no LATCH and needing a convertible seat

M

monkeyandottermom

Guest
hi! im new here and am so glad you are here! everyone seems so knowledgeable and its nice to read reviews from real parents!

so here goes....
my son is 6 mos and 18 lbs. i need to move up to a convertible and dont know which one to choose. the only stores here are kmart, costco, target, sears and mervyns..............not much in the way of 'cool' seats. im getting one from my mom in law for xmas, so im thinking of asking for something nicer. maybe a britex? they seem popular. im also weary of getting one without trying it in my car first...

my car is a 1993 BMW 740i..... 4 door, it has a non-locking middle seat belt and no LATCH system. right now we are using a locking clip installed by the hwy patrol office. ive called BMW and they dont know anything about updated seats or seatbelts, so theyre no help. also in the rear middle seat is a flip down armrest/cubby thing that the car seat sits up against. i asked about removing this and the guy didnt know if it would matter. btw, i would have to cut the leather of my seats to remove it, i will if i have to. my rear seat seems very 'shallow' the front of our current seat really hangs over the front and we cant put our front seats back very far before we are running into the seat.

im worried about a new bigger seat and taking it in and out. right now we have the base part so its fairly easy to get it in, with not haing the pocking belt, will i have problems fumbling with the clip underneath the carseat? it wont be being moved often, but i cant say he will never ride in gmas car.
oh...i wish ther were somewhere to try out all the seats before i but one. when i got our current one at kmart they wouldnt let me try it without buying it... that doesnt seem like the safest way to sell carseats.

thanks for any expertise you mamma may have.
adrienne
 
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abacus2

Well-known member
Target has the Britax Marathon in stores (ask about trying it out, I don't know if they'll let you) and as long as you had the receipt, you could return it no problem if it didn't work. They also have a much wider selection of covers online, some with free shipping and all returnable to stores. With a non-locking middle lap belt and a fold down armrest/console, it would probably be better to install the seat on the side. This is very easy with the Britax seats because they have built-in clips to hold the seatbelt tight (with lap/shoulder belts, I think non-locking lap belts require a different type of clip). You want the Britax Marathon, Decathlon, or Boulevard (rear or forward facing, 65lb forward facing limits) not the Roundabout (40 lb limit) or Regent (forward facing only). I also strongly encourage you to use whatever seat you choose rear-facing to the rear-facing limits. This is by far the safest way to ride in a car, especially for children younger than 2. Check out thecarseatlady.com for information about why rear-facing is needed.
 
M

monkeyandottermom

Guest
i plan to have him rear facing as long as possible, but is it safe to have him on the side?? my car is older and has no rear side arbags. we are checking out getting a new car.....a volvo wagon i think. hopefully it wil be safer all around and he can stay in the middle.
thanks!!
 

soygurl

Active member
If you're worried about side impact, I highly recomend the britax boulevard. It has TSIP (true side impact progection) head "wings." Also, rear-facing car seats are much better at protecting against side impacts that forward facing seats, and since you are already planing on RF for as long as possible, I wouldn't worry too much about instaling the seat outboard.
 

drjanetm

New member
I will "third" the Britax recommendations. My car has no LATCH either (and it's a 2000 model!) and the locking clips on the Britax seats I have are invaluable.
 

gwenvet

New member
I agree, without latch the locking clips on the Britaxes make installation a breeze. No more fiddling with that frustrating c clip or whatever its called. Your manual should say something about using a RFing seat in front of the middle fold down arm rest. I know my Saab allowed it but it may have said something about tethering it shut. If BMW allows it I would definitely put him in the middle. Good luck.
 

steph

New member
For sure go with a Britax. If you are going to put him outboard I would consider the Britax Boulevard for the TSIP (extra side impact protection around the head).

Like pp said check you car manuel about the being able to install in the center. You can in my Audi....so just check you manuel it should say whether or not it is safe!!!

Oh and make sure you get the Britax Marathon, Decathalon, or Boulevard (not the Roundabout it only goes to 5-33 rf and 40 ff - whereas the other 3 go 5-33 rearfacing and up to 65 forward facing).
 

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