Car seat gurus help please!

[freestylemama]

Hi, I am trying to figure something out and feeling overwhelmed by all of the possibilities. 

My DD is 3.5 and weighs 36 pounds.  She currently rides FF in a Marathon in our 2007 4 door Honda Accord and FF in a Nautilus in our Pontiac Vibe.

I just found out that I'm expecting!  Yay! 

I'm trying to think about which carseats to buy for the baby.  Ultimately, we would love to buy something slim so that we can have 5 people in the car occassionaly (not often).

Here are our requirements:

We would prefer a convertible seat that actually fits the baby.  The other one can be for DD or the baby (b/c DD won't be in a Marathon for that long and the baby can go in it when it's three or four months). 

At first we thought that we should get two Radians (85), but everything I'm reading makes me think that might be a very bad idea for our cars, especially the vibe.  We are open to one Radian and something else (another Nautilus?).  Really, anything.  We're willing to pay $250 or so each, so that's not a huge issue. 

What would you guys buy in our situation and which cars would you put them in?

Thanks!

[DahliaRW]

For the baby I'd get a concorro.  When the concorro is outgrown, baby can have the MA in one car and you can decide what to get for the other vehicle.  Meanwhile, your 3.5yo can stay in the MA until she outgrows it or is big enough for a booster (since you should get at least 2 years out of the concorro) and you can figure out what to get her then. 

[freestylemama]

What about a myride?  Can that puzzle with the nautilus?

[Cananny]

i have 3 radians and they fit perfect in my toyota yaris I love this seat.. i have a big 5 yr old in one, a slim 5 yr old in one and a very small 3 yr old in the other.. I will be keeping them in these seats as long as possible@

[freestylemama]

Did you get them to rear face Cannay?

[Cananny]

yes! i love them ...had 2 RF now just one RF and 2 FF the kids are 3, 6 and 5.. On a side note we were just in a car accident.. all 3 kids were in the Radians ( one was RF) and none of the kids even felt the accident.. I thank god for safe, secure and well installed car seats!!!!

[freestylemama]

Terrific!  Thank you so much for your reply.  Which ones do you have exactly? I'm confused by the three different types.  Also, I read on another board that these fit newborns.  Do they all or are some better than others for a brand new baby.  I love the idea of one seat from birth until booster!

[DahliaRW]

I would check the newborn install in your camry before buying  a radian.  It must be installed at 45 degrees for a newborn, and they take up a lot of room front to back.  You want to make sure it does't render your front seats unuseable.

[freestylemama]

Good suggestion.  I saw that diapers.com has free returns so I'm leaning towards buying one and trying it in the accord and going from there. 

[Cananny]

I had no problems with it ....for a newborn ! I think you will love this seat ......

[*Eva*]

I get what you're saying about the RFing seats in the Vibe, we have one too and its amazing how tiny that darned back seat is.  We ended up going w/ a Cocorro for the newest little one which allowed us to get three across in ours.  Oddly enough it takes up less room RFing at a 45 degree angle than the CA65 does at a 30 degree angle.

[freestylemama]

Thanks for sharing that Eva.  Have you had an issue with the Corroco slipping around or not being sturdy?  The reviews I've been reading seem really mixed- people either think they're great or are claiming that they're death traps.  Also, how long is a Corroco useful to an average sized child?  I don't want to buy something and have to replace it in a couple years. 

[Cananny]

I have the super latch ones with the wings for two of the seats and the third is just a radiant 65 ...it was before I knew about the radiant 85.......this time I'm buying all the same radiant 85 with the wings!!!!


UBS

Originally Posted by freestylemama 

Terrific!  Thank you so much for your reply.  Which ones do you have exactly? I'm confused by the three different types.  Also, I read on another board that these fit newborns.  Do they all or are some better than others for a brand new baby.  I love the idea of one seat from birth until booster!