convertible car seat shopping

we are very close to needing convertible car seats now... please please help me make an informed decision. i would be okay to spend some money on Britax if i know it is worth it and would last until they don't need it anymore (4 - 5 years)...
what seat did you chose?
is it easy to install?
is it easy to move to another vehicle?
can your twins see around the head parts or does it block their vision?

thanks for any advise!!!
Lezlie

 

We bought the First Years True Fit Convertible seats - We ended up choosing them because they have high NHTSA ratings and you can find them for around $150. DH installed them into our vehicle to make sure they fit - seemed easy enough to do- although we haven't used them in the car yet as our boys are still in their infants seats. Good Luck - I spent a lot of time searching for the ones I liked the best.

 

I'm ordering the Britax Marathon because my sister LOVES hers. They are greatly on sale on this site and are 10% off the price listed!

http://www.albeebaby.com/britax-marathon-convertible-car-seats.html

 

we have and LOVE the britax marathons.

they are pretty easy to install, but i wouldn't want to be moving them from car to car, that would be a pain and i don't really think they are designed for that.. we just have my car designated for all the baby driving so it isn't a problem for us. and the babies don't seem to have any problem seeing around the headrest "wings" they can see eachother if they want to.

i also like the britax because it just seems comfortable, well padded and the upholstery is nice and soft. i also like the little pads that go next to their neck on the straps, they always got red marks on their necks when they were in the infant carriers but not with the britax. and i think that they can be rear facing up to 35 lbs, which is great because i plan on keeping them that way until they are 2. and last but not least, i won't have to buy another seat until they graduate to boosters!! well worth the $$ IMO.

 

I've heard great things about the new first years ones, but they weren't available 2 yrs ago when we needed a new one for my oldest dd.

I went with a britax marathon because she was/is a big girl, 90% for height and weight pretty much her whole little life (she's 3 now), and I needed something that had a high height adjustment. Of the ones I found online and tried at babiesrus, the marathon had the most room from her shoulders to the last strap hole.

Since I had a marathon already we were going to buy a second one for our twins, but I have a great friend who gave me her extra marathon that she no longer needed.

In the end, we have two marathon's, the babies have been using them since they were 3 months old. They are very heavy so I wouldn't want to move them often, but with the latch system they are easy to install/uninstall, much easier than using a seat belt system.

Biggest downfall...the seat pads aren't machine washable! Seriously, the thing costs $300 bucks and you can't wash the seat covers! I haven't done it yet, but am planning to try washing them on delicate and hanging to dry and see how they do.

 

I have the radian premier for my oldest son and I plan on getting two more for the twins. They are pricey but they don't take up as much room, they have a steel frame and they are good for 8 years. They are good to 35lbs rear facing and 65lbs forward facing in a 5 point harness. They have there crotch adjustments and are many height adjustment which are good for taller kids. My friends 7 year old is still in hers. I also like it because you can fit 3 in the back seat of the car because they aren't as bulky as the other car seats. I have also heard good things about the marathon so it would probably be a good pick to. Best of luck

 

1) We purchased the Evenflo Triumph Advance
2) My DH found them easy to install and move to another vehicle when we needed to do so visiting some friends out of town.
3) My twins are still rear facing but they can see around the head parts because they like to look at me when I am sitting in the third row of the minivan.
Good luck on your decision!

 

We have both the Evenflo Triumph Advance and the Britax Marathon. They are both awesome seats. I tend to like them both for different things. But I will tell you that I like the Britax for my DD. She is 5 and tall and I wanted her to ride in a 5 point harness as long as possible. The Marathon has a 65# weight limit. Love that.

 

Hi,
I have the First Years True Fit and we all love them. My babies used to hate being in their car seats but as soon as we switched to these car seats we haven't had an issue. They are well rated for safety and are half the price of similarly rated ones. If I had to buy car seats all over again I would buy these ones in an instant. My babies are still rear facing and I plan on leaving them rear facing for another year in these seats.
Happy shopping, Lydia

 

thanks all, we will probably will go to BRU and sit in a few of these - hopefully they will have the First Years True Fit there... i want to see it. K & C are most likely going to be tall (i'm 6') so your comments about height are very helpful.
-Lezlie