What conversion car seat is best for a thin, long baby?

Answer 1

The best seat for your baby is one that fits the baby, fits the vehicle, and will be used correctly 100% of the time.

That being said, I personally recommend the Britax conversion seats, with the Marathon and Boulevard being possibly the most favored. Also the Sunshine Kids seat called the Radian. All of these seats have a high rear-facing limit (around 32-33 lbs.), fairly high harness slots for longer use with long-torsoed children (I think around 17-18 in. at the tallest slots). Also, they have some of the highest weight limits for forward-facing, going to 65 lbs. to keep your child safely in the 5-pt. harness as long as possible.

The Britax Roundabout is almost the same, except it only goes up to 40 lbs. forward-facing, as do most other seats on the market. The Britax seats are generally of exceptional quality, though, and are tested far beyond the minimum safety requirements many other manufacturers are content to stop at. I've heard that the Decathlon isn't worth the extra $$ for all of the cushions & pillows, etc. & that without them, it is basically the same as a Marathon.

I actually own a Radian, but I hesitate to recommend it 100% because it is notoriously fickle about fitting well in different vehicles. It fits fine in mine, in the outboard seats only, but I can't get it installed acceptably in the middle seats, where I'd rather it be placed. Also, it installs better forward-facing than rear-facing in my vehicle, so I couldn't use it in the RF position if I wanted/needed to (I don't, luckily). It was well worth the $$ to keep my 4 (now 5) y/o daughter harnessed a lot longer than she would otherwise be, though.

If you want these features that will allow your to RF longer, and harness FF longer before going to a booster, be prepared to pay a bit more. There are few seats on the market that meet these requirements at this point.

But definitely search around a bit-- you can find GREAT deals on the internet, sometimes with free shipping.

BTW, the 20 lb/12 mo. milestone to go FF is just a MINIMUM. Many safety organizations and the AAP recommend RF up to the max weight limit of the seat you own, thus the reason it's important to get a seat that goes to at least 30 lbs. Just like 40 lb./4 yr. old is the MINIMUM for many booster seats. But that doesn't make the booster safer, if your child could still be in a seat with a 5-pt. harness. Each step "up" from RFing is actually a major step *down* in safety. Not necessarily something you want to jump into just because your child meets the minimum requirements, KWIM?

Good luck! Good onya for putting some thought into this purchase, that could very well save your baby's life someday!

Answer 2

Everyone that recommended the Britax seats are right. They are great for long babies. However, don't get the Roundabout. My 19mth old nephew is almost too tall for it already.
A couple other ones to consider are the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe. It is made by Britax, just without all the extra features. It is basically a stripped down Marathon. It is around $130-150.
The Safety 1st Uptown is also really nice, although it only goes to 40lbs, it will last until around age 3.5-4yrs.
Avoid the 3 n 1' s such as the Alpha Omega and it's Eddie Bauer clones. They will not be the last seat thay you need and they are overpriced.
Something to keep in mind, is that not all babies are the same, so trying to follow the height guidelines for seats may or may not work. It is better to look at the overall height of the shell of the seat and to look at how high the harness slots go.

I will also reitirate how important it is to keep your baby rearfacing beyond one year and 20lbs.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

If you have a tall baby, DO NOT get the Graco Comfort Sport. It has the shortest harness slots of almost all the seats.
The Britax seats go to 65lbs instead of the normal 40lbs, so it also has taller slots than the rest of the seats.
I own a Britax Boulevard and it is worth every penny. If you can't afford that much, then I recommend a Britax Marathon, or a Sunshine Kids Radian (make sure the store has a good return policy in case it doesn't fit your car)
If all of those seats are too expensive for you, than I recommend the Cosco Scenera (the one with the 5pt harness, not the tray)

Answer 4

Until the age of one, baby should be rear-facing. As long as the car seat is safety approved(in Canada, there's a red maple leaf sticker) and it's not outdated. Never use a car seat that's ten years old or older, they have to be thrown out.

Answer 5

We live in the US, and we have a Graco convertible car seat. It's good rear-facing up to 30 pounds. Even if your baby is tall, it's best for him to be rear-facing til he's both over 20 lbs AND over 12 months old.