Seeking convertible seats for twins w/ tall parents, smaller cars

[Tybee]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are expecting twin boys -- our first children -- in April and are in the process of sorting through our car seat options, which seem to be shrinking by the minute. After being given a reality check a month or two ago by a helpful if somewhat pessimistic Babies R Us employee, we've been doing intensive research online with limited results.

We are both tall (she's 6', I'm 6'5") but we drive modestly-sized vehicles (she a 1998 Honda CR-V with no latch system, me a 2005 Honda Accord with a latch system). Given that we'll have to put a pair of seats in 2 - 3 vehicles (will likely outfit my parents as well, since they live 20 mins away and will frequently be helping out with the kids), cost is an issue. We're really leaning toward convertible seats. This obviously complicates things since many of the preferred convertible seats are too tall to fit in our cars when RF.

A workable option appears to be the Maxi-Cosi Priori. As has been noted on this site, one variation of that model is available at albeebaby.com for $90. In addition to being one of the few seats to fit RF (and allow the kids to hopefully stay that way for some time), we like its unique reclining feature. We called Albee Baby to make sure that this was the latest model (not the recalled model from 2009, which would obviously be illegal so sell) and they confirmed that it was, only outfitted with a discontinued fabric that was apparently a popular seller for them. We actually just ordered one to try it out and see how it fits.

We realize that given our height, our kids will probably be tall as well and will thus require a larger forward-facing seat or possibly a booster seat before too long. But the Maxi-Cosi Priori seems like it will serve us well for the first few years at least.

Are there any other options we have overlooked? Any advice at all would be much appreciated! Please forgive any ignorance on my part as we are still figuring this stuff out...

 

[Kaitsmom]

I would look at the Combi Coccoro as well, and maybe the Graco MyRide. Britax seats, new generation fit newborns with an additional insert, but not sure about ittybittys. Britax also fit great in small cars.

Twins tend to be small though, and though many seats are tested safe with a 5lb dummy the dont nescessarly fit a 5lb baby correctly.

Most twin parents use infant seats for the convience of it. Big parents do not automatically mean big newborns. When are they due? And an FYI 99% of BRU have no car seat training and give awful; and at times dangerous advice.

 

[firemomof3]

I would skip the Priori, I had one and its awful.
Convertible seats that fit a small newborn well are the Coccoro, Pria70, and Evenflo Titan. There are probably some more but I cannot think of them right now.
I would consider getting 2 infant bucket seats and extra bases for the grandparents. There are several that are rated for 4lbs. since its possible your babies are going to be on the smaller side, one being the OnBoard Air which fits small babies well. Plus the OnBoard Air has a tall shell so it has lots of growing room giving you more time to save up for convertible seats

 

[MorgieBear'sMama]

Hi. I have no advice as for convertible seats from birth. I just wanted to echo what a few others have said. With twins infant seats are far more convient.

My twin boys are almost 14 months old and still get carried around in their infant seats. It really is that much easier than trying to hold one baby while trying to buckle or unbuckle the other.

Ashley
Mama to Morgan- 2/25/04
Jackson and Colton- 11/1/10

 

[featherhead]

We realize that given our height, our kids will probably be tall as well and will thus require a larger forward-facing seat or possibly a booster seat before too long. But the Maxi-Cosi Priori seems like it will serve us well for the first few years at least.

Are there any other options we have overlooked? Any advice at all would be much appreciated! Please forgive any ignorance on my part as we are still figuring this stuff out...

I just wanted to comment on this part. We recommend rear-facing till at least 2 years (the longer the better) and also not moving to a booster before the age of 5 or 6. There are seats that will accommodate even the largest of children to these ages.

With that said, most convertible seats that will fit in your vehicles at a newborn recline (45 degrees) probably aren't very long lasting for rear-facing. If you would start with an infant seat (you could buy extra bases for each vehicle) then when that is outgrown you can get a convertible that will last much longer for rear-facing, as it could be placed more upright in the vehicle. If you start with a smaller convertible, like the Coccoro, you would still need to buy another convertible seat for rear-facing (if your babies turn out to be tall like you).

 

[Brigala]

It would help to know a little more about your budget. Would you prefer to spend more up front in order to save money in the long run? Or spend less up front and save up for something else for later? How much do you think you can spend now? What about in the future?

One thing to consider is that you might choose two different seats, rather than pairs of the same seats. Let's say for example that I were expecting twins that I needed to fit in my '05 Honda Civic. I might choose a Combi Coccoro for one baby and an Onboard Air infant seat for the other. I can't fit an Onboard Air behind the passenger or driver with the base in and the seat back, but I can fit a Coccoro there. But if I had two Coccoros, that would mean I'd have to take two babies out of their car seats in order to get them in and out of the car; I could take one baby out of the Coccoro and wear in some kind of moby wrap or something similar, and take the other baby, infant seat and all, out and carry that way. Or, I might go ahead and get two Coccoros and figure out some other way of dealing with it, or I might get two Onboards and just install one of them without the base (which makes it fit better front-to-back).

If you can swing it, I would suggest taking a close look at the Maxi-Cosi Pria (NOT the Priori) at Babies R Us. It normally sells for $250, but if you sign up for the BRU rewards program they frequently send out "20% off one regular priced item" coupons so that makes them $200 each. You'll probably need to go in two separate times and buy them one at a time since usually you will only have one coupon available at a time. A Pria will fit a small newborn well, which you need to consider the possibility of with twins because there's a higher chance that they'll be born early. A Pria also will last a long time rear-facing, has an insert inside to recline the infant so the whole seat doesn't have to recline so it usually fits well in tighter front-to-back spaces, and is one of the tallest rear-facing convertibles on the market.

Another route might be to get infant seats for now or else Coccoros, and once those are outgrown "upgrade" to Radians. I probably wouldn't do pairs of Radians from birth in your situation because when they're reclined enough for newborns they take up a LOT of space. (Possibly one Radian installed in the center where it has more room to recline and something else for an outboard seat might work, though; but if your babies are born small or premature the Radian won't fit well at first so that's important to consider.) Later, when the kids can sit more upright, they would really be ideal. Especially if someday down the road you end up with a 3rd child and need to squeeze another car seat back there.

 

[Jan06twinmom]

Congratulations on your twins! My "babies" are turning 7yo next week If you haven't done so already, I would suggest finding out if there is a twin club in your area... www.nomotc.org.

I would also recommend going with an infant car seat instead of a convertible. They were definitely much more convenient to move the babies, especially when they were sleeping. I found it was much easier to use the infant seats and provide the proper head support when my babies were newborns. I also liked being able to carry the car seats in the house to keep them from getting too hot in the summer or having to fasten them in the car outside in the cold.

You can get multiple bases for the different cars. If you go this route, I would look at the Onboard Air (mentioned previously) or the Chicco Keyfit. When your twins are older and have more head support, the convertible car seats can be installed more upright (30 to 35 degrees instead of 45 degrees required for newborns). People often find more upright convertibles take up less front to back space than the infant seats do.

There are definitely some options to keep kids harnessed long-term both rear-facing and forward-facing. My DS is over the 97th percentile for height and he still fits in one harness seat at almost 7yo. So even if your children end up being taller, you should easily be able to keep them harnessed to around 6yo.

Melanie