Need Recommendation for Convertible Car Seat

I don't think that infant carseat is safe for a 16 mo old. I am glad you are getting a new seat. We have Marathons and love them.

I use Britax Boulevard for both my girls - 8 months and 2-1/2. They are easy to install and really cozy. I love them, and they seem to be comfortable too. They are pricy and heavy to cary around, but are easy to install. Hope this helps. I know that they last a long time too for weight and everything.

I love our Britax Marathons. They are wonderful. They can be pricey but I feel they are worth it because it is safe and they can be in them for a long long time. My 4 year old does not want to give hers up. I am perfectly fine with that. She still has 25 more pounds until she can't ride in it any more. We actually have our number 3 and 4 marathons as my husband was in a car accident with the girls almost a year ago with 1 and 2. Everyone was fine, no injuries. But California law says that your insurance MUST replace your carseats in any accident if your children were in the seats and most likely WILL if the seats were in the car but the kids were not. I know that it goes up to 30 pounds rear facing but not sure the height requirement. I m sure you could check the manufactures web site for that. If your daughter is 16 months though and tall as you mention she probably should have been out of her infant seat a long time ago. When their feet extend beyond the end of the infant carrier it is no longer safe for them to be in. That is why the convertables were created.

My extra tall daughter fits well in the Britax Roundabout. Bonus - you can often find it on sale on amazon.com.

Britax Boulevard. It's not cheap by any stretch of the imagination, but it's by far, the best on the market. It's weight limit is higher than other seats, it's got side impact protection, it's got a nob that lets you adjust the shoulder-strap height without having to uninstall the seat, and it's SUPER easy to install. Well worth the extra $$$ in my opinion.

I also recommend the Britax Boulevard. You can't put a price on your child's safety. It's best to keep them rear facing as long as possible. It is the safest way for them to ride.

ABC news has some very informative segments on car seat safety. Here is the link:

http://abcnews.go.com/search?searchtext=car%20seat%20

britax would be the best if you can pay that much for it. i personally have a alpha omega elite. its a convertable so you can have it rear facing and it also goes up to 100lbs. it has a 5 point harness for up to 50lbs and the latch system. it also grows in height for your child. we have used it with my daughter since she was 10 months because she was just too long for the infant carrier. shes 2 now and still has a lot of wiggle room. the carseat is a little bulky but very durable :)

I have an Evenflo Triumph and a Britax Marathon. I favor the Evenflo because it's roomier on the sides. My son is tall and well built. Both seats seem quality, were easy to install but we didn't move them around. Evenflo was worth every penny ($160). I guess I expected too much from Britax, and that's why I'm dissapointed. It still works great, it's just that for half the price Evenflo is much more comfortable. Both are very safe. Evenflo is easier to change the shoulder height, no re-threading required.

we love our eddie bauer convertible. now our son is a little peanut so he hasn't stretched the size limits...but we are happy with it!

I wouldn't use anything but a Britax, but you can check this site also. This mother has invested a lot into educating others on the safest way to go.
www.kyledavidmiller.org

Britax Marathon.

Keep in mind that she may have no where for her legs if you keep her backwards.

My car safety person told me to return my Britax Roundabout and get the Blvd. It's more expensive, but grows better with the child. The Roundabout would have to be replaced sooner....We bought it when my son was about 8mos old and he is still super comfy in it and is almost 36in tall and 30lbs now (22 months old)! Plenty of room to go.

good luck!

I have the Roundabout by Britax and my son LOVES it. He was always uncomfortable in his infant seat. As soon as he sat in the Britax he truly enjoyed riding in the car. This was a huge relief to us! The Marathon can also go rear facing and that one might last longer in terms of weight/height. Always check if the car seat will fit in your car. Some of the luxury ones are too large for many cars. We were given the Roundabout and have stuck with it. We will probably have to get a larger one soon, though, as our son is also very tall. Good luck finding the right one for your daughter.

Hi C.,

We love the Recaro Signo convertible carseat. It is rear and forward facing, has an infant insert for extra cushion for head and side body comfort which can be removed as the baby grows. Recaro makes seats for race cars so they know a thing or two about safety. We switched our original Maxi Cosi Priori carseat for the Recaro Signo when we saw how poorly made it was, and had practically no protection in case of a side impact collision. The Recaro Signo will run you about $280-300 and can be used until your baby is about 7 or 8 years old, and in the 50-60lb weight limit.

i love my britax boulevard! my son is 17 months, 25 lbs and still rear facing. he loves the car seat and i am happy with all the safety features it has. :) easy to install.

britax has online video that shows u how to install all of their car seats too. :)

We have the britax boulevard and the sunshine kids radian 65. Both are great, but the britax has more padding, but my son (13 months) doesn't seem to care either way. The radian 65 is narrower in body (but still have plenty of space for the child) and their claim to fame is that you can fit 3 car seats in the back of a car and you can fold for travel (which we've done). Keep in mind that in CA, the law about car seats is 6 years or 60 lbs. Some people have recommended the roundabout and that seat only goes up to 40 lbs (forward facing). If your child isn't 60 lbs by the time they are 6, you'll need to get a booster seat. The roundabout costs between $170-$200 (per amazon) and on ebay (where I bought my radian 65), you can get a radian 65 (goes up to 65 lbs forward facing) for about the same price (with free shipping). You can read about the radian 65 on their website. http://www.skjp.com/product/165XX
I must say that I really like the radian 65 best for size (in the back seat, people can also fit comfortably next to the car seat (the britax takes a lot of room, only one person can fit with use of a seat belt in the back of my car and I drive a RX 330), easy to install, SIP, FAA approved, great safety ratings, etc.

Hi C.,
I have the Britax Marathon, and I love it. I used it rear facing with my son and now he is forward facing. The seat holds up to 75 pounds and is comfortable for my son- or so it looks like he is very comfortable, when he is sleeping and drooling while we drive in the car =) LOL... He was in a car accident with his father, with the marathon, and he walked away from the totalled car with just a few bruises on his shoulders from the straps that held him in his seat. The police officer even made a comment that I was lucky I had a such a great car seat otherwise my son would have been/ could have been seriously injured. I love the marathon, I have no problems installing it myself using the latch and tether system. I love it and highly recommend any of the britax seats.
Hope this helps,
Take care,
H.

We have a Britax Boulevard for our 16 month old son and are very happy with it. I found this website to be a great resource in helping me to choose which seats to get:

http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/

To anyone reading this: Infant carseats are for babies up to approximately 6-9mo. A child over 29 inches or 22 pounds is no longer safe in an infant carseat. The convertible carseat can be used from infant to preschooler and should face backwards by American Academy of Pediatric recommendations until 2yo or the backward facing weight limit (usually 30 pounds). Britax is the safest brand in ratings. The different seats have various features. We have one Marathon and one Roundabout and like both. In Baby Bargains (a great rating book), the Cosco seat for $50 was best rated as a second-car seat or Grandma's car seat if you need that.
Most important, get your tall 16mo toddler into the proper convertible car seat and for any other kids you have, make sure they transition sooner for safety.

I've loved the Britax Roundabout (I think that's what it's called).

Both my kids (age 4 and 2)are in Britax Marathons. LOVE them! Easy to install, safe, FAA approved (so you can take them on planes) and comfy for my kids. My son is very tall for his age, so he's been in his since he was 6 months old. He falls asleep in his all the time.

I would take your DD to a store like USA Baby and have her sit in all the models. Then buy the one that is most comfortable for her, has the highest safety ratings, and you can afford.

Wow I'm amazed she still fits in an infant car seat. Usually kids are out of them around 6 to 9 months old.

We have a Britax Marathon and a Britax Decathlon. They are virtually identical and we're happy with them. We used them for our older son until about age 5, when he switched to a booster, and our younger son is now using them.