2-3 seat recommendations

U

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My son has outgrown his Nuna Pipa infant seat. He's a light weight 2 yr old (27 mo now) and maxed out the height on the Pipa 2 months ago. :( The Pipa was in our family vehicle, a 2003 Infinity QX SUV. Our second car is a 2006 Toyota Solara convertible, with a Cosco Apt 50. When we bought the car last summer I researched what would fit the car well and what grandparents could buy on the shelf locally as we were flying to them to pick up the car. The seat installs in the Solara without too much angst, but I'm VERY unhappy with the instability I discovered using the belt path in the first month, so have it installed with the latch. (I hate that the US latch system seems to ignore rigid-latch. LOVED that on our Pipa). On the Solara I put the roof down and literally put a foot in the seat of the Cosco to push it in place and leverage the (IMO poorly designed) latch tightening strap. My son has been riding in that car a few times a month for local errands with Mom during the day in our small town. I've had some health issues that have kept me in more than not until about the same time he outgrew the Pipa.

The past 2 months we've been using the Cosco in our Infiniti and in Granny's 2013 Buick Lacrosse. We HATE installing it in the Infiniti. The angle of the tightening strap is difficult to start with and worse on a raised seat. We initially used the seat with the seatbelt path in the Buick, but again, it just wasn't reliably stable. The seat padding of the Buick makes using the latches a full-on two-handed task per latch. We're in NC and no one is enjoying wrestling with hidden latches and a neigh impossible to tighten belt in the summer heat.

And we all; husband, granny, and myself have grown to loathe the harness in the Cosco: the shoulder straps flip when my son gets out, no matter what you do. Nine times out of ten the harness buckles flip around the straps; they're just designed a bit too big for the belting. And the main buckle is forever sliding down underneath my son getting in the seat.

For reference our main commuting is in a retired & resort population, with low speed limits, one way train-tracked downtown and median-devided secondary roads.

I'm willing to keep the Cosco in the Solara unless someone can suggest a better seat for ease and features. We do like the "cup holders" on that seat.

I need a seat for the Infiniti. The seat needs to sit upright enough that the front seat can be pushed back for leg room (Cosco isn't great for that). I'd really like a cuss-free harness. I'm fine with removing the seat to rethread the harness as my son grows. Ideally I'd like to be able to move the Infiniti seat to grandfather's Lexus SUV on occasion. Either using seatbelt or latch. My ideal seat would be one he could climb in himself and have cup holders. I'd like to keep him rear facing, since the SUV is our road trip vehicle, though I'm not able to spring for a Diano, etc to do so. If there are no well priced, cuss free, rear facers that will fit the Infiniti easily, I'd consider moving the Cosco to the infinity and turn my son forward facing in the lesser used Solara.

I need a separate seat for Granny's Buick. He rides in that car several times a week. Sometimes a 30 minute commute. Mostly devided road. No highway. I need a seat that's easy to install and uninstall: Granny often carpools with her widow-friends so will be keeping the seat in the trunk of her car. I'd prefer rear facing but I'm not opposed to forward facing him in the Buick.

Thanks,
JJ in NC
 
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MelodyoftheForest

Active member
I would encourage you to look at the Graco convertibles, maybe the Sequence/Sequel or Milestone, and the Essentials by Britax convertibles, the Allegiance being the less expensive of the two. I find seats with a flat, adjustable base are often much easier to install, as the base flat on the seat helps prevent the rotation that can wiggle seats like the Apt free. I have not played with the new Safety 1st all-in-ones, the Multifit being the most affordable of the line, but they have a similar type of base. Good luck, and I feel your pain!
 

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