Convertible car seat for low weight kids

[abemom2]

My kids are short and skinny.

I have a Radian which my DS will be in until he's 9 (when it expires), and he'll probably be below the weight limit still. 24 lbs., 12" torso.

DS 2 is in the Scenera, that will also last some time. ( It will expire when he's 6, and he has a torso of 12.5", and 23 1/2 lbs.

DS 3 is in a Snugride, and I'm wondering what to get next. He's the biggest of my kids. Born 1 1/2 lbs. bigger, and longer at birth.

I know I have time! But was wondering whether I have to invest in the HW seats when I don't need it. I've read abou the chase.... Are these really good seats? Are they easy to install? Do they have twisty straps? They are at least $100 cheaper than the "better" seats.

I would need seats that will be able to fit wth 3 across, for when our family grows. I have 1 Radian, so that helps.

The ETA my DS 1 found to be more comfortable than the Marathon, but it's wide!!

My seats will be used to the maximum, whatever I get.

Thanks so much!
Anna

[skaterbabscpst]

Seats with higher weight limits are not just for bigger kids. The longer children are rear facing, the better. And a five point harness is safer than a booster. Because your children are lightweight, that means you can optimize their protection far longer than someone with heavier children.


FWIW, my daughter has more room in the Evenflo Triumph Advance than she does in the Marathon, both by height and by width. If I were buying one of the two today, I'd definitely go for the EFTA.

[unityco]

This is Jewels' list of the Canadian high-weight seats:

For booster combo seats in Canada that harness past 40lbs are:
*Graco Cargo with upfront adjust(48lbs) makes a ok booster (17" THS)
*Evenflo Chase(16.8" THS)/Vision/Tradition (16" THS) (47lb limit) makes a ok booster
*Evenflo Bolero/Generations (47lb) makes a decent booster (Bolero is $120 at Walmart) (16.5" THS)
*Cosco Apex (65lb) makes a decent booster ~ (17" THS)

For Higher Weight seats:
*Britax Marathon (65lbs) (17" THS)
*Sunshine Kids Radian (65lbs) (18" THS)
*Evenflo EFTA (47lbs) (17" THS)

THS=Top Harness Slots

You may be able to get away with one of booster combo seats with the lower weight, since it seems your children would outgrow their seats by height, not weight (but most kids do anyway.) The Radian is still your best bet for long-term harnessing simply because it has the tallest harness.

Obviously, you wouldn't be putting the child who's coming out of the Snugride into a FF only seat like the booster combos - you'd need to shuffle the kids around a bit. Maybe put the youngest in the RF Scenera, the middle child in a RF Radian, then your oldest in a FF combo seat (although if he's not over 30lbs at that point it would be best to leave him RF too. It is 4x safer for him.)

The EFTA is wide and may not be a good choice for 3 across. The lower-priced seats meet the same safety guidelines as the higher-priced ones. The cheaper seats' straps are more twisty than the Radian or Britax seats (but probably about the same as your Scenera.) I think anything has to be easier to install than the Radian, so if you can get that in, any others should be easier ;)

How old are your children, and what vehicle do you drive?

HTH!

[abemom2]

DS - 3 Yr. old, 4 months RF in Radian 12" Torso 24 lbs. (a long way to 30)
DS - 22 months old, RF in Scenera 12.5" Torso 23 lbs.
DS - 03/08 RF in Snugride 9 lbs.

The Radian my DH finds is easier to install RF than the Scenera!
My DS 1 loves the Radian, I don't think he'll part with it so fast.

I don't own a car at present, but we rent cars from time to time, so we need seats for that.
We hope to get a car by next year!

I was thinking of a regular car seat, not one that converts to a booster, unless they're as good.

Thank you.

[unityco]

I was thinking of a regular car seat, not one that converts to a booster, unless they're as good.

I only recommended the combo seats because most are cheaper than the HW convertible seats in Canada, but you're right, your DS1 has a long way to go RF, so none of them are really options yet. You had mentioned the Chase, which got me thinking combo seats. Bad me! ;) The combo seats are fine as harnessed seats, but some do not make good boosters.

In this situation, you're likely best to go with what you know... another Radian. Another Radian will make 3-across even easier, and will keep your kids harnessed for a long time. There is the new True Fit coming out soon here though, but I don't know very much about it. It's still very new in the 'States too. It's definitely not as slim as the Radian, but maybe not as wide as the EFTA.

HTH!