Comfortable Convertible Car Seat

biscuit

New member
I've read a lot about safety ease of installation, but I would like to know which seats are the most comfortable. My 9 month old (20lbs) is growing out of her chicco keyfit and we need to pick out a convertible car seat by the christmas holiday. She absolutely hates being in the car. She usually screams unless we can get her to fall asleep (she's generally a happy, very active baby and is ok in a stroller). We usually only drive 2-3 hour drives once every month or two - we rarely drive because we live in a city. They have been very difficult. I'm hoping that it will get better if we switch to a seat that she likes better.
Does anyone recommend a seat that is particularly comfortable? I was leaning toward the britax marathon but the graco 4 ever seems more comfortable. The Maxi Cosi Pria looks plush and I like the head rests. I'm not sure if I should pay attention to cushioning, recline options or head rests. More reclined might be better for sleeping but she generally likes to sit upright and be on the move. The keyfit bothered me that the head rest couldn't be used after she was on the tallest slot. Any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Car- BMW x5 (its a big car but the chicco keyfit makes the passenger seat sit very far forward)
Baby is about 20 lbs and I don't know her height but I think she's in the 75th percentile.
Budget is probably under 300 but not that important.
We will probably travel with the car seat so lighter and easy to install is good.
 
ADS

AllieK

New member
Frankly, I think the crying in the car seat is developmental and has nothing to do with the car seat. Both my kids were like that, it was pure torture. :( Both my kids seemed to improve just after their 1st birthday.

Sorry, I'm no help with seats! I will say the Pria has pretty big headwings that can block the view for some kids.
 

Nedra

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Most kids who rebel against he infant seat do better in a convertible because they can sit more upright. I have a friend whose son cried in his Keyfit all the time too -- but when he moved to his rear-facing Marathon he was much happier.

We have a Nextfit and I think my daughter is pretty comfortable in it. Easy to install too, but heavy. We also have a Roundabout which is lighter than the Nextfit. It will be outgrown faster, but it is much easier to move around and is very easy to install as well. Both fit well in a variety of cars.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

rin2809

Active member
If the seat is a bit of a tight fit in the back seat, you will probably want to pay attention to the recline settings. Be sure to get something with multiple settings so it can be installed more upright as kiddo gets older to give you more space.

The Chicco Nextfit might be a good seat to add to your list to check out. It just fits into the budget and has a better fabric in my opinion than the infant seat. I have heard good things about ease of install for airplanes and rental cars, though for me I would buy a super light, inexpensive Scenera NEXT for travel and not haul a normal seat.
 

brooksfamily

New member
We had a Pria 70, and now have an 85. It's compact front to back, the air cushions on the 85 seem to give a little more headroom. It's definitely a cushy seat. The cup holder is nice for when they get older. It gives more legroom than our Britax seats. My daughter looks more comfortable in it, but she's never complained.
 

lourdes

Well-known member
To give you a little bit of hope 90% of the people who tell me their babies cry in the car have Chicco infant seats, don't know why! They get a convertible and the crying stops,,,,, like Nedra said, the can seat more upright in a convertible but also the infant seats are more narrow, so just go to the store if you have one near and touch a few seats to see if you find one more comfy that other, to me the Chicco Nextfit, the Diono Radian and the Graco clones are comfortable but the also need to fit in your car
 

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