Sorry! Another which convertible thread!

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

Long story short - we were in a car accident last week and need to replace our car seats. Two kiddos, almost 3, 38" tall or so, 35lbs or so, and 6 month old 27" tall, 20lbs. My kids are not petite. Neither are my husband or I! Both kids are 90th percentile for height and weight and I expect this to continue. We need to purchase 3 seats - two for my car (2009 Rav4 that may or may not be totalled) and one to replace the bucket seat we used to use in DH's car. We currently have one TF that was in DH's car and doesn't need replacing. I agonized for weeks about the decision before I finally bought it almost 3 years ago and I don't know his much has changed since then. We are likely (not 100% though) not having any more children. Narrow is good, but not totally necessary. I want the convertible seats to last as long as possible for very big kids. I am not interested in all in ones. Longer RF is a big plus, tall shell is a must, and not insanely huge front to back when RF for one seat is a must (DD1 is FF now and I am not sure how she would take going back. We waited until she hit 35lbs and she was miserable until we were able to finally turn her a month ago). One will be FF so I am not concerned about RF size or weight. Last I knew, TF, MyRide, Radian, and CA were the best for my situation. Still the case? Others I should consider? Have Britax improved? TIA!

[chickabiddy]

Is there a reason you are looking for a convertible for your forward-facing child?  It would make more sense, and you would get more growth room, to purchase a combination harness-to-booster seat like the Graco Nautilus or Britax Frontier.  Neither are narrow, but both will keep a big kid harnessed to a safe booster age and size (and then the seats make decent high-backed boosters).

The Complete Air states a 40" limit for rearfacing.  If that's not a problem for you, it's a fine choice.  So is the Radian:  with an angle adjuster, it can be installed fairly upright in most vehicles.  I would not recommend a MyRide for a very tall child or a TrueFit for a heavy child -- since your child seems to be both, I'd look at other seats.

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

Thanks! After I posted this I did some more research and it looks like it would make more sense to get a harness seat for my older daughter. I really like the True Fit but I agree I would prefer to have 1 that will last a bit longer rear facing. That being said I'm still looking for the best car seat that will allow extended rear facing while not taking up an inordinate amount of room for the front seat passenger and also not being incredibly wide.

[chickabiddy]

Probably the Radian with an angle adjuster.  Angle adjuster is recommended for 1 year and up -- can you stand being squished for a few months?

[skycheattraffic]

I just moved my 23month old from a truefit to a radian because she was starting to flirt with the weight limit for rf. She's probably not quite 35lb yet but is definitely at least 32 and when the radian came on sale, I jumped at it. (We have another babe on the way so the tf will be passed down.) The radian is quite compact front to back with the angle adjuster and it's working quite well for us. I do love the tf but DD is practically the size of a 3 year old so the 45lb rf limit (highest I could find in Canada) was a must. Just wanted to say that we've had a good experience with the radian and 6'3" DH is quite comfortable sitting in front of it in our matrix.

[1stTimeMama4-4-10]

Okay, I'm thinking maybe True fit in the RAV until 1 year then switch it for the Radian and we can just pick up 2 harness seats. The Frontier seems to be the favorite. Are there others I should look at?

[DahliaRW]

Originally Posted by 1stTimeMama4-4-10 

Okay, I'm thinking maybe True fit in the RAV until 1 year then switch it for the Radian and we can just pick up 2 harness seats. The Frontier seems to be the favorite. Are there others I should look at?

Nautilus and Argos.

[brigala]

Diono has changed the rules for the Angle Adjuster. Child just needs to have good head control. I would be comfortable using it for a child who can sit without any assistance.