What convertible should my baby go into next?

My son is a year old this month and is 18+ lbs and is at the highest slot (or mark) on his Chaperone but he just got there so he has a bit of time yet.

Our requirements are
- some side impact protection
- anti rebound rear facing
- comfort (kid is sweaty and actually hates getting in the carseat now) both rear facing and forward facing
- rear facing as long as possible
- ease of insulation is a BIG plus but not that big of a deal

The seat will go into a 2007 Odyssey LX (no leather) in the passenger side captains seat (primarily, I move him to the third row on occasion). Our back up car is a 2000 Camry (no latch) but he is RARELY in that. Big brother is in Frontier 85 SICT in drivers side 3rd row.

I have looked around and it looks like to me my only options are the Advocate, Rainier, and Foonf is that right? My older son had a Radian (with some letters after it... forget what they were right now, we were in an accident September of 2011 and got rid of that seat then) and I know they said that it was awful forward facing because the kid had to sit straight up basically. No recline. I would rather not have a seat like that.

Is there anything coming out soonish that might work better for me?

Thank you for the help!

If you like the Advocate, take a look at the Peg Convertible. It is similar to the Britax convertibles, but nicer. It is a little roomier on the inside, so if your kid is sweaty that might be a good thing.

3 ladybugs said:

My son is a year old this month and is 18+ lbs and is at the highest slot (or mark) on his Chaperone but he just got there so he has a bit of time yet.

Our requirements are
- some side impact protection
- anti rebound rear facing
- comfort (kid is sweaty and actually hates getting in the carseat now) both rear facing and forward facing
- rear facing as long as possible
- ease of insulation is a BIG plus but not that big of a deal

The seat will go into a 2007 Odyssey LX (no leather) in the passenger side captains seat (primarily, I move him to the third row on occasion). Our back up car is a 2000 Camry (no latch) but he is RARELY in that. Big brother is in Frontier 85 SICT in drivers side 3rd row.

I have looked around and it looks like to me my only options are the Advocate, Rainier, and Foonf is that right? My older son had a Radian (with some letters after it... forget what they were right now, we were in an accident September of 2011 and got rid of that seat then) and I know they said that it was awful forward facing because the kid had to sit straight up basically. No recline. I would rather not have a seat like that.

Is there anything coming out soonish that might work better for me?

Thank you for the help!

Click to expand...

The Advocate G4 scores points on unique side impact protection, anti-rebound and ease of installation/use, certainly. I think comfort is above average as well, but the drawback is only average RF height limits. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Advocate-Convertible-Seat-Onyx/dp/B00G34TL6Q/"]Amazon.com : Britax Advocate G4 Convertible Car Seat, Onyx : Convertible Child Safety Car Seats : Baby[/ame]


The Foonf and Radian/Rainier have a lot to offer, but are not the easiest seats to master in regard installation, adjustments and features. They do all stand out for RF height and weight limits, of course, and both offer anti-rebound features as I'm sure you know.

I think cover choice will be a big factor for comfort, it's hard to know in advance which ones will work best with a particular child in terms of being hot/sweaty.

I'm thinking you might consider a Chicco Nextfit and Maxi-Cosi Pria 70 (without TinyFit) as well. Better RF limits than the Britax Advocate, but somewhat easier to use than the others. THe NextFit has an advantage in ease of use/installation and RF height limits, while the Pria 70 is very well padded and comfortable compared to most convertible seats.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Chicco-NextFit-Convertible-Seat-Mystique/dp/B00AHPZY68/"]Amazon.com : Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat, Mystique : Convertible Child Safety Car Seats : Baby[/ame]

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Maxi-Cosi-Convertible-Total-Black/dp/B00BKV0O68/"]Amazon.com : Maxi Cosi Pria 70 Convertible Car Seat, Total Black : Convertible Child Safety Car Seats : Baby[/ame]

I like the colors of the Pria way better then the rest!

I had a bad experience with Chicco and don't trust them now. Sad how one bad experience taints you, but it does.

The Peg Perego was nice but it looks like it is as expensive as the diono Rainier, though I guess it would sit up higher.

Does anyone know if the Rainier has to be straight up and down in the forward facing position? My 5 year old (almost 6 year old) still naps and so I would assume his brother will be the same way. I don't like floppy heads.

It looks like the Foonf is the way to go though if you want to rear face the longest though right? It has the highest shell and weight limit right?

3 ladybugs said:

I like the colors of the Pria way better then the rest!

I had a bad experience with Chicco and don't trust them now. Sad how one bad experience taints you, but it does.

The Peg Perego was nice but it looks like it is as expensive as the diono Rainier, though I guess it would sit up higher.

Does anyone know if the Rainier has to be straight up and down in the forward facing position? My 5 year old (almost 6 year old) still naps and so I would assume his brother will be the same way. I don't like floppy heads.

It looks like the Foonf is the way to go though if you want to rear face the longest though right? It has the highest shell and weight limit right?

Click to expand...

Yes, the Foonf has a higher RF weight limit than anything else; the RF height limit goes by overall height and so it might not last longer than a shorter-shelled seat.

My DD used the RN until 6.5 and never had head flop. It's my favorite forward facing seat,problem is I can't get the darn thing in tight enough with the seatbelt so it's useless to me once they outgrow the latch limit.