Already need new carseats!

So, I am kind of bummed because I thought the infant car seats were going to last a little longer than 5 months...
My little man is almost 19 lbs and baby girl is about 1/2 a lb behind him. So I need to go out and get convertible car seats.

As most of you know, I'm a single mom so I'm looking for something safe yet affordable. I don't really care about bells and whistles. I just want my babies protected.
Because they are so young, I worry about them being in car seats that are "a step up" for lack of better words.
So any car seat recommendations would be much appreciated
Oh and keep in mind they are not only chubby but TALL, DS is a little over 27 inches...
Ohh and I have a 2005 Volkswagen Passat. so they would have to fit in the back seat!

THANKS LADIES!

 

No advice, just wanted to say thanks for posting this! I realized today that my two are also almost at the limits of the infant seats.
(And I thought the infant seats would last longer too!!)

 

Here's an overview. Since your children are above average height and weight, I would look into a higher weight limit car seat with high top slots, otherwise you'll end up buying another seat in the end before they're ready for a booster (4 years old AND 40lbs). I have Britax Marathons and a Radian 65. All my children are above average, especially my oldest. She was 43lbs and 43" at 4 years (-/- 1 month), always been 95% for everything on the US charts.

Higher Weight Limit Convertible Seats

Britax Marathon, Decathlon, or Boulevard (MA/DC/BV) 17” top slots, RF 5-33lbs, FF up to 65lbs in 5 point harness. Awesome seats, allow for rf tethering, has lockoffs to replace locking clips, very easy installs, many bells and whistles that make them easier to use correctly every time, lasts most kids to age 5-6y/o. $220+ Check below for a description of the three.

Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (FPSVD) 17 inch top slots, RF 5-33lbs, FF up to 55lbs in a 5 point harness. Made by Britax, sold under the FP name--basically a stripped down Britax Decathlon. Great seat, awesome price $129 (regular $199), and will last most kids to age 5-6 y/o. DISCONTINUED DUE TO POOR SALES--As of right now Britax is not manufacturing. Old seats have been shipping…up to a year & a half old! Take this into consideration as the seat has a 6 year lifespan.
http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html

Evenflo Triumph Advance RF to 35lbs, FF to 50 lbs. Max harness height of 17”. The Triumph Advance has the infinite-like harness adjuster too…no rethreading the harness! Much nicer than the old Triumph! Much taller shell than the old Triumph too. We think it will be small enough for newborns! $129
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5933974

Sunshine Kids Radian 65/80 18” top slots, RF 5-33lbs, FF up to 65lbs in 5 point harness. Great seat, only second to Britax because it has some compatibility issues in some vehicles when installed with seatbelt. Really good seat otherwise, allows for RF tethering, lasts most kids to 6-7y/o. 8yr lifespan (most have a 6yr) $175+ www.skjp.com has the manual available for viewing.

Recaro Como & Signo Recaro makes seats for NASCAR and has made car seats for the European market and a few for the US market for years. RF to 35lbs, FF to 70lbs. Bottom slots of 9", so not ideal for newborns. The outside width of the seat at its widest point is approx. 19 ½” to 20”. The Como & the Signo are basically the same shell the biggest difference is that the Signo has an infinitely adjustable harness (whereas the Como has to be re-threaded) and the Signo's latch straps are on a bar--similar to Britax (on the Marathon and Boulevard)--so you don't have to re-thread the latch belt if you're going from rear facing to forward facing. Como is $249; Signo is $289 and has 17.75” top slot.
*having problems with the interior shoulder room being too narrow for children to be comfortable.

Compass True Fit Convertible Car Seat Estimated availability 1st Quarter 2008
RF 5-35 lbs, FF to 65lbs, 10” bottom slots, 18” top slots. 3 crotch positions, designed to fit smaller cars—headrest removes to allow rf seat to recline to 45°, put headrest back on after older child is 22 lbs. and adjust seat to be more upright when rf. Cover removable without unhooking the harness, lockoffs for rf & ff, harness adjusted with a knob, everything adjusts by sliding something. Covered in EPP Foam. Estimated to be $179.

And lower cost Convertibles we love...(For primary or secondary cars...they are still GREAT seats)
Cosco Scenera $40 5pt harness version. Very basic no-frills seat. Minimal padding, but it's rare for a LO to complain about it. 35lbs RF limit with a taller shell! 40lbs FF limit however most kids outgrow it in torso height at about 3-3.5yo due to the low 15” top slots. It just doesn’t offer enough torso grow room to get most kids to 40lbs. Readily available at Wal-Mart/Target/K-mart. Usually requires 1-3 chunks of pool noodle to get a good recline.

Safety 1st Uptown 35 lbs RF, 40 lbs FF, tall 16.5” top slots so this is the ONLY RF/FF 40lbs limit convertible that will likely get a kid to 40lbs. EPP foam, velvety plush cover, super cushy. Very easy to use & install. 8 yr lifespan! (Most have a 6 yr.) Around $100 at albeebaby.com, Target.com, and in store at Wal-Mart.
Here's an awesome thread comparing the Scenera & Uptown on car-seat.org. Side by side pictures.
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=10324

The Graco ComfortSport, Evenflo seats, and the Alpha Omega 3-in-1 types are very small seats that are usually outgrown the same time as the $40 Scenera. You don’t get much for your money. While they are safe there are just other options that offer more for the same cost.

Forward-facing only seats (child must be over age 1 and 22lbs)
SafeGuard GO Harnesses to 60 lbs, becomes a backless booster after. Top slots are 17 to 17.5 inches, needs vehicle headrest behind it for support. Requires top tether anchor. Child must be 30 lbs to use. Retails for $179.
*new, redesigned SafeGuard GO with beefier headrest and other updates coming out. Min. weight limit was reduced to 22 lbs; top slots upped to 17.5-18”.

Britax Regent (used to be Husky) KING of car seats is right! Harnesses to 80 lbs. Top slots are 20 inches. Requires a top tether after child is 50 lbs. Retails for $220-$260. Not good for children under 2yo. Requires college degree to read the manual.

Ride Safer Travel Vest. A vest that comes in two sizes, Small 35-60 lbs, Large 50-80 lbs. The vest can be used with lap only belt. Requires top tether anchor & vehicle headrest. Retails for $89-$99. Great for 3 across situations in small vehicles! Tether strap HAS to be used if child is under 6 yrs old. http://www.safetrafficsystem.com/

Higher Weight FF/Harness Combo Harness/Booster Seats
Cosco/Safety 1st Apex Harnesses to 65 lbs, then becomes a booster to 100 lbs. Top slots are 17 inches high. Requires adjustable headrest or a very tall vehicle seatback behind it for support. Then becomes a very nice BUT VERY WIDE booster that doesn’t fit small children well. This seat is outgrown totally when the tips of the child’s ears reach the top of the vehicle seatback. (Fully extended it has a back height of 32.5” tall) The new blue/black and all the brown ones have EPP foam in the headrest. Retails for $99-150.

Graco Nautilus 20-65 lbs for harness, then becomes a booster to 100 lbs. Top slots are 18” high. Converts to a high back booster similar to the TurboBooster, and can also convert to a backless booster. 30-100 lbs weight limits in booster mode. Booster shoulder belt guide is at about 20"; might be slightly taller than the regular Turbo. 19 inches at the widest point (the base) and 13 inches deep. FAA approved. Built-in cupholder and side pockets in the armrests. The base has two settings and can be slightly reclined. LATCH limit of 48lbs, does not allow for LATCH or top tether use in booster mode. Life span of 6yrs. Priced around $150.

 

My Kaitlyn is 20 pounds and still fits nicely in her carrier, I am buying her a convertible one this weekend though.

 

Not sure if they will fit in your car, but we have the Evenflo Triumph Advance DLX and they love them. When they were first switched from their infant seat to the convertible they never said a peep for months in the car. Now its a totally different story but its just their age. Good luck with your seach.

 

My girls are tall too - we purchased the Evenflo Triumph Advanced but haven't installed them yet. I need to take them to the doctor just to get weighed. Last time we went (6 months), they weighed 17 and 19 pounds so we are getting close! I'm not looking forward to the switch - it seems like it will be harder to get them in and out!

 

QUOTE
And lower cost Convertibles we love...(For primary or secondary cars...they are still GREAT seats)
Cosco Scenera $40 5pt harness version. Very basic no-frills seat. Minimal padding, but it's rare for a LO to complain about it. 35lbs RF limit with a taller shell! 40lbs FF limit however most kids outgrow it in torso height at about 3-3.5yo due to the low 15” top slots. It just doesn’t offer enough torso grow room to get most kids to 40lbs. Readily available at Wal-Mart/Target/K-mart. Usually requires 1-3 chunks of pool noodle to get a good recline.

We have these convertibles and love them. They were in our second car (or grandma's car) but now they are in my car which is the one we use the most.

 

I looked at dozens and dozens of models and ratings before choosing the Evenflo Triumph. We just got them this week and my boys seems to be comfortable in them. They were about $130 each but they are HUGE. We have a Trailblazer and they take up a lot of space. I think the Graco convertibles may be a little smaller and they are lower in price with a good safety rating. I looked at the Cosco Scenera which was only about $60-70, but there was virtually no padding! I wouldn't want to sit in a seat like that for an hour or two at a time. For various safety and usage ratings, I looked at the NTSB website.

 

Just did this myself. Alice and Royce are too long for their infant carriers. And they're not sitting up yet really either, or crawling around, so it's a super PITA to get them in the new seats. And being rather long myself, it's not a good fit, even in my minivan. I can't wait to turn them around and have the kiddos facing forward.

 

We have the Graco Comforsports because they are safe, comfy and reasonably priced. We have 2 sets.

We tried about 20 car seats and the kids seemed most happy in those. My kids were big at 5 months as well. Now they have barely gained in 3 months. :-(

Good Luck

 

Another Evenflo Triumph Advance DLX user here! I love these seats!

As pp mentioned though, they are big. Not sure how much rear room a Passat has, and how tall you are. The Triumphs fit rear facing in the explorer...but there isn't a lot of room left over.

 

I just purchased the Britax marathon it is good from 5-65lbs. It is a little pricey but it will last a long time. I am with you my son 20 lbs and pretty tall so I thought this should last a while. Toys r us just had $30 off in Canada so sometimes you can catch a deal.

 

Thanks ladies, I am pretty sure the ones that were questioning whether the car seats would fit are right. I am 5'9" and I HATE to be all up on the steering wheel.

I need compact car seats that hold them to a heavier weight (I don't want to risk them not being 4 y/o yet and would like them to stay safe as long as possibly).

I've read numerous reviews on car seats but they all sound the same!!!!

 

QUOTE(vivalalexa @ May 16 2008, 05:50 PM) [snapback]777069[/snapback]
Thanks ladies, I am pretty sure the ones that were questioning whether the car seats would fit are right. I am 5'9" and I HATE to be all up on the steering wheel.

I need compact car seats that hold them to a heavier weight (I don't want to risk them not being 4 y/o yet and would like them to stay safe as long as possibly).

I've read numerous reviews on car seats but they all sound the same!!!!


In that case Sunshine Radians would be your best bet. Narrow, right on the seat (not as bulky as the Marathons) and they go up to 65 or 80lbs, and have high top slots (higher than the Triumph, higher than the Marathon family). My 95% 4 yo (43" recently) still has room to grow, I think she'll make it until age 5-6 in that seat.

 

I will only recommend the Britax brand as it is by far the best.
The compaq model is for small cars, so it will be perfect so you can have your seat far back enough so your nose isnt touching the windscreen.

It holds up to 40lb (18kg) which will be perfect for you because you will not have to buy another car seat until a booster at four/five.
Here is the link to the compaq deluxe: http://www.britax.com.au/Websites/Business...Compaq%20Deluxe

Or the cheaper model the compaq: http://www.britax.com.au/Websites/Business...%20Seats-Compaq

They are on an australian site (where britax is safe-n-sound) but thats because i am in Aus and it automatically directs me to it.

In the description it says its perfect for multiples, im guessing because it will fit perfectly in the car.

 

QUOTE(Mom2SofieAndTwins @ May 16 2008, 03:32 AM) [snapback]776224[/snapback]
And lower cost Convertibles we love...(For primary or secondary cars...they are still GREAT seats)
Cosco Scenera $40 5pt harness version. Very basic no-frills seat. Minimal padding, but it's rare for a LO to complain about it. 35lbs RF limit with a taller shell! 40lbs FF limit however most kids outgrow it in torso height at about 3-3.5yo due to the low 15” top slots. It just doesn’t offer enough torso grow room to get most kids to 40lbs. Readily available at Wal-Mart/Target/K-mart. Usually requires 1-3 chunks of pool noodle to get a good recline.


I did a lot of research and spoke to a bunch of different people because I also cannot afford super pricey carseats (another single mom) and these are supposed to be as good as britax! I am getting mine probably next week because those infant carriers are breaking my back!