Car Seat Purchase in Montreal and question RF vs FF

I am so glad I came across this website. Our family is currently in the process of moving from Switzerland to Canada and we will need to purchase a new car seat. My husband is already in Montreal. He needs to get the car seat within the next 2 weeks before DD and I get there.

From what I have been reading on this website the Marathon or the Radian would be a good choice for us as a combination car seat. Any other suggestions? (I am assuming Quebec will have the same laws as the rest of Canada).

Also big question on the RF vs FF. Since she has been 1 year old she has been in a Römer (I believe that is a Britax) FF car seat. There are no RF car seats here after the "baby seat", or I just never heard of one. Previously she was in a maxi cosi cabrio RF. She also gets very car sick including vomiting and I have had to wash the cover many a times of the cabrio and the Römer. This might have something to do with driving in the mountains and on curvy roads. Would you recommend I try to put her into a RF position first? Also, are all covers removable and washable as well in Canada?

Since we are not familiar with stores and products in Montreal, Quebec, could I have some names of retailers we can find those seats at? That way, I can google map them and see where the locations are and then send my husband on the car seat buying mission.

DD - 2.5 years old - 36.7 inches/ 28 pounds

Sorry for all the questions and the long post. I am sooooo happy this website exists.

Thank you
Ela

I know lots of people will respond with great seat advice... I'll just quickly say that if you want to respond to this thread you need to register. It's free and easy and worth it.
Personally I would turn your dd rf again. We have a Britax marathon for our almost 3yo and love it, it goes rf to 30#'s and ff to 48 (but the new ones are to 65#). The cover is washable but the straps (and this goes for all seats as far as I know) are only wipe-able.
As for buying one in Montreal I'm not sure, I ordered mine from babyguru.com and it had free shipping. Finding a store location is better of course because then your husband can try different seats in your car.

Good luck and welcome to Canada!

How exciting! Welcome to Canada . . . well when you do get here.

I would try turning her back rf and giving her a more upright install. Since she is prone to motion sickness I would go for the MA as I find it easier to get the cover on and off that seat and you can always buy a spare cover so you can switch them out while you are washing one. I took the Radian cover off and it took me 45min to get one off and put a new one on I definately don't think they designed that well.

Do you know what kind of vehicle you will be driving? The Radian sometimes is harder or trickier to install so that is another reason I would get the MA over the Radian since if she is throwing up in her seat you will be uninstalling and installing it more often.

Not sure of actual stores you can buy them at in Quebec but here are some online stores that have free shipping:
BabyProofingPlus ($299)
DearBornBaby ($289)
BabyGuru.ca ($299)
ToysRus ($299) ~Not sure about shipping but you might be able to find one in a store close to you

bebeplus carries both....
http://www.bebeplus.ca/store/category/8/110/SIÈGES-TRANSFORMABLES/

congrats on the move! canada is a great place to live!
my sil lives in montreal and she loves it!

Welcome from me as well!

I just thought I'd throw one other seat into the mix for your to consider: the Evenflo Triumph Advance. Its highest harness position is slightly taller than the Marathon, and its harness is a sliding "infinite adjust" system. It's top weight is not as high as the other two seats (it only goes to 47lbs) but your DD is unlikely to reach 65lbs before outgrowing all these seats by height anyway. I'm not sure how it is to clean.

The EFTA is widely available... The Wal-Mart, Sears and Toys R Us chains all carry it. Toys R Us also carries the Marathon if you're looking for another place to buy it (not all stores have it though, so your husband is best to call ahead.)

Right now, the Radian has the tallest harness in Canada, but it is harder to find and, as Jewels mentioned, can have installation issues. We have one in our Ford Focus and it works great!

Also, the max RF weight in Canada is 30lbs (which should include the weight of clothing and shoes she'd be wearing in the carseat.)

Please let us know how you make out - it's an exciting move you're making!

ETA: You will have a grace period in which to replace your Swiss carseat, so you could bring it here and then be able to check out the Canadian carseats yourself. I don't know if that appeals to you at all, or if you'd rather put your DD right into her new seat at the airport. Good luck!

Thank you for all the links to the different shops. This is great! Also I will definitely look more into the Evenflo as well. DD is not a "big" girl. She is quite tall but rather thin.

Do you know if the Evenflo has the same "height" on the straps as the other ones? I noticed it is a bit cheaper then the Marathon. I still want to buy a really good quality car seat.

I have forwarded the link to this site to my husband so he can take a look himself.

Thank you again for your input and help.
Ela

canucksuisse said:

Do you know if the Evenflo has the same "height" on the straps as the other ones?

Click to expand...

I've not been able to compare them myself, but I've read the Evenflo's straps are slightly taller than the Marathon's and shorter than the Radian's.

This thread also has some information comparing the Marathon and the Triumph Advance:

http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=37540

HTH!

One thing to consider since your DD gets motion sickness is how easy it is to remove the cover to wash. I'm not sure how the EFTA is to remove and replace. I know with the MA it is relatively easy and you can pick up replacement covers to have a spare. I've traveled with a car sick child and it is not fun.

Also the EFTA has knobs that adjust the harness and some find it difficult to use them. Some like them and others don't so that is a matter of preference as well.

Here are some comparison picture of my little one. He is 3yrs in the MA and EFTA and about 3.5yrs in the Radian.

Pictures for comparison. He is pretty much the same in age in all the pictures except the Radian in which he is about 2-4 months older then in the MA and EFTA
3yrs ~just moved top slots of MA ----------------- EFTA ---------------------------Radian