Help for HH seats for grandma

[mommycat]

Please help - very limited on-line time. Looking for a seat for grandma. Boy is 18 months, low 20`s(lbs) and not too tall (sorry no detail). Mom has a AOE so may trade for new seat. Cost is an issue but they also want safe&higher weight harness and for seat to last a long time. They have made the choice to turn him FF already. I see there is a lot more choice now than a year ago (when I went a little nutty getting 2 radians and a marathon for my son who hadn`t actually outgrown the AOE like I thought - oops). I have pillaged the following so far into an email but would like anything else or new, rumble on Boulevard maybe - whatever you think may help. I would love to get recommendations and opinions, please.

For booster combo seats in Canada that harness past 40lbs are:
*Graco Cargo with upfront adjust(48lbs) makes a ok booster (17" top harness slot)
*Evenflo Chase/Vision/Tradition (47lb limit) makes a ok booster
*Evenflo Bolero/Generations (47lb) makes a decent booster (Bolero is $120 at Walmart)
*Cosco Apex (65lb) makes a decent booster
*Graco Nautilus (65lbs) - coming soon***

For Higher Weight seats:
*Britax Marathon (65lbs)
*Sunshine Kids Radian (65lbs)
*Evenflo EFTA (evenflo trumph advance lx) (47lbs)
*True Fit Convertible Car Seat (TRU - $199.99 pre-order for May 16) (65 lb)

The Generations is at Toys R Us (on the website for sure - listed at $139.99) and Sears usually has it in store, but not on their website.

[Jewels]

That is pretty much the list of HWH seats available currently in Canada. Minus the Nautilus, BV and TrueFit. How soon do they need this seat?

Apparently the BV is coming but I heard that wasn't until May/June and if cost is a factor then I wouldn't even suggest it (also because it isn't available and who knows when it really will be). I also wouldn't likely suggest the Nautilus since Graco won't even admit that it is coming to Canada and we could be waiting a very long time for that one. I would only put on the list seats that are available if they need a seat now, you never know when newly released seat will actually be released as often those dates are pushed back.

All seats sold in Canada undergo the same testing and all have to pass in order to be approved. So all seats sold here are considered safe.

I would just send the list from above but I include the harness heights and inform them that the higher the top harness slot the longer the seat will be able to be used.

[mommycat]

Thanks Jewels (and congrats on the pg, I'm not sure you had the ticker back when I had more time and hung out here a bit). :)

I know all the seats are safe, I was in a hurry typing, I guess I meant something that will be easier to use and harness longer. And I'd prefer to see the little guy in something that's not just an "ok" booster, if I get to influence their choice I want them to be happy with the results.

They are not in any huge hurry, they usually just swap the seat between cars and are pretty practiced at it now but as he is getting older and may come to spend more time without mom it will be easier for them just to have more than the one seat.

[Jewels]

Thanks, we're pretty excited :love:

Congrats on the anticipation of your new arrival!

Well then, the Radian will last the longest although it isn't the cheapest. The EFTA is good as well but some have a hard time with the knob adjusters so I would make sure that Grandma can do those before actually buying or deciding to keep it.

[snowbird25ca]

Well then, the Radian will last the longest although it isn't the cheapest. The EFTA is good as well but some have a hard time with the knob adjusters so I would make sure that Grandma can do those before actually buying or deciding to keep it.

Since the seat will be ff'ing the knob adjusters should be easy-peasy. It's just rf'ing that they can sometimes be hard to deal with. (Although it's still always a good idea to try before you buy.) :thumbsup:

[mommycat]

Thanks, we're pretty excited :love:

Congrats on the anticipation of your new arrival!

Thanks, except, oops, I am out of date! My new arrival is actually from last October and is 5 months old. Teehee.

Since the seat will be ff'ing the knob adjusters should be easy-peasy. It's just rf'ing that they can sometimes be hard to deal with. (Although it's still always a good idea to try before you buy.) :thumbsup:

Ok, I will keep the two in mind, though I would lean towards the Radian. Just wondering, why not the Apex? It seems like it would get some mileage. Are the top slots low?

[snowbird25ca]

Ok, I will keep the two in mind, though I would lean towards the Radian. Just wondering, why not the Apex? It seems like it would get some mileage. Are the top slots low?

The Apex's slots are comparable to the MA and the Triumph Advance. The Apex will likely fit longer than the MA, and a similar amount of time to the Triumph advance - maybe I tiny bit longer as the slots are about 1/4 to 1/2" taller. The Apex requires support from the vehicle seatback or headrest at the level of the child's ears at all times though, so in vehicles without headrests it means that as kids get taller the seat becomes unusable for no other reason than lock of head support being offered by the vehicle seats at the level of kiddos head. (Hopefully that makes sense, it's hard to explain, but the manual is clear about it if you have a chance to check one out.)

[mommycat]

Ah. I think I know what you mean, and I remember that being mentioned a lot around here. I will have to check out what their cars have, but it just seemed like it would be a good choice as long as they do have headrests. Especially as it turns into a booster up to 100 lb (that's true in Canada, right??) while the Radian and EFTA don't.

Is there anything else as far as the Apex goes? Comfort, ease of installation and use, cleaning? I know the Radian can be a tricky install sometimes (I have 2 after all!) and the MA while being a total dream is a bit pricey. :( I never really thought about the Apex much before. How tall are the top slots - somewhere between the MA and the Radian?

Thanks for all your help!

[mommycat]

Oh, and just to double check in case they go with that one - is Cosco Apex same as Safety 1st Apex? Which one is the "cushy" version of the other?