Best car seat for rear-facing to booster (Diono Ranier?)

[Unregistered]

I have two kids and a 2014 Ford Escape. I have a baby in an infant seat and a 2 year old rear-facing in a Graco MySize 65. I'm looking to upgrade my toddler's seat so that I can move the baby to the convertible seat. We can budget as high as we need to, but I would like to find a seat that I can use for the rest of the time my toddler needs a carseat/booster. I really like the Diono Ranier because of the steel frame, good side-protection, and the high rear and front-facing harness weight limits (and height limits- our family is tall) but I am a little worried about the ease of use ratings. Is this a good choice if I learn how to correctly install and use it or is there a better option for us? Is the booster a good one once we get to that stage? Thanks!

 

[lgenne]

The Rainier makes a terrible booster. I like Dionos for rear facing, and they're fine for forward facing if you can get a good install.

Do you have inflatable seat belts?

 

[featherhead]

I have two kids and a 2014 Ford Escape. I have a baby in an infant seat and a 2 year old rear-facing in a Graco MySize 65. I'm looking to upgrade my toddler's seat so that I can move the baby to the convertible seat. We can budget as high as we need to, but I would like to find a seat that I can use for the rest of the time my toddler needs a carseat/booster. I really like the Diono Ranier because of the steel frame, good side-protection, and the high rear and front-facing harness weight limits (and height limits- our family is tall) but I am a little worried about the ease of use ratings. Is this a good choice if I learn how to correctly install and use it or is there a better option for us? Is the booster a good one once we get to that stage? Thanks!

The Ranier looks good on paper, but your Graco MySize will actually last about the same amount of time, maybe longer. It adjusts taller for rear-facing. I'm not sure about harness height for forward-facing, but I'm guessing its fairly close to the same. And the Ranier is a very short lived booster. In fact, some kids will outgrow the harness before they hit 50 lbs, so they aren't even heavy enough to use the booster.

I would stick with Graco if I were you. They have a couple different models that can be used rear, forward, and booster. They are some of the few 3-in-1 or all-in-one seats that actually work well in each mode, and are long lasting.

 

[lgenne]

(Graco can't be used with inflatable seat belts, though, which takes us down a long path to other car seats if they are inflatable. Concur on Graco if they aren't inflatable.)