Question What should my next car seat purchase be???

I am having a really hard time deciding what my next car seat purchase should be. Some of my issues revolve around the fact that I am in Canada and I have been not so patiently waiting for the new high weight seats to arrive. I have 3 children and drive an 8 passenger 2006 Toyota Sienna. Here are the kids stats and current car seat info:

#1) almost 8 yrs old. 54" tall, 19.25" torso, 68lbs. Currently in a Britax Parkway (05 DOM) but is unfortunately about to outgrow it. The headrest is as its tallest position. I bought a Clek Oto (06 DOM but it was only about $40) at the recent Cdn Tire sale and put it away that I will reluctantly use when the time comes. I say reluctantly because I really feel like the Parkway is safer.

#2) will be 5 in 2 months. 43 1/2" tall, 16" torso, 44lbs. Currently in a Safety 1st Apex 65 but dh and I hate it. It just isn't working for us but we wanted a high weight harnessed seat and it was the only hwh/booster available. We will be replacing this seat asap but with what??? Graco Nautilus, Britax Frontier, Compass True Fit???

#3) 9 months. 28 1/2" tall, 13" torso, 20lbs. Currently in SS1 and will remain in that until
it is outgrown which is hopefully later rather than sooner.

The new seat will be for child #2 but may be passed on to child #3 if the timing is right when the baby outgrows the SS1. This may be wishful thinking but I was hoping or should I say that my dh is hoping that this will be our last car seat purchase. If child #2 is at an appropriate height/weight to use the Parkway when the baby is ready to move into the new seat it could be our last purchase right?

Here are some of my thoughts.
Nautilus: not here yet and no word of when it is coming.
Frontier: not here yet, pricey, ages 2 and up (is that a guideline or a rule if height/weight requirements are met or exceeded before age 2 can it be used?).
True Fit: not here yet (I just read that someone bought one out west which is promising), not hwh/booster but is rf to 35lbs which would be good if the baby ends up using it)
Radian: not on my list because I have heard that it is incompatible with the Sienna.

This decision and all the waiting for these new seats is driving me crazy especially when they are all available in the U.S. already. My dh thinks that I am totally overthinking this and I probably am but I just want to have the kids as safe as possible. Dh does too but he isn't obsessing over this like I am. Sorry this is so long but any insight or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

thanks,
Jen

I was somewhat facing the same issues as you - I have four kiddos (closer in age though 6,4,2, and 11 months) and a 2004 Sienna (but with Captain's chairs - but should be very similar).

... Radian - I think the Radian didn't fit well in the old Siennas (2004 was the change over year). I installed a Radian RF last week in a captain chair with latch - and it was a breeze ... but should take a picture to show the pros, because maybe it isn't done correctly! They say seat belt install is tough but I haven't done that yet (and mightn't have to!) I have one more Radian to install - forward facing, and I will put it in latch as well (for the almost 2.5 year old 36" at least 32 lbs)

... I have ordered two Frontiers (we were in a minor accident so have replaced four seats) but obviously haven't arrived yet.

I have put my 6 year old girl - 42lbs. 42in or so - in a new Britax Parkway. She loves it. I am still getting use to the booster idea. This will be our back-up seat as she will get a frontier when it arrives. She fell asleep in it yesterday and the wings looked so comfortable. If it wasn't for my issue with keeping them in 5 point, I don't think I would mind the 6 year old in a Parkway.

The 2 year old thing and the Frontier might be your kicker. It would be interesting to see if the 2 year old is a Britax philosophy on keeping kidos rear facing or actually a safety issues/car seat functionality. I have no reason to challenge it (so many young kiddos, and so many seats) - someone else might have an opinion.

Just my 2 cents - just learning the ropes here but your story is similar to mine so thought I would share.

Thanks for your response AnnD. Sorry to hear about your accident. I hope you get your new seats soon. Have you seen a Frontier in real life yet? I had thought about ordering one but I wanted to see it first and figure out the whole 2 year and up issue. I may call Britax directly and ask. I am definitely planning to erf the baby but I am guessing that I will have to ff before 2 years. I agree about the Parkway. My 8 yr old loves the wings for sleeping especially and the feel of the soft fabric too. That is one of my issues with the Apex 65 that with no wings it is terrible for sleeping in. I am not quite comfortable with my almost 5yr old in the Parkway on a regular basis either but she has gone in it a few times for quick trips in dh's car. I guess I will have to rethink the Radian too if I can get a good fit in the Sienna. It is just all so confusing.

If anyone else has any input I would really appreciate it too!

1. The Clek Otto should work well. IF you want another highback that converts to a lowback... the Sunshine Kids Monterey should be here this summer sometime and will be the tallest booster on the market at that time.

2. I haven't seen the TruFit in person yet, so can't comment on the slot height. Slot height is all relative, so until I've had a chance to put my long torsoed child in it, the verdict is still out for me. Same goes for the Frontier.

I can tell you that my 16.5" torso'd son fits in a Radian with about an inch or so before he is even with the top slots, so that may be an option. He was also even with the top slots on the Apex when we tried him in it at a store a few months ago and still had/has lots of growing room in the Radian.

It sounds like you have time to wait for the two younger children... I'd probably wait until fall if I could, to really get a feel for all my options, and then go from there.

3. A Radian or a Trufit could both be passed down to the baby and both should last until a good booster age, so I'd probably wait until the Trufit shows up in your area and then test them both and see which you like better. It will not be the last seat you buy because you will need another booster down the road (they have expiry dates too )... but it can be the last harnessed seat you buy.

One more note... the Radian is supposed to be coming out with some great changes/upgrades to it this summer, so I'd still wait until fall before I make that purchase if you want to go the Radian route.

If you have a Target nearby, then you can always buy a TrueFit online, and return it to your local store if it doesn't work for you.

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Wineaux said:

If you have a Target nearby, then you can always buy a TrueFit online, and return it to your local store if it doesn't work for you.

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Usually an excellent idea, but poster is in Canada. No Targets here & it just started showing up at Zellers this past week. It's brand new to the CDN market despite being in the US awhile already. :thumbsup:

Hopefully TRU/BRU will get it in the next few weeks too since Zellers is getting theirs already.

Thanks for your replies. I wish we had Target here. I aways stop there when we are in the U.S. and drool over the car seat dept.

Jen: I put the Oto Clek in the van to make sure it fit but haven't put a child in it yet. It seemed comfy enough. Going from a hbb to a lbb will be an adjustment for us but we will get used to it. The Monterey looks like a good seat but I probably wouldn't get enough use out of it to buy it for my oldest but maybe for one of the younger kids some day. You are correct that my Parkway will expire before child #3 needs it but a new Frontier would still be good so that is why that one is on my list. The whole min. 2 year age thing is what I am not sure about. I think that the baby may outgrow the SS1 before age 2. Is there a list anywhere of car seat expirys. I have heard that the Frontier is 9 yrs. Is that true and how do you go about finding out how long other seats will be good for?? I will definitely buy a new seat here and there if necessary but I was just trying to figure out if I would need to. I would love to wait until the fall but the apex 65 was to go asap so I need to replace it soon. I am going to try to hold out as long as I can until I can see a few of these seats in person and try them out.