Carseat help please!!

Here's my situation. I have a ds who is almost 5 months old. He currently is in an Evenflo Portabout3 (rated rf for 22lbs, 26"). Right now, he weighs about 17lbs and is 25" long. We were given an Evenflo Chase. I know that there's going to be a gap between when he outgrows the infant seat to when he can go forward facing. I'm trying to find out what is the best solution. There seems to be a lot of discussion right now about the Triumph Advance's. I currently drive an Oldsmobile Intrigue and there are usually 3 kids in the back aged 9, 7, and the baby. Money is an issue (so don't mention a Britax unless you want to buy me one!! ). Any helpful advice/things to watch for/avoid would be appreciated.

You're right that there is a gap there - first off, the Chase you were given: is it brand new or was it used? If it was used - do you know the history (belonged to your sister, etc) or not (picked up at a yard sale, etc) If it's used and you don't know the history, you don't want to use that seat - it could have been in a crash or damaged in some way that you don't know about. If it's new, no worries - on to your problem. As far as a seat to work in your car - your car is likely pretty spacious in the backseat, no? The Triumph Advance is a fairly wide seat - it could be tricky to fit and have enough room for the other two - if there is a ToysRUs/BabiesRUs around you that carries it, they would let you try the seat in your car and see how much room it leaves for the other two. If this seat doesn't work, you could try for something like a Cosco Scenera which should keep your DS rearfacing as long as he needs, and then he will be ready to go into the Chase. HTH!

- Des

If the Chase is new, I would try to return it... you won't need it.

The Triumph Advance is a really good option. It will allow your little guy to rear face to 30lbs and then he can go forward facing in it until 47lbs. The top harness position is actually just a touch higher than the Chase, so it will last until your son is ready for a booster seat (approximately 5 - 6 years old).

The current recommendation is to rear face to the limits of the seat. I like to encourage parents to go to at least 2 years old if possible. There is a ton of information on this site about rear facing, you can use the search function or just ask and people will be glad to pass on a ton of links as to why it's the safest choice.

Since the Triumph sits up on a base, it will leave hip room for people to sit on either side of it. It may be slightly tight, but I think you'll be okay.

We had a regular Triumph and used to put it in the back of a Cavalier with two adults on either side. It was a little squishy, but it worked fine. The sides of the Triumph made nice armrests when travelling.

The most important thing is to make sure you are looking for the Triumph *ADVANCE*. It will have red tabs up by the shoulders (infinite harness adjustment) and red knobs on the side, instead of the yellow knobs that are found on the regular Triumph.

The Advance is showing up in Walmarts for $144 (brown colour) and can also be found at Sears (black colour) for the same price.

I'm not sure if the Chase can be returned. It was a gift from the parents of a friend of ours. They bought it when their daughter and her son were coming to visit but arriving on the train. It was used during their visit and then never again. They stayed for about a week. I'm not sure if it could be returned at this point. they thought that the seat would cover rear-facing as well as forward facing. I wish they had consulted me before buying the seat. I would have been delighted in helping them buy one that would work for both scenarios. If I can manage it, I'd definitely like to get a Triumph advance. I've never had a problem with an evenflo product ever. I kind of like the Barley Twist version in Wal-mart - hides more dirt!!

The Chase likely can't be returned at this point - you could hold on to it yourself until your DS is ready for it, but it's just going to be taking years of the useful life of the seat. If you're confident that the seat has been properly cared for, etc then you could try to sell it (craigslist, etc) and use the $ toward the EFTA (Triumph Advance) or whatever other seat works well for you. Good luck in your decision - the Triumph Advance looks like a great seat - hopefully it'll fit in your car the way you need it to!

- Des