Seeking Rear-Facing for 30+ pounds

K

Ken

Guest
Seeking Rear-Facing for 30+ pounds

Hi.

Our son just turned 21 pounds, so we will shortly have to ditch his current seat which is rated up to 22 pounds. We want to stay rear-facing as long as possible, but we are having trouble finding convertibles that allow rear facing for up to 30 to 35 pounds.

We keep reading articles that say such seats exist, so can someone identify a few such models?

Thanks so much!

Ken
 
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UlrikeDG

Guest
Sure...

Any convertible made by <strong>Evenflo or Graco</strong> has a <strong>30 lb</strong> rear facing weight limit (e.g., The Evenflo Triumph or Graco ComfortSport). Any convertible by <strong>Britax</strong> has a <strong>33 lb</strong> rear facing weight limit (e.g., The Britax Roundabout, Advantage or Marathon). And, any convertible by <strong>Cosco</strong> has a <strong>35 lb</strong> rear facing weight limit (e.g., Cosco Touriva, Safety 1st Forerunner, Eddie Bauer Convertible Seat). <strong>Century</strong> still makes two seats with <strong>22 lb</strong> rear facing weight limits (the 1500 STE and the 3500 STE), and neither of those seats is recommended for other reasons.

Of those, I'd look at the Britax seats, the Evenflo Triumph, and the Graco ComfortSport first. Cosco seats are notoriously difficult to use properly (*extremely* twisty straps, for example), although they are improving.

1) Britax Roundabout/Advantage. ( www.britaxusa.com/ ) These 2 seats have EPS foam (like you find in bike helmets) to help protect the head. They have built in locking clips, which make installation much easier in many vehicles. They have an *easy to use* tether which can be used both front and rear facing. They have straps which do not twist or wrinkle. They have a harness adjuster which is so easy to use that my 4 year old can buckle himself in and get his own harness *tighter* than the recommendation! (There are seats which take my full strength to tighten just barely tight enough. The recommendation is that you should only be able to fit one finger between the child and the straps at his collar bone.) The Advantage has "infinite" harness adjustablility (you turn a knob to move it up or down), while the Roundabout has regular "slots". Any harness slot may be used front facing (most convertible seats only have the top slots reinforced for front facing use.) They are very well padded. They are also very expensive—approximately $200 for the Roundabout and $250 for the Advantage. (The non-LATCH version of the Roundabout can be found on clearance at some stores right now.)

2) Britax Marathon. ( www.britaxusa.com/ ) This is a brand new seat which can be used rear facing to 33 lb and front facing to 65 lb. (The other convertible seats I’ve listed can only be used to 40 lb front facing.) Like the Roundabout, it has built in locking clips, EPS foam a tether which can be used front *and* rear facing, non-twist straps, an easy to use harness adjuster (not nearly as nice as the adjuster on the Roundabout/Advantage, in my opinion). It is very well padded. It retails for $239-$250. It can be found at some TRU/BRU stores as well as baby specialty stores across the US.

3) Evenflo Triumph. ( www.evenflo.com/pr/co/prco_triumph.phtml ) This seat has EPS foam. It also has a unique harness adjustment system that uses knobs and a "memory harness". I’ve heard that the system can take a bit of getting used to, but once you do, it’s great! That avoids the problem many seats have with adjustability. The Comfort Touch version is well padded, but it also costs a little more.

4) Graco ComfortSport (www.gracobaby.com/Section...TypeID=432 ) The straps on this seat are less twisty than many, though not nearly as nice as those on the Britax seats. The harness adjuster is also easier to use than some, but again, not nearly as easy Britax’s. The non-LATCH version of this seat, the Century Accel, may be purchased on clearance at some stores, saving you money.

5) Cosco Touriva. (www.djgusa.com/coscocat/c...uriva.html ) This seat is much more difficult to use and has a lot less padding than any of the seats listed above. It also has a very difficult to install and adjust tether. However, it is significantly less expensive, and if you are diligent about making sure the straps don’t get twisted and in ensuring that the harness is tight enough each and every trip, it is not an "unsafe" seat.

I hope that helps. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)">

*edited to correct the link to the Triumph. Evenflo updated their website.
 
C

Caviller

Guest
A couple others-

The Cosco Alpha Omega and the Evenflo Victory/Vanguard tend to have backs that are a bit higher than many other convertibles. The Cosco also has a 35 pound rear-facing limit. These models should accomodate babies rear-facing longer than most other convertibles, with the exception of the Britax Marathon. The Marathon is probably the best current model for extended rear-facing based on seatback height and weight limits.

We also have a page on the benefits of extended rear-facing:

www.car-safety.org/rearface.html

Darren
 

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