4-mo old outgrew infant carrier by height; which convertible will last longest for tall baby?

My son is 2.5 mos old, and if he continues on his current growth chart curve, he will outgrow his infant seat in the next 6 weeks (by height, not weight.) He is a tall, skinny guy - in the 95th percentile for height and 35th for weight.

We need two convertible car seats, one for each car, and ideally would like something that will be tall enough for our son until he's 5 or 6 yrs old and old enough for a booster (trying to avoid buying a convertible now and then a FF seat in a few years when he outgrows the convertible.) Any thoughts?

Some have recommended the Boulevard or the Marathon, but it seems the torso length on the Blvd is several inches shorter than the torso length on "tall" FF carseats such as the Regent or Nautilus. Am I doomed to buying a convertible now, then a FF seat a few years down the road once DS outgrows the convertible? Or is there a good convertible seat that might work till DS is old enough to use a booster?

I drive a 2007 Toyota RAV-4 and my husband drives a 2007 Toyota Tacoma (the big cab, with four doors.) As we're both 6' tall, we typically have the seats pushed almost all the way back.

Currently, much of DS's length seems to be in his legs; his torso seems more "normal"... but at just 2.5 months, I realize much can change! I do expect him to be tall, though - I'm 6' tall myself, as is my husband. We could buy two of the same seat, or hedge our bets and buy two different seats (one with a taller torso and one to accommodate longer legs) if your opinion would be different based on where his height is (torso versus legs.)

Thanks!

The top slats on the marathon are 16", which is good for a convertable. FF only seats do tend to have higher top slots (Nautilus is about 18", Regent is 20") but 16" is decent for a convertable seat.
The Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE also goes pretty high, I can't remember the exact number but it has infinite harness adjust and I've heard it's pretty good for tall kiddos.

Honestly, there are only three convertible seats I would be comfortable going from to a booster the Learning Curve True Fit, the Evenflo Triumph Advanced and the Sunshine Kids Radian (the Radian will last the longest - it allows you to use the top slots until your child's shoulders are 1" above them - so 18" of torso height).

I would recommend the Recaro Signo, Compass True Fit, Sunshine Kids Radian or Evenflow Triumph Advance. I personally own the Signo & True Fit and both seats will accomidate a tall child. The Radian has the tallest shell and is excellent for a tall child, but I would recommend trying it out in your vehicles first to make sure that you can get a good install.

Sunshine Kids Radian 65
33 pound rear-facing weight limit
65 pound forward-facing weight limit
18 inch top slots
EPS foam
Rear-facing top tether
Well-padded
Five sets of harness slots
Three crotch strap positions
Steel alloy frame (making it heavy)
Folds for travel
Very narrow (good for three across)
Difficult to install in many vehicles
$180-$200

Evenflo Triumph Advance
35 pound rear-facing weight limit
50 pound forward-facing weight limit
17 inch top slots
EPS foam
Infinitely adjustable harness height
Well-padded
Short tether strap may not reach tether anchors in vehicle (can order longer strap from Evenflo)
Wide seat
$130-$180

Recaro Signo
35 pound rear-facing weight limit
70 pound forward-facing weight limit
19 inch top slots
EPS foam
No-rethread harness
Well-padded
$290

Compass True Fit
35 pound rear-facing weight limit
65 pound forward-facing weight limit
17 inch top slots
Larger inside dimensions to provide a deeper, taller and wider seating
No-rethread harness
Deep side wings & EPS foam liner
$179-$199

I just wanted to add that the stated height limit is an approximate, what you go by is if a child no longer has 1" of shell above the top of their head, then the seat is outgrown by height when RF.

Thanks for your replies thus far!

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I just wanted to add that the stated height limit is an approximate, what you go by is if a child no longer has 1" of shell above the top of their head, then the seat is outgrown by height when RF.

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Is there a similar rule of thumb for infant seats? ie, what do I look for or measure when my child is in his infant carrier seat to know whether he's truly outgrown it?

The 1 inch rule of thumb is applicable to infant seats as well as rear facing convertibles. There's an article with photos in the board's articles forum showing how to tell when a rear facing/infant seat is outgrown by height:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=30201

Jeanum said:

The 1 inch rule of thumb is applicable to infant seats as well as rear facing convertibles. There's an article with photos in the board's articles forum showing how to tell when a rear facing/infant seat is outgrown by height:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=30201

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Excellent, thanks.

Is it OK if his feet touch the bottom of the seat, as long as his head has an inch or more of space left at the top?

ypp said:

Excellent, thanks.

Is it OK if his feet touch the bottom of the seat, as long as his head has an inch or more of space left at the top?

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Yup, the length of their legs doesn't matter at all. Check out some of these pics of 2, 3 and 4 year olds RFing at www.cpsafety.com

Another link on the site MissKatie posted goes into more details about why the feet touching isn't a gauge of when a carseat outgrown rear facing, nor a safety concern, and also explains the tremendous safety benefits of extended rear facing to protect the delicate neck and spinal column: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx