Hello, I would be grateful for some advice on which car seat would best suit our needs.
My son has just turned one year old. He is roughly 24 pounds. I would like to purchase a car seat for him that would allow him to rear-face until 30 pounds. After this I would like to use the same seat as a forward-facing seat. Ideally I would like to use this seat as a booster, eventually. But my main concern is the safety of the rear and forward facing positions in my vehicle. Any suggestions or advice would be most gratefully appreciated.
Thanks,
Meghan
British Columbia
Hi Meghan,
Good for you for wanting to keep your son rear facing (rf'ing,) until 30lbs.
What seat is your son currently in, and what harness slots is he using?
The 3in1 seats aren't generally regarded very highly. The top usable harness height isn't high enough to get most kids to booster age, and the seat doesn't make a good booster because it doesn't position the seatbelt close enough to the child's body.
Depending on what seat your ds is in now, and how close he is to outgrowing it, I would recommend the Marathon. The ones with a ff'ing 65lb weight limit should be starting to show up on shelf stores in the next 6 to 8wks, although the current ones all go to 48lbs. It has high top slots and gets most kids to booster age. It's a bit of a sticker shock when you first look at it, but it's worth it when you consider you not only get a seat that's going to last your ds until he's around 5yrs old, but it's also easy to use and installs well in most vehicles.
My other recommendation would be the Sunshine Kids Radian which also now has a ff'ing weight limit of 65lbs. The top slot height is a bit higher than the Marathon, and it will get most kids to an age where they're mature enough for a booster. It does have installation problems in some vehicles though, so it's a seat you want to try installing first. It almost always installs well with the UAS anchors, but once your ds gets past 48lbs, it would have to be installed with the vehicle seat belt. If you decide to get a Radian, I'd recommend getting one from a baby boutique as the Canadian Tire ones all have older dates of manufacture and only has 48lb weight limits.
All convertible seats in Canada at present have a maximum rf'ing weight limit of 30lbs, so right now I'd recommend looking for a seat that's going to last the longest. It's cheaper to spend $230 to $300 on a seat now and not have to buy anything else until your son hits booster age, then to spend @ $200 on a 3in1 and then have to buy another harnessed seat down the road. :twocents: