when did you switch to convertible car seat? What kind?

I'm not using the carseats much for carrying the babies anymore. It's just plain too heavy. Johnny's about 18 lbs now & Zoe's 17 1/2. Plus the weight of 2 carseats & the diaper bag I'm usually carrying....it's killing me! If I only have a short way to walk, I sometimes do it, but most of the time we just use the stroller. And, the shoulder straps in our graco's (snugride) are getting tight. A friend told me there's a way to get more slack through the waist, but we haven't looked at it yet.

I'm wondering if you went from the "bucket" style carseats to a convertible, when did you do it? Did you miss being able to carry them in the carseats?

What kind did you get? Right now I'm liking the Britax Marathon, but DH is going to flip when he sees the price of them. Is there a difference between the Marathon & the Roundabout? (I have to admit to liking the fabrics of the Marathon!)

thanks!

 

I'm not using the carseats much for carrying the babies anymore. It's just plain too heavy. Johnny's about 18 lbs now & Zoe's 17 1/2. Plus the weight of 2 carseats & the diaper bag I'm usually carrying....it's killing me! If I only have a short way to walk, I sometimes do it, but most of the time we just use the stroller. And, the shoulder straps in our graco's (snugride) are getting tight. A friend told me there's a way to get more slack through the waist, but we haven't looked at it yet.

I'm wondering if you went from the "bucket" style carseats to a convertible, when did you do it? Did you miss being able to carry them in the carseats?

What kind did you get? Right now I'm liking the Britax Marathon, but DH is going to flip when he sees the price of them. Is there a difference between the Marathon & the Roundabout? (I have to admit to liking the fabrics of the Marathon!)

thanks!

 

I switched Brooke almost 2 months ago now, she was around 15 lbs and was just getting too long and heavy to tote around in the infant carrier, she was about 6 months. We switched her to the Evenflo Triump, its the same one Ive used for my son. M is only about 15 lbs but is quite a bit smaller in length than Brooke so for now she is still in the carrier

 

My girls are 9 months old and I don't plan on moving them anytime soon. However, Taylor keeps kicking Payton in the snap n go so I may just have to. Anyway, I like the marathons too but, my dh flipped when he saw the price!

So as of now I haven't moved them. But Payton is 16lbs 12 oz 26 inches long and Taylor is 15lbs and 25 inches long. So they could probably stay in them until they are a year.

 

I switched mine at 10 months. They were just so big for them, their feet were beginning to dangle and everything, it was funny looking!

 

i am almost positive that the marathons hold more weight than the roundabouts. I have seen posts where people say they had to get a new carseat because their child grew out of the roundabout. Check online to see if you can find a good price and dont forget that when buying 2 large items at Babies R Us, you get 10% discount for twins

 

We are just about to move to convertibles. I've been trying to decide between the Britax Marathon and Decathlon. We are going with the Decathlon. The Marathon holds up to 65lbs - the Roundabout only 40. So the Marathon will last you longer. Check out the Decathlon too - some nice additional features for not much more than the Marathon.

 

We switched Sarah from the infant carrier to the Roundabout at 6 months because she was getting too long for the carrier. Then at 10 months, we switched Sarah to a Marathon and put Amy in the Roundabout.

The Marathon does have a higher weight limit, but (IMO) the straps are more of a pain. The girls seem comfy in both.

I do miss the carriers in many ways, but my arms and shoulders definitely thank me. (FYI, there was just a long thread in 1-5 about how to get them in & out of the house once they're out of the carriers, if you're curious.)

 

We love our Marathons. I think they are worth the $$$. Check around online, you can find discounted prices on some fabrics.

1. It's a safety issue. It's where the $$$ should be prioritized. 2. They will last you a LONG time. 3. They are comfy, easy to use and install.

BTW I think we switched around 6-7 months. I don't miss the carriers (too heavy). If I really have to take both at once: I put one in the baby bjorn and carry the other. Not perfect, but doable when needed. Also, if you have the space, put a PnP near your door. That way you have a place to "park" one safely while getting the other in/out.

 

We made the switch at 6.5 and 7 months because the girls grew too tall for their infant carseats. Like most babies, they weren't anywhere near the weight limit when they grew out of the seats.

As Safari said, carseats are the most important baby item you will buy because they keep your babies safer in a dangerous place. Britax is the gold standard. We went with the Roundabout because I wanted to be able to switch carseats and get a newer set when the girls reached 40 lbs. The Marathons go up to a higher weight limit (60 lbs?).

 

We bought the roundabouts but haven't switched them out yet. We probably won't for a while since they are still pretty small and within the weight/height limits. Like other PPs said, the difference is the weight limit. My sis has two kids who are in elementary school now. She told me she got the roundabouts and by the time they reached the 40lbs weight limit she was ready to get rid of the seats and stick them in boosters. She said you get tired of looking at them at that point.

Mona

 

We are switching this weekend. We had our 9mos checkup yesterday and the Pedi said it was fine but to be sure they remain rear facing until their 1yr appt and after we are weighed them again. She isn't sure they will be at the 20lb mark by then. She said with their length they should be more comfortable in convertibles now. We never use the infant seats to carry them anymore except into/out of the house. They are just too heavy!

We are going with the Marathon and not looking forward to the price but it's the best one on the market and worth it for the safety. Dh agrees 100% he compares it to why he *has* to pay so much for his bike helmets. He says why would I want to spend $40 to protect my brains aren't they worth more than that? I guess, LOL

I kept debating and decided on the Marathon for these reasons:

Marathon vs Roundabout- since we are investing so much we decided to go with the one that went to a higher weight limit and would last longer. Also you can get replacement covers for the Britax if you get tired of it or it gets too dirty.

Marathon vs Decathalon and Boulevard- my guys get real hot in their infant seats and with all the extra padding they will sweat too much. Also I like the head harness(not sure it's technical name) but I've heard lots complain that the kids don't like it b/c it obstructs their view and they can's see out. Also, you can't remove it so it's there for good.

 

quote:
She told me she got the roundabouts and by the time they reached the 40lbs weight limit she was ready to get rid of the seats and stick them in boosters. She said you get tired of looking at them at that point
HUH??? My boys will be in their Marathons until K I hope! I will never get sick of seeing them in such a safe carseat! My petite dd fit into her Roundabout until 5!

quote:
1. It's a safety issue. It's where the $$$ should be prioritized. 2. They will last you a LONG time. 3. They are comfy, easy to use and install.


Make sure your kiddos are not TOO TALL for the infant carseats too. That is usually how they outgrow them first - not weight. My boys snugrides only went up to 26" and my boys were that tall by 6-7 months. But did not hit 20lbs until 10 months

 

We switched to the Marathons around 6 months. The girls were getting too heavy for me to carry (I have a bad back) and I was using the stroller most of the time anyways. Plus Bella was having surgery and wasn't going to be able to be in her infant seat anymore, so I thought it was a good time to move Josie to the big girl seat.

 

We switched at 8 months after the initial infant seat report came out. Otherwise, we wouldn't have until 9 months. We have the Britax Boulevard seats. They go up to 65 pounds, so we'll have them forever! The babies really enjoy looking around. They don't fall asleep in the car anymore when we run errands! That's a bonus all by itself! We also got 2 Roundabouts from my SIL that are in DH's car.