Research has made me crazy

Last month we bought DD a nautilus. She was getting really close to outgrowing her convertible FF and needed a new seat. I contemplated the TF, debated on putting her RF, but after talking to my logical hubby, we went w/ the nauti since she had already been FF for 8 mos. and was over 3. Love this board and all that I have learned, but now I wish I had the TF. Ya know, if I would have bought the TrueFit, I'd probably be thinking I should have gotten the nauti instead. I don't know if she would want to go RF again, but all these statistics about how much safer it is... I have gotten the impression the majority of the difference is up to age 2 (no one quote me on that for your own research, I don't know data) so I feel a little better that prior to lots of reading we did keep her RF to 28 mos. and only turned b/c of harness height. I haven't been able to hunt down a TF to check out, and I'm in a huge city (I've been to multiple targets, walmarts, plus BRU and TRU-that seat is a myth). If I had been able to play with one, I either would have bought it, or I'd quit thinking about it b/c I would know the GN works better for us at this time. There's nothing wrong with the nautilus. She loves her new seat, I've installed it in both our cars w/ belts and LATCH (at different times of course) easily, I'm just nuts and rambling.

at age 3, I think you did the right thing. Yes, many of us would keep a small 3 yr old RF, but it doesn't make sense to buy another convertible seat unless you know you will have more children. Of course, if money grows on trees at your house, get the TF for your car and the GN for DH If you don't have one of those "money growing trees", be happy with the Nauti :twocents:

You know I have asked myself that with Josef! When we became more educated on ERF, he was 3.5yrs with a LONG torso but only 30lbs soaking wet. We went ahead with the Regent, since at the time the highest ERF seat was 33lbs. But when I think about it a SK Radian could have gotten him to over 4yrs RF, then again we would be quickly outgrowing it and I am not ready for him to be in a booster full-time. We our Regent, and who knows what kind of PITA the Radian would have been installing in our Accord.
Now if there had been a 35lbs ERF seat, things might have turned out differently, but who knows, lol.

You aren't alone...there's a reason some of us have dozens of seats ...we are just *sure* there's something better out there
I didn't buy a big RF seat for my dd till she was 3... http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx Though honestly it was easy in a minivan. In our smaller sedan she just had to go FF younger, I didn't have the fortitude to fold her legs up to get her buckled in that thing past about age 3.5.