car seat convertible booster

What would you say is the BEST convertible car seat?

I have a 3 month old baby, well he is almost 4 months and his height is 26inches I wanna start looking for those convertible booster seats those that he will be able to use when he gets older. Because the one that he has now he will be able to use until 29inches long he only weights 15 pounds but he is very tall.
Which one would you recommend me?

Well, you don’t want a convertible booster seat – you want a convertible seat that goes both rear and forward facing. Also, he may have more time in his current seat than you think, infant carrier seats are outgrown when either of these happens:
1)the weight limit is reached, usually 20-22lbs
OR
2)there is less than 1″ of seat above the child’s head. This is the ONLY height guideline that matters. The stated height on the seat, 29 inches is only a guideline. That’s b/c people carry their height in different places, you can have 2 babies, both 29 inches and one will fit and one won’t, it depends upon how long their torsoes are. Not every 5′6″ tall person has the same length legs or torso.

When shopping Remember these rules:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money!
2)children need to stay rear facing as long as possible.
Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child’s life!
A)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.
B)A child’s vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.
C)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.
D)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)
3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can’t sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs.

So…knowing all that, here’s some about specific seats. Don’t get a Graco Comfort Sport. Car seat techs call it the ‘crappysport’. LOL Its a crappy seat that won’t last your child very long b/c it has a really short shell. The straps twist all the time, and if they’re twisted they won’t support your child in a wreck properly. They’re hard to install. There’s nothing good about these seats except perhaps they’re cheap sometimes. Ditto the Safety1st 3-in-1/Cosco Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in1 seats. These are all the same company – same seat, just different covers. They stink. Hard to install, b/c of narrow belt paths. Ever tried to wash a skinny cup by hand? Now imagine that skinny cup with pointy edges. That’s what putting your hand through these to install them is like. AND they have too short a shell to really go to 40lbs. And that’s another misleading thing the box says – 5-100lbs. What the box fails to mention (you don’t find out until reading the manual!) is that the harness only goes to 40lbs, NOT 100lbs! After 40lbs it must be used as a booster.And they do not make good boosters. Also, most kids have to use boosters until they’re at least 8 years old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, so no matter what they say it is NOT the last seat you’ll ever need to buy…Had to edit this part now, b/c Dorel has revamped the 3-in-1s, and if make sure you get an ALpha Omega Elite or 3-in-1 that specifically says up to 50lbs, its not a bad seat. The Triumph Advance and Britax Marathon install a heck of a lot easier, but the AOE is an ok option as long as its the new one.

The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different features. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. Top slots 17″, harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. Wide open belt path, easy to install. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don’t have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. It can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode.

The Compass True Fit, same as First Years True Fit, is great too. 16.5 inch top harness slots, half inch shorter than the Britax Marathon and Evenflo Triumph Advance. Rear faces to 35lbs, forward faces to 65lbs, has built-in lockoffs, and you never have to rethread the harness to change harness height. The headrest is removable to fit better in smaller cars.
WHY REAR FACING:
http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf
In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.
http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/kisitest_2002/videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosipriori.mpg

Here’s another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jen_nah/carseats/?action=view&current=video06A_MGA_213_RearFace-Convertib.flv

The story of a child who suffered severe injuries from being forward facing when he could’ve been rear facing:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59783

~ Eddie BAUER Convertible 3 in 1 Car Seat Booster 5 – 100 lbs Harness GLACIER $49.99

Safety 1st Go-Hybrid Kids/Child Convertible Booster Car Seat $158.95

Diono Radian R100 Dune Convertible + Booster Folding Car Seat NEW $207.99

Diono Radian R120 Rugby Convertible + Booster Folding Car Seat NEW $247.99

Diono Radian R120 Storm Convertible + Booster Folding Car Seat NEW $247.99

Diono Radian R120 Daytona Convertible + Booster Folding Car Seat NEW $247.99

Evenflo 5 Point Harness Booster Car Seat Convertible New $85.99

Safety 1st Go Hybrid Convertible Booster comfortable Safty Car Seat with latch $216.77

Safety 1st Go Hybrid Convertible Booster comfortable Safty Car Seat with latch $182.95

Safety 1st Go Hybrid Convertible Booster comfortable Safty Car Seat with latch $204.13

Sunshine Kids – Diono Rugby Radian RXT Convertible Car Seat + Booster New NIB $288.99

Sunshine Kids – Diono R120 Rugby Radian Convertible Car Seat + Booster New NIB $259.99

Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 MultiUse Convertible Booster Car Seat 8J00LGR Toddler Baby $182.47

Graco Nautilus™ 3-in-1 Car Seat Baby Kids Convertible Booster Gear 8J00DOI NEW $166.48

Safety 1st High Back Booster Car Seat Convertible Baby Child Infant First Cosco $78.99

Pink, girl, car seat, booster, Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 convertible, NIB – Tilla $129.99

Evenflo Booster Car Seat Convertible Five Point Harness w Armrest Child Car Seat $83.99

Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3-in-1 Convertible Car Seat/Booster $129.95

Diono Radian RXT Cobalt Convertible + Booster Folding Car Seat NEW $271.99

Diono Radian RXT Daytona Convertible + Booster Folding Car Seat NEW $271.99

Safety 1st Go-Hybrid Kids/Child Convertible Booster Car Seat $159.95

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