convertible seat for compact car

[turtledazzle]

I tried posting on a car seat forum but didn't have any luck, so I thought I would ask the knowledgeable PSers.

T is almost six months old ( ) and we need to get his convertible car seats for our two vehicles. He's a big boy -- 90+ percentile for both height and weight (we'll get his current stats at his 6-mo appt in two weeks). I do want to keep him rear facing as long as possible.

We have two cars. He's most often in our 2010 Mazda5. We will put his new seat in the 2nd row passenger seat.

Our second car is a 1998 Saturn SL1 -- this would be the compact car He is only in this vehicle for 15 minutes each weekday. My major concern here is safety/ease of installation and still having some leg room for the front. He is currently in a Graco Snugride installed in the center.

While we don't want to spend unnecessarily, cost is not as much of an issue to me if we get long-term use from the seats. This is especially true for the Mazda5 as we'll have this vehicle for a very long time. The Saturn is obviously old, but is still under 100,000 miles so who knows how long it will last us.

Given our vehicles and our child's size, what would you buy?

Since he's only in the Saturn a very short time each day, I'm tempted to get a more inexpensive seat for that vehicle (Cosco Scenera?) but don't know about fit. The Saturn is just a small car, but T is a big boy.
For the Mazda5 I'm thinking about a Marathon or a Sunshine Radian, but I'm not sold on anything at this point.

Notes: I'm only 5'4" ... I've read some reviews of people having some rear view issues with taller seats (but my baby is tall right now at least).

Thanks!

 

[somethingshiny]

Lily is also 6 mo and we just got the Cosco Scenera. It's the highest rated convertible. My Grand Am's passenger seat is shoved so close to the dash, there is literally barely enough room for my knees. If I move at all I hit the dash. However, when it's just me driving and the kids in the back, it's fine. It fits a bit better in my husbands Buick. As much as I value comfort though, I still got the seat that was rated best for safety. I figure once it's turned around in a few months, it will be comfortable again.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Coming out of lurkdom just because this has been an issue for us, too.

First, can I just give you a high five for the Mazda5? Loooove mine. Practically any seat will fit in it, too. Score.

Second. The Scenera is a decent seat, but it is super Plain Jane. Hardly any padding, and it sits up REALLY straight - hardly any recline in case baby takes a nap, and tends to force their head forward onto their chest rather than letting them turn it to the side more comfortably. We have one for my parents car because he pretty much never rides in it, but needs one just in case. (On a side note, in the Mazda we have a Graco MyRide 65 and love it to pieces. It's padded and cushy and Micah pretty much passes out the moment we put him in it, he likes it so much. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=graco+65&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=iAU&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&prmd=ivns&resnum=1&biw=1280&bih=831&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=15751953722224457166&ei=90pRTaaGDpLQsAP8w_2sBw&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CK8BEPMCMAk# )

When we discovered the Scenera issue, we got a different seat for my husbands car. It's an Evenflo, not sure of the style, but it looks almost exactly like the Scenera (and cost almost as little) with one big difference - better recline.

Now, something else to factor here since the Saturn is small. Recline takes up more space. If your LO never falls asleep on that 15 minute ride, the Scenera would be perfect for you because it will take up far less room.

Any other carseat you choose is going to make the passenger in the Saturn (if there will ever be one) bite their knees. It's not terribly safe if the airbags go off.

 

[Shoopy]

I have a toyota corolla. I have had the First Years True Fit and the Safety First Complete Air rear-facing in the corolla. Both require me to push the passenger seat forward but other than that, it fits comfortably. I don't know how it fits forward facing though since she won't be turned around for a while. I love both seats. She's 19 months, 25lbs, 34" for comparison.

As for the passenger, depends on how often you have passengers in your car. We have an SUV so if we need to go somewhere with other people, we take that car. In my car though, it's usually just FI and me so one of us will sit in the back. It comes with having a rear-facing seat.

ETA: Just for clarification, there are no safety ratings on car seats. Just ease of use ratings. Consumer reports on car seats are not reliable as they a) do not publish their testing procedures and b) do not test all collisions. The best seat is the one that is installed correctly and can be used the safest for your car. Also meant to add that the Sunshine Radian is an awesome seat but it does take a lot of room rear facing. And you have to make sure that your car has anchors on the bottom for tethering. Our Edge did not (none of our seats have rear face tethering though). This seat is also good for a small car: http://www.amazon.com/Combi-Cocorro-Lightweight-Convertible-Licorice/dp/B00261RQYY

 

[Puppmom]

I can’t wait to see the answers. We have two Corollas and were just thinking we need a new car!

 

[NovemberBride]

I believe that the Sunshine Radian is a much more compact seat than the Britax Marathon. I have a Honda Accord and my DD is rear-facing in a Marathon in the center seat. I am 5'2" and I have no problems, but my DH who is 6'4" cannot drive the car right now because he can't get the seat back far enough to drive. DH rarely needs to drive my car, so I keep her in the center position since it is the safest, but if it were his car we would just move her to the passenger seat side. My DD is pretty small, so I have not been as concerned about height and weight limits, but my good friend has a son who is in the 100% for height and she chose the Sunshine Radian because it is supposed to be good for tall kids. I think the Marathon is good for tall kids as well and I love mine, but it is a big and bulky seat.

As others have mentioned, the Cosco Scenera is also a popular option, especially where the child wouldn't ride in it for long periods, because it is less padded than the other options you mentioned.

 

[janinegirly]

I think this has been discussed a few times (I probably asked the question, so time to returnt the favor . We ended up with the Cocorro which is very cute, no base and compact. It's in grandma's european compact car. It might not last as long as the others, but our LO is petite, so it's been fine and she's almost 2 1/2. The Maxi Cosi is another popular one. Others will say make the best long term investment and go with the smaller of the Britaxes (Roundabout), but it'll still have a bigger footprint that these earlier ones mentioned and then you run into the same connundrum (will not last as long as the bigger Britaxes).

 

[somethingshiny]

RE: the Scenera sitting up high. It sat too straight in my car for rear facing so we took it to the car seat safety person and he added a pool noodle (3) in the crease of the back seat to recline the car seat more. So for us, the recline is fine. But it is a pain in the butt to take it out and put it back in since you have to mess with the noodles. It still meets all safety requirements with the noodles added.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Fiery, where were you when I was looking for convertible carseats? We've had to put Claire FF since one year because the Radian is too tall for my Toyota Matrix. That one you posted looks awesome.

I do like the Radian for its slimness. You can still fit two people in the backseat next to it.

 

[meresal]

WE were also looking into the Corocco and the Maxi Cosi, LOVE the style... however, they only hold up to like 40 lbs, whereas the larger ones hold up to 60'ish lbs.

What do you do when you outgrow the small one, but can't use the toddler seat yet? It seems like a waste of money to us?

 

[NovemberBride]

Mer,

The recommendation is that kids sit in a car seat until 4 and a booster from 4-8. If your child is going to weigh more than 40 lbs. before age 4, then the safest option would be to get another car seat that went up to a higher weight limit. If you didn't want to do that, you could get one of the 5 point harness booster seats. It is not recommended that you use a regular booster seat with the lap and shoulder belt until age 4.

 

[janinegirly]

WE were also looking into the Corocco and the Maxi Cosi, LOVE the style... however, they only hold up to like 40 lbs, whereas the larger ones hold up to 60'ish lbs.

What do you do when you outgrow the small one, but can't use the toddler seat yet? It seems like a waste of money to us?

I think this is where it comes down to personal choice. Depends on your child's size and frequency of use (ie is in the main car or a secondary car) and how important compact is to you. In our case, DD is petite so we should be ok.

 

[turtledazzle]

Thank you all soooo much! I sincerely appreciate the replies. I've got to start getting things ready for tomorrow and then get to bed, but I'll read everything in detail hopefully tomorrow.

MP -- love the Mazda5!!!

 

[turtledazzle]

Well, it took me a while to finally make at least one decision, but I just ordered a Britax Boulevard for the Mazda5. Hopefully it works out well, because I am researched out! Ugh ... too many choices and variables. I have not ordered anything for the Saturn yet, but still leaning towards getting the Cosco Scenera (he rarely falls asleep during his 15 minute ride in the Saturn).

Thanks for all of the help!!!

 

[meresal]

Congrats on making a decision Turtle!

We decided to go with the Britax Marathon. I hope you like yours as much as we LOVE ours!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

We have a Cosco Scenera in one of our cars and it works great for a second seat. I have only used it front facing and have the nicer version which has slightly thicker padding. It was $60 and I really like the way it looks.