Convertible Carseat Recomendations

My DS has just about outgrown his infant carseat and I'm ready to buy him a convertible. It's been a couple of years since I've been in the market for one so I'm wondering what seats are most recommended currently.

My DS is almost 7 months old, long, thin build. I drive a Mazda 5. I'm not too concerned about price as I am willing to spend what I need to purchase a good seat that can RF for a long time and will last him several years.

So what's recommended?

Also, kind of an aside... my DD, age 2 1/2 has been in a Marathon for the last couple of years. I've read some mention about failed TC testing.. but I haven't read any of the details or even know what TC stands for. Can someone fill me in on the basics... are the Marathons going to be recalled? Do I need to replace them?

Thx in advance,
Kristin

TC is Transport Canada. There are a couple threads you can check out for more information -
http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=100772
http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=101040

In short there was a FF Marathon in a Civic that didn't look so great. I believe the thought is that there won't be a recall since the crash test occupant of the seat was protected but the straps ripped through the back of the seat. Please read the whole thing before rushing to a conclusion. Some people are changing their FF MA, others aren't. There have never been any real life incidents.

I'm interested in what others have to say since I'm in a similar situation (and oddly enough drive a Mazda 5 as well). I currently have DD (13 months) in a SS and DS (3.5yo, ~34lbs) FF in a MA. I'm thinking I'm going to get a new Radian XT that RF to 45lbs when they come out. I can then RF DS in it, and put DD RF in the MA until 30lbs. After that she can get the RNXT to RF longer and I'm not sure what I'll put DS into but I figure by then there will be a tonne of new seats to pick from so I'll worry about that later.

I've read that the RN will fit RF in all 4 rear seats but I haven't tried it yet (I will try before getting one). I've also read that it won't FF in the 3rd row which I'm a little sad about but between my sister and I we have other options that work back there for the few occasions we have to do that.

Other convertable seats I'm thinking about -
- First Years True Fit (RF to 35lbs, FF to 65)
- True Fit Premier - coming out in the new year?? so this won't work for you but same as above but with an anti rebound bar
- an older Radian (the current XTs RF to 35lbs, and there is another new one that will RF to 40lbs but doesn't have side impact wings)
- My Ride (RF to 40)

I've ruled out the Complete Air because I used to have a 3-in-1 that I despise.

Hi,
I drive a mazda 5 so just thought i would share my experiences.

I have three car seats in it, 2 are frontiers and 1 is a rear-facing marathon.

the frontiers can be installed in either the third or second row, but when installed in the middle row it doesn't leave much leg room for the seat behind it (because the middle row chair needs to be slightly reclined and slid all the way back practically for the big frontier to fit in the middle row with leg room). two frontiers can go side by side in the back row (installed with the long belt path, and a bit tricky to install as there is very little room to put your hands between them).

the marathon can be installed rear facing in either the second or third row, however when it is in the third row the seat in front of it has pretty much NO leg room at all. the middle row works nicely, and the driver or passengers seats have an attachment point for the rear facing tether loop thing. when in the middle row there is limited leg room for the seat behind the marathon, but not so bad that the kids complain. i have not yet installed it forward facing in any of the seats, so i have no review of that.

summary, the marathon is easy to install and seems to fit nicely in the mazda 5. i do realize the frontier is NOT for a 7 month old, but just thought i would share... i do not recommend it for the mazda 5 (at least in my situation with 3 carseats total) as it is very bulky for the car. that being said i'm not sure there are many other seats for taller kids that would suit any better.

Kr1stin - I agree with chay's suggestion to pass down the MA and get another seat to continue to RF your older child. At 2.5yo she would still see a lot of benefit from RF and likely would still fit. The Marathon, while it was an amazing choice previously, has really been eclipsed recently by seats with higher limits in both weight and height, larger fit (leg room rf, shoulder room), and much lower price tags. I am not sure about fit in your car but will mention all the "contenders". chay has mentioned a lot of good choices already: the various Sunshine Kids Radians, the First Years True Fit, the Graco MyRide. You could also consider the Safety 1st Complete Air and the Evenflo Triumph Advance (though this last one doesn't quite have the high weight and height limit combos of the others listed) or even the Britax Roundabout50 or the new Dorel 3in1s. This thread will give you a good list of the options and their weight limits (RF and FF) and top harness heights, though it doesn't yet include the MyRide: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=36056

I know the TF tends to fit well when front/back room is an issue, but it is wide. It does give an additional 5 lbs RF and a lot of extra shell height. The Radians can be finicky to install at times and can resist changes to recline so they don't work in some cases. They do (with the XT and the new models) offer a higher RF weight limit and tons more shell and harness height as well. I believe that the MyRide is about the same size as a MA but offers the higher weight limit if you need it. How tall/heavy are your kids? This can help us narrow down the choices as much as the type of car you drive does. You can search for your vehicle to see if you can find some posts about it from the past as well.

Thanks to both of you for the info and advice. For now I can leave DD RF in her MA because she's not yet 30 lbs.. around 27 lbs right now. I decided to pick up a MyRide for the 40 lb RF limit. I'll put DS RF in there for now.

Then I'll decide what to do when DD hits 30 lbs. It would make sense to just switch them, but too bad I bought DD's MA in Ashley Floral. I may just retire the MA at that point and get another MR if it works out well... or a TF for DS and put DD in the MR so she can RF to 40 lbs.

DS is 16 lbs and 28.5 inches. Long and thin.

Thanks again,
Kristin

Hope the MR works out for you. If you wanted to hold on to the MA you could always buy a less girly cover on Swap or EBay (or from Britax). How tall is DD? Is she long like her brother? You want to make sure she has at least an inch of shell over her head to RF safely. Once she runs out of height, which may be before she is 30 lbs, she will need to FF or get a new seat. Sorry if this is just repeating something you already know.