Question Recommend a convertable car seat for a small 1yr old

[amandav]

My friend's baby girl is turning 1 April 1st, and she wanted to ask for a nice car seat from one of her parents, since she doesnt want too many toys etc, and a it would be a good investment.
I told her that she could keep her daughter in their Chicco KeyFit for a long while, since she is so small. At her 9 mo check up she was 14lbs and also really short, like below 5% as well, I sat my 2 1/2 mo old baby boy next to her (she is now 10 1/2 mo) and there wasnt a huge size difference...
well she wants to get her a new seat anyway, no matter how much longer she can stay in the keyfit.
anyway, she asked me for a car seat recommendation since I know more about car seats than she does.
I had a couple of seats in mind, like the Roundabout50, the True Fit which I myself just bought, a Combi Cocorro, and a MyRide 65
she is so tiny, I don't think the RF limits will matter that much, as she probably won't outgrow them by weight or height...
.

is there a seat that is better for smaller kids??

 

[henrietta]

I think the MyRide is an excellent choice-it's available at Babies R Us (& some TRU, I think), WalMart, Target, etc, so easy for grandparents to find. It's a great price, very supportive of smaller kiddos, and for a smaller than average kiddo, it will likely last to age 4 rearfacing and then till 5 or 6 forward facing. If she happens to have a major growth spurt & go up in the percentiles, it's likely to still last her to at least age 2 rearfacing. Plus, it's supposed to be easy to install and has cupholders.

I also think the Evenflo Triumph, Momentum, & Symphony are great choices that they can buy in the store. Very supportive, easy installs, etc. Great price. The Symphony wouldn't last an average (or esp large) kiddo as long as the other 2, but in her case, it will likely last just as long as the MyRide.

And Britax is easy to install--for a small kiddo, the lesser leg room won't matter as much when she's a toddler.

All of those will be comfy and supportive for a tiny 1 yr old--even the EFTA & Momentum. My kiddos were preemies and love their Evenflos.

I probably wouldn't suggest the Coccorro, b/c she's already a year old, and even though she's tiny, it won't last as long as other seats in the same price range. The True Fit & Coccorro aren't available in many stores and many grandparents want to go to the store and pick something out. She can put a seat like the MyRide on a store registry.

hths

henrietta

 

[christineka]

I have a tiny 6 year old. She can still fit in the cosco scenera, evenflo tribute, and, I believe, the coccoro. I particularly love the radian for its slim profile, lots of leg room (for a rear-facing 5 year old), and will last until I feel like putting her in a booster. I like the true fit as well. It's down side for me is its width. Also, I tried it out forward facing for the first time a few days ago and I really didn't like it. It installs quite reclined, which is fine for little kids, but not for my older kids. I think that is the down side to the myride as well. The radian installs very upright when forward facing. (There is a recline position as well.)
The eta would be a nice seat as well. My dd could have rfed in it until almost 6 and still fit forward facing.