too many convertibles to choose from!

We have an 18-month old tiny girl (17lbs and very short, too, maybe 26"). She is still in her graco infant seat, but we're looking to get a convertible for her.

Our current set up is a 2011 Sienna with a 9yo (60lbs) in the small center seat of 2nd row. We just recently took aaway her booster as we realized she had grown quite a bit over the last year and fits very well in that small seat without it. We'll still use it in the bigger seats. We also have a 6yo ~45lbs, 42" still harnessed in a nautilus in a captain's chair in the middle row. She is really wanting to move to a booster (and of course changing the nautilus into booster mode still feels like a car seat to her, so we're considering a hbb for her).

THe baby (18-mo old) hates, hates, hates the car seat and fights and screams and tries to get out when you put her into the car seat. So, I really want something very easy to use to make getting her in as easy as can be. Sometimes you have to hold her down in the seat to get her buckled. She also seems to get pretty hot and sweaty in the seat.

So, right now I'm looking at the evenflo platinum series Symphony or Triumph because the outlast performance fabric sounds nice.

Also considering a britax marathon? pavilion? boulevard? Not sure what the difference between them really is.

Also, I thought maybe I should consider the radian since it is less "bucket" like and maybe she'd like getting in it better?

I really have no idea. THere are so many options and I it seems the more I research the more overwhelmed I get. Please help guide me! Is a britax a lot safer than an evenflo? Are the ones with deeper sides safer than the slimmer radian?

Please help me!

Thanks!!

If you're looking at Britax seats, also take a look at the Peg Perego convertible. It has fabric in the head and back area that keeps a child cool, also offers an accessory Clima cover for hot climates, is very easy to buckle and tighten and well padded for the child's comfort.

Super easy to adjust the harness height as well. Just the other day, we were heading out on the highway for a trip and I noticed she needed the harness moved up. I pulled a tab on the headrest and 5 seconds later I was done. And it was perfectly adjusted for the trip which meant she slept better with the headrest adjusted higher.

TechnoGranola said:

If you're looking at Britax seats, also take a look at the Peg Perego convertible. It has fabric in the head and back area that keeps a child cool, also offers an accessory Clima cover for hot climates, is very easy to buckle and tighten and well padded for the child's comfort.

Super easy to adjust the harness height as well. Just the other day, we were heading out on the highway for a trip and I noticed she needed the harness moved up. I pulled a tab on the headrest and 5 seconds later I was done. And it was perfectly adjusted for the trip which meant she slept better with the headrest adjusted higher.

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Ditto this! I was going to suggest the same one.

Okay thanks! I'll look into that one. Is it any stores to see in person?

I know some will say (they both pass the minimum safety tests) that the evenflo is the same safety as a britax but to me in my mama opinion I feel that you get what you pay for. Yes an evenflo seat will work but to me when I feel the sides of an evenflo vs a britax man oh man does a britax feel more sturdy, better made, thicker sides. I also feel more engineering/ safety testing has gone into The britax brand so that is why we chose britax.

If your budget is tight as long as you install a less expensive seat correctly your baby will be safe.

What are your rear facing goals? How long do you plan to rf your 18 month old?

sahmlaura said:

Okay thanks! I'll look into that one. Is it any stores to see in person?

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I think your Babies R Us stores carry it in the USA but hopefully someone in the US will let you know where it's carried for sure.

TechnoGranola said:

I think your Babies R Us stores carry it in the USA but hopefully someone in the US will let you know where it's carried for sure.

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My Babies R Us does not have it in store, but my Buy Buy Baby does.

The latch at the symphony is AMAZING! We just got the Securekid seat for my DD and wish I saw the symphony before she was born or when she outgrew the infant carrier. First time I've installed a car seat and it felt tight and secure. It was so, so easy.

I have a Britax seat. They are nice also. The frontier I have is very spacious. My oldest sweat no matter what seat. My little one doesn't sweat much, but in the summer it's hot here.

I tried my LO in a lot of seats and when possible I had my 7 year old sit in it and give me thoughts. I figured it would give me an idea of how realistic height limits are and how an older child would fit in the seat.

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The Evenflo has a 37" RF limit so it doesn't last as long RF as the Britax or many other seats. Given your DD's size though, it should easily get her to 3, probably 4 RF as recommended. The nice thing about small kids is you pretty much have your pick of seats and can still RF a long time. I love Britax seats, but for a baby who hates her current seat, the lack of leg room might be an issue. I'd try the Peg, NextFit (but might be too deep for her liking), or even the a True Fit. I don't know much about the Symphony.
ETA: The a Radian is a good choice too, it just can be a bit trickier to install and adjust then the others I mentioned.

I sympathize with you OP. I too have an 18 month old who hates car seats. She seems to do a little better in seats with a straight back as opposed to the more bowl shaped ones. Also she likes to be able to see around headwings if possible so for example she liked the roundabout better than the boulevard.

If possible I would go to babies r us or buybuybaby or a baby store with various seats on display. Hopefully that will help you narrow down what works for your toddler and what doesn't.

I think the radian might be a good choice if you don't find it too finicky to tighten the harness with a struggling kid.

Thank you everyone!

I went out to babies r us today and saw the evenflos with the performance fabric and also looked at the britax. I only got her in one seat - the evenflo symphony. She sat in it for awhile while I looked at some of the others, but then I realized it wasn't reclined for rear facing. Once I reclined it for the rear facing mode she hated it. I think she doesn't like to recline so much. Do you have to recline them that much rear facing even when they're older?

The symphony was also very hard to tighten the harness strap. I liked the knob of the other evenflo better, but it reclined a lot, too, for rf.

I couldn't get her in the britax because by that point she was done trying out car seats.

I still want to go see a peg and radian.