Convertible Choices Galore

[mholt85]

I am a complete newbie to this topic, but I have been doing a bunch of research on convertible car seats for my baby boy due in the next week or so. Obviously, safety is my top priority which is probably the case for every parent. We got two car seats for the baby shower and I returned them both because I wasn't sold on my initial decision. We are starting off with the Chicco KeyFit 30 in my wife's Nissan Murano 09 and I drive a Civic 06. I read some older forum posts and many recommended waiting for several months before purchasing any convertible car seat when your child hasn't arrived because they expire. My research initially pointed me towards the Evenflo Momentum 65 DLX and the Britax Marathon 70, but I am kind of weary about the Marathon after reading about the toxic reports from WebMD. The more forums I read, the more recommendations I saw for the Complete Air 65 which wasn't even on my radar, because of its longevity. So, would I be best served to sit tight because these convertibles seem to change so quickly? Also, I haven’t seen much feedback about the Momentum 65, but it rates out high on CR & NHTSA. Thoughts on the Momentum compared to the Complete Air would be appreciated?

 

[wendytthomas]

Ignore Consumer Reports. They're terrible when it comes to carseats. The NHTSA ratings are theoretically ease of use ratings, not safety ratings, but I've found myself disagreeing with the ratings quite a bit.

I would wait to buy. You'll likely have a year between now and when you actually NEED a convertible. There are at least two new convertibles coming out in the next months. One looks meh (Peg convertible), one looks amazing but expensive (Clek Foonf). So definitely hold up, see how your baby grows, what you like and dislike about using your seat, and then shop when it's time.

Wendy

 

[mholt85]

Thanks for the response. I am not good with the lingo, but I am assuming you are talking about a Peg Perego Convertible. I checked the website and found the Primo Viaggio SIP 5-70 Convertible which looks like it does 45 lbs RF (not sure how legit that is). This looks like a lot of coin, so buying a Britax Marathon might be at the top of my price range.

When do most manufacturers come out with the new convertible models?

 

[wendytthomas]

The 45 pounds rear facing is legit as far as we know. There are no set times for when seats come out. And generally there are delays, so even if we hear Q1, 2012, it may not be until summer when it's actually on shelves.