Rear-facing Carseat (Convertible?) for 8 Month Old - Recommendations

OK, so I don't remember the brand, but for my youngest we bought a carseat that was rearfacing, converted to forward facing, and then to a booster. So we never had to buy another for him. It was probably Graco ... we bought it at ToysRUs about 5 years ago. They probably have something similar now.

We have 2 Evenflo Triumphs and they are wonderful. When I was researching them, the safety rating was almost exactly the same as the Britex and they are about 1/2 the price. It is so easy to get the kids in and out and adjusting is a cinch. My kids are both very comfortalbe in them. My sister has a britex and the Evenflo and she likes the Evenflo better because it is so easy to use.

I have the Britax wizard. It it a very expensive carseat but it was given to me. It gets very high safety ratings and that is the most important to me. I kept my son rear-facing until her was about a year and a half and then I changed it to front facing. Either way it can be tethered.

We have Alpha Omega 3 car seats. They are rated for 5 to 100 pounds, I believe. We had to buy 2, so money was a big issue. They are a lower price point. We've had them for a year or so, and are very happy with them. We used them both forward and rear facing. Probably not all the bells and whistles of the others, but they work well for us.

I purchased two Maxi-Cosi convertable car seats for our son (one for each of our cars) when he was almost 1. We never used them rear facing because he was too long at the time we purchased them (in the 90th percentiles for height), but they are built for it. We love the seats - they are stylish (lots of nice color choices), mid-priced (not as expensive as Britax), and are less bulky than others. They go up to about 45 lbs. for weight. They have them at Real Baby and at certain Target and Babies R Us stores. Good luck finding a new car seat that works for you!

L.
mom to Loudon, 17 months

We have the britax marathon. My daughter is still rear facing in it and she is 26 lbs and 27 months old. The reason I bought it is because they can stay in it forward facing until they are 65 lbs. I love the seat.

Don't forget that if your son is that tall now, he'll likely bet all for his other seats, too. We just got a new seat, supposedly for our baby, but we ended up swapping the seat with the one our preschooler uses. His head was nearing the top of his Britax Marathon (great seat and I think it's the tallest of the Britaxes, but keep reading) and when we popped him into the First Years True Fit Convertible car seat, he had INCHES of room 'til he gets to the height limit. So although he still had a while before outgrowing the Britax, he's got even more room. The seat is really secure, easy to use and about $100 cheaper than the Marathon. The one caveat is that it takes up a large amount of space when it's rear-facing & has the top section on.

I see that someone else already provided the link so I'll just 2nd it:
http://www.learningcurve.com/wps/portal/truefit

You might also look into the Sunshine Kids Radian seats. They're good from either birth-65 or birth-80 lbs. I have a few friends who have them and LOVE them.
http://www.sunshinekidsbaby.com/

Get great reviews & recommendations at www.car-seat.org.

We got an Evenflo Tribute V when our son was about 7 months old...he also got too long for the infant seat. It's on the lower end price-range, which we needed--I think it was around $70 or $80. Although it's only good up to 40 pounds forward-facing, we're thinking he'll be able to get some good use out of it for at least a couple years (he's now 15 months and about 25-26 pounds), and hopefully we'll be in a better financial position to get a booster seat or whatever by the time he outgrows this one. For what it's worth, he's been fine in this one and loves it even more now that he's forward facing and can see us. Hope that helps!

Our Britax was in an accident when my husband we hit on his way to work and we needed to replace it. We chose the Eddie Bauer and haven't looked back. We have 4 tall kids and the Eddie Bauer has been the one for us. We finally had to cut the straps and put in the trash because it expired before it wore out. A good hint is to take the car that you want to put the seat in with you when you shop. When we got our new car, a Subaru, the Britax and Evenflo models would not fit in the back seat backwards safely. They were just too big.

Try a Britax Marathon.

We've had two Graco convertibles that we've really liked. The most recent reclines in the forward facing position. We have a Cosco (I think) that also reclines in the forward facing position. I personally like Graco, though. I'm sorry I don't know models. I'm using my mom's seats right now. The only thing I don't like about convertibles is how big they are. All three that we have used have been quite bulky. The Gracos are better and fit a bit better. We have a teeny little 8 mo old girl, and she does just fine in her convertible, although we got the head rests for her that strap onto the shoulder straps. They work well. I think they were something like $15 at Babies 'R Us.

Check out the Britax carseats, a Marathon or Boulevard maybe. We have a Marathon as our primary seat and I love it. It is easy to use and very safe. They are pricey, but I think worth every penny, especially since your kiddo can stay in them until they are 65 lbs. Also, sometimes you can find discontinued colors or patterns on clearance sale.
And by the way, we have a Graco Nautilus in dad's car and it is also a great seat.

My son was too tall for his infant seat when he was 5 months. We have a Britax Marathon for our main car and an evenflo triumph advanced premier for my husbands. Both are nice, but we chose the Britax for primary use because of reviews (and a higher max weight). He did fine in both at 5 months. He seems to like the britax more, but that might just be because he's used to it. Both can be forward or rear facing. And at least in colorado you're required to keep them rear facing until they are 1 year and 20 lbs.

I always got the Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 seats for my kids after the carrier stage. They are rear facing until the year mark then they face forward, then turn into a booster, up to 100 lbs. Granted my son was a big baby, by the time he was 11 mos he was 22lbs and we turned him around as his feet were smashed up to the seat so we turned him around with the Pediatricians approval. It has to do with weight, strength more then age. Now at 4 1/2 he outgrew the five point harness very fast and is in a booster seat at 46lbs! :) My seven year old just got into a booster as she was a lot tinier and petite. So it has to do with weight.
The Eddie Bauers are just as safe, reliable, no recalls and less expensive then a lot of the Briax ones. The time is 6 years per seat as far as how long they last to be safe.
Good luck, do your research and almost all fire depts that do the carseat installations can give you tips, help you install them safely and have lists of recalls on specific brands. I took mine to the fire dept locally for installation every time. Make sure whatever you have has the LATCH system too.
Good luck.

We have two Evenflo convertibles and love them both. My son was 20 pounds at 6 months so we had to move him to a convertible. Good luck!

Check out Britax. They have a sytle called Marathon that has a feature that allows the car seat to recline a bit. I have used it with both my girls.

Hi J.,

We have a convertible made by Britax, but I'm thinking that the next baby is going to get a True Fit. They're just coming out with a new model that has an anti-rebound bar (a super safety feature when rear facing), and they get very high marks in tests and with car seat experts. There is a removable headrest that makes it fit well behind a front seat (your son wouldn't need the headrest yet), but I've been told that even when it's on, it's easier to fit rear-facing than a Britax Marathon even though it will last longer. Plus, they're more reasonable. Another good one is the Evenflo Triumph Advance, but it won't last as long heightwise.

If you want the whole scoop, and to ask questions of experts, check out www.car-seat.org. It's a fantastic place to learn about car seats, what's best, what might fit best in your vehicle, etc.

Blessings!
M.

we have a britax boulevard that has a crazy weight range of 5-65lbs. It's obviously a convertible. we didn't start out with it though. had first an infant peg perego rear-facing, but as dd grew her feet were cramming into the seat back and she looked so uncomfortable. that huge convertible seat was rear-facing for just a few months and then by the time she was 1 and 20lbs she turned around and a whole new world opened up.

I just changed from the infant seat to the Britax Boulevard and feel much better about it. Britax is also coming out with the Advocate this year as well.

I also love the Britax Marathon, it is a little pricer than some but when you consider safety rating and that it is good up to 65 lbs I think it is well worth it. You may want to check out travelingtikes.com they offer free shipping and do not charge tax.

Totally agree with other posters about Britax Marathon. We got one for my son when he was about 6 months because he was too long for the Graco one and it is definitely worth the money. He's almost 4 now and still uses it because the weight limit is up to 65 lbs...MUCH higher than most other convertibles, so definitely makes the higher cost seem more bearable because you can use it for so long. Plus, the fabric is super soft and it's really comfy for my kiddo.

Hi J.-
We have a Britax Marathon. Our son was always off the chart and started riding in it when he was 6 months old. He used it until he was 4 and then we moved him up to a booster so that his little sister could use the Marathon. It is quite pricey, but well worth it, in my opinion. It can take kids up to 65 lbs and that is a BIG kid :) Also the cover is easily removed and can be washed on gentle in the washer. Good luck, all the choices can make your head swim!

We use the Britax Marathon with our twins and we love it. (the kids love the car seat too - they hated their infant seats)

We use the Britax, I believe its the marathon. Can be used both, rear and front facing. My dd is almost three and has used it since she grew out of her infant seat. However with my son, we have been using his Britax Marathon since he was born. Although, you cant use it like a carry type. But, it worked because I used a bjorn when we were out, he wouldnt ever stay in the car seat in a store.
If you play youre cards right, you can pick up a Marathon on sale several times through out the year and get it for much cheapier. If you want I can look up where we got ours, it was the cheapiest sale.

We really like our First Years True Fit Convertible car seat. Our daughter is now 2.5 and is still rear facing in it. You can stay rear facing up until 35 lbs in the seat and forward facing for quite a long time as well. It comes with pads so smaller children can easily be made safe as well.

http://www.learningcurve.com/wps/portal/truefit

It is cushy, comfy, fairly easy to use, easy to adjust, and the cover is machine wash/air dry.

Our plan is to keep our daugther rear facing as long as possible. It is proven to be the safest position.

Find info on that here-- http://www.car-safety.org/

And yes, it does fit on an airplane, although I'm not sure it would fit rear facing. It might be too long. We got it after she was about 16 months old... we could still use her Graco Safeseat until then since it goes to 30 lbs and 32" tall. (My goal is always to get my moneys worth so I choose seats that I can use easily but will also last as long as possible)

Please let me know if you have any questions. I'm happy to give feedback. Our current seats are in a Honda CR-V and a Nissan Xterra. We also use them in the middle seat always since that, too, is the safest spot.

Take care and good luck!

PS-- Did I mention I'm an unbelievable researcher? The First Years used to be a Compass but the company was sold to First Years. I looked into Britax and everything-- in the end, the pluses of this seat sold it for me, especially since we needed two.

J.,
My son is longer than his carseat now and so we asked his pediatrician about it and she told us as long as his head isn't sticking out of the top of the seat then he should stay in the rear facing seat. Also, I read that convertible seats aren't as safe as the infant seats for babies under 12 months. I would ask your pedritian for advice before switching to another carseat.

That's my two cents:)
M. P

Hello my names D. and i have to agree with the other moms about the graco nautalis its amazing and what i use personaly, but i see how it would not work for you so this is what i sagest the Alpha Omega i use to work at babies r us so i no alot about carseats and the Alpha omega would be perfect its a rear and forwerd faceing carseat it comes with infant pating to sacure small babies it also exstense in hight so your child can ware a 5 point harness longer wich is much safer it also converts into a booster seat as well so this carseat will be the last carseat you will ever have to purches for your child as long as there are no axcidents anyway. I highly recamend the Alpha Omega. hope this helps.

I personally recommend Britax convertible carseats. They are expensive, but SO WORTH it!! I have the Britax Marathon and it can be rear-facing or front-facing and it has a reclining feature so you can adjust it easily to your little ones preferences in each position. The cloth is easy to clean, soft, and stain-resistant. The straps never get tangled and are easy to adjust as your little one grows. Britax is also rated one of the #1 carseats for safety! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE mine and I know I will be using it for all of my future children. Hope that helps :)!

J.,
I really like my Eddie Bower. We have the Convertable and then also the 3 in 1. We have a 3 year old and a 2 year old so we have lots of car seats and honestly 3 of them are Eddie Bower and the other is not we got that one from my parents. I thought due to the name brand that it was going to be more expensive but it wasn't and the kids really like them. Most days they fight over who gets which one.