Question Super easy, arthritis friendly seat for grandparents' car

[Loulibug]

My parents are moving to town and would like to get a car seat for their car. I need to find one for them to use for DS. It has to be very easy to install and use, and it has to be easy for arthritic hands to do the clip and buckle. We have a Graco MyRide in my car, and they both find it very hard to do the buckle. They aren't fond of the Radian in DH's car either.

DS is 27 months and tall. He was in the 95th percentile for height and 75th for weight at his 2 year check-up and has consistently been a tall guy. He will need to be FF in their car, as they can't manage getting him in RF, plus the difficulty of finding a seat big enough for his height (I just had to flip him in the MyRide bc his head was an inch from the top). Their car is a 2012 Toyota Avalon. They also have a 2013 Toyota Tacoma truck, but it would be rare that the kids would ride in there.

What would you suggest as an easy to use, arthritis friendly seat for the grandparents? I'm not necessarily looking for a cheap seat, but I'm definitely avoiding anything crazy expensive (like Clek. Holy moly those are pricey!). TIA!

 

[Keeanh]

All buckles are difficult to undo if you don't have strength in your hand. There's a tool that helps open buckles, but they have to be the type of buckle that you press in, rather than down like the older My Rides.

If he's already FF, you could get a Maestro, Securekid, or Nautilus. Those become boosters (although the Maestro doesn't last long at all in booster mode). There's also the SureRide which is a convertible (doesn't become a booster), but it's often on sale for $80 or so and will last longer in harness mode than those others I mentioned.

I'll see if I can dig up the name of that gadget...

ETA: Here: http://www.bucklebopper.com/

 

[ed_tricia]

No good suggestions, but would recommend skipping the truefit. It's the only seat my 7 year old cannot unbuckle.

 

[eddis]

I am not a tech, but what about Britax Pinnacle or Frontier 90? We just got a Pinnacle, and the install really was 30 seconds - rock-solid. (see video) Our 5yo can do the buckles, so they don't require a lot of hand strength. My mom has a touch of arthritis in her hands and if I were getting a seat for her car (she takes ours, if she ever drives the kids), I would totally get the P90 or F90.

The two caveats would be that the seat is heavy (but no more so than comparable seats - it's similar to our Radian RXT and Britax Boulevard 70); and that the button to loosen the harness is quite deep within the cover - but once you know where to locate it, it's fine - or I suppose one could use a long-handled spoon or spatula.

Second choice would be a Britax Boulevard, whatever the current model is now. But really I would not want my mom trying to get the LATCH connected on the Blvd, nor the tether. No comparison to the P90. (yes, I'm a huge fan of the install on this one! )

 

[jnamommy]

Does anyone use that BuckleBopper thing? My mom has a difficult time opening the buckles, and wondering if that would be a good gadget for her...

 

[SavsMom]

For forward facing I would go with the Harmony Defender as it has a buckle that is much easier to buckle/unbuckle than those currently found on the Maestro, Nautilus, SureRide.

 

[Loulibug]

Thanks for the suggestions! I think I'll get the Buckle Bopper no matter what. I'm going to keep the suggested seats in mind and then go to BRU or BuyBuyBaby with my mom so she can try out different buckles herself and see what feels most comfortable. I am super tempted by the Britax Frontier 90, especially with such a glowing report here, lol. I love Britax. We've had a Roundabout and a Frontier 85 (DD's seat in my car) and loved them. I've also liked our Graco Snugride, MyRide, and Nautilus (DD's seat in DH's car). The Radian is the only one I haven't cared for. Hmm, I wonder if my mom could do the old style buckle on DD's Nautilus easily? Then I could give that to her, move the Frontier 85 to DH's car, and get the new Frontier for mine! Ha!

Does the 90 really make installation that much easier? That sure as heck would be nice. Not that it's that hard, but I don't have LATCH in my car, and it sure takes some physical effort to get them nice and snug. I need to check with my mom and see if she plans to leave the seats in there all the time or take them in and out frequently. I've already ordered a Britax Parkway SGL for DD when she rides with them, so that one should be easy peasy no matter what, but if she's going to take the seats out and reinstall them regularly then the Frontier 90 might really be a good idea if it makes the process easier.

 

[eddis]

I really am a little delirious about how easy it is to install the 90. ;P The first time I installed it, I had just set the seat down inside the car when DH pulled up alongside in his car. In the time it took him to get out, grab his computer bag, and walk up to me, I had installed it. (Okay, not the top tether, but still!!) And I'm super-picky about installs - all other seats, I climb into them, crank on the belt till I turn blue, whatever it takes to get the rock-solid install. Not necessary with the 90.

I mean, I can do the long belt path on our Frontier 85, but I hate doing that, so I avoid situations where I'd have to uninstall the seat (certain carpool configurations, going out with more than one other grownup, etc.) So if you never have to move the seat, you could save some money by buying the 85, but I LOVE the convenience of the 90.

(no really, I don't work for Britax! And we've owned a Snugride, an EFTA, a Scenera and now a Radian, so I've tried other brands. )

 

[1mommy]

You may find this thread helpful

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=246154

 

[nannykates]

The install on the 90 really is that much easier. The buckles out there right now really are 1. graco/evenflo 2. Dorel 3. Immi (britax, chicco, harmony, peg, ect.) 4. Puzzle buckles on some infant seats(baby trend). Hope that keeps her from having to try every buckle in the store with hurting hands!

 

[murphydog77]

Does anyone use that BuckleBopper thing? My mom has a difficult time opening the buckles, and wondering if that would be a good gadget for her...

Yes, I have one and it does make it easier to open buckles because it uses your entire hand for leverage. It doesn't make it easier to push the tongs into the buckle, though.