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Convertible car seat
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shirtsandskirts




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 07 2012, 2:51 am
My 8 month old 20lb. daughter has basically outgrown her infant car seat. I want to get a car seat that she can use for the rest of her time she needs one. I noticed most convertibles go up to 40lb. Do people buy a booster seat after the convertible or are regular convertible seats going to last long enough?
Recommendations for a convertible not looking to spend a lot.
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fiddle




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 07 2012, 5:35 am
http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Na.....URFRE this is what I bought. its from 20 to 100lbs
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TranquilityAndPeace




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 07 2012, 5:53 am
Most convertibles have a limit of 30-40lbs for REAR FACING. Most have much higher limits for forward-facing.

I have a chart here with all convertible car seats and their weight limits in each orientation: http://mommieslike.com/compare.....eats/

The Graco Nautilus referenced above is a great seat, but it's not on my list because it's not a convertible seat. It cannot be used rear facing. You MUST keep your DD rear facing until 12 months, and it's highly recommended to keep kids rear-facing until the age of 2 and beyond. So the Nautilus is a good seat once a kid is about 3-4, and you're ready to have her ride forward facing.

Depending on your child's 'seated shoulder height' (how tall she is while sitting), she may outgrow a convertible before she reaches the weight limit. Right now, she's 8 months, and it's hard to predict, unless she's very tall or short. Most kids outgrow convertibles around at around 5-6 years old, and then get a standalone booster seat- most of which are pretty inexpensive.
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piegirl




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 07 2012, 6:29 am
TandP, any way you could post that here or pm it to me?
my filter won't let me open it, and I need to buy my 25 lb 11 month tall boy a convertible carseat.
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shirtsandskirts




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 07 2012, 1:44 pm
T&P thanks that list was really helpful. It mentioned there that a child will probably outgrow the height before the weight, so how can I know what's a good one to get that will keep my child the longest. Should I aim for something with the highest weight, or is that not going to last for a couple of years?
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TranquilityAndPeace




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 07 2012, 2:35 pm
DunkinLover wrote:
T&P thanks that list was really helpful. It mentioned there that a child will probably outgrow the height before the weight, so how can I know what's a good one to get that will keep my child the longest. Should I aim for something with the highest weight, or is that not going to last for a couple of years?


Thanks.

You can't have it all. In one seat, at least.

A convertible will keep her rear-facing, and thus safer, than that Graco Nautilus which only goes forward-facing (which you CANNOT use until she is 1, and recommended not to use until at least 2). But a convertible does not become a booster seat, so if you get a convertible now, you'll probably get at least 4-5 years out of it. If you have more kids, you can pass it on to the younger ones when your DD graduates to a booster.

Is your family tall? If not, and you don't see any reason to suspect that DD will be taller than average, then just get the convertible that fits your budget and desires. This page discusses the seats best for tall babies: http://mommieslike.com/which-c.....bies/

I have a list of considerations to think about before buying a convertible here: http://mommieslike.com/convert.....iews/ and at the top of the left sidebar are lists of the best car seats under $100, under $200, and under $250.

Good luck; I know that it's a confusing product to research!
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busydev




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 07 2012, 2:42 pm
I just got a convertible car seat that goes all the way to a booster. but it isnt cheap. (but if you think about it this will be the only carseat/booster your child needs till shes done so it is cheaper then buying a separate rear facing, forward facing and booster)

its called the diono radian and it costs around $200. I got it on amazon.

it is very thin (you can fit 3 in the backseat of most cars.)

(thanks to hashem yaazor for telling me about it)

http://www.amazon.com/Diono-Ra.....adian

it also comes with two upgraded versions. one has padding for infants and one has wings by the head in addition to the padding but they each cost a little more. its VERY heavy (steel alloy frame). so far we have been very happy with it.

they also sell a foam pad that you can put underneath it in the rear facing position to pick it up a bit if you need more room behind the seat since it is on the tall side due to the high weight/height limits.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Nov 07 2012, 5:49 pm
Busydev glad you made a decision! Was it easy to install in your car?
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busydev




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 08 2012, 7:17 am
Hashem_Yaazor wrote:
Busydev glad you made a decision! Was it easy to install in your car?


very!! Other then the heavy factor- but dh dealt with that lol.

first we put it behind the passenger seat, which had to be moved very forward. but then we tried it in the middle seat (which is safer anyway, no?) and it fit between the space of the front seats. we also bought the foam pad for when we need to put it behind the passenger or driver seat- it saves about 4 inches.

DS seems to like it too. (not that he has given any feedback LOL) straps are fairly easy to adjust. maybe not as easy as the evenflo triumph would have been but not hard. only slightly "harder" then our chicco keyfit 30 was.
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Marion




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 08 2012, 8:07 am
The Radian (which I have and love) does NOT convert to booster, but it's a harness FF seat to 65 or 80 lbs (depending on the model), so it's equally, if not more, efficient.
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busydev




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 08 2012, 8:11 am
Marion wrote:
The Radian (which I have and love) does NOT convert to booster, but it's a harness FF seat to 65 or 80 lbs (depending on the model), so it's equally, if not more, efficient.


the instruction manual of mine (radian rxt) said that it does. it has a ff harness till 80 lbs and then can be used as a booster (with the regular car seat belt) till 120 lbs or 57" tall. the radian rxt even has a little piece for the sholder strap to go though so that it fits the child comfortably.

and when I researched/compared all 3 it says the radian 100 goes to 100lbs as a booster, to 65 ff harness and to 40 rf.

the radian 120 has the same limits as the rxt- 45 rf, 80 ff and 120 booster.
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Hashem_Yaazor




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 08 2012, 8:14 am
Marion, there are various models out there. Also a few changes were made when the company changed as well....just throwing that out there Smile The seats on the market 5 years ago are not the same as on the market now. (It went from Sunshine Kids to Diono)

I wouldn't suggest if you plan on having future kids to necessarily use an expensive convertible as a booster. I'd much rather pass it down and use it as a convertible and get a cheaper booster.
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busydev




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 08 2012, 8:18 am
Hashem_Yaazor wrote:
Marion, there are various models out there. Also a few changes were made when the company changed as well....just throwing that out there Smile The seats on the market 5 years ago are not the same as on the market now. (It went from Sunshine Kids to Diono)

I wouldn't suggest if you plan on having future kids to necessarily use an expensive convertible as a booster. I'd much rather pass it down and use it as a convertible and get a cheaper booster.


I plan/hope to pass it down. but hypothetically or if there isnt someone to pass it down to yet it can be used as a booster.
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Marion




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Nov 08 2012, 9:49 am
OK, good to know. I knew about the company change and I do have a Sunshine Kids model. Mine definitely does not have the shoulder locator for the seat belt and the harness is not, AFAIK, removable.
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sara_s




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 21 2013, 11:49 am
TranquilityAndPeace wrote:
Most convertibles have a limit of 30-40lbs for REAR FACING. Most have much higher limits for forward-facing.

I have a chart here with all convertible car seats and their weight limits in each orientation: http://mommieslike.com/compare.....eats/

The Graco Nautilus referenced above is a great seat, but it's not on my list because it's not a convertible seat. It cannot be used rear facing. You MUST keep your DD rear facing until 12 months, and it's highly recommended to keep kids rear-facing until the age of 2 and beyond. So the Nautilus is a good seat once a kid is about 3-4, and you're ready to have her ride forward facing.

Depending on your child's 'seated shoulder height' (how tall she is while sitting), she may outgrow a convertible before she reaches the weight limit. Right now, she's 8 months, and it's hard to predict, unless she's very tall or short. Most kids outgrow convertibles around at around 5-6 years old, and then get a standalone booster seat- most of which are pretty inexpensive.


Your website is great!

I seea Combi Coccoro is reccomended there for small cars, what is the downside of this car seat? How does is compare to the Cosco Scenera and the Diono Radian?

Thank you!
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cs1




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 21 2013, 3:51 pm
I have the diono radian as well and am very happy with it.
the biggest push that made me get it was because they are on the better end quality but the most narrow. This was I can fit between two kiddies in the back and eventually have three in the back iyh...
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4eyes




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 21 2013, 4:19 pm
I believe that the combi coccorro has a low height/weight limit for rear facing, not sure about forward facing. thats fine if you have a small to average sized kid...for my 90% percentiler, we wouldnt have gotten much milage out of it.
another great resource is thecarseatlady.com
she also has videos for tons of seats on youtube for proper installation.
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Rubber Ducky




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 21 2013, 4:43 pm
sara_s wrote:


Your website is great!

I seea Combi Coccoro is reccomended there for small cars, what is the downside of this car seat? How does is compare to the Cosco Scenera and the Diono Radian?

Thank you!


I have a Combi Cocorro in my Pontiac Vibe for my 22-month-old granddaughter. We and she like it a lot and are still using it rear-facing. She's average height and skinny. I think she'll outgrow it at about age 4 1/2 (outgrow it because of height, not weight). Appears to be very comfortable, she falls asleep in it. We installed it behind the driver's seat. It's a small car seat and I can keep it in place while folding down the rear passenger seat when hauling bulky objects.

Specs from their web site:
Dimensions: 17" L x 15.50" W x 28.25" H
Product weight: 11.75 lbs.
Rear-facing weight capacity: 3-33 lbs.
Forward-facing weight capacity: 1 year and 20-40 lbs.
Height allowance: 40"


Last edited by Rubber Ducky on Sat, Dec 21 2013, 4:53 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Sara89




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 21 2013, 4:52 pm
I don't want to hijack the thread, but at what age, size do I need to get a convertible car seat? My very petite 9 month old still fits perfectly in her infant seat....
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seeker




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Dec 21 2013, 6:43 pm
Sara89 wrote:
I don't want to hijack the thread, but at what age, size do I need to get a convertible car seat? My very petite 9 month old still fits perfectly in her infant seat....

You don't NEED to get one until they've just about outgrown the infant seat (look at your seat's manual for guidelines, and make sure to pay attention to all the guidelines because many babies will outgrow by height before weight) but some babies are more comfortable in a convertible so if your baby cries a lot in the car seat you might try a switch. I think the sitting position of the convertible is more comfortable for older babies than the curve of the back of infant seats. Just my personal theory, I don't really know.
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