out this seat!!! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

Something I read in comsumer reports was very helpful to me in choosing a carseat that was safe but still in our budget. It reported that while some carseats may rate slightly higher, any of them on the market are very safe because in order to be sold in this country they must meet rigorous safety standards. That made me feel better about buying an evenflo brand carseat which we have been very happy with and didn't break the bank for us (diapers and formula are expensive enough!). If you have the money for the expensive one by all means go for it, but if you don't-don't feel bad because they are all very safe. Hope this is helpful and good luck! p.s. One other note-I bought a used carseat as an extra one for my parents and then learned afterwards that they can not be used if ever in a car wreck so if you use any used carseats make sure they have not been in an accident and that you can check for recalls.

Just have to Second the Evenflo Triumph. My 3.5 year is still using hers in my husbands car. I purchased it after hearing great reviews from EMT's and paramedics in my family. They told me that it was the one seat that they saw over and over again in accidents, be fine. Plus great reviews on numerous websites!
Stace

Britax is really expensive, but a great seat. We went for a middle of the road priced seat... Evenflo Triumph DXL. It got great reviews on car seat safety sites, and it's more affordable. Ours goes from 5-25 lbs rear-facing and up to 50 lbs forward facing. It has extra infant support pillows that are removable, a cup holder, the padding is removable for washing, the harness is fully adjustable with a tightening knob, and it has 2 strap positions so you can adjust as your child grows.

Some sites I used to decide on a seat:
http://www.car-safety.org/
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
http://www.carseat.org/

One more tip.... Don't forget to account for the size of your vehicle! Some of the convertibles are HUGE. If you have a van or SUV you won't have a problem... but if you have a 4-door car, check to make sure it fits first!

Britax is a wise investment. I have a friend who has put both of her girls in Britax and her older daughter just moved to a booster last year and she is 7.

I have Evenflo high back carseats with five point harnesses. They will work up to 100lbs each. I love them. They are super easy to clean and adjust for different levels of clothing.(We live in St. Louis, our weather changes at the drop of a hat 70 degrees one day snow the next) It is super easy to adjust to make it tighter or looser depending on how many layers of clothes they are wearing.

I tried to keep mine in the portable car seat until after the chilliest of the winter season was over so that I could keep them covered with blankets or a carseat cover. My oldest was about 7 months old when I switched her. My second child...it made more sense to move him later because it was one less thing to carry around with me.

Wow! He is growing fast. I'm sure you are very proud.

We love all 3 of our Britax seats (1 infant, 1 convertible, and one toddler). You may think you'll enjoy the new seat when he falls asleep, but then you have to take him out and risk waking him up and him not falling back asleep when you put him in his crib! and THAT is a scary situation :) (I fear it when my DD doesn't nap).

I've seen other seats that have drink cup holders and I think I might end up missing not having one but for now, at 2, she just drops her drink on the floor when she's through and wouldn't put it in a place for her to recover, should she decide she wants another sip.

I'm kind of a safety freak and the purpose of the seats is to protect the kids, so I'm all for buying the highest rated seats that do the best job.

I also have the Britix and yes it may be on the expensive side but its better to spend top dollar for something knowing its made well then to not have that protection for your child. Its all about making your child safe.

Your baby at 4 1/2 months old should still be in a rearfacing carseat until he is 1yr or 20 lbs, I was nervous about putting my son forward facing, so it didnt happen until he was 13months old.

I have 3 boys. 2 of which have the Cosco Alpha Omega. I think that is okay, however, my friend found the Cadillac of all carseats.

I totally recommend the Evenflo Triumph Advance. It goes up to 55 lbs with the 5 point harness. Which is soooo important. You don't want to go to a booster too soon. That is why we can't stand the Cosco. My 4 year old is lucky. HE is tall but doesn't meet the weight limits that require him to switch the the regular seatbelt with the carseat.

Here are somethings to consider. If you just want to buy one carseat for your child, think how long you would like him to be in the 5 point harness. I am a freak about it. You also might consider the possibility of him figuring out how to get himself in and out. Which would freak me out if I was driving. Who knows what could happen. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is also lounged back so that he is not sitting up with his head hanging down..which I had a problem with. Since they have to be rear facing for until are one. They appear to be very comfortable. My almost one year old seems to like it! I wish I would have bought them for my older boys too. I still might! Good Luck. Oh, Consumer Report also rated it the best.

i got my son a safety 1st convertible carseat and it goes up to 100 pounds it's at walmart

Hi A., we bought a Britax Roundabout and it's SO easy to install and remove from the car. It's very easy to get our son in and out of it too. We bought the Britax Roundabout because it's the highest rated convertible car seat by Consumer Reports for safety and ease of use. The Evenflo Triumph 5 was second followed by the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite, then the Britax Marathon. And the Britax Roundabout weighs less than the other three :)

we've always used Graco, they're great seats for a great price. not too many Graco products are recalled, so it's a brand i've known and trust. good luck!

A.-
We have the Britax Marathon and love it! My daughter who is 3 just now switched from it so that we could use it with our 1 year old. She loved it so much and is a little bummed that it is now his! All of our friends have the Britax seats too and would never use any other convertible seat. Hope this helps! Good luck!

The newest convertible carseat with the highest safety standards is the Maxi Cosi brand. The convertible seat is called the Priori. It has recently been introduced into the US and has been through higher safety testing in Europe than the US. The great thing about this seat is that it is less expensive than the Britax and it has a button on the front of the seat that you can compress and recline your baby if he falls asleep in the car. The other convertible carseats require you to completely unstrap the seat in order to recline it and then you would have to unstrap again to put in a more upright position. The Maxi Cosi is FANTASTIC!! It is worth at least checking it out. They sell them at Sorella Due Children's Boutique in Yukon off of Main Street. Their website is www.sorelladue.com Good Luck!!

A.,
I bought the Britax Marathon seat. It's pricier than some of the others, but considering how long you'll be using it and the precious cargo that will sit in it, I found it worth the investment and the temporary pinch on the bank account. (If you use it for one year, you're spending less than a dollar a day for it.) I believe the Marathon goes up to 60 pounds. I have a 22 month old (she's my first), so I can't tell you if that's a reality or not, but she's got a lot of room to grow in that seat.

I hear you on the can't carry them around while they're sleeping thing. But they just get too heavy to lug in that seat. Many times he'll wake up when you get him out of the seat. It is a part of growing up and he'll start sleeping a lot less, so it's better anyway.

J. C.

Hey, I LOVED the Britax Marathon!!! It is the best car seat, my son is now 4 and we just transferred him to a booster. He outgrew his infant carrier at 5 mos. So I know how you feel, it was hard for awhile not having the carrier when he feel asleep. YOu just need to figure out a way to pick him up without waking him, just keep trying different things. And I think I even used those carrier carts in some stores, covered up with a blanket so he could lay down while I was shopping. Just hang in there and you will get through it. If you do decide to purchase the Britax, I think you will like it. I think it's the safest car seat out there!

I ma huge fan of Sunshine Kids car seats. They are narrow seats (17 inches at the widest point... wich sounds really skinny but it isn't) and are reinforced with metal rods (most car seats are plastic only). I read lots of reviews on them because I was looking for a seat skinny enough that people could still sit comfortably in the back seat of my Saturn Vue... and there is plenty of room left over.
The website is SKJP.com. I found mine from a retailer on ebay and saved $50 from the retail price (and they gave me free shipping)

We bought our daughter a britax and we LOVE it!! We bought it for her when she was around 8 months old so it was rear facing then. It was very easy to install in the car and she didn't mind sitting it at all. It is very soft and comfy! She is now 15 months old so she now faces to the front and it it is still awesome. They are very expensive though so be prepared to pay over $200, but when you think about that it goes up to 65 lbs, and it is rated the best in safety I think its well worth the money.

According to my pediatrician, babies are suppose to be in a rear facing carseat until they are 20lbs and 1 year of age. She said a baby needs to be 1 year of age because their neck muscles aren't sufficiently developed to withstand a car accident in a forward facing car seat.

We have a Britax that we purchased a year ago and really like it. They are more expensive than the others but are really easy to install (I did it myself in about 5 minutes) and seem comfortable for the kiddos. My daughter falls asleep in it all the time when we are on road trips. Don't for get when switching to a convertible to wait to turn him front facing until he is one. I believe the law is 20 pounds AND 1 year old. We had the opposite problem as you, our daughter didn't weigh 20 pounds until after she was one (she's only 24 lbs now at 2!). Good luck in your search!

A., My son weighed around the same and we researched until we found the Alpha Omega at Babies R Us. It had the features and the safety ratings that we wanted. I hope this helps. Go to the store and try them out that is the best advice I can offer.

I haven't read all the responses so someone may have already stated this, but Britax makes a cheaper version which is sold under Fisher Price, but with less frills like cup holders, tons of padding, and such. My husband and I did a lot of looking around online for carseats and we found this one at albeebaby.com for about a hundred dollars less than the similar Britax version. Oh, the other thing that I liked about it was that it is for a child from 5-55 lbs., so it is one that will definitely last you a long time.

Here's the website where you can find it at Albee Baby, but I know that there are other places that have it as well: http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html

The seat looked like it got a lot of good reviews and so far we have been very happy with it. Our son, however, didn't need to be moved into this seat until he was almost one.

I and my two daughters (1 and 3.5) love the britax marathon. They're a bit bulky, but very comfy. They'll be using them for much longer too. I switched my younger one to the marathon early (4 months) because I really prefer it to the bucket seat and it seems so much more comfortable for her. If she's sleeping, just pop her in the sling and she's back to sleep in no time!

K..

love my britax. My 5 month old is 20.5 lbs. and about to move into it and my 2yr. old is still comfy in his.

When my daughter turned one, we bought the Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 chair. I hated it!!!! We took it back and purchased the Boulevard car seat from Britax. It was double the price of the first seat we bought, but WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!! We love it and so does our daughter. It was easy to install and have no complaints. I hope this helps...good luck.

I put my daughter in hers at about 4 months old. I could no longer carry that heavy carrier around anymore. We have three of the Evenflo Triumph seats. I find the carseat very easy to use and she seems very comfortable in it!

I tried a few in an attempt to avoid paying too much and ended up with the Britax Marathon. My daughter is very comfortable in the seat and falls asleep well in it. I like the pad around the buckle and its very easy to install. I found that other brands didn't have the pad around the buckle and it would dig into my chubby daughters thighs. The buckle alse seemed longer and didn't rest right over her crotch. I'm sure you can find cheaper ones, but I'm extremely pleased with my choice. Good luck.

We have the Britax Roundabout for our 3 year old (it goes up to 40 pounds and I think she will be in it until probably 4)she has been in it since about 7-8 months, her grandparents have Britax Marathon that she has used in their car since she was 2 months! Anyway, they are great, they wash and wear well, if we had #2 we could definately still use our seat again:) My sister has Graco and those are nice as well the Britax are a bit more expensive but we got our Roundabout for under $200 and feel like we have definately gotten our use out of it and are very happy!!

Sunshine Kids Radian 80 is the only carseat that will use a 5 point harness for kids up to 80 pounds. It is the safest long-term option, is much more compact than the Britax, and is about the same price. We love ours; easy to travel with, too.

Hey A.,

I got a Maxi Cosi car seat at Dingbats on 15th near Peoria. I absolutely love it. It looks comfortable and I like the color options (we picked the orange/olive combination. It was less expensive than the Britax and there were no recalls on it. The Britax has had some recalls. It is kind of a bummer when you can't carry them in the carrier anymore. But that's when you bring the stroller.

We had the Britax Roundabout for all 3 of my kids and I loved it!! We used it from 4 months or so on up to 4 years. I know there's a newer model out there that's supposed to be even better. They're pricy, but worth every penny-my youngest just turned 4 year old is still in one of ours, so they've been used constantly for 8 years, now.
My kids also grew out of their pumpkin seats at 4-5 months. We ended up leaving just the it in the trunk, so when we were at the grocery store, Target or a restaurant, we could just sit him in it (since he couldn't sit on his own). Just pull it out anytime you don't have your stroller or don't want to hold him the entire time.

I have an Evenflo that has the knob on the side that makes adjusting the straps so easy. I highly recommend it.

i researched for weeks and finally decided on the britax, you can't beat feeling like your child is safe. look in the clearence aisle at babiesrus and they usualluy have one on sale. if you have the 15% off coupon that is an extra bonus. i got the decathalon because it has 3 different holes to chose from where the harness comes between their legs, i wouldn't choose a different one now that i have it, it is so much more comfortable for my daughter. good luck.

I have two Round About Britax convertible seats and love them. One is for my car and the other one is for my husband's car. We also have a Britax Booster Seat for my 6 year old. She loves it. Before we had Britax, we had Graco seats and HATED them. The straps continually got tangled up. The straps on the Britax have never gotten tangled. My son is 21 months old and we have hand him in his Britax seat since he was 7 months old. He never fusses in it. It is so soft and comfy. My daughter says the same thing about her booster seat.

My son had to go to a convertible seat at 6 months, so I was in your position to. I ended up getting the Alpha Omega Elite. I got it because it will go up to 100 pounds, is easy to install, and the straps are easy to adjust. It also looks really comfortable! The baby straps will come out and it can be used as a booster when he's older. I only spent $150 (including tax) so it was really worth the money. I've even seen them at Big Lots for $80, but I'm not sure I would trust buying a car seat from them. My son is now 14 months, so I've used it rear facing and front facing. I have been extremely happy with the purchase and would definitely recommend this to other moms!

I got the Evenflo Triumph Advance Convertable Car Seat. I absolutely love it!!!! It is very padded so I think it is comfortable for the baby. I sits rear and front facing and it was rated just under the Britax, but costs much less. The thing that I like the best is the straps. You don't have to rethread them through the seat, they automatically adjust to your child's height. It sits up high, so my daughter can look out the window easily. I love it!!