this is very likely a repeat topic, but I wold appreciate any hints, leads, recommendations...We currently use Britax Marathon car seat for our almost 3 yr old (34lb, not sure how tall she is now). This Britax car seat will expire in September, so I'm now looking to find a replacement seat. Safety is of course most important, but I'm also looking to find a seat that we could use longer and that/or converts and is easy to install. Any ideas and recommendations are welcome!!
Hi!
The Britax Frontier will last the longest and it can be found on sale for $220 and up. It converts to the tallest booster out there, plus you can order and use Britax's slide guard clip w/the booster. Has a life span of 9 yrs!
Then there's the Recaro Prosport--it will probably cost more than the Frontier (not on sale nearly as often), but it's a comfy seat and will last most children like you dd a good long time. It makes a nice booster, too.
The Graco Nautilus and Argos cost b/t $120 on a great sale (Nauti) up to $200. They are clones, w/the Argos having some extra features (like a no rethread harness, huge bonus w/this seat, b/c the Nauti can be tough to rethread, although you don't do it often). The top harness slots are the same height as the Prosport and it converts to a tall high back booster and then later to a low back booster. The booster portion's lifespan is longer than average, too--can't remember how long exactly. This seat also has a steel frame.
All of these seats can be bought in a pink/girly pattern.
Evenflo also has a few combo seats--the Secure Kid 300 and SK 400 will last as long as the Nautilus and Argos harnessed and the booster portion is nearly as tall. They range from $105-150, depending on sales. The 400 has the nicer/easier LATCH connectors. The Maestro is a super budget friendly seat, the top harness slots are the same as the SK 300/400, but it doesn't last long as a booster b/c it doesn't have a moveable headrest and shoulder belt guide. Price range is $68 (on-line sales) up to $85 in store. It's $71.99 at Target right now--great budget seat for grandma's car or babysitter.
All of these seats will give your dd a minimum of 2 more inches harnessed (which will likely translate to 2-4 more yrs in the harness, depending on how long her torso is and how fast she grows)
hths
henrietta