Trying to find a carseat - SO many choices!!

Hi all! I have been on the search for a new carseat for my daughter and you guys seemed like the ones to ask for opinions! I'm starting to get a bit overwhelmed by all the choices!

My daughter (we'll call her M to save a bit of typing) was a preemie so she's pretty tiny. She'll be one eek the end of this month, weighs just a shade under 16 lbs, and is about 27 in long. She is currently using a Graco Snugride but it only holds up to 29 in (as I'm sure you guys know). And, as slow as I am to make decisions, she will have outgrown it by the time I'm ready to buy something.

So, obviously I need something convertable as she's nowhere near big enough to be forward facing even if I wanted to turn her at a year (which I wouldn't have anyway). I'd like it to be something she can use for a while, and be safe and comfy. I'm willing to pay more if it REALLY is worth the extra money. Ease of installation, adjustment, and cover removal for cleaning are desired...but not necessary.

Here are the ones I've looked at so far:
Graco MyRide 65 - This was my intial favorite but after reading some reviews I'm not so sure. It also seems like it reclines awfully far when forward facing.

Britax (multiple models) - I've seen wonderful reviews and they've been recommended by a lot of other moms on another message board I frequent...but MAN, they're EXPENSIVE! But, like I said earlier...I am willing to pay more if it truly is a superior product. I just don't want to be paying for a name only.

Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 - This one seemed really nice in theory...but the reviews were terrible. So, unless someone has something fantastic to say about it, it's probably already out of the mix.

So, I'm open to any suggestions you guys have! Some other information that might be useful is: We have two cars - a 2003 Ford Taurus and a 2004 Chevy Malibu. M rides in both pretty equally. We might (hopefully) be replacing one of these for a slightly larger vehicle (Chevy Equanox, Ford Edge, or something else of similar size) sometime this spring/summer.

Ok, that was terribly long...but I really do appreciate any help you guys can offer! Thanks!

I'd go with the myride out of those options.

Yeah, I'd say MyRide too. She could probably rear-face till 4 years old, and then you could sell it and get a different seat for forward-facing if it was too reclined. It really is great for rear-facing.

I have a MyRide rear-facing in my '03 Malibu and it works great.

abigaylebelle said:

I'd go with the myride out of those options.

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Thanks for the responses already coming in!

I don't need one of the options I listed in the original post. Those are just the ones that I had done a bit of research on. I'm open to any other suggestions you have!

Britax is just a brand name. There's nothing really to recommend it over a number of excellent products currently on the market.

Of those three options, the only one *I'd* even consider is the My Ride. I don't know what reviews you read, because it's honestly a fantastic product. Affordable, easy to use, will get kids 3-4 years rear facing and 4-6 years forward facing. The cupholders are super-nice too The recline for forward facing is just fine . My four year old (just turned forward facing) is quite comfy.

I'd also consider the First Years True Fit. It only has a 35 pound rear facing limit, but because your daughter is petite I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Just remember to keep her rear facing as long as possible, at least 3-4 years

A My Ride, True Fit, or Radian would be the ones I'd recommend. These three are wonderful seats - the only real difference is which fits your cars and budget best, and which you like based on use and how the child fits. All three have lots of leg room and great covers. The Radians and Truefits are super tall.

The My Ride is high up, has high sides, has a nice cozy fit for the child, cupholders, is easy to install, and rf to 40lb. Shorter than the other two and as a more reclined ff install than the other two.

The True Fit has lockoffs for seatbelt installs, rf to 35lbs, has a wide, roomy interior, removable headrest for infants, detachable cupholder, and the Premiere has an anti rebound foot.

The Radians fold for travel, have steel frames, the XL have headwings, the SL can latch for a long time (not sure exactly to what weight), can be difficult to get a seatbelt install to be solid, can be difficult to get a more upright install for an older rf child, can rf up to 40 or 45lbs (depending on the DOM), has a rf tether.

Wanted to ease your worries about her outgrowing her Snugride -
she may not be.
The manufacturer's height limits are really only guidelines. She will have outgrown this seat by height when she has less than one inch of hard carseat shell above her head.
So, you may have some more time than you thought.

All seats mentioned by previous posters (TrueFit, Radian) are great seats. I own a Radian and my son truly enjoys it.
It sounds like the MyRide would be a good fit for her. Being a petite child she will be able to get a lot of use out of this seat, even with a shorter shell.
My toddler has a MyRide. He's 37#, 37" at 2 years and 9 months and happily rear faces in this seat with some room to grow yet. I think he'll get past age 3 with the weight limit (he's a moose for his age, remember.)
Also, this seat IS pretty reclined when forward facing, but I find that children tend to prefer some recline to their seats. My son is a carseat sleeper, so he is not as comfortable in a straight-backed seat when forward facing as he is one that has a slight recline or head wings.

Hope that helped.

I would recommend the First Years True Fit and the Radian before any of the seats you mentioned. Of the seats you mentioned, I'd put the MyRide at the top of the list.

I agree that you would be fine with a 35lb rear-facing limit for your petite baby. My DD was also a tiny baby - but a bit bigger than your baby. My twins were born at 33w6d and my DD dropped to under 4lbs in the hospital. She was about 17/18lbs on her first birthday. I was able to keep her in a rear-facing car seat with a 33lb limit until she was 4 years old and 4 months.

If you want a cheaper option for one of your vehicles, I'd suggest looking at the Safety First Avenue. It rf to 35lb and ff to 40lbs, but that will probably last quite a while for your DD.

Melanie

I really love our true fit and so do my friends that have gotten them. It's nice for all age ranges. I'm thinking it sounds like the MyRide might be a better fit for you. It's easy to install, whereas the True fit can be a little tricky sometimes. You have to use the lock-offs with seatbelt or latch and it can be a little tricky to get the seatbelt lined up right to shut the lock-offs. It's not very difficult, but I wouldn't have my parents do it. Also, the harness adjuster gets buried in the seat when RFing on the regular TF. I hear this is fixed with the Premiere with the rebound bar. We don't have issue with this at all. We just pull the slack on one side and then the other, no need to adjust. Like I said I really love my True fit and would love to have a second one.

Another thing to consider is to try to worry only about what seat you need now. I about drove myself crazy thinking of what would fit best long-term. If the my ride is too reclined later, you could sell it to fund something else or if there are more children in your future, you can pass it down.

I love my Britax seats, despite the opinions here. I just wanted to mention that it is pretty easy to find a deal on one. I just ordered the Marathon for $180 and diapers.com has the Roundabout50 for $169. I love the ease of installation and use. For your little one, a 35lb rf limit will be more than adequate, IMO. My second choice is the MyRide or Evenflo Triumph Advance.

I vote true fit over the myride for sure.