Convertibles that fit newborns best

We are expecting our second child in late April. With our first we used a MyRide 65 from the start and were happy with it, so our current plan is to use a convertible from day one with the new baby. Obviously if we end up with a preemie or smaller than expected newborn we will change our plans, but assuming all goes to plan, we need to figure out a new convertible option.

Our MyRide will have several months left to expiry, so we are considering using that at the beginning and waiting a bit longer to buy a new convertible. However, if I find a good sale price on another seat before my due date, I'll go ahead and buy it now and not wait until later.

So which convertibles on the market (in Canada) now typically fit newborns the best? I know most of them are officially OK at 5 pounds, but I also know that some fit newborns better than others.

I know the carseat blog reviews often note this, and I'm trying to sort through those and figure it out, but of course it isn't 100% comprehensive and includes a lot of seats not available here, so it's a bit of a slog. Are there other sources that address fit to newborns?

Fit to car will hopefully be less of a problem--it will start out in a 2008 Ford Escape, which so far has fit every seat I've tried in it. We'll only have 2 across, so width isn't a big concern, and passenger side leg room is rarely an issue. We'll probably be switching over to a minivan within the next year.

I like the Radian for a NB. I find it fits well, and my kids are very petite.

I would go with one of the new Britax CT seats

Carseatblog had a post about convertible seats that fit newborns in smaller cars. Not sure how many apply to canada but it might give you some ideas.

http://carseatblog.com/23359/small-...tible-carseats-for-newborns-compact-vehicles/

thepote said:

Carseatblog had a post about convertible seats that fit newborns in smaller cars. Not sure how many apply to canada but it might give you some ideas.

http://carseatblog.com/23359/small-car-small-baby-or-both-recommended-convertible-carseats-for-newborns-compact-vehicles/

Click to expand...

Cosco APT and Britax are the only one sold up here. The new Britax CT would be my top contender, although I prefer infant seats for the first 4 months.

Thanks all. The Britax CT seats are definitely on my list--just got DS1 a Frontier CT, and I've heard such great things. We got such a great deal on our MyRide and have gotten such long use out of it that part of my brain is struggling with the price of having 2 kids in Britax seats now, but if it's what will work best we can probably make it fit the budget--especially if I can get a sale price on the second seat (got a pretty good deal on the Frontier).

Just so I can compare all the options, if we were looking to stay under $200ish, it looks like getting a new MyRide might be one of the better options? We had no problems with fit last time and earlier today I found a review noting good fit for average sized newborns (I thought it was on carseatblog, but now I can't find it...sigh). I see Evenflo SureRide listed as a good fit for newborns as well, and...not much else on the Canadian market? (The Symphony sounds like it could work, but the 37" max RFing could be iffy for us long term--DS1 RF'd to about 3 with room to spare on the MyRide, but now I can't recall how tall he was then...)

Under $200 the MyRide, Triumph (which also has the 37" height limit RF), and SureRide/Titan 65 are your best bets. Radian can be okay but unless you have a huge vehicle and a naturally very flat vehicle seat it's unlikely to work for front-to-back space and appropriate newborn recline (and isn't under $200 unless you snag a good sale on the R100, which then has no infant padding, so nix that one!)

If you still have the MyRide from your son, including the infant padding, then I'd go with that. The new MyRides don't have that same style of padding and I like the old one better. Perhaps the MyRide would get your child far enough that you'd have more options once you need to replace it as some infant/child seats (convertibles) require a little more head control as they're more upright. That would give you some time to save a bit too if you did end up going with a pricier seat.

OK, thanks. I think that will be our plan for now, then--keep an eye out for a sale on Britax seats, and use our existing MyRide in the meantime unless a sale comes before the baby. I didn't realize the new ones don't have the same infant padding, that's good to know!

And if we end up using the MyRide for a while yet, I'll take a look at convertibles that aren't newborn appropriate, too, and go from there.

You MyRide has padding like this, right? A whole piece that is like a small quilty blanket?


New ones are like this - a bum pad and a separate head pad. Not as cushy.