For those who don't continually get new seats...

ZephyrBlue

New member
How the heck do you do it? LOL!

Seriously, I am constantly looking for ways to upgrade from the seats we have (not that any new seat is safer than an older design, but seats w/better features, etc) and my kids don't stay in the same seat for more than 1 year usually.

For those who use seats for the full 6 year lifespan, or close to it, why don't you feel the need (or should I say lust? :p) to buy new seats? Is it a "If it isn't broken, don't fix it" type of thing? Heck, even my kids ask when they're getting new seats and what they're going to be like, LOL! (Except for my 5yo DD- she's pretty sure there will never be a seat as beautiful as her Princess Radian and she's determined not to switch. But I'm getting a pink Britax combo seat for her if they ever make a debut ;) )
 
ADS

tiggercat

New member
My son has had dozens of seats, but my daughter has only had 2 (both Marathons, one for each car). I just haven't had any reason to stop using perfectly good carseat and she will probably be in them until they expire, unless she has some major growth spurt.
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
With Piper I don't know what else I'd get her. She fits great in the Wizard, it's easy to use, she likes it, and it's only halfway through its life. She has Radians, so we have gotten her some new seats, but they're not every day seats.

I might have gotten her a Como or Signo. I guess a Safeguard maybe too. But it's not worth the hassle of selling our seats and buying new ones.

Wendy
 

kangato2roos

New member
I feel the lust to buy new seats all the time.

The only thing that keeps me from doing so is MONEY. I do not have the money to buy new seats until they are necessary. I had to save up for months and we ate a lot of beans and rice those months just to afford the Marathon for my son when he outgrew his ComfortSport.

We're in a better position financially now, but nowhere near the point I can just go buy a seat because it has better features than what I've currently got.

Believe me, I wish I could!
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
I am completely happy with our current seats. My 7 year old is in a Parkway and boosters don't excite me so I don't ever get the itch to buy her a different one. I really want a Clek so I can use it in the middle of my two boys and I will probably buy one soon.
My 3 year old is in a Boulevard that he has been in since Oct. 2005 when we had to retire his Roundabout because it was in an accident. And my 15 month old is in a Marathon which he has been in since he outgrew his Peg Perego SIP, although he still has a SafeSeat he can use if we need it.
The Radians would probably be nice in my car since we do 3 across a lot, but they just look too small and cheap to me.
I have no desire to waste money buying new seats that are the exactly the same. No matter what seat it is I just *can't* buy a non Britax convertible...so that might be my problem.
 

Mama2J

Member
I've never used a seat until it expired. But I have had to upgrade our seats because of outgrowing them too quickly. Since I didn't know about buying seats that would last the longest (and therefore more expensive), I ended up with cheaper seats that we couldn't use for long. I do plan to use the Regent for a long time though, and hopefully the Nautilus if I ever get one.
 

mominabigtruck

New member
You and I are two peas in a pod. The only reason that I haven't bought a new seat yet, mainly a nautilus is dh threatened to not come home if I bought another seat I don't need. I do have ALOT of seats though, and mine are pretty much all high end:love: Usually if I decide I have to have a new seat I decide which seat I'm going to swap it out for and then sell it on ebay just because I don't have enough room at this house to store seats like I did before. I couldn't imagine having a seat until it expired and acutally having multiple kids use it.
 

MomToEliEm

Moderator
I guess I am one of those people who only buy seats when needed. We lived happily for a long time with our roundabout and then upgraded when seats needed to be passed down or expired. The only seat I have bought that I was unhappy with was the evenflo big kid booster. I still use it but really am hoping to upgrade to a parkway when I find a great sale (my Sears unfortunately doesn't carry that seat so I am just watching sales online). Both my kids now have regents so there should be no excuse to buy any new seats for my car for a while. When my youngest outgrows the cargo harness we will have to buy her something, but until then, I will avoid temptation to buy any new seats.

I would love to have all the newest seats, but financially that just doesn't work for our family. I don't have the storage space or the need to have lots of extra seats lying around. I don't really want to bother selling seats on craigslist or ebay.
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
I can't answer for the seat-keepers, I'm just on your side, I must have new seats whenever possible... it's been soooooo long now since I had a new one...I'm holding out for the new convertibles and the Monterey boosters, lol.

:)
 

SPJ&E

New member
Lately, I find myself trying to convince...myself...that Pacey looks uncomfortable or squished in the Marathon, just so I can get him a Regent or Nautilus just because we haven't used them before. It's not working out for me though, lol...he is completely comfortable and looks great in his Marathons with quite a bit of growing room.

I WANT to get new seats all the time, but money won't allow that and we don't need them anyway.
 

natysr

New member
I've only replaced 1 seat that I didn't need to replace.

after the bucket stage, we went to a Roundabout in the main car, and a Combi Victoria in our 2nd car/suv. Although I always intended to RF to the limits, I honestly had no clue that we would be RFing for this long. I chose the Combi victoria because it was the only seat that I know of at the time that could recline on the fly (without having to reinstall it) while in FF mode. I thought that would be perfect for long roadtrips. Well, by the time Jordan was 2 1/2 years old, and still only about 23ish pounds I realized it would be a very long time before we could use that feature. And, I started to feel uncomfortable that the seat did not have EPS foam. So, I replaced it with a Boulevard.

Our Roundabout had been replaced with a Marathon the year prior due to an accident.

Although I do drool at the new seats that come out, I honestly do not like any of them better than the ones we already own.
 

groovymom2000

New member
Honestly, I can't usually justify just getting a new seat. I have used a RA and a Husky to expiration(or very close), and my MA has about another year left. I have bought new seats lately, but only because I needed to find seats that I could fit 3 across with. Even so, I bought the least amount of seats that I could. I love the MA, and although the Nautilus looks and sounds good--until the MA is expired, I won't be buying one. I like to get my full value out of my seats!
 

skipspin

New member
Hehehe. I can post here. I haven't bought a new seat since before DS was born and he's 10 months! (I did make a temporary trade of my RYS for a BLVD, but no money was involved- so it doesn't count.) Hmmmm, I don't remember when I got my Parkway (from Julie) so, I guess I have bought one since then. Oops. But, DD outgrew her Chase and RYS in the harness, so I guess that was sort of a "need."

I :love: my Wizard, so that helps me want to keep it. I also really like DD's RN. I have another RN (for DS) on my list and maybe another RN for DD to keep in our 97 wrangler. I guess I could get a Nautilus for the Jeep, but right now it's not running well so I don't drive it, so it's a non-issue.

If some great convertible that fit my needs came out I'd probably cave, but so far everything new (Recaro, EFTA) hasn't worked for my situation. I am getting the itch...
 

Simplysomething

New member
How the heck do you do it? LOL! [...]

For those who use seats for the full 6 year lifespan, or close to it, why don't you feel the need (or should I say lust? :p) to buy new seats?

It's a money thing, as well as "This seat works perfectly well for us" thing.

I've never used a seat to expiration, but that's because...they've been outgrown before then.

Of all of the new seats, only the Nautilus has piqued my interest, because it seems to do two things well. But, I don't need a new seat. Ds2's FPSVD's are fine. Fat, but fine.

Ds1 is fine as well.
 

LuvBug

New member
Well I researched the crap out of everything before I bought and I have been very pleased with my decision... at the moment there is no competition for DS's seat, so really I don't have an option even if I wanted to change.
I do get seat lust though, wish I had a need for so many seats!

I've not used a seat to expiration because DS has outgrown all his seats long before that, so far. He is currently in a husky/regent and will outgrow them before expiration as well...
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
I only buy a new seat if there's a real issue with the old one. I used to buy a lot of new carseats when my older kids were little, but that was before I discovered Britax.

I've used two RAs to their expirations.

The MA I used until about a year before expiration, and then gave it to a friend who needed it and couldn't afford a new one, because DD was ready for a booster. I'd have continued to use it until it expired otherwise.

I've always been very happy with the TBs; I only got the AB in hopes it would solve the issue with DS3 being improperly positioned in our Mazda 5 (it didn't, but he likes it a lot), and I got the FPSV booster to fit 3-across in our Golf.

I got the Radian because I wasn't comfortable having DD in a booster with the type of driving were going to be doing on our vacation, and the Husky doesn't fly.

And I got the 86Ys because Mazda is stupid. Oh, and the Laptop for that reason, too, although it was a gift so I don't suppose it counts.

I'd love to have a Nautilus to play with, and all the "better" boosters, and another RA just because I adore that seat. But my budget doesn't allow for that expensive of a hobby!
 

musicmaj

New member
I haven't used a seat to expiration yet either, but that is because the seats have been outgrown or my child did not fit in it very well anymore. (Regular triumph was slipping off his shoulders rearfacing) I will be using the radian to expiration. I really love our radian. When W outgrows it the youngest will get it. He is tiny and will probably fit in it until he is 7. We will probably also use the fpsv pretty close to expiration. I bet he will fit in it until he is 6. The older kids will be using their boosters until they expire.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
We have the lust, but not the $$$.....and at heart, I'm a practical person, a practical, poor person who just had another baby and lost her job nearly simultaneously....so for me, the reason i don't hae tons of seats is.....um...not wanitng to go to jail for stealing? since that';s the only way new seats would appear at my house...LOL!
Which is why tiny midget is using his sister's hand me down crappysport RF as his infant seat, and DD is still in the $30 vision seat we got at big lots....because they fit and we have them. Now, when dd reaches 40 pounds, I will have to get another seat(something that harnesses longer), and so we will......but until then.....meh.
 

keri1292

Well-known member
There hasn't been another seat that impressed me! :shrug-shoulders:
Our current seats ~ 2 MA's and a Husky masquerading as a Regent.
 

katiesmommy

Active member
If I had more places to put them, then we'd have more. But I feel like I started off with what I really wanted. Now, I do still think I want a Boulevard, and I do still want to get a Multi-Tech, but I have reason for the multi-tech anyway. Not because I necesarily want to upgrade, but because there is no anchorage system at all here. No latch, no tethers, nothing. Other then that, as of right now, I don't really see the need. There is however, a lot that I'd like to play with. I would be an infant seat and booster seat junkie.
 

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