Question Best Budget Convertible/3-in-1 for Canada?

I've been browsing the forum and my head is starting to spin! Could someone just give me a list of the few best options for forward facing seats (ON A BUDGET) in Canada? My one year old is starting to HATE rear-facing, and I'm thinking it's time to end the torture, although rear-facing would be better, I know. Britax isn't really an option, financially. The Nautilus would be ideal... but if we can't wait till the end of the year, what is second best?

Is your child still in an infant seat? Sometimes it makes a big difference if you put them into a convertible carseat rear-facing. It can be less reclined, and it doesn't feel as much like a "baby seat". What is your budget like? Most forward facing only seats are not really that great. Most of them have low top slots, so your child outgrows it before they are ready for a booster. And most of them make poor boosters as well. If you would like to try rear-facing in a convertible seat, here are some options...

The First Years True Fit - about $200 - it rear-faces till 35 lbs and then forward-faces till 65 lbs. It has pretty tall top slots (about 17ish inches).

Evenflo Triumph - about $150 - it rear-faces till 30 lbs and then forward faces till 47 lbs. It has pretty tall top slots(I think about 17 inches).

Cosco Scenera - about $70 - it rear-faces till 30 lbs and then forward faces till 40 lbs. It has decent top slots (I think about 15 inches). It is not very padded, but it works fairly well.

If you are not going to go the rear-facing route, here are some combination seats that you could try...

Evenflo Traditions - about $120 - doesn't make the greatest booster, but it is adequate. It goes to 47 lbs with a harness and then 100 as a booster.

Evenflo Generations - about $140 - makes a better booster than the Traditions, though still not the greatest. 47 lbs with a harness and 100 as a booster.

I think if I were you I would get a convertible seat, so you could at least try rear-facing, and if it doesn't work, then go forward-facing. The True Fit or Triumph seats last the average child till about 5 or 6 years old, and after that you could go with a dedicated booster if your child is ready. HTH!

featherhead said:

I think if I were you I would get a convertible seat, so you could at least try rear-facing, and if it doesn't work, then go forward-facing. The True Fit or Triumph seats last the average child till about 5 or 6 years old, and after that you could go with a dedicated booster if your child is ready. HTH!

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This would be my recommendation as well. I think you'll find that most of the ff'ing combination seats will be too upright for a 1yr old to have any kind of support when sleeping.

How much does your little one weigh, and what kind of seat are you using now? Some kids are much more picky about tactile stimulation than others and it could be a seat issue more than a rf'ing issue. Kiddo is also at the age where being in a car seat just isn't fun.

Rf'ing is just so much safer at this age, that I always prefer to trouble shoot what is making kiddo upset rf'ing before resorting to ff'ing. Speaking honestly, ff'ing a child who just barely meets the minimums to ff is a last resort. Sometimes there is a simple solution that can keep everyone happy and kiddo as safe as possible. So trying to find a solution to keep kiddo happy rf'ing is where I always start. :thumbsup:

Wow, thanks for the good answers! Avah is about 21-22 pounds, and she's in a Safeseat. Maybe it is just the recline that's the problem. It just feels like she won't get much use out of a convertable seat that only goes to 40 pounds. Don't they grow out of them pretty fast? I don't know.....

The Evenflo Triumph Advance goes to 47lbs and the Compass/First Years Tru Fit goes to 65lbs.

Most children outgrow seats by height long before weight. Both these seats have nice tall top slots that will last your daughter to a good booster age (5 - 6 years old). They also both rear face and given that she's going from an infant bucket to a convertible, I would strongly recommend rear facing her (especially given her weight/age). She will like the added room and less recline of the two seats mentioned.

As an alternative, you can also install your SafeSeat1 for her more upright and that may solve your problems and have you putting off the convertible purchase for awhile longer.

You can also check out this post... it has the two seats mentioned as well as a few others. It's a comparison of the seats showing just how long they last in real life.

Avahsmomma said:

Wow, thanks for the good answers! Avah is about 21-22 pounds, and she's in a Safeseat. Maybe it is just the recline that's the problem. It just feels like she won't get much use out of a convertable seat that only goes to 40 pounds. Don't they grow out of them pretty fast? I don't know.....

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Yes, most of the 40 lb convertible seats are outgrown quickly because the harness slots are low... but like I said before, the Evenflo Triumph, or the First Years True Fit should last till about 5 or 6 years. The top harness slot is about the same. If you can get out to a ToysRUs, you could check out both of those seats, and see if they will work for you.

I agree with the previous posters and just wanted to add that my son went through a phase where he hated his car seat as well. DH was convinced it was because he was RF but one day he was FF for a trip in a friend's car and it turns out he hated that as well. He's now 26 months and RF and loves it. When he's playing with his many cars he even puts all of his passengers RF

Just wanted to add that we recently switched our DS from the infant seat to a convertible rfing and he's sooo much happier in the car:thumbsup: