The last few weeks of gear research in our household has been on convertible car seats. I might be a little bit obsessed at this point – and I find myself slightly overwhelmed with balancing price, my ‘must-have’ list and ‘nice-to-have’ list.
There are so many options and something our pediatrician said at Will’s six month appointment keeps giving me pause – ‘get the cheapest one because they all have to meet the same safety standards.’ Which is true! But what about the things that make it easier and potentially safer – like ease of correct installation and ease of adjusting the harness for a good fit? Those things matter too, and usually, ease equals higher cost. I also am considering the actual size of the seat, but I am avoiding actually trekking to a Babies R’ Us to try them out – probably because it just seems like such a time suck, with a nine-month old on my hip. Over the past few weeks, I’ve nailed down some specific criteria:
Must Have
- Allow for extended rear-facing, ideally with as high of a max-pound and height as possible. We plan to rear-face until Will is at least two years old, and even longer if possible.
- Be the last car seat we’ll ever need for Will. It must fit him now, grow with him, and eventually allow us to forward face and act as a booster until he is able to strap into a car safely sans-assistance. Will is also on the tall side – in the 90th+ percentile for height, so I have to consider the fact he may outgrow things by height before weight.
- Have an upfront and ‘infinite’ slide harness – no re-threading! Our current car seat, which we do love, doesn’t have this feature and it drives me bonkers.
- Allow for reclining. Will takes champ car naps and I want him to recline as long as possible to encourage and facilitate this.
- Along these same lines – have extra padding at the head for comfort and snuggling himself to sleep.
- Fit in our cars – a 2013 Toyota Prius and 2007 Subaru Outback – using this as a guide.
- Be on the list from carseatblog’s best car seats.
- Be ‘easy’ to install and have some indicator that it’s installed correctly. Our Britax B-safe Infant Carrier Base has the level indicator bubbles, and I’d like something along those lines.
- Have a cup holder. For the days in the future when little guy has drinks of his own!
- Be somewhat washable.
- Be soft and comfortable.
- What’s the opposite of ‘bulky’? That.
Ideal Price Point: $100 – $200
Here are all the ones we’ve considered, including our front runners. Very few hit all of my ‘must-haves’ and none, from what I can see, hit all of the ‘must-haves’ and ‘nice-to-haves.’
2) Britax Boulevard ClickTight: Has a great indicator for correct installation; has easy harness and rear face max of 40 pounds. Doesn’t seem to recline, or become a booster. Expensive.
3) SafetyFirst Alpha Omega Elite: Rear face to 35 pounds, reclines. I can’t tell if it becomes a booster? In the right price range.
4) Evenflo Symphony LX: Rear face to 40 pounds, has the easy harness and quick install system. Becomes a booster. Seems a bit short, with rear facing only to 37 inches. I can’t tell if the padding around the head will grow with Will and be comfortable.
5) Diono Rainier: Good size (not bulky!); grows to 50 pounds rear facing and 120 pounds forward facing! No easy harness and no backless booster.
6) Evenflo Symphony Elite: Just like the LX above but with a bit different padding system, which I think may be better. Reclines. At the top of my price range.
7) Chicco NextFit: Reclines, has quick install system, good padding, allows for extended rear facing. It has the easy harness – but doesn’t become a booster. Above my price range.
8) Britax Marathon G4: Similar to the Boulevard above, and is just a bit less expensive.
9) Graco Size 4 Me: Has the easy harness, reclines, seems to be a good size and boasts easy install; doesn’t have a booster and only allows for up to 65 pounds. Hits the price point.
At this point, I just need to make a decision and I think I have a front-runner – I’m leaning toward the Evenflo Symphony – but I’m not sure which one! I’d love your insights, if you have them! Do you have one of these seats? Do you love it? Do you have a different one you love?
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
We have the Britax Boulevard and it reclines! I mean, not like an infant seat, but when she is RF (which she is now) it is definitely reclined compared to FF.
Having said that, I’m not a huge fan of it. But it’ll do.
I’m hoping we can use it for a looooong time and skip to a regular booster and not have to purchase a harnessed booster in between.
guest
We have the next fit and it is very easy to install and seems comfortable. My daughter is 90% for height and we were able to keep her rear facing until 2.
pomelo / 5628 posts
1) Check them in your car if you haven’t already.
2) This is a pretty good review: http://carseatblog.com/31265/best-convertible-carseats-for-extended-rear-facing-the-definitive-guide-for-savvy-shoppers/
We chose the Recaro Performance Ride and I like it, but it’s REALLY hard to install which is super annoying.
cherry / 175 posts
I have an almost 3 and almost 5 year old. Started with Evenflo Triumph 65 LX for my oldest and somehow found out about the Diono Radian R120. Because of the order I had bought the seats I had 3 Evenflos and 1 Diono. Then I totaled a car (with one of each in it). BONUS they both worked AWESOME in the crash which resulted in all 4 side airbags deploying. Kiddos were AOK with only slight bruising from straps.!
I decided to replace with 2 Diono’s though. I really like it! So we have 2 of each now. I feel like comfort wise my oldest is close to outgrowing the Evenflo so we will change to having one of each in each car so the youngest will use the Evenflo and my oldest can use the Diono. I like that I can keep him in the 5 pt harness for a long long time. But also like that it transitions into a high back booster. Maybe when he’s 6 or 7 if he’s lucky! I’m all about safety!
The evenflo review – it’s nice and cushy and comfy. Love the way the straps tighten with the spinning dial on the side of the seat.
The Diono review – It’s slim. You can fit 3 across in some cars or at least have a smaller kid sit between 2. I have traveled with it a couple times and that has worked fine. It’s heavy – not gonna lie – but folds up and is easy enough. I always check – don’t actually take it on the plane for them to use. I think it has better airflow through the back of the seat. Car seats can be VERY HOT for little ones!
They are both easy to get in and out of the cars and to clean.
kiwi / 511 posts
Ours is a Britax Marathon 70G and we like it we have two! It is very easy for my DH to move from car to car. It is easy for my elder to do the buckles himself but he cannot undo them (yet!) which is nice. He can get into his seat and buckle himself in as I buckle in his brother and then I just check him. It is also very easy to clean should you need to do that.
For the once that converts to a booster seat, is it dated? I know that some say don’t use car seats that are X years old because of concerns about the plastic degrading is that an issue? I would imagine that the booster portion would be plastic too.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
This is making my head spin… I fortunately did not have to choose carseat b/c I got a hand me down Britax and my friend that gave it to me praised the system so I totally trusted her and have been happy with it. But now I’m on my own about the convertible! I almost want to just stay with Britax!
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
We have a nextfit and like it. C falls asleep in it easily- too easily in fact. Installation with Latch is so easy. And it doesn’t take up much space front to back, which was important in our smaller car. But it’s bulky side to side.
I wanted the doino radian but it was too tall in our small car- like not only would it mean the passenger seat was really far forward, but I could barely see over the top from the drivers seat. I imagine it would be a problem in a Prius too.
pomegranate / 3032 posts
We have 2 Safety first seats (not that specific one) and I couldnt be happier the are 40lb rear facing and 65lb forward facing… I’m thinking that by the time she’s ready for a booster we’ll need those seat for baby dos.
apricot / 317 posts
While all car seats have to meet the same MINIMUM standards, they are not all the same. Some car seats really are safer than others, especially for side impacts. Just to mention it, though it is not appropriate for infants, Graco also makes a Nautilus model for older kids. It is forward-facing and is for kids from 20 lbs to 110 lbs. It’s heavier than most, but easy to install correctly. Honestly, it saved my son’s life when we were in a major car accident. Immediately after the accident, I replaced it with an identical model.
blogger / apricot / 310 posts
@daniellemybelle: oh good to know, including why you aren’t a fan! That lack of booster is EXACTLY why I hesitate. We have the Britax BSafe now and LOVE it so I thought it’d be a no brainer!
@Sarah: that’s good to know! It is only a rear-facing and forward-facing seat though, right? No booster?
@Mrs Green Grass: Ugh I was afraid someone was going to tell me I just need to try them out in person. And thanks for that link – it’s literally the only one from carseatblog’s I didn’t link to in this post but used to help me! Great minds, baby!
I’ve been using this one (http://carseatblog.com/22818/the-ultimate-rear-facing-convertible-space-comparison-review-size-matters/) so that I could avoid the seeing in person bit, too! lol
@babycrz: oh so glad they little ones are alright. As I was re-reading this just now, I realized I failed to explain WHY this has me overwhelmed- the sheer gravity of knowing this is something that could literally save my son’s life is a LOT of responsibility. I want to get it right! Thank you so much for this detailed response – it really helps me!
@Mrs.Maven: that is SUCH a great question. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so concerned with the booster aspect, especially given that I think the rule is somewhere around 5 years (or is it 10?) It might be a moot point, down the road. Thanks for that insight!
@snowjewelz: yes, exactly! I have been going back and forth over this for something like three weeks now and I just want to make a decision. Ugh!
@Foodnerd81: Oh, great point! The Diono seemed strangely tall and I’d bet it will be an issue in both of low-riding cars. I may need to get the specs and measure the car. Thanks!
@Chillybear: Ooh I’m glad someone with a Safetyfirst commented! Does yours convert to a booster, or is that why you’ll buy one?
@tlynne: YES EXACTLY. I want to print this and show it to my husband and pediatrician. I actually had the Nautilus in my cart until I realized it didn’t allow for rear-facing! Thanks for this comment. Do you know anyone who has the Graco that do rear face and like it? For some reason, now I’m thinking that might be the best choice…
pomegranate / 3032 posts
This is ours, but we have the all black version
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=34672136&cagpspn=plab_18357891&camp=PLAPPCG-_-PID18357891:BRUS&eESource=CAPLA_DF:34672136:TRUS
So far so good, she seems very comfortable in it, loves the cup holder and it fits pretty well behind the passenger seat in my Kia Soul (compact car) for the most part just me and her going back and forth to work/daycare but on occasion, i’ve sat in the passenger seat while hubs drove and its fine.
It does not convert to a booster but by our math if we have baby #2 when baby #1 is just over three, baby #2 will be in the bucket seat until baby #1 is over four and we’ll switch her to a booster and baby #2 will move up into the convertible
pomegranate / 3858 posts
The Alpha Omega seat is not recommended by most car seat groups (http://csftl.org/the-alpha-omega-why-its-neither-the-first-nor-the-last-nor-the-elite-car-seat/)
A lot of times the booster mode is outgrown at the same time as the harness. I would focus on the RF to FF capabilities. You can get good boosters for not a lot of $$ when the time comes.
Check out Car Seats for the Littles reviews/recommended seats.
pomegranate / 3113 posts
We have a Britax Advocate ClickTight and love it. The Marathon and Boulevard ClickTight seats are pretty much the same, the only difference is the amount of side-impact protection…I was prepared to go with the mid-range one but DH wanted top of the line. They definitely aren’t cheap — it looks like the Marathon, which is the least expensive of the three, is around $260.
Anyway, I think there’s hands-down no better line of seats if you’re doing seat belt installation instead of LATCH. And at some point, pretty much all kids will outgrow the LATCH weight limits. The ClickTight seats do have either 7 or 9 recline settings, I can’t remember which. They don’t convert to boosters, though. But honestly, I found that it’s pretty much impossible to have really good extended rear-facing and also the ability to convert to a booster. And I figure that by the time DD is old enough for a booster, this seat is going to be in pretty rough shape. The seat fits well in our smaller car (Honda Civic) and we still have DD fairly reclined but I think we’re going to sit her up a bit more soon. DH and I are both pretty short, though, so I think we’d have needed to adjust the recline sooner if we were taller.
TL;DR: we love our ClickTight seat. It was pricey but I think it was well worth it.
apricot / 403 posts
We have the Clek Foonf. I love it and my twins do too. It is on the heavier side. I have no idea about installation since my husband did it all.. but overall, with its excellent safety features, I like it
pomelo / 5628 posts
@Mrs. Milk: I Didn’t actually try mine in my car either and it’s fine. So you don’t *have* to, it’s just a good idea.
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
We have the Graco Size4Me 70 (the newer versions are only rated to 65 lbs). I love it, but it’s definitely bulky! It fits fine in my car (Honda Accord), but not as well in my husband’s (Toyota Camry).
guest
We have 2 Evenflo Symphonies from about a year ago, an LX and a DLX (i think), and I love them. I also was an exhaustive researcher. I tried one of the higher end Britax and the Chicco before returning them for these. Very easy install, I thought they seemed much more comfortable than the others (padding and fit, and my guy is petite). Machine washable fabrics was key for me, and comfortable straps that were easy to use. I remember the straps of the Chicco being difficult to use and tighten, I remember it being difficult to load and access my son in the Britax because of the high sides although he seemed super snug and safe in there.
My guy is 2 1/2 and still rear facing in the Evenflos (just about to maybe turn him around for day to day travel), he definitely wouldn’t have lasted this long in the others. I also ended up liking how the Evenflos tighten at the waist and not the shoulders. They are also no-retread and the head restraint is not an issue.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
I like our Diono Radian!
grapefruit / 4278 posts
@Mrs. Milk: We have the Graco size4me and I really love it. E is still rear facing and turns 3 in two weeks, he is also in the 90th percentile for height, but this seat has one of the highest rear facing height limits on the market. The weight limit is 40lbs rear facing and we’re at 36# now. The seat does take up a good amount of room front to back, but we were still able to fit it in our Mazda 3 and have someone sit in the passenger seat, though not always the most comfortably. This seat was really a perfect balance between features/safety and price for us. It should fit him well until he’s ready for a booster and then still be good for #2 with a 7 year expiraton.
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
Just be careful of torso height when you are thinking about extended RF. It kind of makes the standing height less relevant if your little guy carries a lot of height in his torso like mine did. We wanted to extended RF but my son outgrew his (older style) Britax Marathon before age 2 because he was hitting 1″ from the top of the shell. We then went to a Diono Radian RXT and kept him RF until 3.5.
Now my second little guy will probably outgrow the Marathon before 2 … he’ll probably get the Radian and we’ll buy a harness-to-booster seat for the preschooler.
I wouldn’t put much emphasis on the booster abilities — everything I’ve read seems to indicate that it’s hard for a seat to RF, FF harnessed, and be both a high-back and backless booster well. And good boosters are relatively inexpensive when the time comes.
guest
I did a ton of online reseach, but it all came down to what fit in our car. A lot of these did not fit in our car rear facing and allow the passenger to have any room. We have a Toyota Matrix, which is not a tiny car. Toyota recommends putting car seats on the sides because of the way the seats fold, so that’s where the latches are. We ended up with a Maxicosi Pria because it FIT in the car.
guest
I love the way you do your research. You are very thorough. I need to find a car seat soon, I will borrow some of the homework that you have done. Kudos to you.
watermelon / 14467 posts
I would avoid the Alpha Omega if I were you. It’s outgrown very quickly, bulky, and even if your son made it to booster age in it, the seat belt fit is deadly.
We have a Graco My Ride 65. It fits well RF in the back of our Nissan Versa, is comfy, and was pretty inexpensive ($130). It’s a little bulky, but the fabric felt nicer than the others in our price range. H will make it to two RF in it and probably a long time FF before we would need it for Baby #2.
guest
We have the Britax Boulevard Click Tight and the Chicco Nextfit. We LOVE the Britax and think that the Chicco is so so. I love the safety features of the Britax and from some of the research we did during our search it appeared that seatbelt installation was actually more safe than latch due to confusion that can happen around weight limits and such (there are weight limits to latch installation based on the weight of the child and seat but there are no weight limitations for seat belt installation to be mindful of, also to clarify, this is different from weight limits for the seat. So confusing!). The Britax reclines, and the height is adjustable. It seems to be made very well for extended rear facing. My husband keeps the Chicco in his car and while we know it’s safe, it’s much more difficult to cinch the straps tight enough and the installation was not as easy.
kiwi / 549 posts
We have The First Years True Fit Premier, and it sounds worth checking out given your criteria. It’s in your price range, at the time we bought it it had the highest safety rating from the NHS___ (whatever that highway safety organization is– and the rating may or may not have changed in the last 3.5 years since we bought it), all parts are washable, has a detachable head rest (so it can recline for a long time, then you add the head rest when the kid is tall enough). It has side impact protection, a rolling ball guide for installation, allows for RF up to 35lbs and I’m not sure on height but 4 or 5 inches taller than my 3.5 yr old son. (He’s 30 lbs, not sure on height, but he still easily falls in RF limits in this car seat)…We’ve used it since the day we took X home from the hospital– no complaints. At least, none that I would not have with any other convertible car seat.
kiwi / 549 posts
Oh no! Apparently the True Fit Premier has been discontinued! Bummer, because it is great!
guest
We have the Graco 4ever all in one. I think it is comfy for her and I like that it has a fairly significant recline even at forward facing. However, I don’t know if I wold buy it again because it is so bulky. We have a Toyota Carolina (Small car) and had her rear facing until 2. she still has about 16 lbs to go until the limit to turn, but I had a huge blind spot because of how big and bulky it was and that felt really dangerous. Now forward facing, I thought we’d have more room to pull back the passenger seat but we had to leave it in the same spot and she’s still touching the seat with her shoes. So I like it, but I’d like it better if I had a bigger car.
guest
Haha umm Corolla… Not Carolina : )
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I know I am way late, but I just wanted to chime in and say that I don’t subscribe to the “only seat you’ll ever need” aspect of car seats…I planned to buy a convertible and then eventually a harness to booster seat.
guest
We have the Diono Rainier in both of our cars (Prius and Audi) and love it. You have to get the foam angle adjuster so that the front passenger seat is usable. It actually fits better in the Prius since the roof of the car is a bit higher. In terms of price, I stalked it on Amazon and we jumped once the price dropped to $235.
guest
We love our Recaro pro ride. Gets great reviews. Good price. We also had a Batrix Boulevard and really prefer the Recaro. We liked it so much we just ordered two Recaro’s for our second son when we switch him to a convertible soon.
Much easier when rear facing and I think the straps are easier to adjust. Our three year old prefers the Recaro too.
olive / 64 posts
We have the Evenflo Symphony Elite. http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-1881728/evenflo-symphony-elite-convertible-car-seat.jsp
I love it! It was super easy to install and I liked all the height and weight limits along with the price. If you have to buy more than one (we needed 3!) I suggest buying from kohl’s when they are offering kohl’s cash. We bought 2 and then used the cash and y2y rewards on the third one.
apricot / 343 posts
I went nuts trying to do the only-carseat-you’ll-ever-need thing. Twice. I figure boosters are cheap and I needed to focus more. We have 2-year-old twins and three sets of convertible seats…one set for each of our cars and a set for grandma’s car as sometimes she helps out with picking them up from daycare. We have the Britax Boulevard–like them fine, hardly think they’re worth the price tag. Not great for tall kids. I suspect mine will outgrow it in height long before weight. We also have the Graco Size4Me, specifically bought to keep them rear-facing longer…and then they didn’t fit in our car rear-facing! Not so much because of the car itself but hubby & my height…we have to ride with our seats all the way back, and it just didn’t work. That said, these were a dream to install and adjust very easily. Lastly, we have some by Safety 1st we picked up at Costco for $80 and they are fine. They were a major PITA to install rear-facing but now that we just moved them all forward-facing they are easy. I know the big trend is to keep them rear-facing as long as possible, and we planned to, but once it didn’t work in our car we went with turning them all around and it has worked a lot better for us, not to mention we don’t bang the kiddos’ heads trying to get them into the car rear-facing anymore!
blogger / apricot / 310 posts
@Chillybear: thanks for this rec! We checked it out at BRU this past weekend!
@tinyperson: great to know, thanks! and thanks for the point to the carseats for littles blog – so great!
@PurplePeony: Thanks for this! Interestingly enough, I think we were sold on the Britax Boulevard CT – and then my husband found this on Consumer Report today:http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/11/britax-advocate-clicktight-child-car-seat-may-also-have-a-safety-problem/index.htm. Have you had any issues with the harness?
@msmug: Awesome, thanks – I’ll check out the Cleks!
@Mrs Green Grass: haha, good, glad I’m not the only one!
@Adira: I really like that one! It’s got great reviews too – thanks for the rec!
@Jennyred: Thank you for this – with the new info on the Britax Clicktights, I’m back at the Evenflos. Did you get the BRU one with the ‘platinum’ fabric that regulates temp? Torn between ordering the regular one from Amazon or springing for that one, as our little guy runs hot…
@Mrs. High Heels: thanks!
@kiddosc: thank you so much for this!!! I like this Graco, with you and Adira’s comment!
@Mrs. Yoyo: this is great advice. I think I’m resigned, with these comments, to knowing that our tall-torso’d kid will likely outgrow RF by height not weight and being ok with buying a booster down the road.
blogger / apricot / 310 posts
@Lisa: good point – thanks!
@baby care: thanks!
@avivoca: awesome, thanks for sharing this! I’m definitely looking into that Graco now as well!
@Amy: it was comments like yours that helped me settle completely on the Britax- thank you!
@red_seattle: oh man! thank you though.
@Maddie: good to know! It seemed not quite so bulky in person – at least compared to the Evenflos – but maybe I wasn’t considering side to side AND front to back bulkiness. thanks!
@looch: ha, after these comments and research – I don’t either! Lol, thanks!
@GKSJ and @ Cecilia: thank you both for your recs!
@Loscato: smart suggestion – thanks! I hadn’t considered a retailer other than Amazon, BRU or Target!
@Eminthevalley: such a good point! I think we’ll ‘plan’ for as long as we can and in the end do what works best for our kid and his body. thank you for this sound advice!
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@Mrs. Milk: Hey! I’m wondering if you ended up getting one yet!
blogger / apricot / 310 posts
@snowjewelz: yes we did! We ordered a Britax Boulevard Clicktight about a month ago. So far we like it! The straps are incredibly sturdy, it fits in our Prius and the material is comfortable for Will. We will likely get a second one in a few weeks for our other car. We also got an inexpensive Evenflo Sureride for my mom’s car while we were there and that worked well! We chose the Britax because we choose to place our car seat on the drivers side rather than middle so like the extra side impact protection. In my mom’s SUV we out the seat in the middle so the extra side protection was unnecessary.
wonderful kiwi / 23653 posts
@Mrs. Milk: Nice!! We just got a boulevard for super, super cheap, but now I’m re-thinking and might want the click tight system for easier installation. Glad to hear you are happy with your choices!!