What to do after the infant seat? What's your favorite convertible?

boringmember · Jan 26, 2010

There are so many options, I'm not sure what to choose! So what's your favorite convertible seat and why?

My daughter is 7 months and currently in a Maxi Cosi Mico. She's fine in it, but I think she'll outgrow the height soon. She has a long torso, so that might be why. Anyway, I'm starting to think about what to do next. I'd like to just get one seat that will see her through to a booster. I'd also like to keep her rear-facing as long as possible. Her comfort, ease of use on an everyday basis and of course safety are important to me. I do travel a bit, but was thinking of getting the Cosco Scenara for that purpose. What would you suggest? There are sooo many choices that I figure I'd ask people with experience with all the seats for favorites.

carseatcoach · Jan 26, 2010

Convertibles that stand a good chance of getting kids to a safe booster age/size include Learning Curve TrueFit, Evenflo Triumph Advance, Safety 1st Complete Air, Sunshine Kids Radians and (maybe not for a long-torsoed child) Graco MyRide. Also a 50# Alpha Omega Elite, but even though that converts to a booster, it's a terrible booster, so only consider using the RFing and FFing harness modes.

Of those, my personal preference would be the Triumph Advance or a Radian, but as I wrote, that's personal and you may have different preferences.

CTPDMom · Jan 26, 2010

As a general rule of thumb, I can tell you many people around here like Sunshine Kids Radians, Britax Marathons or Boulevards, First Years True Fits, Evenflo Triumph Advances, Graco MyRides. No doubt others will be along with some other suggestions. All have their pros and cons. All are safe if installed and used correctly.

Since comfort and ease of use are subjective...I'd suggest going to Target or BRU or whatever store near you has the most seats and trying your dd out in some seats. Make a list of the ones you like best, why you like those ones best and then report back. It would also be helpful to know what kind of vehicle you have. And your dd's actual height and weight.

The Scerera is a great travel choice.

And btw, your dd will outgrow the Maxi Cosi seat by height when there is less than 1 inch of shell above her head. The state height is a guideline, as kiddos differ in growth, some with longer torsos, some with longer legs, etc. As long as she has an inch or more of shell above her head she's good.

boringmember · Jan 26, 2010

Thanks! I appreciate the help! She's 24 inches and 15 lbs and my car is an Infiniti QX4 (though it's old, so I will be getting another relatively soon).

MomToEliEm · Jan 26, 2010

I am not familiar with many of the newer convertible seats on the market as my kids are older, but I did want to ask and see if you might be willing to get some measurements off your maxi-cosi micro for our measurements/data spreadsheet we are trying to put together as a board. That is one seat we are still missing on the infant carseat spreadsheet. If you are able to do it (I understand if you don't want to), here is the thread talking about what data we are collecting and how to submit it.
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=111504

CTPDMom · Jan 26, 2010

boringmember said:
Thanks! I appreciate the help! She's 24 inches and 15 lbs and my car is an Infiniti QX4 (though it's old, so I will be getting another relatively soon).

Where is her head in relation to the top of the shell?

Your car is old as in what year? If it's 2000 or older, then it is definitely not equipped with LATCH lower anchors. So talk of easy installs with LATCH regarding a particular seat...that means nothing for you. However, having built in lockoffs WILL be helpful to you. Britax Marathon and Boulevard have those, as does the First Years True Fit. There may be others but my brain is fried at the moment. If you're planning to get a new car right away, then it's not such a big deal. But if you'll have it another year or two, having the lockoffs will be nice.

mamahen · Jan 27, 2010

boringmember said:
Thanks! I appreciate the help! She's 24 inches and 15 lbs and my car is an Infiniti QX4 (though it's old, so I will be getting another relatively soon).

just FYI, I have an 02 QX4 with no latch and the Radian would not fit with the long belt stalks, middle or outer. I have a My Ride 65 in there right now but am still looking for one I like better.

boringmember · Jan 28, 2010

Thanks, this is really helpful! I'll probably keep the car for another couple of years, so it's nice if it installs easily with LATCH and I'd want lockoffs

. Mamahen, let me know what you get!

Oh and I will get to the measurements in a couple of days. I'd be happy to do it.

boringmember · Mar 9, 2010

mamahen said:
just FYI, I have an 02 QX4 with no latch and the Radian would not fit with the long belt stalks, middle or outer. I have a My Ride 65 in there right now but am still looking for one I like better.

Thanks for this info - I would have had to order the Radian online, so it's very helpful! I wound up ordering a MyRide. It hasn't come yet, but at least I know it will fit!

wendytthomas · Mar 9, 2010

The Radians don't have lockoffs. If that's a requirement (your belts lock) then you'd want to look at the True Fit and the big Britaxes (the little Britaxes have them as well, but they don't last long). Oh, and the Coccoro, which is also a small but ridiculously cute seat.

Wendy

boringmember · Mar 9, 2010

wendytthomas said:
Oh, and the Coccoro, which is also a small but ridiculously cute seat.

That is so cute! If that had been available when I was pregnant I might have gotten that and the Flash stroller frame.

What to do after the infant seat? What's your favorite convertible?

boringmember

New member

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician

boringmember

New member

MomToEliEm

Moderator

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician

mamahen

Member

boringmember

New member

boringmember

New member

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor

boringmember

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics