Convertible Carseats

My b/g twins are now 4 months old and I was looking around for some convertible car seats. I was just wondering which you all would recommend and when you started using them. I've seen some that can accomodate an infant rear-facing starting when they are only 5 lbs! My ds william is around 16 lbs already and my dd emma is around 13 and I'm wondering if they would be more comfortable in different car seats besides their Graco infant carriers.

Thanks everyone!

 

We just switched our girls to their convertible car seats about 3 weeks ago (they are 3 months adjusted now). At first we were just going to do it for a long road trip we were taking and it worked out so well, we never switched them back. They are SO much happier in their big girl car seats!! The carriers are a lot more convenient, but to be honest they were getting too heavy for me to carry both of them anyway. After doing a ton of research I finally decided on the Britax Marathon seats, I LOVE them!!

 

I think around 6 months.

 

We switched at 6 months. Here's a list (from the Baby Center Car Safety Board), including some future recs

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.

FF/Harness Combo Harness/Booster Seats

Evenflo Generations/Bolero $80-110 depending on model. FF ONLY to 40lbs with harness. Great harnessed seat/great booster mode. Open belt guides. TALL 16.5” top slots. Adjusts tall in booster mode too! Flip up armrests make kids happy & make it easier to use in booster mode too! (The Bolero is the dressed down version of the Generations. It lacks the piddle pad).

Evenflo Chase & Graco Cargo Harness to ONLY 40lbs ff, 17” top slots. Makes ok, at best, booster. Smaller closed belt guides…but this can be ok if your seat belts lock & you lock them every time. The Chase is about $60. The Cargo with front adjuster is about $90. The Chase is good for kids/parents that keep forgetting that chest clips go on the chest!

Avoid most other combo seats. VERY low top slots or seatback heights all with 40lb limits. Just not worth the cost. This includes all the Eddie Bauer, Cosco, Dorel, and 3 in 1's. While safe & decent seats, the harness mode doesn’t offer much grow room.

 

We just got the Graco Nautilus. I LOVE them. Originally I was going to order just one, and then use my 3 year old's carseat for one of the babies, and then get him a booster...but once we got one of the Graco Nautilus we ordered two more for the other kids! Now we've got a whole row of them and they are all so happy. They are a good price too--$150. They go up to 100 pounds, and convert from a regular seat to a high back booster, to a regular booster seat. I don't plan on buying another car seat ever!

Reyna

 

We have the Evenflo Triumph Advance and the boys love them! I switched them about a month ago. Our infant carriers had a length limit of 26 inches and DS Ryan was already 25 1/2 in. but only 14lbs. They we getting too heavy for me to carry anyway. If you still have time, look for coupons at BRU and don't forget the twin discount there.

 

We are still in infant seats at 6.5 months, I purposely bought Combis which have a higher weight/length requirement than most so they would last a while longer. The babies seem comfortable in them, I think that if it works we will likely keep DD in hers until she's a year and DS will probalby outgrow it at some point before then and we'll switche.

 

We didn't move the girls into convertible carseats until almost a year, but thats because they didn't grow out of the graco snugrides until then (and I didn't want to give up the double sng). We got theCosco Alpha Omega Elites and ordered them from the website linked... it was so much cheaper than BRU or other local stores. The girls really like them too.

 

In my opinion, keep them in the infant seats as long as possible if they aren't fussing. It is sooooo much easier to go places with twins in the carriers. So much faster snapping them in the stroller for a 5-10 min errand into a store. So much easier putting 2 carriers in a grocery cart than always having to get the stroller out. I just moved my twins to convertible seats this week-end and they turned a year old last month and they still meet the requirements. However, they are starting to fuss a little being confined like that for errands. I'm still trying to figure out how to get them into a store just using a grocery cart because they both need buckled in. With first children, I think we are always in a hurry to move our child (or twins) to the next stage. I know I moved my 1st into a convertible around 6 or 7 months. Looking back, there was no reason for switching her that quickly.

 

I did the switch with my heavier guy at 6 mos & my other DS at 7 mos. I just couldn't handle the infant seats anymore (ok, I COULD have) & the boys REALLY liked their new convertible seats that we had installed for our long distance car ride. We have the Evenflo Triumphs & LOVE them!

 

I moved mine out of their carriers around 5 months old. All 3 of mine are now in the Sunshine Kids Radian 65 convertible seat. It accomodates them in a 5pt harness up to 65 lbs. They're great seats

 

We got the Britax Boulevards and absolutely love them!! We switched at 5 months.

 

We're still in infant seats but will probably be switching to convertible ones soon. I think they're close to the 29 inch height limit for the Graco Snugride. I'm not looking forward to the switch. I can't fathom how I'll be able to carry them both from the car in to day care by myself. I do not look forward to lugging out the double stroller just such a short distance.

 

We switched at 6 months. They were both getting too long and it was a gift from Grandpa. If, your two tend to be on the higher percent and/or your family tends to be bigger look into a convertible like the radian that has the harness that works at a higher weight limit. Otherwise, you may be looking at another car seat before they are legally able to be in a booster (depending on where you live I believe). Also, the Britax and another one I am drawing a blank on at the moment tend to be wider if space is more of an issue, they didn t work in our Subaru. Well, they worked they just would not hold the kids and anyone else (including the driver!)

 

We switched around 8 months, when they were both sitting up well.

 

I use the infant carseats until the kids grow out of them. All three of my children are tall so they grow out of the Gracos based on the height restriction way before they grow out based on weight. Ainsley was out of her infant carseat at 6.5 months, Sierra at 7 months, and Dax at 4.5 months. At that stage, we started using the convertible carseats. If you can afford it, I definitely recommend the Britax seats.

 

We are still in their infant seats at 10 months and I dread changing them, but we have the sunshine radian 80 when we do change. My girls are not real big and they still fit so I am waiting till I have to.

 

Just switched last week from the Graco carriers to the Britax Marathon. My boys love them! I did a lot of research between the web, local twin group and Moms group and the Britax was the winner hands down.