Question Slim FF Carseat for Preschooler's Rides amd Updating our Carseat Stock :)

U

Unregistered

Guest
Hi,

My 4 year old will be starting school next year and he'll be going in someone else's car. She has a Toyota Camry (not sure what year, but by looking at it, probably around an 05) and there will be 3 kids in the back. At least one will have a highback (not sure which one), and the other will be in a lowback.
I want my son to be harnessed, and it actually will be easier for his driver (a school teacher and neighbor) since she won't have to get her hand in between carseats.

What is the slimmest car seat I can get for him? I'm not too worried about when it will be too small for him, as I can just pass it down to one of his younger siblings.

So far I've been looking at the Cosco Scenera -- cheapest option, but reports of tangling buckles? Also, if I do end up using it as a full time car seat the next year for my now 2.5 year old (if he switches to FF at 3.5 the next year), that won't be comfortable for long car trips (we do these a few times a year)...so I'm not sure if it's worth it for the money or not. On the other hand, I'd only be out 40 bucks, so it is not that big of a deal.

The Combi Coccoro -- looks beautiful. We have a Combi Connection that is super comfortable for my baby currently. Pricing is over $160 but it can be passed down. He's short (either 3rd or 10th percentile for height), so I'm not worried about the short shell and he's only 30-32 lbs so it definitely would last him the year...I could easily pass it on as a RF or FF car seat for a future kid so it might be a worthwhile investment, though I'm not sure what my next carseat purchase this summer for my van will be...I guess that's part of the dilemma :)

Sunshine Radian -- I don't think that a $200 car seat for a second car is reasonable, especially since we don't really need high limits, being petite people. Anyone argue with that?
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The second part of my dilemma is what to do with our current carseat setup as my baby is getting bigger....part of this might impact how much I spend on the seat for my preschooler.

Currently:
4 year old is in an Evenflo Chase FF -- he can be in this forever until it expires, though he complains on long trips because his "tushy" hurts :( I am not sure the padding is all that great. But I don't think it's necessarily better to use it on any other kid. Truth is, if we go on long trips, and I get a good padded seat like the Coccoro, I can easily swap them (besides LATCH, my husband has approval to install from his KISS certified mother ;))

2.5 year old is in any Evenflo Tribute V RF...he's only about 24 lbs and still has room lengthwise to remain RF. The car seat has 2-3 years left on it (I have to double check).

10 month old is in a Combi Connection...she has a couple inches before she's too long. At 17 lbs, I am not worried she'll hit 22 lbs before then.

Do I move my 10 month old to the Evenflo Tribute and move my 2.5 year old to a bigger RF limit seat like the MyRide? Is there enough length difference to make the higher limit worth the money? (Getting a $160 carseat vs. $100 one)
Or do I keep him in there till he outgrows it RF, and then switch him FF since at this rate he might be 5 before he gets there ;) and if the seat expires, just get a combination at that point? And get my daughter a cheaper RF carseat?
Being small, we don't hit the limits very quickly...

Any input?
Sorry it's long, but I feel like I'm juggling carseats here!
 
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U

Unregistered

Guest
OP here...
Forgot to mention one option for the second car:
The Graco Cargo -- is it really slim enough to fit in the back of a Camry with one or 2 highbacks (other one is either HB or backless)?
If so, it's a good $60 cheaper than the Coccoro...
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
The Safety 1st Avenue is the same width as the Scenera, about $30 or $40 more, and has taller top slots, EPP foam for more head protection, a more padded cover, and taller top slots to last longer.

You might also consider the SafeGuard GO if she has a LATCH position available, but it may be more than you want to spend as well, and doesn't have a shell, which some parents don't like.

On the second part of your question, it depends on your child. The MyRide is not significantly different, height-wise, from the Britax Marathon. It sounds like your kids might not need the weight limit. Stats on all your kids and cars might be more helpful in making specific recommendations to you. :)
 

niccig

New member
The Safety 1st Avenue is the same width as the Scenera, about $30 or $40 more, and has taller top slots, EPP foam for more head protection, a more padded cover, and taller top slots to last longer.

Can you measure the torso of your 4yo - sit him on the wall and mark where his shoulder is and measure from floor to the mark. I ask because I have a Safety First Uptown (precursor to the Avenue). My 4.5 yo still fits in it. He's about 39" and 35lbs. He has a short torso and we have another 1-1.5" of torso growth until he's too tall for the harness. If your 4yo would fit and have enough room for a year - it will work for you. I really like my seat and my other seats are much more expensive. It's a great travel seat too if you fly a lot. You can get it at Sears or Kmart. It's a good buy.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
The Safety 1st Avenue is the same width as the Scenera, about $30 or $40 more, and has taller top slots, EPP foam for more head protection, a more padded cover, and taller top slots to last longer.

You might also consider the SafeGuard GO if she has a LATCH position available, but it may be more than you want to spend as well, and doesn't have a shell, which some parents don't like.

On the second part of your question, it depends on your child. The MyRide is not significantly different, height-wise, from the Britax Marathon. It sounds like your kids might not need the weight limit. Stats on all your kids and cars might be more helpful in making specific recommendations to you. :)
Oops -- good point. I need to register to have this in my siggy :)

Boy 7/10/05 (about 4), about 32 lbs, no idea how tall he is, but very, very short.
Boy 1/3/07 (about 2.5), 24 lbs at most, also short, no memory how tall he is.
Girl 7/28/08 (turning 1 this summer), 17 lbs, around 26"? Does that make sense? Or am I misremembering...
My minivan is an 8 seater Sienna 06.
I currently have my 4 year old in the Chase in the back, my RF children in the Connection and Tribute V in the middle row on both sides, though I might move my baby to the middle (I had her on the side so I could sit in back in between my kids and help them on long car rides).

I don't think I'll have width issues in my minivan -- I can fit comfortably in the 8th seat :)

How wide is the Scenera/Avenue in comparison to the Cargo and Coccoro? I'm finding it very frustrating getting actual footprint widths online and for the driver's Camry, I think it's important. I see you have Radians, but $200 seems steep for a second car seat (though I might be able to get a bit of a discount).

Can you measure the torso of your 4yo - sit him on the wall and mark where his shoulder is and measure from floor to the mark. I ask because I have a Safety First Uptown (precursor to the Avenue). My 4.5 yo still fits in it. He's about 39" and 35lbs. He has a short torso and we have another 1-1.5" of torso growth until he's too tall for the harness. If your 4yo would fit and have enough room for a year - it will work for you. I really like my seat and my other seats are much more expensive. It's a great travel seat too if you fly a lot. You can get it at Sears or Kmart. It's a good buy.

I could, if he sat still ;)
I don't think it's a problem. He's only 10th percentile at most for height (maybe 3rd percentile, it's been a year since he's been to the doctor) and I don't think all the shortness is in his legs :)

Is the Avenue very comfortable? Or would it only be good for short trips and absolute necessity times like flying...we take 8 hour car rides a few times a year and I'm wondering if it isn't worth it to have him sit in something that pads him better.

(to all those who think it's better to switch kids FF sooner, I tell them my RF kids like sitting that way better because they can shift weight onto their legs, and not rely solely on their tush :))
 
Last edited by a moderator:

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
Torso height is more important than overall height in fit. That's why we ask. :)

The Avenue is comfortable enough for many kids. Some really sensitive kids aren't comfortable in ANY seat. You'd just have to try it out to see how you like it, I guess. (Sears and KMart are the only stores that have it.) We have an Uptown and my kids don't complain (though that cover was a little cushier.) The width of the widest point of the Scenera and Avenue is about 18 inches, though it's a smidge narrower at the base. Not bad at all. I think the CarGo is 16.5 inches but I'm not 100% sure on that. I don't know about the Coccoro, however there are recent reviews I'm sure you can find that will tell you that.

I do have Radians for my primary seats, and also have one for a spare. I guess it depends on how often you will use it; I do try to get good deals (I got my 65s for $160, I think) but you know, I need to have what works. I don't really worry too much about the cost at this point, I consider it an investment in my kids' safety. One nice things about the Radians is that they have an 8 year instead of 6 year expiration. Also, they fold for easy carrying, and allow the tray table to be down on a plane. So there are definite perks you get for the price! It just depends on your priorities. If you aren't willing to spend that much, and can find something else that works for less, more power to you! I have Sceneras, an Uptown, and have had other less-expensive seats, as well as my current crop of super-expensive seats. ;)

Indeed you shouldn't really have install issues in the Sienna with almost any seat. It looks like your kids are small enough to fit in the 40 lbs. seats for a good long time. So for you, bigger seats, even ones like the True Fit, Marathon, etc. that are kind of "in the middle", may never be necessary. You can probably get by with just about any seat, and have it last a long time. Lucky you! Why don't you list off what you're considering for each child, and I'm sure people can give opinions. :)
 

christineka

New member
I have an avenue and had a scenera. The scenera fit where the avenue could not, so the avenue is def. not the same width as the scenera. The old tribute is super thin. If your ds still has shoulder room in the tribute you might put that in as the spare and get your middle kid a new seat like the avenue. The cargo could fit where the rfing avenue could not. It is a thin seat and puzzles well with other seats. I did find that it was easier next to a rfing seat than having the booster kids try to buckle next to it. In fact, out of the scenera, avenue, and tribute the only seat ffing that the booster kids could buckle next to was the tribute. The others had to be rfing for buckling ease of boosters. I had these seats in a ford tempo with a 46 inch back seat. I don't know about a corolla.
 

niccig

New member
The old tribute is super thin. If your ds still has shoulder room in the tribute you might put that in as the spare and get your middle kid a new seat like the avenue.

This sounds like a good idea. Maybe pick up an Avenue, make sure you keep receipt etc so you can return if you need to. Then spend time in your neighbour's car and see what will work with her booster seats. If the Avenue or Tribute won't work, then return the Avenue and try a Cargo.

Based on your 4 yo stats, I think the Avenue will fit. My DS is a little heavier, he was 34lbs at his 4 yo appt. It will definitely work for your 2 yo if you decide to swap seats for the car pool. I don't have an Avenue, I have the Uptown and DS rides in it for 14 hour flight to Australia....I think he was more comfortable than me, he didn't complain. I had to sit on the airplane pillow as my amply padded tushy hurt. I think the Avenue is a little less padded, but I thought that was in the shoulders and not in the seat...go look at it at Kmart/Sears and see if you like it.
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
They're the same width at the widest point (or very close), Christine-- I think it's the way they narrow different places that is the difference?

And the car in the carpool situation is a Camry, right? A Camry has more side-to-side room than a Corolla. :)
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Yup -- it's a Camry, definitely wider than a Corolla.

Using the Tribute sounds like a good idea! I can test it already in her car since we have it.
I wouldn't mind stopping to use it as an RF car seat :) I didn't realize it was considered thin. I never looked at the specs.
I can then get 2 new convertible car seats of anything I please for my younger kids. (It won't help my son's complaining in his Chase, but that's a different story :))

Onto researching ease of adjusting RF carseats in the Sienna...

And can someone please help me understand what I'm doing wrong when registering? The fourth word under the banner is Safe, is it not? I've tried it capitalized and not, and I'm getting the wrong answer :(
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
And can someone please help me understand what I'm doing wrong when registering? The fourth word under the banner is Safe, is it not? I've tried it capitalized and not, and I'm getting the wrong answer :(

I just wanted to let you know that I flagged your problem for admin to respond to. I can't ID the problem myself, but I'm sure they can help you. :thumbsup:
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
Yup -- it's a Camry, definitely wider than a Corolla.

Using the Tribute sounds like a good idea! I can test it already in her car since we have it.
I wouldn't mind stopping to use it as an RF car seat :) I didn't realize it was considered thin. I never looked at the specs.
I can then get 2 new convertible car seats of anything I please for my younger kids. (It won't help my son's complaining in his Chase, but that's a different story :))

Onto researching ease of adjusting RF carseats in the Sienna...

And can someone please help me understand what I'm doing wrong when registering? The fourth word under the banner is Safe, is it not? I've tried it capitalized and not, and I'm getting the wrong answer :(

There are two quizzes on the registration page. You have the right answer for the second quiz. Farther up on the page should be an image, usually with a two word phrase and an entry box within the image itself. If you don't see it, there could be an issue with your browser. I would suggest trying to register on another computer or using this link http://www.car-seat.org/sendmessage.php to request an account be opened manually. Please include your desired username and email address.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Ok, this is the issue then:

Image Verification
This reCAPTCHA key isn't authorized for the given domain. More info

The register page is located at forums.car-seat.org so the captcha isn't working.
It works on car-seat.org fine...doesn't seem to be a browser issue as much as forums being a subdomain.
Hope that helps, admin...
 

agent220

New member
Thanks for fixing it on the announcement page :)

jujumum -- the Chase seems quite wide, doesn't it? I think it would be too wide for the back of the Camry with a couple of boosters?
I really wouldn't mind that becoming secondary, but I doubt it will work.
 

vonfirmath

New member
The Combi Coccoro -- looks beautiful. We have a Combi Connection that is super comfortable for my baby currently. Pricing is over $160 but it can be passed down. He's short (either 3rd or 10th percentile for height), so I'm not worried about the short shell and he's only 30-32 lbs so it definitely would last him the year...I could easily pass it on as a RF or FF car seat for a future kid so it might be a worthwhile investment, though I'm not sure what my next carseat purchase this summer for my van will be...I guess that's part of the dilemma :)

Sunshine Radian -- I don't think that a $200 car seat for a second car is reasonable, especially since we don't really need high limits, being petite people. Anyone argue with that?

I'm a little confused that you're okay with the price of the Coccoro but not the Radian -- at least around here, the Radian 65 and the Coccoro are the same price and the Radian 65 will last a lot longer. I can see making this choice based on installation -- the Coccoro may install better in your car than the Radian (You'd have to test this) but based on price...?
 

ketchupqueen

CPST and ketchup snob
Staff member
I'm a little confused that you're okay with the price of the Coccoro but not the Radian -- at least around here, the Radian 65 and the Coccoro are the same price and the Radian 65 will last a lot longer. I can see making this choice based on installation -- the Coccoro may install better in your car than the Radian (You'd have to test this) but based on price...?

I was kind of thinking that too! There's not that much of a price difference, really.

The Chase is not really all that wide. I think it might very well work in the carpool car, and you could replace the at-home seat instead.
 

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