Need advice on seats for twins

U

Unregistered

Guest
I've been reading this forum for a couple of months now hoping that all you knowledgeable people might answer my question without my even asking it, but I've decided to jump in and ask directly!

I have nearly 3 year old twins who are around 28 lbs. and on the tall side. They're in Marathons in our Sienna (which is the car they're in the most) and currently in Fisher Price Safe Embrace seats in our Subaru Legacy. I'm totally happy with the Marathons and figure they'll last in those seats for a good while. But while they still fit in the FP seats, I think they'll outgrow them by height fairly soon. I'm also just spoiled by the Marathons and find the harness adjustment on the FP seats to be a big pain.

So, I've been thinking about what I can get to replace the FP seats. I was hoping to find a combination seat that would keep them harnessed for at least a few more years and then serve as a good booster. I've seen the Recaro Young Sport online and would love to be able to get those, but they're just too expensive for our current budget. I'd ideally like to spend less than $300 on both seats together.

The other complication is that I have an 11-yr-old who is only recently riding without a booster. If I could get the twins' seats narrow enough to make it possible to fit all 3 kids into the back seat that would be wonderful. The car is not all that big but I have in the past managed get a Marathon, a Roudabout, and a Star Riser Comfy installed well together back there. We'll be replacing this car within the next couple of years, we hope (it has a lap belt in the middle and no head support in the back seat), but we're stuck with it for now and, for those rare times when one of us needs to transport all 3 kids, it would be great to have them all as safe as possible.

So I guess my questions are: (1) What are the best options out there for me to consider given my current financial and space constraints? (2) Should I just get something cheap and adequate for now--maybe a couple of Graco Cargos?--and hope something better comes along by the time they get either too tall or too heavy for those? (3) Is there something coming out relatively soon that I should hold out for?

Thanks!
 
ADS

scatterbunny

New member
With a $300 maximum budget and needing two seats to fit side-by-side in the Legacy (shouldn't actually be a problem if you've had two Safe Embraces side-by-side in the Legacy--those are about 18 inches wide; the cheaper combo seats are about 17 inches wide)...I would choose either two Graco CarGos (Ultra or Platinum, not Treasured) or two Evenflo Chases/Evenflo Visions. The CarGos have top slots about 2 inches taller than the Safe Embrace. The Chase/Vision have top slots closer to 3 inches taller than the Safe Embrace. The CarGos start at about $80-$90 and go up depending on padding level and cover. The Vision is about $55 at Wal-Mart. The Chase starts at about $70 for the LX version, goes up for the DLX version (again, padding and cover differences). The CarGos do not have armrests; the Evenflo seats do. Evenflo combo seats have an on-harness adjuster to tighten/loosen the harness straps; CarGos have the traditional strap between the legs.

I can't think of anything $150 or less that's coming out that would work. Britax is supposed to be releasing seats under the Fisher Price name, clones of current Britax seats, the Marathon clone will go to 55 pounds, but it will be about $180.
 
M

MyAngelsAliandPeanut

Guest
Would anyone think the Profile/Radian, whatever it's called be a good seat for this situation? Not quite as inexpensive as requested...but would last about as long as a Marathon wouldn't it??

(You can do a search for Radian on the forum and come up with info on it. Someone posted somewhere about it not working with a Sienna, but I can't remember if it was rear or forward facing...)
 

thepeach80

Senior Community Member
We have an Evenflo Chase Booster as AJ's extra seat in DH's car. It's 20-40# and then a bpb. He's just now moving to the top slots so I'm guessing he's right about 14.75" maybe for torso height. He's only 36", but has a long torso. He's in a Scenera in the other car right now, but it only goes to 40# and no booster.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks for the info. I've been thinking about the Radian too, since it looks narrow and like it would last them a long time, but it's still pretty expensive. Unfortunately I don't have the two FP seats side-by-side in the Legacy. They're so big with those metal frames that I don't think they'd fit next to eachother anywhere. They take up the whole back seat so we've only been using the car when we have just the twins with us. I have seen the Cargos, though, and they look fairly narrow, so maybe I'll try that. Thanks again.
 

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Forum statistics

Threads
219,655
Messages
2,196,895
Members
13,530
Latest member
onehitko860

You must read your carseat and vehicle owner’s manual and understand any relevant state laws. These are the rules you must follow to restrain your children safely. All opinions at Car-Seat.Org are those of the individual author for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily reflect any policy or position of Carseat Media LLC. Car-Seat.Org makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. If you are unsure about information provided to you, please visit a local certified technician. Before posting or using our website you must read and agree to our TERMS.

Graco is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Britax is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org! Nuna Baby is a Proud Sponsor of Car-Seat.Org!

Please  Support Car-Seat.Org  with your purchases of infant, convertible, combination and boosters seats from our premier sponsors above.
Shop travel systems, strollers and baby gear from Britax, Chicco, Clek, Combi, Evenflo, First Years, Graco, Maxi-Cosi, Nuna, Safety 1st, Diono & more! ©2001-2022 Carseat Media LLC

Top