What is the best convertable car seat and why?

Question

My 7mo old is getting too big for his infant seat and we need a convertable (rear/front facing) car seat. What one is all around the best one?

Answer 1

There really is no best car seat. They all must pass the same standards. The best seat is the one that fits your child, your car and one that you can use correctly every time. There are some that are easier than others to use. The Britax seats, while expensive are very user friendly and install well in a lot of vehicles. The Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard all rearface to 33lbs and forward face to 65lbs, eliminating buying multiple seats until they are ready for a booster. The Safety 1st Uptown is around $100 and it is very nice. It rearfaces to 35lbs and forward faces to 40lbs. This is a nice middle of the road seat. The Cosco Scenera is about $40 and while it is bare bones, it is easy to install and safe.
I would avoid seats like the Cosco Alpha Omega and the Eddie Bauer versions of it. These are 3 n 1 seats and they DO NOT live up to the promise of the "last seat you need". They make terrible boosters and they have short harness slots that kids outgrow easy. They are not a good bargain.
The Evenflo Triumph is also nice, but it is really short, so long torsoed kids may outgrow it quicker that other seats.
The Britax seats are expensive up front, but in the long run they are cheaper. Also, they can be found online for much cheaper than paying full retail on. I would go to a store like Babies R Us and try some in your car. Then buy online to get it cheaper. Walmart and Target are currently the only places to find the Uptown.
Remember to keep your little one rearfacing until at least one year and 20lbs. The longer the better.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I like the Britax Marathon, Decathlon, Boulevard the best, not because they are pretty and expensive, but because they have taller top slots than most convertible carseats on the market, taller seat shells and higher harnessed weight limits. They will last the average child to age 5-6 in a harness. The Sunshine Kids Radian is also a great choice, it has even higher top slots than the Britax seats and will last most kids to age 6-7.

Other convertibles (even the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1/Alpha Omega) will be outgrown much, much sooner in the harness. This is because these seats have lower top slots (by 2-3 inches) and lower harnessed weight limits (40 pounds instead of 65 pounds).

Even though the 3-in-1 seats claim to be the only seat you'll ever need, that is rarely true. I know, we had one. The top headrest setting is only to raise the headrest higher in booster mode. That top headrest setting cannot be used with the harness. The second-to-top headrest setting is the highest harness setting, and when a child's shoulders go over top slots a seat is outgrown, regardless of overall weight. My daughter got too tall for seats like the Graco ComfortSport at age 2, and about 30 pounds. She was too tall for the 3-in-1s at 2.5 years old. Too tall for all other 40 pound convertibles by her 3rd birthday.

Since kids need to be harnessed to a minimum of 4 years old and 40 pounds, the Britax seats are a screaming deal if you break down cost per year to own. They are also some of the easiest seats I have ever used, though I always got good installs with my 3-in-1, Touriva, Scenera and most other seats I've used, too.

The Fisher Price Save Voyage Deluxe is actually made by Britax, based on the Marathon, same top slot height, 55 pound harnessed weight limit, a great budget seat overall because it's much cheaper than Britax seats but will last just as long.

Other good convertibles are the Cosco Scenera and Safety 1st Uptown. 35 pound rear-facing weight limit, the highest on the market, which is awesome. Kids should stay rear-facing as long as possible for optimum safety, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. These seats (Scenera and Uptown) have the usual 40 pound harnessed weight limit, though, and lower top slots than other seats (Uptown is taller than Scenera so it will last longer, and it has better padding and energy absorbing foam like the Britax seats), so they will be outgrown sooner and you may need another harnessed seat to get a kid to a full 40 pounds and 4 years old.

My off-the-charts child was too tall for all other convertible carseats using the harness by age 3, she would have fit a Britax Marathon or Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe until she was 5. She is 5.5 now and still safely harnessed in a Britax Regent, which will keep her harnessed to 80 pounds, or until she outgrows it by height, which will probably be at age 8-9.

Answer 3

All around best? The Britax Marathon, hands down. I moved my youngest into this seat at age 6 months, and my eldest still fits in his at 5 years. My eldest outgrew almost every other carseat on the market before he turned 3 years old, and yet, he still fits comfortably in this one!

The AAP is now recomending that children rearface to the limits of their convertible seat - between 30-35 lbs, regardless of their age, and the Marathon is great for that.

Whatever seat you buy, remember to read your manual and to have your seat checked by a certified car seat technician (check safekids.org). 8 out of 10 carseats are installed wrong, make sure yours isn't one of them.

Answer 4

The *best* carseat is the one that fits your vehicle, child, and budget and will be used correctly EVERY time.

That said - I've a personal preference for the Britax Marathon, as the installation is easy, it's well padded and comfortable for the child, had high harness slots (so lasts longer height-wise), and it is much sturdier than many others on the market.

Answer 5

I have the Eddie Bauer convertible car seat. It is rear/forward facing and is suitable for a child up to 100lbs. I really like it.

Answer 6

Britax Marathon are great.