Wow, where did the last year go!?.. And which seat to get next....?

My baby is turning one and ready to step up to a larger seat. I want to keep her rear facing for as long as possible so we've been shopping for convertibles that face either direction. Safety and the little ones' comfort being number one priority, I would like the passenger (and driver) to be comfortable on longer trips if possible as well. The infant seat/base combo required the passenger seat to be moved up a bit, but was ok. It seems like all the convertibles are a bit larger though

My thoughts after shopping so far; I've seen a couple Britax, Recaro, & Graco seats that were contenders. The Britax luring me in with their claims of being the safest, but they don't seem as comfy as some of the others (our baby hates her car seat). They all seem to take up quite a bit of space, all seeming similar in size @ the stores. It seems the center of the rear seats allows more room, but then you give up the ability to use the LATCH system, which seems more secure/safer.

Searching driver turned up a lot of Britax owners with good things to say but the relevant threads were 2+yrs old and I'm sure the seats have changed since then so I'd like to know what rear facing seats do/did you guys use? Likes/dislikes about the seat? Were they behind the driver, passenger, or middle? Likes/dislikes about the placement?

 

tldr......SUNSHINE KIDS RADIAN XTSL





NOT MINE BUT 3 ACROSS...(1 is plenty for me lolz)

 

i just went all out on the first purchase, and got 2 recaros one for my car and my wifes. if they are good for racing then it sould be great for kids. Also, many seats are made in China. I would never trust my child in something from there, these are made in Japan and can go from 0-4 years old. super comfortable too.

 

My sister in-law works at a baby super store where we live and the Britax is what they have as the safest. It is also what we are planning on buying for our daughter, hopefully not for several months though. I'd go with Britax.

 

I love my Chico. It's the key fit system. It's not a convertible though. I'll look into britax since I need a forward facing

 

+1 That Chico Keyfit system is pretty slick, isn't it? It's what we use as well!

 

Faiz23, Where did you find the holder for the iPad?

 

We started with the Chico system and it was great. As my daughter got older I got a Recaro and my wife got a Britax. They are both great. The Britax seems a little more reclined and my daughter seems to sleep better in the Britax but seems more comfortable in the Recaro when she is awake. You can't go wrong with either brand.

 

I have an older eddie bauer in the middle because it has the same angle of recline that my seats do. And I have two turbo boosters on either side ( three across ). I hate minivans and SUV's so I found this combo worked out good. My wife drives the van and hates it too. Too bad Infiniti doesn't make a sport wagon.

 

Anybody use an infant seat in a coupe ? Got my first on the way & I won't be able to get a third vehicle until first of the year.

 

My wife and I each have a Recaro pro ride in our cars. Looks cool and seems very comfortable, compared to the cheap one I bought to put in my truck. Rear facing up to 35 lbs and forward facing up to 70 lbs. The headrest is fully adjustable and I just love it.