looking for a good "grandma's car" carseat

She had a cruddy ComfortSport that I have been just waiting to expire (which it does, this December), and I'm looking for a good replacement seat. Here are the stats:
~ DS is 3y.o., about 38ish lbs, and is currently FF in his Marathon in my van.
~ I am PG, due in Feb., and I'd like to buy something that will be good for either child.
~ I will be the one installing & adjusting harness height, etc., so ease of installation is not necessarily a must, but it would be a plus!
~ I'm looking for something that is maybe middle-of-the-road pricewise, since the kids don't really ride with her that often, maybe a 2-way trip once a week or less.

She has already been asking me if DS is old enough for a HBB yet, and of course I told her NO WAY because he is def not mature enough for that yet.

Evenflo Triumph Advance, RFs (Rear Faces) to 35lbs then FFs (Foward Faces) to 50lbs. Top harness slots approx 17", infinite slide adjuster harness, knob adjuster instead of pull adjuster, and fits itty bittys fairly well Can be found on-sale for $120ish :thumbsup:

mommaon112903 said:

Evenflo Triumph Advance, RFs (Rear Faces) to 35lbs then FFs (Foward Faces) to 50lbs. Top harness slots approx 17", infinite slide adjuster harness, knob adjuster instead of pull adjuster, and fits itty bittys fairly well Can be found on-sale for $120ish :thumbsup:

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that one looks good, but i have an older style Triumph that i am about to replace, too, and DS is on the top slots heightwise and mom couldn't ever figure out the infinite adjust harness thing. She thinks i harness the kids too tightly.

I see a Recaro Signo at babyage for 158.99 w free shipping. would that be a good option? it's little more than i wanted to spend, but still looks like a good deal.

I am pretty certain that the old-style Triumphs have lower top harness slots than the new style ones.

G-ma does need to understand/adjust the kiddos properly-even if she thinks they are in too tightly.

I am not familiar with the Recaro seats well enough to say yeah or ney on the installation/ease of use. The members here whom have one them though

There is also the Graco MyRide, RFs to 40lbs, FFs to 65lbs, 17ish top harness slots. EASY install but VERY reclined for the FF crew, not sure if that would matter to *your* son or not. Retail is $150 and can be found almost anywhere now, also fits the itty bittys well

The First Years True Fit, RFs to 35lbs, FFs to 65lbs, 17.5" top harness slots, harness adjuster could be buried in the vechicle seat, not sure if G-ma would want to "deal" with that or not. :shrug-shoulders: No re-thread harness, also fits the LOs very well :thumbsup: A little over the "mid-price" range but has a seven year expiration on it vs six years.

mommaon112903 said:

I am pretty certain that the old-style Triumphs have lower top harness slots than the new style ones.

G-ma does need to understand/adjust the kiddos properly-even if she thinks they are in too tightly.

I am not familiar with the Recaro seats well enough to say yeah or ney on the installation/ease of use. The members here whom have one them though

There is also the Graco MyRide, RFs to 40lbs, FFs to 65lbs, 17ish top harness slots. EASY install but VERY reclined for the FF crew, not sure if that would matter to *your* son or not. Retail is $150 and can be found almost anywhere now, also fits the itty bittys well

The First Years True Fit, RFs to 35lbs, FFs to 65lbs, 17.5" top harness slots, harness adjuster could be buried in the vechicle seat, not sure if G-ma would want to "deal" with that or not. :shrug-shoulders: No re-thread harness, also fits the LOs very well :thumbsup: A little over the "mid-price" range but has a seven year expiration on it vs six years.

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YK, I think I remember when they changed to the TA it seems like they did make it taller & increase the harness height. Sounds like that is going to be a good option for us.

I looked at the MyRide65 in the store & it did seem to be very reclined in their in-store car bench seat FF. I don't think DS would care for that at all.

ETA: and it may actually be a good thing if she can't adjust the harness tension. She would have it super loose on them & that would drive me nuts!!

Honestly, I'd go for a True Fit. The harness is so easy to adjust, so you could switch from the baby to the 3yo so easily. It's so easy to install, and RF to 35lbs, FF harness to 65lbs. Tall kiddos fit as well as infants. We loves ours.

TiaxMarie said:

Honestly, I'd go for a True Fit. The harness is so easy to adjust, so you could switch from the baby to the 3yo so easily. It's so easy to install, and RF to 35lbs, FF harness to 65lbs. Tall kiddos fit as well as infants. We loves ours.

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And in some cars, the harness adjuster can be difficult to get to. So Grandma would just leave it as is once you tighten it

I agree with either the True Fit or EFTA. The EFTA is going to be easier for grandma to tighten vs the True Fit though.

I just wanted to say thanks again for all the help! We went yesterday and traded in the ComfortSport for a new EFTA at BRU. I installed it without problems, although I did have to call to order a tether extender. Seriously, WHY is the tether hook all the way under the seat cushion in her Ody? It's crazy! Anywho, I definitely think the harness height adjuster mechanism in and of itself is going to be a great plus on this seat since we will be going back & forth between the two kiddos for a while after LO gets here. Gma went with me, and she actually liked the looks of the MyRide 65 better (she is all about a good cupholder! lol), but we both preferred the harness height adjuster and the harness tension adjuster of the EFTA. As for the highest harness slots, which I was concerned about before actually seeing the seat in person, DS has about an inch-and-a-half left in slot height on this seat. So they definitely did make it taller than our old Triumph was because he was on the top harness slot on it.

And for those of you who recommended the TrueFit, I am planning on getting one of those for my van for the baby once she/he gets here unless something more awesome comes out before then. :thumbsup:

Oh good! I'm glad the EFTA worked out for you, its such a great seat

Check out the other thread.

The True Fit is $99 over at Kids wOot today.