Slinger646 said:
I know they meet the same standards, but my rationalizing is that a convertible car seat cannot offer the same level of protection as a purpose built seat. I do have the Nautilus seats, but they are kept in a climate/humidity controlled room with no windows, so I'm not too worried about the deterioration factor.
My biggest issue with convertibles will be space, the KeyFits ate up the entire back seat of the Subie. A Suburban is in the works in early '13, but for now We're stuck in the OB.
Any recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks!
The nautiluses will still have the same expiration date regardless if they are kept in the box in a climate controlled area or not.
A bit of good news, most convertible seats take up less front to back room than the infant seats. Also, most can be at a more upright angle so they will take up even less room.
The convertible seat is a purpose built seat & the best level of protection is to keep children RF for as ling as possible. The convertible's purpose is to keep your child safe by RF & then to keep then safe FF after they outgrow the RF limits
What is your budget for new seats? I'm not familiar with your vehicle, so I can't really be helpful there.
If it was me, I would either return the nautiluses or try to sell them on craigslist & put that money towards new seats. Depending on when you bought them, they have a 6 year expiration, so they are losing valuable time. If you keep them, then you will still be in the predicament of buying new seats in a few years because they will be expired.