Help Please - Moving to Canada from UK

Hi there,

We're moving to Canada from the UK in a few months & we're heading out for a holiday & look around/check out places to live, etc. We don't know what kind of car we'll end up buying when we move. We thought we might buy a carseat on this trip so we could use it in the meantime & then it would become our daughter's regular seat once we move. She's just over 2 years old & is about 90 cm tall & probably just over 30 lbs (though might need to check that!). My husband is keen on safety & would like one that has scored well on the crash tests. Is there a site where we can find that info? Does anyone have any recommendations for a carseat that would be suitable? Or do you need to know what kind of car it's going to be used in?

Any help/advice/links would be greatly appreciated...
Thanks in advance.

A confused mama

All seats have to pass the same tests in order to be approved and sold here. How each test past or what their score was is not available. Since all these seats are tested the same way they are all considred safe. Some companies make extra bells and whistles to make their seats come across safer which isn't necessiarily true. They may make the seat more comfortable or possibly easier to install but really they are all safe.

Are you looking for a convertible seat? Is she rear-facing or would you like a forward-facing seat?

Here is a list of seats available in Canada that you may want to check out.

For a child that was no longer RFg (which yours could be) and you wanted a FFg seat only, I'd go with a Graco Nautilus or Britax Frontier.

You may also consider whether or not you are planning to have more kids, and if so when.

A high weight limit convertable seat is a good option if you plan to have a baby in the next few years, since you can keep your daughter harnessed as long as possible, and then use the seat rear-facing for a younger child when your daughter is ready for a designated booster. In that case, the Sunshine Kids Radian and Learning Curve TrueFit are two good ones to look at.

Jewels said:

Here is a list of seats available in Canada that you may want to check out.

Click to expand...

Here is a nother list which highlights which seats will last longer in the harness:
http://car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=36056

Getting a seat which can fit longer in the harness is important because:
- most seats are outgrown by height before weight, and many of the seats not on the HWH list have low top harness slots and will likely be outgrown at around 3 years old.
- Depending on which province you are moving to, the law for moving to a booster varies, but for example in Manitoba, a child needs a harnesses seat until they are 5 years old and 50 lbs. Where are you moving to?
- Kids are generally not mature enough to sit in a booster until around age 5 because they lack the impulse control needed to remain properly positioned 100% of the time without the harness.
- it sounds like your daughter is fairly slim so you will definitely want a tall harness - my son had similar proportions and he outgrew his low-slot harnessed seat by height at 3 years old (maybe just turned 4) and under 35 lbs (well before the bare legal minimum of 40 lbs to use a booster).

Good luck with the move!

Thanks for all the help & links. Yes, we are planning on having more children in the in the next year or so (fingers crossed). We are moving to Montreal. Can anyone help with advantages/disadvantages between the Britax Marathon, Boulevard & the Sunshine Kids Radian? I know I need to spend some time reading through some of the previous threads on the various carseats....things are just a bit crazy at the moment!

Confused Mama

Here are the laws by Province: http://www.safekidscanada.ca/SKCPublicPolicyAdvocacy/custom/BoosterSeatLegislationChart.pdf
Quebec section states:

Children must ride in a car seat or booster seat until they have a minimum seated height (measured from the seat to the top of the head) of 25 inches (63 cm). The car seat or booster seat must fit the child’s height and weight.

Click to expand...

So, pretty vague. Still, you want to make an informed choice for the seat which will be appropriate for your child, never mind the law.

I don't promise that this list is complete but here's a few points about the seats you mentioned:
- the Radian has the tallest slots of all three seats, by about an inch, so it will last the longest. It can have some issues with installing, but in most cases with a few tips and tricks from here it will install well. It is also narrow and folds for travel or storage. It allows you to use the tray table for FF install in an airplane. The regular Radian and the Radian Premier are basically identical except for fabric and the pillows/infant insert on the Premier. They both RF to 30 lbs and FF to 65 lbs. The Radian XT has a 35-lb RF limit and the same 65 lb FF limit. It has moveable headwings for SIP but I hear that they really are not useable until the child is taller and FF. Please verify by doing a search. They have an expiry of 8 years.
- The Marathon and Boulevard are basically the same seat shell, but the Boulevard has additional built in SIP by way of headwings and side wings (?). I seemt o remember hearing that the top harness position seems to be a little lower than the MA but I have to admit to not paying too much attention as I would not spend that much money on a seat when I am perfectly happy with my MA. These Britax seats have RF limits of 30lbs and FF limit of 65lbs. The Britax convertibles tend to install in virtually any vehicle very easily. (I LOVE the install on my MA.) They don't last quite as long as the Radian and some kids find the shoulder area narrow as they get bigger. The seats have a 6 year expiry. They have built in lockoffs so you do not need to worry about needing a locking clip if the seatbelts don't lock.

I have both the Radian and the Marathon and would frankly be hard pressed to choose my favourite. They are different seats but both have their special features. If it is possible, I would look at the seats in store when you get here and see which you like. I would also consider the First Years True Fit and maybe the Evenflo Triumph Advance. I have the True Fit and LOVE it as well, it is 35lbs RF/65 lbs FF with a 7 year expiry and built in lockoffs, really comfy seat, some quirks about RF (ask if you want to know more) and built in lockoffs as well. And as a bonus, a lot cheaper than the others. It is a very wide seat, though. I don't have an EFTA so I will let other speak on that, but it is 30lbsRF/47lbsFF/6yrexpiry.

The Radian XT and the TF would allow you to RF your daughter for a while if she is under 35lbs. If you only want to FF I agree with bubbaray, look at the Nautilus and the Frontier.