Question Advice on convertible - small 1 yr old in a Prius

[rpower75]

Hi Everyone,
We will soon be ready to move from our infant seat (Chicco Keyfit 30) to the next size (convertible? 3-in-1?). I am totally bewildered by the carseat options (and prices!). Would appreciate some advice about what might work for us. Here are some details and specific questions:

1. My daughter is 12 months and small: 17.5 lbs, 28.5 inches (she's 10th % for weight, 25th % for height).

2. I drive a 2006 Prius and would like to put the seat in the middle (no other kids at this point).

3. I've had a lot of local friends recommend Britax and Diono, but the prices alarm me (our infant seat was a hand-me-down). Is it really necessary to spend $250+ on this seat? I know they all pass the same safety standards, so what am I missing between a $280 Britax, a $150 Britax, and a $40 Cosco Scenera? Are there great seats for under $100? What are the reasons to spend more?

4. We plan to do some air travel, so I'd love to have something that is light and narrow and easy to take/use on a plane. I've seen that the Scenera fits the bill, but would this work for a permanent, all-the-time seat, or is there a better option? Or should I get another seat for every day and get a Scenera just for travel?

5. Do all these seats recline the same amount? We would like to get the girl sitting upright so she has a better view! Are there seats that allow for this, or will they all be basically the same?

Thanks in advance for any advice!
Rebecca

 

[nannykates]

The best seat for you is one that fits your vehicle, your child and your budget and that you will use correctly everytime. The scenera is very bare bones seat and not super long lasting it can also be difficult to install in some vehicles. There are lots of great seats in the 80-150 range that will last all the way to booster age and may even have some nicer features. Some of my favorites are:

Evenflo Sureride ($80-100)
Graco myride ($120-150)
Graco size4me and clones ($150-170)
Britax marathon classic ($150)
Britax roundabout classic ($120)

These seats all allow being a bit more upright.

 

[nannykates]

Posting more to answer some more of your questions

I would consider either traveling with your everyday seat (actually quote doable for most families with one child) or buying a separate seat for travel. Some of the seats I recommend are actually quite nice for travel as well (sureride is very light, britax convertibles are easy to install anywhere)

 

[PureRebel]

I also agree that the car seat that is best is the one that fits your child, your car, and your budget along with using it correctly every time. Yes all car seats have to achieve the same safety standards but they do still vary a lot in safety ratings (as in some go above and beyond those standards). I have used an evenflo triumph and the scenera. The scenera is very much a base seat. It's not very padded or comfortable and it is hard to install. It is a great spare seat or travel seat, or of course if that is all you can afford it will do in a pinch. I loved the triumph, it also has a no-rethread harness that is amazing since they grow so much so quickly I would hate having to uninstall the car seat (especially in the dead of winter) when suddenly you have to adjust the harness height. There aren't many car seats for under $100 but there are plenty under $200.

I would recommend going to a store that lets you try out the seats and maybe even install them in your vehicle. Then once you narrowed it down in your price range look online at reviews (here is a great site for that if you search the car seat). Then watch for sales! Car seats go on sale all the time. I just purchased a car seat that normally sells for $270 for a mere $190. Look on Amazon and just watch sales. My triumph cost less than $150 on sale, and even now it's less than $200 full price.

Another way to look at the cost is this is one "baby item" that really lasts! You don't use anything else (besides the stroller) until AT LEAST age 4. The minimum age is 4 years in most places to change to a booster (I don't recommend this but it is the current legal standard). So that's AT LEAST another 3 years you'll get out of that seat. Even if you spend $250 on the seat you're looking at a mere $6.94 a month. And it's one of the few baby items that offers you peace of mind. I thought the same thing about cost until I looked at it that way. My son was in one triumph until a recent car accident (that's from age 8 months to 4 years 4 months) and he's still using the second triumph we have in dad's car (he's a whopping 32lbs at his age haha).

 

[Patriot201]

Welcome to car-seat.org!

You mentioned 3-in-1 seats in your original post, but I didn't see that anyone had addressed that yet.

Most 3-in-1 seats (Rear-facing, Forward-Facing, Booster) are not highly recommended because they usually fail at one or more of their "categories." Some 3-in-1 seats might be fine as rear-facing and forward-facing seats, but are not good boosters, while others are not great in some other ways. There are some newer 3-in-1 seats on the market that appear to be more promising, but there isn't a lot of experience with them yet.

Most of us recommend getting a convertible seat that will allow for extended rear-facing and then forward facing, and then to get a dedicated booster later.


Because convertible seats can sit more upright than infant seats, you will probably be surprised by how big a seat will fit in your Prius. I would look at the Graco MyRide, Graco MySize 70, Chicco NextFit, or Diono Radian as your "everyday seat" and a Cosco Scenera as your travel seat.

 

[Stelvis]

I would actually not get a Scenera for travel, because to install it properly rear-facing, you need to also bring along a section of pool noodle or towel to achieve a proper recline. It's a PITA. The Evenflo Sureride, while slightly more expensive, is still light and easy to use, and will last longer by height. You usually won't need any type of noodle or towel with it.

 

[creideamh]

Having a 2006 Prius myself, I can tell you that not many convertibles fit well in the center with the hump, and usually you'll need to twist the buckle stalk 2-3x to get it out of the belt path.

The seats that fit best for me in the center have been the Radian, Safety 1st Complete Air, and the Classic Britax seats (Marathon sold at Target.) Of those 3, the Complete Air is the lightest and not super difficult to travel with. The Radian can be rolled right down the aisle on a luggage cart.

The SureRide fits great outboard but has this pokey RF angle thing (required) and it's wider than the center seating position and sits on the belt and the buckle stalk. It works nicely FF, though and is a great travel seat.

HTH! I have my kiddo outboard and don't think twice about it. RF is super safe and if you find a seat you like better that doesn't fit in the center, I'd go for it and have him/her outboard.

 

[rpower75]

Thank you, thank you! I really appreciate parents taking the time to share their knowledge. Purerebel, your analysis on car seat costs (and sales) is just what I needed to hear. I guess I didn't realize how long we will be using this seat! Since I'm shopping for something that will last until booster age (until now, I had no idea how long that was lol), the prices seem less horrifying. I've been reading some other threads too which are confirming the strategy of buying a long-lasting convertible then getting a booster. So, I will investigate the seats you've mentioned nannykates and patriot201 and see which looks like it will suit us best. Thank you again for your time!

Any other recommendations for long-lasting convertibles are welcome! Thanks.

 

[MommyShannon]

Since she is so light, I'd definitely consider the Classic Britax Marathon from Target. It is a bit taller than the new versions. It has a 35lb rf limit which should be plenty. I also really like the Marathon70. Either should fit her rf until 3-4 years and ff until 5 or 6.

 

[rpower75]

I didn't realize I should be considering installing anywhere but the middle seat. Everything I read about the infant seat said it's safest in the middle. Creideamh, thanks for the advice about the Prius. When you say the Sureride has a "pokey" rear angle thing, do you mean that it has to be reclined so it's less upright than the other seats? Thanks.

 

[creideamh]

I didn't realize I should be considering installing anywhere but the middle seat. Everything I read about the infant seat said it's safest in the middle. Creideamh, thanks for the advice about the Prius. When you say the Sureride has a "pokey" rear angle thing, do you mean that it has to be reclined so it's less upright than the other seats? Thanks.

The middle is safest because it'll be furthest from impact, but rear-facing is so very safe (532% safer than forward-facing for under 2 y/os) that having to install outboard isn't such a big deal.

All RF convertibles have to be installed in a rear-facing recline position. So the Radian achieves this with an extra boot piece that clips on, the Britax convertibles have to be used in recline position 3, the Complete Air/Scenera with the recline foot flipped inward, and the SureRide with the pokey foot flipped out. All seats have different angle rules- the Radian has no limit on how upright it can be, Britax seats can be upright as 30 degrees, and Dorel (Safety 1st, Cosco, Maxi-Cosi, Eddie Bauer) and Evenflo seats must be installed with the imprinted line level to the ground. The Graco seat mentioned by others has a ball level that must be in the green (again, about 35-40 degrees I think, that's one seat I haven't tried.) You don't want the seat TOO upright, because then the kiddo's head is going to fall forward when sleeping, and that's not too comfy.

 

[Stelvis]

Since she is so light, I'd definitely consider the Classic Britax Marathon from Target. It is a bit taller than the new versions. It has a 35lb rf limit which should be plenty. I also really like the Marathon70. Either should fit her rf until 3-4 years and ff until 5 or 6.

The Britax Roundabout 50 is basically the same as the classic Marathon, but at an even better price point, and the weight limit should work out fine for you. Just another one to consider.

 

[rpower75]

Thanks for the rundown on how the different seats recline, Creideamh. I see you are in NE Kansas - so am I (in Baldwin City).

So many things to think about - now, time to go shopping and try some out!

 

[creideamh]

Thanks for the rundown on how the different seats recline, Creideamh. I see you are in NE Kansas - so am I (in Baldwin City).

So many things to think about - now, time to go shopping and try some out!

You're welcome! I'm in Lawrence feel free to message me if you ever want a seat check!