Seat to grow with son?

[peavermom]

Hi, I am new to this forum and instead of searching for what I need to know I'll just ask straight out and hope someone has an answer for me.

What seat would be best for my 2 1/2 year old son. He weighs 30 lbs and is 37 inches tall. We have a 2004 Trailblazer EXT. I want to get something that will last him a while but doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Papooses]

I would get a $35-50 Cosco Scenera to keep kiddo rear-facing for another 5 pounds ... saving towards the Britax Regent, which will keep him harnessed the longest

Or there's the new Recaro Signo coming out this summer (preorder is occuring now) or the Recaro Young Sport -- both are very expensive, but the Signo has very high weight/height limits too keep kiddo safe until truly ready for a booster (most kids are not mature enough for a booster until after 4-5 years old) & the Sport becomes one of the most dedicated boosters after the harness is outgrown (the only company to use energey absorbing foam in the hips/torso as well as the head for better side impact protection).

Other options include the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe or Sunshine Kids Radian. The Radian has higher weight/height limits than the FPSVD but is more difficult to install correctly in more vehicles

There's also the less costly Cosco Apex, but it requires built in vehicle head support so it could be useless in some other vehicles (carpool, travel, etc.) & is just more flimsy in general than these other options.

I like to choose a couple favorites of mine & then let kiddo sit in them to make the final decision Just remember to follow both vehicle + carseat manuals....

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Booster Seat A booster seat raises your child up so that the car's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. The lap belt should fall across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should go across the middle of the shoulder and chest. A booster seat is used for older children up to about 80 pounds. Some states have passed laws requiring booster seats for children up to age 8 or 80 pounds. Check your state's law.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

	RECARO - Click for more info With over 100 years of company history and long standing experience in vehicle seat construction RECARO knows how to make long journeys a pleasure for the whole family. Materials, design and technical highlights ensure a pleasant journey for adults and children alike. RECARO uses its strength as the premier mobile seat manufacturer to engineer an innovative line of products for your children. No other manufacturer can apply experience from production vehicles, commercial vehicles, and race cars to design toward the comfort and safety of children.

	Sunshine Kids - Click for more info Makers of a number of accessories geared towards making parents lives easier, Sunshine Kids has recently embarked in a new direction. In 2005 they unveiled their first car seat, the Radian. Their years of experience working in children's products focusued on child comfort and parent convenience shine through in this unique convertible car seat. The Radian is packed with safety features and is the first ever folding convertible car seat appealing to parents who car pool or travel often.

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.

	RECARO Signo - Click for more info The RECARO Signo car seat is the premier convertible child seat RECARO produces. With its 5-70 lbs weight capacity, adjustable harness, and forward or rear-facing convertibility, the deluxe RECARO Signo may be the only car seat you will ever need. The Signo offers the same basic features and specifications as the RECARO Como convertible, but adds a few features - such as double wall head support and infinite harness adjustment settings.

[peavermom]

He is in a Graco Comfortsport Convertible now. I was wanting to move my 9 month into that one (20lbs, 18 in currently in Graco Snugride). Maybe I should just leave them where they are at for a while? I'm just tired of lugging that infant seat around.

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Infant Car Seats Infant-only rear-facing seats are for babies up to about 22 to 30 pounds, depending on the specific car seat. You will need a new seat when your child gets bigger. Infant-only seats have handles that allow you to move the seat from the car to the house or other locations. Some have a base that you can leave installed in the car, so you can just click the car seat into place each time you use it.

	Graco SnugRide - Click for more info The Graco SnugRide with EPS infant car seat is a highly popular and top-rated infant car seat that provides first-rate transportation safety for your baby, plus convenient mobility options for you. Even with its relatively low price, the Graco SnugRide with EPS receives unmatched praise for its safety by leading consumer magazines and websites.

	Graco - Click for more info Graco is one of the world's best known and most trusted juvenile products companies. They started the entire juvenile products industry with an invention called the Graco Swyngomatic. Since then they have invented products that have changed the way that parents travel with their children such as the travel system, which has made it so parents can lock an infant car seat into a stroller easily, without waking their sleeping baby. Their Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat is pretty much synonymous with the term “infant car seat” because of its safety and design features coupled with its affordability. Today Graco continues designing and developing top-quality products that inspire parents and keeps children safe. Check out the new Infant Safe Seat Step 1 and Toddler Safe Seat Step 2 for proof of Graco’s continued commitment to child safety.

	Graco ComfortSport - Click for more info The Graco ComfortSport is a well-priced convertible child car seat, with all the key features you'd expect, including a 5-point easy-to-adjust harness, a two-piece harness tie (chest and crotch), washable fabric, and a indicator that lets you know if you've installed the seat safely level. Various "soft goods" options are available in the different models, ranging from no extra soft goods (Prague) to the Metropolitan's detachable head support, harness covers, and toddler pillow.

[Papooses]

You could -- if they both still fit their seats according to the manual....

Bigger kiddo has reached the maximum RF limit on the ComfortSport & baby needs at least 1" of hard plastic shell/frame at the top of the head.

Because RF is sooooo much safer than FF, it would be worth the at most $55 for the Scenera for bigger kiddo to get that 5 extra pounds + the Scenera has taller top harness slots & a taller shell/frame so kids outgrow it FF later than the ComfortSport as well (unless they're quite heavyset).

	Forward Facing Car Seats A forward-facing car seat is one in which the child sits facing the front of the car. The seat should be installed in the back seat of your vehicle. Most forward-facing only seats are for children above 20 pounds.

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Graco ComfortSport - Click for more info The Graco ComfortSport is a well-priced convertible child car seat, with all the key features you'd expect, including a 5-point easy-to-adjust harness, a two-piece harness tie (chest and crotch), washable fabric, and a indicator that lets you know if you've installed the seat safely level. Various "soft goods" options are available in the different models, ranging from no extra soft goods (Prague) to the Metropolitan's detachable head support, harness covers, and toddler pillow.