Convertible or 3 in 1 suggestions

I'm looking for a new seat for my older child because my younger child has outgrown her infant seat at only six months! I'd like to move her up to Britax Marathon I already own (rear facing of course) and get something new for my 3 year old. I drive a Nissan Murano. I'd like to keep the price around $150US if possible. Both kids are on the tall side so something that is tall is best. Ideally it won't be something so wide that a third passenger would be impossible in the back seat. What do you recommend? Thank you!

How heavy is your three year old? Rear or forward facing?

Narrow would be the Radian, but it won't work in your price range. An Evenflo Maestro may work, if your three year old is forward facing and not terribly heavy. Otherwise seats may be too wide to puzzle well together to keep that third spot open.

Wendy

She is 31lbs - forward facing. Also I wanted to add that the narrow factor is least important. Priorities are - safety, ability to use for a long time, price, then narrowness.

Ok. Well, all seats are safe provided you use them properly. So next is longevity. If her torso is a normal length (where was her shoulder on the Marathon) then a Nautilus would harness her just fine for a long time. It's $150, and generally doesn't puzzle well next to another seat. It's got a 65 pound harness limit and 18.5" top slots, then the high back is good to 100 pounds, 21", and it and the harness have a six year lifespan. The backless portion of the seat is good for nine.

If you'd want to rear face her, a True Fit or a My Ride would work very well.

Wendy

It's been a long time but I just wanted to come back and say thanks for the recommendation! I did end up getting a Nautilus based on your feedback. I thought I'd give a little review in case others are looking at this seat.

I ordered it from Wal-Mart.com and got it with free shipping to home, and it came very quickly. We got it the day before leaving on a trip and decided to take it with us - which is always a big test of a car seat! I must say the thing is HEAVY and awkward to carry! Compared to the Britax we have, it was a beast to carry around the airport so unfortunately that was a negative. But on the plus side I will say that I found it very easy to install with the Latch system in several different cars, and easier to get it truly TIGHT then any other car seat I've used including my Britax. My daughter definitely likes it - she likes the cup holder and the "secret place" to stash her snacks (storage cut outs in the sides.) One complaint is that I find the buckles a little awkward, the top buckle is hard to align properly and my child wants to do that one herself so we frequently battle over getting it right. The bottom buckle is easy to buckle, but unbuckling is tricky as it often sticks... maybe mine has a defect?

With the Nautilus and the Britax in the back of my Murano (one in each of the side seats) a third passenger cannot ride in the middle seat unless they are very thin. That is a bummer.

I feel like you get what you pay for when it comes to the seat cover, the Nautilus just has a little bit of a cheaper feel and doesn't seem to wipe up as easily as the Britax.

Overall, to be perfectly honest I wish I would have scrimped and saved and (more importantly) convinced my hubby to get a little higher end seat for the cover quality and hopefully something narrower so I third passenger could ride. But in terms of my child's safety, I feel that we are able to easily install this seat and use it with confidence and therefore she is certainly safe!

Thanks again for the input.

I have a Britax Regent and a GN and guess which seat is in my storage unit? It is the Britax. The Britax is horribly heavy and a PITA to install. With the GN you can just install the seat with no special tricks and are done. Plus the cup holders are a major plus.

theambitiousmrs said:

One complaint is that I find the buckles a little awkward, the top buckle is hard to align properly and my child wants to do that one herself so we frequently battle over getting it right. The bottom buckle is easy to buckle, but unbuckling is tricky as it often sticks... maybe mine has a defect?

Click to expand...

I actually came here earlier today to post about the Nautilus buckle and see if other people had issues. I have a friend who has a Nautilus too, and hers sticks. My 6 year old is in a Nautilus and can unbuckle himself, except when it sticks, and lately (the last 5 times in a row we have used it) it has gotten stuck. It's SO annoying!

Anyway, I came here and searched for threads about it, and saw that it seems to be a common complaint. It seems like people are calling Graco about it, and they are replacing the harnesses in these seats. I will be calling tomorrow.

That's interesting that the buckle is an issue for other people too. If it continues to be a problem I might call Graco. Thanks for the tip!