Question Transitioning infant seats to convertible seats?

I am the mother of 8 mo old twins and am looking to buy new seats. They each weigh about 20# and are over 18 in tall. We have been in Snug Rides but are fast outgrowing them. Which seats would you recommend? I can only afford $150-$175 per seat so I know that limits my options. We drive a Camry so they would also need to fit in there. We are also trying to decide if we want a 3-in-1 or just a regular convertible. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated, I am so confused as to what's best for my babies!

Unregistered said:

I am the mother of 8 mo old twins and am looking to buy new seats. They each weigh about 20# and are over 18 in tall. We have been in Snug Rides but are fast outgrowing them. Which seats would you recommend? I can only afford $150-$175 per seat so I know that limits my options. We drive a Camry so they would also need to fit in there. We are also trying to decide if we want a 3-in-1 or just a regular convertible. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated, I am so confused as to what's best for my babies!

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My first advice is don't get a 3-in-1. They are outgrown way too early in harness mode (by height way before the children are 40lbs) and then you need to switch to booster modes when your children are still too young.
We have a list here of seats we like in all price ranges, I dont have it bookmarked cause I just got a new computer but I'm sure someone can post it for you soon. But you could start looking at the Safety 1st Uptown (very good deal at big lots if you have one near you) and the Evenflo Triumph Advanced. The EFTA is a bit more expensive but will last you much longer. The only drawback for you could be they're wider so two of them in the back of a camry wouldnt leave much room for anyone else. If you could spend a bit more I'd also look at the Radian65 cause they'll last a really long time and are very narrow, so you'd have more back seat space left. Just see if you can try to install one at the store before you actually buy them (babies r us lets you do that) because depending on the car it's hard to install a little more upright and then they will take up way too much front to back room (this seat is very tall). I'm sure someone else will post with more info soon. Hope this helps!

I just wanted to say that something a little more expensive that will last you much much longer might be worth it. I am not an expert by any means, but from personaly research recently, i found the Radians to be worth the cost. I love the Radian 80 we have for our 7 month old. She will fit into it until 80 pounds, it can RF and FF, it is nicely padded for a smaller baby.

I do have to mention though, my babies don't grow fast in height OR weight, so i probably will not deal with the "grow out of it by height before weight" problem.

I just find a car seat's longevity very appealing, so i tend to lean toward practical and safe, while still staying in a resaonable price range. I just think about the money spent overtime as well. I know price wont matter when it saves your baby, but price is definitely a factor for parents.

minismom said:

My first advice is don't get a 3-in-1. They are outgrown way too early in harness mode (by height way before the children are 40lbs) and then you need to switch to booster modes when your children are still too young.

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I just want to add a little bit of information to this. Cosco has recently re-designed the Alpha Omega Elite 3in1 seats to have a maximum 50lb ff'ing limit, and the top harness slots are usable giving it a harness height of 17.5". They still don't make a good booster, but in the other aspects they aren't a bad choice. The only caveat is to make sure the model you buy is one of the ones that goes to 50lbs. The old models are still readily available and will probably be easier to find right now than the new ones.

pregodego2 said:

I just wanted to say that something a little more expensive that will last you much much longer might be worth it. I am not an expert by any means, but from personaly research recently, i found the Radians to be worth the cost. I love the Radian 80 we have for our 7 month old. She will fit into it until 80 pounds, it can RF and FF, it is nicely padded for a smaller baby.

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The radian 80 will more than likely NOT get you to 80 lbs unless your children are overweight. I have 2 radian 65s and I can tell you from personal experience that the heaviest child I've seen that still fits heightwise is about 63 lbs. He's pretty solid too- all muscle at 8 yrs old. That said, the radian 80 is a nice choice for an infant because of the infant padding it comes with.

The Radians would be an ideal choice if you'd like to have room for another passenger. You could have one kiddo outboard and one in the middle. Radians are tall seats though, so if you need both the passenger and driver seats pushed all the way back, it may not work.

The Radian 65 is within your budget if you can wait for a $40.00 rebate from Live Search. Go to http://search.live.com/cashback and set up an account. Search Radian 65. It will bring up a price of $180 at Comfort First. You can save 5% with the code SAVE5606 making your total $379.91 and in 60 days you'll get $40 cashback. Making the grand total $339.91

Another seat to consider well within the budget is the Safety First Uptown or Avenue. You can also get the Compass True Fit through Live Search for a grand total of $329.91 after rebate.

Yeah, but that AOE is a beast, and we're talking the back seat of a Camry. If two AOE's will fit well, then go for the Truefit. Personally, I'd do my best to run your twins to the last bit of use from your Snugride's, as there is a new Truefit coming at the end of the year, or first of next, that will include an anti-rebound bar for RF use.

Other than that, I'd try to hold off for the Radian XT that comes out in January of next year because of the removable harness straps.

Hey, Wineaux? Their 8 months old and 20 lbs in Snugrides. They don't have until January.

The Radian 65 is a good seat - nice and narrow.

Oi! Missed that one.

Yeah, the Radian 65's are the best bet right now, and would allow a third seat to be installed at some point in the future.

My only question is how fast are they gaining weight "now". If they've started walking, then they may lose a little weight, or gain weight a lot slower, but 8 months is kind of young for that. Those final 2 lbs can either come fast or slow. It just depends upon your kids. Me? I'd be shopping right now though. I must agree.

You probably know this by now, but in case you don't.
Always ask at the store if they offer a twin discount. You'll be surprise. If you end up getting the seats from BRU (not TRU), they'll give you 10% off each seat, but you have to buy 2 of the SAME seat and mention it to the cashier. Some don't even know about it.
Good luck with the seats and the Twins!

Unregistered said:

I am the mother of 8 mo old twins and am looking to buy new seats. They each weigh about 20# and are over 18 in tall. We have been in Snug Rides but are fast outgrowing them. Which seats would you recommend? I can only afford $150-$175 per seat so I know that limits my options. We drive a Camry so they would also need to fit in there. We are also trying to decide if we want a 3-in-1 or just a regular convertible. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated, I am so confused as to what's best for my babies!

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Thanks a ton for all of your advice, you have helped decrease my stress a bit! I am going to shop around a bit and see what I can find!