Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Car Seat Debate

Will has gotten every ounce of use out of his infant carrier/car seat. When Lani was pregnant with Hunter, we helped put together her Chicco Cortina Travel System after her baby shower. I was really impressed with it. It looked good, was easy to assemble, and light. After doing research while I was pregnant, we bought the same system and have not been sorry. We even have the matching Chicco Polly High Chair to match. I only have a few gripes about that, but that's a topic for a different day. The weight limit for the Chicco Cortina Infant Carseat is 22 lbs and 1 year old. Will is dancing right along this weight limit. Chicco also has the same Cortina Travel System with a 30 lb limit, just FYI. I don't the infant carrier would work for Will much longer because he's long. His legs are already scrunched up against the back seat. If we had gotten the KeyFit 30 instead, I would probably be in the same position, just with a smidge more time, but not much.
So the big question is what to get next? As much as I would love to stay in the Chicco family just because I've been impressed with all of their products we've purchased so far, they do not offer a convertible car seat. They just came out with a booster car seat, but Will is a couple years away from that. I was sold on the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat because it's in my budget, has great reviews, and is basically the last car seat contraption we'll have to buy for Will. It has:
  •  5 point harness for your 20-65 lbs kid
  • converts to a seat belt positioning booster seat for 30-100 lbs
  • converts to a high back or backless booster seat up to 100 lbs. 
  • comes in lots of colors (I'm a designer at heart...colors & looks are a little important, too!)
And it's $144! What a steal! However, in the back of my mind, I'm worried about it not being rear-facing. "They" (American Academy of Pediatrics, studies, doctors, etc...) say that you're supposed to keep your child rear-facing in a car seat as long as possible (car seat weight limit requirements and all...), and this contraption does not rear-face. This is my baby, safety is my #1 priority.
So after further research, I think I'm opting to keep my little Will rear facing as long as possible. I think we will go with the Graco My Ride 65. It can:
  • Keep your kid rear-facing up to 40 lbs
  • Keep your kid forward-facing up to 65 lbs
  • Removable infant insert and toddler headrest help keep baby comfy
  • 5-point, front-adjust harness helps you get baby in and out
  • And also comes in lots of colors!
And hello! It's on sale at Walmart for $129!

So please give me your input!
What did you purchase for your little one?
How long did they sit in the rear-facing car seat?
Any tips and advice would be extremely helpful!

4 comments:

  1. I love the Graco MyRide 65 because it offers extended rear facing as an option at a great price. For my 3 yr old daughter I put her in a Britax Marathon, and she rear faced until she was 3. Now she is in a Graco Nautilus, and the Britax is in my husband's car. My son is a fat little guy, and we splurged on him during tax time and got a Radian 80 XTSL. I found a great deal, and had a coupon, so I didnt have to spend too much on it. We LOVE this seat. Honestly, I would buy another for my daughter and rear face her if I could afford another one! Also, the SL models Radian carries allow you to use latch for the weight of the seat. You cannot use Latch ofter 40-45 lbs I believe. So, this gives us the option to LATCH longer, because we feel its safer than the seat belt. Only thing you need to really double check is the height the seat offers. Because a child usually outgrows height before weight.
    And remember, scrunching of legs doesnt matter! My daughter did not mind crossing her legs, and usually either stretched them up the seat, or just put them to the sides. Its how high their heads are on the shell. Their heads need to be at least an inch under the top of the shell. Its easier to fix a broken leg than a broken neck!

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  2. We have two My Ride 65s and LOVE them! Rear facing is the way to go! I have both covers, the one sold at Wal-Mart and the cover Target sells (I think it's called Bartlett). I have to say I prefer Bartlet. It's much softer than the cover you included in your post, but you really can't go wrong with either. It's a great seat!

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  3. My daughter rear-faced for 35 months and would still be rear-facing to this day if I could buy a taller seat with more leg room. She turns 3 in two weeks. My goal has always been to make it to at least 3 rear-facing. My daughter is such a peanut though that I would feel better if she rear-faced until she hit 30lbs. (She's only 25 right now.)

    It's really a personal choice of the parents though. Most people turn their child at 1 yr and 20lbs because that's what the law says is okay. I'd like to see at least every child rear-face to 2 but as long as they are following the law I have no issues.

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  4. I'm up for design and coolness as much as you..but I have to agree that if the rear facing car seat is safer for Will, I'd purchase that one.

    And thanks for the info..most of the tots I know only rear face up to 12 months.

    ReplyDelete

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