Need help selecting carseat please

brandy · Nov 27, 2008

I have 5 children.
9 yr old in a clek booster
7 yr old in a graco turbobooster
6 yr old in a graco turbobooster
3 yr old in a 5 pt cosco eddie bauer
4 mos old in a graco snugride infant seat

the 4 mos old is soon going to be too big for his seat and I need a new rear-facing 5 pt... Not sure what to use.

We drive a suburban, the baby is in the centre row. He will be in the centre seat, so a seat with LATCH.

thanks!

Gypsy · Nov 27, 2008

Hi Brandy,

Take a look at the Sunshine Kids Radian 65, Britax Marathon, Safety 1st Avenue, Cosco Scenera, Evenflo Triumph Advanced and First Years True Fit.

All of them rear face to 35 pounds (you will need to request a new sticker for the seat if you get a Radian, but it's as simple as a phone call - the seats are labeled for 33 pounds currently, but have tested to 35 and can be used to 35 with the new sticker on the seat) - and rear facing to the maximum height OR weight limits of the convertible carseat is strongly recommended.

Judi · Nov 27, 2008

Your 3 yr old. Is it a convertible? One that can rear face too? If so, I would pass that down to the baby, and get a Nautilus for the 3 yr old.

brandy · Nov 28, 2008

Oops, I don't know if it makes a difference, but we are in Canada.

mamoomorgan · Nov 28, 2008

It does make a dif. that you're in Canada. Like a pp said though, if the 3yo's seat can rf (and is not expired) I'd put the baby in that and get a bigger seat for the 3yo. There is a great list at the top of the Canadian forum with specs on different seats.
We just recently got a TF and it's quite nice. I guess a dedicated ff seat would be good for you though, maybe a frontier...?
What are you planning to spend?

I'm sure more knowledgeable people will chime in!

brandy · Nov 29, 2008

I haven't put a price cap on, rather, I want a safe seat. My 3 yr old will be out of his 5 pt (by weight) in about 2 years, I think. Based on my other kids heights.

mamoomorgan · Nov 29, 2008

With no price cap (and if the 3yo's seat CAN rf) I'd definitely get a Frontier or Nautilus (if you can wait a bit until it comes here) for the older one and pass down the Eddie Bauer.
I'm not sure where you are, but if you're in a major center you could try a frontier in your vehicle and make sure it fits well. I think there are threads on here showing different installation techniques.
Like I said in my pp, we have a True Fit and it works well rf for our 2yo and would well (even better maybe) ff for our 3 yo, it has nice high top slots and is relatively easy to use.

Good luck,

mommycat · Dec 1, 2008

I agree it would make the most sense to pass down the EB and get the 3 year old something else.

Just want to make sure, are you saying your kids are very small? (for the EB to last till age 5!) And also, assuming the EB is a 3-in-1 and you have a non-rethread harness, do you realize that the top headrest position is not reinforced for use with the harness and is for booster mode only? If you do already know, then feel free skip the rest of my post.

If this is new to you, please check the back of the seat for some rather hard-to-see raised letters and an arrow pointing to the top notches where the metal bar would go, saying that that position is for booster use only. This limits the top usable harness height and may make a difference in how long your child has in the harness by height.

brandy · Dec 3, 2008

mommycat said:
I agree it would make the most sense to pass down the EB and get the 3 year old something else.

Just want to make sure, are you saying your kids are very small? (for the EB to last till age 5!) And also, assuming the EB is a 3-in-1 and you have a non-rethread harness, do you realize that the top headrest position is not reinforced for use with the harness and is for booster mode only? If you do already know, then feel free skip the rest of my post. If this is new to you, please check the back of the seat for some rather hard-to-see raised letters and an arrow pointing to the top notches where the metal bar would go, saying that that position is for booster use only. This limits the top usable harness height and may make a difference in how long your child has in the harness by height.

Oh!
I am going to get the seat right now to check. Thank you!

sparkyd · Dec 4, 2008

Gypsy said:
Hi Brandy,

Take a look at the Sunshine Kids Radian 65, Britax Marathon, Safety 1st Avenue, Cosco Scenera, Evenflo Triumph Advanced and First Years True Fit.

All of them rear face to 35 pounds (you will need to request a new sticker for the seat if you get a Radian, but it's as simple as a phone call - the seats are labeled for 33 pounds currently, but have tested to 35 and can be used to 35 with the new sticker on the seat) - and rear facing to the maximum height OR weight limits of the convertible carseat is strongly recommended.

Just wanted to point out that none of these rear-facing weight limits apply in Canada. Only the True Fit goes to 35 lbs here; I think the rest are all 30 lbs.

Need help selecting carseat please

brandy

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Gypsy

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Judi

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brandy

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mamoomorgan

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brandy

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mamoomorgan

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mommycat

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sparkyd

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