Question convertibles for 2011 Town and Country

I've been searching for a carseat/vehicle compatibility list and have not been able to find one. My searches always end up with "check carseatdata" but I can't find any sort of database there.

I've searched the forums here too but haven't found what I'm looking for, although I may not have searched correctly.

At any rate, I have a 2011 Chrysler Town and Country. I have twins who are currently in Graco Snugrides and will outgrow them for length (29" max and the boys are 27.5 and 28") fairly soon.

The car seats are in the captains chairs and we'd like to keep them there, as we need the split fold-down in the back to accommodate the giant double stroller plus groceries etc.

I'm so overwhelmed every time I start to read about carseats or look at them in the stores. I don't understand all of the latch stuff and don't really know how to start!

I also don't really understand why there is such a huge difference in price for the seats. They go from $65 to over $300. argh!

Help!!

Jenny

OK, deep breath. Feel better? good. Welcome to the Forum! :happy-wavehello:

There are lots of threads, unfortunately a lot of times the Town and Country gets abbreviated to "T&C" which really isn't searchable. You can also look for info on the Dodge Grand Caravan, because it's the same van, just a different trim package

I have a 2011 T&C (see? even I do it. It's too long of a name for me). I've had... a lot of seats. Currently, I have a radian RFing in one of the captains. It's easy-breezy. How old are your twins? (a 28" 4 month old will get you a different recommendation than a 28" 11 month old, you know?)

I used to have a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan and now drive a 2008 Chrysler T&C. Same seats in both

I've used a couple different convertible seats in the captains chairs, Sunshine Kids/Diono Radians install very easily as do the Britax seats (I have a Boulevard installed in the passenger captain chair currently).

Age of the babies will make a difference in what recommendation is given.

Deep breath, ok. Ahhhhh

hehehe ok, so T&C - I didn't think to search by that but you are right, it doesn't work as a search term anyway.

I'd never heard of a Radian until I started perusing these forums. I don't recall seeing them at Babies R Us - maybe they'll be at Buy Buy Baby?

The boys are 11 months old and weigh approximately 16 and 17 pounds. They could stay in the snugrides quite a while longer except for their length/height. The convertible carseats look so big!

So are the seats exactly the same in the Caravan?

Jenny

I will tell you what my favorite convertibles are:
Evenflo triumph/momentum
Safety1st complete ar
Maxi cosi pria
First year truefit
Diono radian
Graco myride

Knowing how old they are will help narrow the list.

Britax seats are nice but all the seats listed above last longer.

I just got approved but posted a response before that so it's probably still in the moderation queue. The boys are 11 months old

Hi!

Yes, the Caravan/Grand Caravan and the Town and Country are the exact same, at least when it comes to car seats.

Babies R Us does not carry the Radians in stores, they are online though.

Given that they're pretty small, you don't necessarily NEED a Radian - they'd last the longest rear-facing than almost any other seat, that's for sure. Rear-facing to the limits of whatever seat you end up getting is by far the way to go. You're lucky (as am I ) at having smaller children, they get to rear-face for a lot longer. My goal for my DS is another year, but I could go longer if he doesn't have a weird growth spurt or something.

I don't think you mentioned a budget either, so I'm just going to rough it without one.

The T&C seats are really sloped, which is actually kind of nice for rear-facing, because you get a nice, upright install - when a rear-facing seat is installed for an older baby, like your twins, it can be anywhere from 30-45 degrees upright. Most toddlers prefer to be more upright than reclined.

I'm trying to think of a seat that DIDN'T install well in my van, and I really can't think of one. The only thing I can think of is that I prefer a lower seat (a radian or a true fit versus a Britax convertible) because it's a long way to hoist them up and into their seat. But I'm fairly short, so you might not have that problem. Also, having 2, once they get older and are walking and able to climb in themselves, having a lower profile seat is easier for THEM to climb into - which makes life WAY easier on you. Even at 3, my DS has to work to get into the Marathon, because of it's high base. He climbs into other seats with ease.

Thanks for the suggestions! You've mentioned things I'd not even thought about, like the lower profile.

I'm tall (5'9") but not exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger, so I'm all for easier.

My budget is pretty fluid. My husband and I always try to be cost-conscious, but when it comes to the babies we tend to go crazy sometimes. If I told you how much we spent on crib mattresses you'd choke on your oatmeal. Plus, we buy everything we can used. Almost all of their toys and clothes are used, so I don't feel as bad splurging on a car seat that they will hopefully be able to use for 5 years or so.

Actually - that's another question I have. I see the height and weight limits for the convertibles. What does that mean in real terms? I noticed that some of the car seats have three weight/harness categories. For example, the Radian says you can use it forward-facing up to 57" and 80 pounds, then as a booster (presumably without the harness) up to 120 pounds. Does this mean that when the child exceeds the height limit, he can still sit in the seat with a seatbelt over him?

I'm working on a list of features I'd like to have in a car seat, then I can rank them in order of importance to me and then use that to narrow down my choices.

Stefanie - I see you are a CPS technician. What are the reasons you like the ones you listed?

Jenny

The reason I like the ones I listed is that they last a long time rf and ff. They are easier to install then many. They last longer than many other seats (like recaro, britax and the dorel 3-in-1). Lots on my list are on many other lists on here.