Carseats « Back to Group Discussions

[katt]

So, what do you have for what kids (ages/sizes).  What will you use for the new one? 

What are your carseat plans?

My 5.5 year old is in a Britax Blvd.  It expires in December.  He'll be getting a Britax Frontier 85 SICT  (he picked it out between that and the Diono)

The new baby will be using my sisters bucket seat (her baby is 1 year older then this one). I feel okay using her second hand seat.  She bought it new and I know the history.  It is pink so if this one is a boy he gets a pink seat.  I don't care.  It's free.

When baby grows out of that, or when he/she gets bigger who knows, We're planning on getting another Blvd.  The Blvd 70-GS in zebra stripes.

Here's where I diverge... I just found out about a new seat: Clek Foonf.  There are LOTS of things to like about it.  A few things that don't jibe with us.  

Cons: Price, we don't have latch in our car -20 years old-, no infinity adjustable straps (see blvd)

Pros: LOVE the paul frank fabric options, LOVE the Crypton fabric -easy to spot clean-, the crumple zones and other saftey features are AWESOME!, Long life, I like the way it looks, size of the seat -pretty narrow-, RF to 45lbs

It isn't sized for newborns.  Which is actually just fine with me 'cause my newborns can't fit in a convertible anyway, they are not long enough.

So, What are your plans?

[help007]

My boys, 4 and 2 (3 at the end of the month), are in Britax Marathons convertible seats. We're putting 4yo in a new Britax Parkway Booster (the last thing we really *need* before Baby arrives), and Baby will go in the vacant Marathon. We'll have to get one of those cushion things so baby fits better and has a supported neck.

Our dilemma is arrangement. We have a minivan, so we can either put Baby between the boys in the middle row so they are all together, or put the boys in the back seat, so there's room to sit next to Baby for feeding and stuff. I think we'll start out with all in the middle, and see how well that works with Baby's temperament.

None of my boys would sleep in a bucket seat once it was picked up and moved anywhere out of the car (to stroller, into the house, etc), so we're going without this time.

[MadiMamacita]

I think I'm getting another MyRide65- not sure I'f we'll get it right away- I'll be borrowing a bucket from a good friend (I also know the history and am comfortable using her seat). I will have to drop off and pick up DS from preschool in the afternoons and I want to have the option to keep baby asleep during those times, but I HATE lugging those stupid infant car seats around.

The myRide has been awesome for DS- he is 3.5 and still RF in it. He RF in his radian, too, but he prefers the myRide (I think because of the cupholders!) He FF in a Nautilus in my mom's car, and I did think about getting him another Nautilus and putting baby in the MyRide we already have, which we still might consider. I saw a myRide on Amazon for $119 and free shipping which is a pretty screamin deal.

I have liked the Radian, but not enough to get another I think. It is great for air travel which we have done a bit with DS but I don't know how much we will end up traveling now with 2 kids. It is convenient that it folds in half, but it is HEAVY! for our last trip I bought a small folding dolly and bungeed the car seat onto the wheels. it was SO much easier!

I am still interested in checking out Graco's Smart Seat. http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Smart-Seat-All-One/dp/B00695LS38 I was pretty stoked about it when it came out but I'm not able to shell out $300 right now.

[Flower of Bliss]

DD1 turns 6 this month.  She's 43lbs, and 44 inches tall.  She rides in a Graco Nautilus that I've been quite happy with.  I do desperately wish she'd get the hand strength to unbuckle the bottom soon.

DD2 turns 3 this month.  She's tiny at 25lbs and 33 in tall. She's RF in a Blvd 70.  We flipped DD1 at 4.5 years.  I anticipate doing about the same for DD2.

After much debate about buckets vs convertibles, we bought a Chicco Keyfit and a coordinating stroller.  I felt a bit silly about the whole thing.  Neither of my older girls was one to sleep in a bucket unless it was in a moving car (in fact they both went through a phase of waking and crying at stop lights).  But I spend lots of time out and about with the older two girls and if I have a magic baby that sleeps in a bucket in a stroller I'd like to be able to take advantage of it.  Our old stroller broke during air travel 2 years ago, and I wanted a good light weight stroller with cup holders for me and a good sized basket for the diaper bag where I could put the baby down while I help DD2 on the potty, or perhaps where DD2 could ride sometimes.

I drive an Odyssey with two captain chairs in the middle row.  I'm planning to push the captain chairs together so one is behind the driver and one is in the middle.  I'll put DD1 in the back row probably right on the passenger side so I can unbuckle her without climbing in the van.  I'm going back and forth about putting DD2 in the captain chair on the drivers side or in the middle, and DD3 will have the other captain chair.

[Carlin]

DD, who will be around 3 years, 3 months when this baby arrives will continue to RF in her Radian. The new baby will go in our Chicco Keyfit, hopefully long enough to get through the winter.

Once baby is ready to move out of the bucket, I'm not sure what we'll do. One option would be to keep DD in her Radian and get another convertible for the baby, but I wonder if we'd be better off moving DD to a new combination FF / booster seat (she'll probably be 4 or close to it by then) and put the baby in her Radian.  Financially, that would probably be the better option but, DD is a shrimp  (33", 28 lbs) also, so I think we might make it well past 4 before she's too tall to rear face and I'm not sure I want to turn her before we need to.

DD also has a Graco MyRide in my parents' car and I think she actually likes it better than the Radian too. It seems more comfortable and she loves the cup holders. :)

I don't think I'll make any decisions right away as you never know what might come out in the next year.

[MissE]

I drive a Sienna (7 passenger mothership van aka "the swaggerwagon" :)) and I have rearranged the seats today to put in the infant bucket. So, "flippy" will be in the Snugride 30 on the captain seat behind the driver. DS will be staying in his Nautilus but move to the back bench and I took the harness out today. I'm kinda sad about it because I love the 5pt harness but like @FlowerofBliss said, he does not have the strength to unbuckle the bottom and I cannot climb all the way into the back of the car to unbuckle him. DS is 5.5 years old, 47lbs and I don't know how tall but he's big enough to ride the seat just as a highback booster. DD (she'll be 4 in two weeks) will stay in the Britax Marathon. It's still good for two years and she hasn't outgrown it yet. I believe it's good up to 65lbs forward facing. She's far away from that.

[WindyCityMom]

In our car: (1995 Ford Explorer): My 4yo DD is currently FF in a Diono Radian RXT, and my 2yo DD is currently RF in a Radian XTSL.  We do flip her forward facing during heat waves because the air conditioner is weak and although ERF is important to me, heat waves are dangerous as well.  

In MILs car (2002 Ford Explorer): My 4yo DD is boostered in a high-back Graco Turbobooster.  She sits appropriately and the belt fit is great.  My 2yo is in a Britax Frontier85.  

The new baby is going into a Britax B-Safe (got a great great deal on it!).  I plan on buying an extra base for MILs car.  Once baby outgrows that she'll go into my DD1s Radian and my DD1 will to into another HB Turbobooster in our car.

[activealli]

Still using a graco snug ride 35 for my 11 month old son. He always sleeps in the car and makes an easy transfer inside to the swing that can hold a car seat (the kid likes perpetual motion when he is sleeping.... ) . We just got a britax marathon 70-gs off amazon as a gift from my MIL (thank goodness... those things are EXPENSIVE but at least it should grow with him for a while). Havent installed it yet but the plan is to switch over my son to the convertable (rear facing still, I have a chevy tahoe so should fit rear facing) this week before his sister gets here so she can use the bucket seat.