Overwhelmed by Convertible Car Seat Choices - Please Help!

[MaddieMae]

Hi! My DD is only 2.5 months so I have plenty of time before needing a convertible for my car, but I would like to get a convertible now for my husband's truck.

This is my first child so I have no experience with convertible seats. I drive a 2011 Kia Optima and my husband drives a 2011 GMC Sierra Crew Cab that we will also need a seat for - whether the same or different. DD is currently in a Britax B-Safe infant carrier.

My DD currently is 90% for height and 80% for weight (at her 2 month checkup). I have no idea if she will continue down this path or not, but neither my husband or I are extremely tall (5' 9" and 5' 5") so I'm not sure where she gets her height from She seems longer in the torso than in the legs since the crotch on her clothes are always tight yet pants tend to be long. I want to rear face for as long as possible.

We plan to have another child in 2-3 years but until then, I was planning on positioning the seat in the center since I believe this is the safest, but after browsing through a bunch of older threads on here, it looks like a lot of the taller convertibles will not work in the center due to blocking the blind spot? If that is the case, does the safety of the carseat RF outweigh the safety of positioning the seat in the center? I'm hoping the convertible will be the last seat needed until a booster is needed rather than buying multiple convertibles.

Here are some seats on my list:

Radian RXT - seems loved on this forum but I've read some very negative things about the latch coming undone for no reason which scares the bejesus out of me - no car seat is safe if it comes unlatched! Thoughts?

Clek Foonf - looks incredible if it ever becomes available. Anyone know if this can be positioned in the center or will it block the blind spot? I saw a photo posted here and it looked like it would block the blind spot.

Peg Perego Convertible - only concern is the straps for an infant

Britax - was originally considering but have changed my mind since they will not last long RF with a tall child

ProRide - was considering until reading about on here and realizing there is not much leg room and shoulder area is narrow. Bummed - love the look of them

Maxi Cosi Pria - just started to research, haven't found too many faults yet other than only 40 lb RF instead of 45

Combi Cocorro - just started looking into this as well.

Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Especially if anyone has similar vehicles or has compared any of these seats to each other. I'm seriously tempted to purchase multiple seats to try out in my car since I'm in WI and it would be freezing cold to try them out at a store parking lot with a baby....(and we have a heated garage)

 

[KaiLing]

Hi, welcome, and even if you're overwhelmed you've done a great job so far!
That's a fine list. I don't have specific recommendations for your cars, but I can answer some other stuff.

First as a reminder, your Kia does not have LATCH in the center position. It's a fine place to install a seat, but all seats need to be installed in the center with the seat belt. I'm not sure which Sierra you have, but if there are only 4 total lower anchors, you do not have a LATCH position in the center of the Sierra, either: again, install all seats in the center with the seat belt. Check your manual on that one, there's just a bunch of different Sierras and I'm not familiar with them enough to know for sure.

The Radian LATCH issue happened to some people and was scary, for sure. But ALL car seats can be installed with a seat belt. All my car seats are installed with a seat belt because my cars are either too old or they just fit better that way. I don't think we've heard about that LATCH loosening issue much recently, but I'd just install with a seat belt if you're concerned.

The Coccoro is teeny-tiny. If you don't want a Britax because they're short shelled you don't want a Coccoro. It only RFs to 33 lbs. But it's great for small places and for a second / travel seat.

You could also look at the Graco MySize / Size4Me (same seat different names). It's very tall and will allow children to rear face a long time for less money than the Foonf. It also extends up as the child gets taller, so if you're concerned about a blind spot it might be a nice choice. (I have a 6'9" passenger in the back seat... so I don't know much about blind spots since I've always got one).

Hope that helps! Maybe someone with a Sierra can chime in?

 

[MaddieMae]

Thanks for your help! I actually crossed the Combi off my list after I posted due to the size limitations. I'd be interested in any other feedback as well. Right now I'm really leaning towards the Peg Perego and the Maxi Cosi Pria. I do really like the Foonf too but not sure if the price is justifiable - although I'd be willing to spend the money if it's really THAT much better. Waiting to hear reviews once people start using them

 

[ebp913]

I have the Peg and I'm loving it. Its just super easy to use and install. I was also considering the Pria but ultimately decided against it because of how large it is. We'll likely have 3 kids under 4 so long term I'm going to need at least 2 and probably 3 seats to fit across the back seat. I also at one point had a Radian and while I loved the height limit, I personally couldn't get used to ratcheting belt so I returned it. lots of people are happy with this feature but it wasn't for me. I could easily end up with one in the future but I just had too hard of a time tightening it for now so I went with the Peg. Just my 2 cents!

 

[meljc]

DS had the same stats at that age and is now ~35th percentile and still riding in his Keyfit 30 at 14 months (every weekend I say we're going to install the convertibles). I say sit back, relax and don't worry about another car seat for at least another six months unless there's a problem with you infant seat When you actually need one, probably in 6-10 months, you're likely to find new seats like the Chicco Nextfit or discounts on existing seats that you are looking at now.

Edit: Ok, I somehow missed the first line of your post about getting a convertible for your husband's car! We solved that problem by purchasing a second base and have been very happy with that solution. Especially if you plan to have more kids, that could be an easy solution.