Upgrading Car Seats

Ah the downfall of the flowery seat covers... :-) I was so tempted by them as well, but bought my Britax seats on sale so ended up with neutral covers. Thank goodness, as I've done just as you are - each child moves from their infant seat to the Britax Roundabout (now containing my petite 2.5 yr old daughter), then the next larger seat I got is the Britax Marathon (my tall 40 lb 4 yr old boy is in that now, fitting quite nicely with room to grow). I'm debating right now whether to get a second Marathon or a booster style seat for him when my 6 month old baby boy is ready for the Roundabout (within the next few months).

If you like Britax, I would just stick with it and get the bigger seat. Personally I love mine. I've found great deals at this website http://www.albeebaby.com - often 20% or more off the store prices, and free shipping.

Keep in mind that if you do move your son to the pink flowery car seat, you can order a new seat cover for it from the manufacturers.

We moved our baby into the britax marathon and bought a britax frontier booster for our three year old, keeps her in a five point harness for a long, long time! That's the safest belt for all kids. Stick with britax! And if you don't want your son to have the flowered seat cover you can buy a different cover from britax or on eBay. :)

you might want to check your local fire department, i know here in springfield, they are great for helping you make sure the seat is properly latched in your cars. so they may have a resource for research. [ maybe even discount coupon- or buy in bulk information]

Sunshine kids radian 65 is good till 4'9" and 65 lbs, narrow so easy to fit 3 across and works well in airplane seats (we just used it on a trip)
Learning Curve True fit also has the higher height and weight limits. It sits off the seat higher than the radian so it would help a kid see out windows better especially in a car where you sit lower. The back is higher than the radian but it doesn't have any more slots for the belt.

My recommendation: get the Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 carseat. You can keep a child in the 5 point harness up to 65 pounds! I just switched my 14 month old into it, and I love it. It's easy to install, and looks nice also. The head rest part of it can be adjusted, so that it will also suit taller children. I did quite a bit of research on carseats before I purchased one, as my son was ready to upgrade from his infant seat. I found a lot of great reviews on this seat, even compared to the Britax. In fact, most reviews said that they had gone with the Britax FIRST, because of it's "reputation", but that their child grew out of it too fast. Once they purchased the Nautilus, they wished that was the one they had gotten FIRST. I don't have any complaints about this seat. You can get it at Burlington Coat Factory, Walmart, Babies R Us, Fred Meyer and Target. What I did though, was purchased it off Walmart's website and had it shipped to the store (that doesn't cost extra). After taxes, it cost about $140. If you purchase in the store though, BEFORE taxes, it's around $170-$180. Check it out here http://www.gracobaby.com/Search%20Results/Pages/Search.as...

Good Luck!

We love our Safety 1st Summmit. You can get it online and many places or usually in the store and Burlington Coat Factory for $99.00. High safety rating for forward facing and Booster seat.

Hello,
Your Britax is probably the Roundabout- the smaller version. We did the same thing- bought my oldest the next Britax- The Marathon, and gave the roundabout to the younger one. It works great!

Good Luck-

I would definitely move your DD to a seat that harnesses longer - 3 is much too young for a booster with vehicle seatbelt.

We have both the Britax Frontier and Graco Nautilus - they harness to 80lbs and 65lbs respectively and have super high top harness slots. They also become a booster after the child outgrows the harness.

Check out car-seat.org for tons of great info!

which britax do you have? They go up to 65 lbs I believe...My son is about the same size as your daughter, actually, exactly, and he is fitting just fine in the marathon. I dont think that many carseats are actually made to go bigger (Britax has one that goes up to 100 I think), most would be a booster, either with or without a back...not sure she is ready for that!

Graco makes a great transition "booster" for 30lbs and up. It has the back on it and a five point harness and as they get older and heavier they can transition to using the lap/shoulder belt and then even taking the back off the booster when they are heavy enough. Babies R Us has a better selection than Target.

I totally agree with T.J. You would be wise to get the next size up in the Britax:)

My 18 month old is in the same Cosco car seat my first born used 6 years ago. It is a convertible car seat that goes up to 40 lbs. I havent bought a new one for her because if I set that car seat next to a comparable current model, there are no functional differences.

As soon as my kids reach 30lbs and 36" they get a Graco High Back Turbo Booster which they will use until they are done with booster seats.

I cannot see any verifiable evidence that my children would be safer in a $300 car seat.

Whatever seat you choose, you better know if it's been tested. If not, you cannot resell it (like you can't resell your old ones NOW) without testing - or it opens you / a resale shop up to liability to the tune of $100,000 PER VIOLATION.

If you know nothing about CPSIA and the fact that all childrens books prior to 1985 must either be tested or taken to a landfill - all toys, clothing, pens, even the quilt grandma makes to sell for a church benefit - must be tested (expensive, third party) or the party selling (Ebay, store, church, resale shop, etc.) is liable.

For more go to my blog and BE SURE to click through to Walter Olson's blog - you need to be aware of this (and our media has so far not put it to you so that you understand how it impacts YOU as a parent - this is not just a blow to stores by any means!).

Blog: http://www.tristansepinion.com

Oh, yeah - and if a store sells you one that hasn't been tested, the law includes a whistle blowing hotline and you, as a citizen, are required to report the product - you know, just like a police state / KGB nightmare. Sad, but TRUE.

Good luck,
T. B.