Time for a toddler seat
Liv wants to walk more than anything. She pulls herself up on whatever she can -whether it’s a stable surface or not, like a pillow- and takes a step away from it. She hasn’t quite figured out the whole strength/balance combo when it comes to walking, but I love the way she just goes for it. Thankfully, one of us will catch her to keep her from splatting onto the floor. She likes us to hold under her arms and help her “walk” around the house. Once she figures it out, she’ll be all over the place.
It feels like she was just the baby who felt so soft and snuggly in my arms, and now pushes up on me and laughs when I try to snuggle her.
She also likes to read to herself.
Once upon a time, she was swallowed by her infant carseat,
and now it’s time to upgrade to a toddler seat and pack the other one away.
It’s true that babies don’t really need a lot of extra stuff to make them happy. But the things they do need, especially the ones that are safety-related, are tough decisions for me to make, especially when there are so many brands and options out there.
The initial thought was to just get the Orbit toddler seat, but after doing some research, I’m thinking it might not be the best option. The Orbit was awesome from birth until now, but from what I can see, it might be better off as just a baby carseat/stroller than one that would grow with her like we had hoped.
From the beginning, we have LOVED our G2 travel system.
It rotated, so it was so easy to put the seat into the base and rotate to face backwards, and also rotate the seat in the stroller base, so if we were at a restaurant, Liv could be in her carseat and face towards us. It made it extremely easy to switch her from carseat to stroller mode if she was sleeping (just take the seat out and put it on the stroller base), but now, there’s no way because it’s too heavy to lift from the car with her in it.
She’s always loved her bucket, but I’m starting to feel like it’s becoming uncomfortable for her because her legs are so long. Time to upgrade to a big-girl toddler seat, but after checking out the reviews online, I’m thinking we’ll choose something different than the Orbit. For the cost, there are a ton of options out there with better reviews, and the rotational benefit of the Orbit doesn’t seem as critical when they’re bigger since there’s no way to lift a toddler seat with the baby inside (the seat itself is 35 lbs and Liv is at least 20).
I’m kind of bummed because I thought the Orbit would be able to grow with us and last until the next baby. While I was pregnant, I was so blown away by the awesome reviews of the travel system, I failed to thoroughly research the toddler and stroller seat options. The good news is that we bought it with a promo, so the bassinet was free,
and we used the pieces often, but it’s not going to be as versatile as I had anticipated.
Some of the other seats I’m looking at:
and Recaro ProRide:
They all have excellent reviews, and I think the baby store here has them all in stock so we can check them out in person and decide from there. Fellow moms, please let me know if you have any of the above seats and what you think!
Stroller-wise, since the Orbit stroller base won’t work with any of the above, we’ll probably just use the Bob (which we all love) for outdoor adventures and running,
and get an umbrella stroller for errands and travel. Just something light, safe and inexpensive, since I usually wear Liv while we’re out and about. At the rate we’re going, she’ll be walking next to me and holding my hand before I know it.
113 Comments
Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
My husband can’t wait until we have kids to buy them Recaro seats – I guess they are a well-know car accessory company and he’s a car freak.
My sister in law bought the britax marathon one when my nephew got too big for his infant seat. She absolutely LOVES it. I have a feeling when my niece gets too big for her infant seat she will get a girl version for her. I highly reccomend it.
Every mom I know says Britax is the way to go. Also, I don’t know if you ever read the book “Baby Bargains”, but it recommends Britax as well. Side note, that book has great advice on what brands are best, worth the money and not worth the money when it comes to any and all baby products. I highly recommend checking it out!
We have the Safety First Complete Air 65. We love it. The Britax is so well reviewed, but this one comes with similar extras and is just a bit more affordable.
http://www.safety1st.com/usa/eng/Products/Travel/Car-Seats/Convertible-Car-Seats/Details/2890-CC092AOQ-Complete-Air-65-LX-Convertible-Car-Seat
Check your local BRU, too. We found ours there at a huge discount because someone had purchased it online and returned it without using it.
We love the BritaX marathon ! The brand always gets great safety reviews. It’s easy to install and feels very sturdy. My daughter is 1 and has been in it for several months now ! We use our BOB for almost everything but just invested in a Uppa baby umbrella stroller. It’s lightweight has great shade covering ( that was important to me) and opens and closes super easy. They run around $100. Good luck shopping !
We have the uppa baby vista stroller and LOVE IT! Does the orbit not come with a regular toddler seat for the stroller? Uppa baby comes with a bassinet, adaptor for an infant seat and a toddler seat (also great sun protection and comes with a mosquito net and rain sheild!). Such a great value. Glad to hear their umbrella strollers are great too. We will be in the market for one of those down the road.
We have the Britax now. Elias LOVES it. He’s so clearly comfy in it and sits like a little prince. Adorable. Our friend gave us their Britax though, and because our infant seat was a Maxi Cosi (and I loved loved loved it), if I were to have bought our toddler seat, it would have been the Maxi Cosi. However, Britax has amazing reviews, and my friend who gave it to me is a CRAZY person when it comes to safety, so I felt pretty good about it.
It’s crazy how fast they grow isn’t it? I’m already craving that itsy bitsy baby time…
We have, and love, the Britax Marathon. My son loves it so much! He jabbers the whole time we are in the car when he’s in that thing!
Take that back. We have a Britax Boulevard. Either way, Britax is the way to go!
For what it’s worth, I would (and did) choose the Boulevard over the Marathon for one important reason. The Boulevard has True Side Impact Protection. In my opinion, it was totally worth the extra cash. 🙂 Hope that helps!
Britax Marathon–my son, age 20 months, uses the one that is pictured. Love it! I did have to upgrade my daughter’s from the Marathon to a Graco Nautilus. She got a little tall for the Marathon. She didn’t reach the height limit, but I felt like she’d be more comfortable in a bigger seat. The Nautilus converts into a booster for whenever we make that transition. She is 4.5 years and I am keeping her in a five point harness until she realizes not everyone at age 4.5 is still in a five point harness. 😉
Hannah loves her Britax. She rides in a Maclaren umbrella when she’s not in the BOB.
I wouldn’t rush her out too fast. The recommendations are backwards as long as possible, one being the minimum. We kept our Liv in her Chicco until she was over one and she’s in the 90th percentile for height. Manufacturers in Sweden are making seats that allow kids to ride backwards until almost 5! I have the Britax Boulevard and really like it. I know lots of people who have the Marathon and like it. Heard and read great things about Recaro, they tend to me smaller, width wise.
The biggest thing is find a seat that fits in YOUR cars correctly! The most expensive high tech seat isn’t effective if it isn’t installed correctly. And for the love of your childs safety, don’t pick a seat because it looks cool or you like the pattern. That seriously happens way too often and I want to cry when I hear it! Not mom-judging, but this isn’t an area that “cute” is a factor! I really am not a fan of my seats fabric, but whatever, I deal with it. My husband’s seat will not fit in my car well at at all. We found a few that didn’t fit right in his. Most places will let you take them out of the store and try them out, you just have to leave your driver’s license of something, it was a great piece of mind.
I went with a Chicco and Britax based on safety seat advocates and a review done by the California Highway Patrol. These guys see way too many kids in accidents and see how these function first hand unfortunately. Most fire departments and some hospitals have care seat safety clinics you can bring your car too and have your installation checked at.
Good luck!
yes, she will be backwards as long as possible, but in a larger seat as her legs are very long and she’s ready for the next step.
i don’t care what it looks like, but am just focused on finding something safe that will last a long time, which is why positive reviews are so important to me (and why the orbit toddler seat looks like a no-go)
Really, “toddler seats” like the Britax Boulevard or Marathon are just as safe as infant seats for babies 5 pounds and up. The only reason that infant seats exist is because of the convenience factor. It makes baby more portable and allows them to stay asleep once they enter the house if they fall asleep in the car. 🙂 You can (and should) keep baby rear facing in these types of seats until 2 years per AAP recommendations. Sorry, I’m a bit of a carseat safety freak. 🙂
I had my daughter in the britax toddler seat for the longest time. I love it for her. As for umbrella stroller my Mom had insisted on buying a Chicco for $80. I was skeptical but 5 years later we’re still using it. It’s light, folds small, we traveled with it. Was just the best purchase.
I bought the Maxi Cosi after researching the Recaro and Britax also. I’m very happy with my choice and my daughter is super comfy in her car seat 🙂
Evan is only 4 weeks old but I read reviews on convertible carseats like it was my job and we are pretty sure we are going to go with the Recaro. My best friend has it, and loves it.
We have Peg Perego SIP 30/30 now, and we got their stroller so we can just snap the carseat in and when he is too big for the infant seat it we can use just the stroller later (so I understand your want to be able to grow with a system). We also have the Bob Revolution with the infant adapter (my husband ALWAYS has a stroller in his car, and I do too so if we just happen to want to run around with the baby we don’t need to worry about who has the stroller and who doesn’t).
It scares me how fast they grow, I love my little cuddler so much I can’t imagine him not fitting in his infant carseat, the thought brings me to tears. I just wish time would slow down a little.
I have the Britax Marathon! My 3 year old son is still happily riding in it. He is tall and is still comfortable. It is relatively easy to install (for those times when you need to transfer to Grandma’s car). It is easy to clean the cover — just save the manual and you are golden. The straps are easy to adjust. It is cozy for a little one to take a snooze.
This is exactly what happened to us. We bought a whole system that our little guy grew out of quickly… we went to the Britax and the BOB with cheap-o umbrella strollers. A tip, just get two umbrella strollers and keep one in each car… this way you are always good to go. I learned this one days when I forgot it in his car two cities away! 🙁 So I popped over and bought a $25 one and never looked back!
We have a Britax Marathon 65 for our little guy and we love it. Very easy to install, sturdy and the cow print is super cute 😉 He is a big little guy (will be 3 in Jan but is built like at least a 4 year old) and the seat is very comfy for him.
We have the Britax Marathon and LOVE it! My son was a big baby so we had to transition to a larger seat at 4 months. The Marathon has great head, neck and body support which made me feel comfortable since he was still so young. I also love their latch system which fits our cars (CRV and Odyssey) perfectly. My only complaint is it’s heavy when we switch cars but no so much that I wouldn’t buy another one.
Cistco has really nice ones for 84$. I don’t know the name but it works just fine and is safe.
I have used 3 Britax car seats and have been happy with all of them. Currently I use the Advocate G3 and am really happy with it- favorite so far of all three. My baby is comfortable and I love the safety features which include the TSIP and side impact cushions. The Marathon is the back up seat that’s in my husband’s car- doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the Advocate but still a great seat. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with Britax. (Their customer service is awesome too, should you have any questions or problems). Sometimes the seats go on sale at diapers.com so try to catch that if you have time to wait for it.
We have two britax marathon 70s. One for my two and half year old and one for my seven month old – we jst put him in it and he loves it. I love britax they are so sturdy and safe. They are big but all toddler ones are. I also find them to be really easy to install and move to another car if need be. Oh and get the cup holder attachment too. And the gray choice you pictured a good because it can be wide clean. We have that one and a cloth type one that’s red and mre of a pain to clean. Oh and umbrella stroller, we love our Chicco one.
Oh my goodness, I cannot imagine how tough this is. I have trouble buying small kitchen appliances and look at reviews. Can’t even fathom purchasing something so important.
We have both a Britax Boulevard CS and an Evenflo Triumph. The Britax has held up much, much better than the Evenflo (both have been in use a little over 2 years). The fabric is much nicer, the straps are thicker and don’t get twisted, stains come out easily.
However, I too was in a rush to get my infant out of their bucket seat and into a rear-facing convertible seat . . . and it made almost no difference in how cramped their feet/legs were. And he didn’t seem to mind AT ALL (stayed rear facing until two, at which point his legs were REALLY bent). Switching up mostly made it easier for him to see out the window. I looked around and bent legs aren’t a safety concern either.
So, Britax makes great seats, but you probably have some time and could wait until they go on sale – every year they change out fabrics, etc and the old models get a discount on Amazon.
Recaro by a landslide. It has a metal construction and the deepest side impact wings, which will also support her head better if she falls asleep. I only buy recaro seats for my kids.
I would also keep her rear facing as long as possible… just my 2 cents. I was involved in an accident and a neck injury is NO JOKE. As it happened to me as an adult and I’m still suffering years later, I want to keep my son’s neck and spine as protected as possible.
yes, rear-facing is a given. she’s only 7 months, but is so tall, she’s ready for a bigger seat
Whatever seat you choose, please leave her rear facing for at least 2 more years. She will be much safer in a rear facing seat.
yeah i never said anything about rear or forward- the rear-facing is a given, as that’s what’s recommended at least until they’re a year (and as long as possible after that). she’s only 7 months old
Sorry 🙂 There are so many people who never hear that rear facing is best, they think once babies outgrow their infant seat, they are ready to be turned around. Thanks for keeping that beautiful girl safe!!
FWIW I have 4 Marathons, 2 in each car. Very expensive, but SO easy to install, adjust straps, kids to buckle themselves, etc. LOVE my Marathons.
The AAP recs rear facing til 2 now just FYI. I wish they would change the laws to reflect that!
Britax is the way to go! We did extensive research and we bought two, one for each of our vehicles and we love them.
We have Britax Marathon in one car & Decathlon (no longer made) in the other & feel very confident with both. If you want a different cover that is affordable, I found some through etsy from sew cute in az.
We have the Britax Marathon 70 and love it. Sarah has not had any issues with it, and it’s grown well with her.
The other thing is that it’s very easy to get in and out of the car, but once you lock it in place, it’s very, VERY secure. And it’s easy to adjust the straps as she grows. Plus, you can get different covers for it; that came in handy when we had our first (and only, knock wood) “big girl” being sick in the car issue. I just swapped out covers and got it cleaned up much more quickly.
Plus, she can stay in it until she’s either too tall or 70 pounds. So it’s worth the investment.
Britax Boulevard! We have 2 in my car, and two in the hubby’s for our two kids 🙂 Good luck!
we have 2 Britax Boulevards and love them. our daughter is like a queen in her big cushy throne!
Also, please keep her rear facing in the new seat as long as possible 🙂
yes, that’s a given as she’s not 1 year yet. she just needs a bigger seat, it will be rear-facing for as long as possible after her first birthday
I love that reading picture!!
My sister had the Recaro ProRide for my niece and she had a lot of issues adjusting the head rest things so that they would actually be in the right place. A lot of time on long car rides my sister would just hold my niece’s head so it wouldn’t flop forward while she was sleeping. They also had to cut it out of the car after it was in there for so long and had to get a new seatbelt.
I don’t know much about any of the other brands, but those are the experience I had with that brand 🙂
We have two britax boulevards and love them. Great reviews, very sturdy, and my boys are very comfortable in them. I just switched my 5 year old to a booster seat, but he’s average size and can still comfortably ride in the britax.
I bought a chicco system when my son was born. Loved the carseat, and the stroller, but ended up not using the stroller as long as i anticipated. Once we went to the britax, we bought a $20 umbrella stroller for day to day use, and the BOB for everything else. I’m with you, while the carseat/stroller system was awesome when my boys were super small, I wish I would’ve known how little I would actually use it once we stopped using the carseat!
I have britax for both of my kids and absolutely love them!!
After our accident last November I was on the search for the safest car seats I could find. We ended up going with the RadianRXT. It is able to be rear facing from 5 lbs to 45 lbs, forward facing from 20 to 80 lbs and a 5 point harness up to 57″. Then a booster up to 120 lbs. It has a steel alloy frame and a 10 year life, where as all other car seats we’ve owned over the past 12 years have only had a 5 year life after manufacture. They are only 17 inches wide so we’ve been able to get 2 car seats and an almost adult sized soon to be 12 year old boy in the backseat of a Saturn Ion comfortably. They cost around $300 a piece, but the safety features were well worth the price in my mind, especially after being in a head on collision that could have ended so differently for all of us.
I love this seat! See my comments below. 🙂
I would definitely recommend asking the manufacturer of your car which seat they recommend. We ended up getting the BMW seat, which is amazing (it has the ‘block’ at the front so that smaller kids don’t flop, even if they fall asleep), and actually made by BMW for their cars (the car was a mini cooper, but apparently they are made by BMW these days.. ). As expected, it fit in so easy. Another factor is ease of cleaning. I didn’t appreciate it until the first incident of tummy flu’ but having cushions and pads that were velcroed in and just came out for washing, without having to take the whole damn seat out of the car (yes, not just heavy, but sometimes a bit tricky to get hooked up) was a big plus.
Another vote for the Britax Boulevard. My son is a few days older than Olivia but he hit the max height on his infant carrier a few weeks ago. We were torn between the marathon and the boulevard, but ended up going with the boulevard because it had additional safety features (side impact protection) over the marathon. So far we really like it, though nothing compares to the ease and convenience of having the little babies in their infant carriers that you can lift in and out :-). We got ours on amazon and it was over $50 cheaper than the in-store price. Also, I know Britax just released new colors, so last season’s model (which I believe but am not 100% sure is essentially the same as this year’s) is currently on sale at our local baby store (and probably elsewhere).
We have a Britax roundabout. I liked it because it didn’t seem as overwhelming as some of the other ones. I didn’t care for the material of the marathon and there was so much going on. Didn’t seem all it had cracked up to be. I went with Britax over some of the other well reviewed brands because I didn’t want to obstruct the baby’s view too much. Those head pads stick out really far and if I could get something just as well reviewed and enable her to see better, I wanted to go with that. For whatever reason it felt like the biggest decision ever and I drove myself crazy reading reviews. Good luck
Babies are not uncomfortable sitting cross-legged. (Have you SEEN the positions they sleep or sit in?!?) The time when you must change to a toddler seat is when baby’s head is less than one inch from the top of the infant seat. That said, choose a convertible seat that rear-faces as long as possible. You will still run into a cross-legged situation, but internal decapitation is no joke. Early forward-facing is more convenient, but (ahem) since when are kids convenient? 😉
yeah i never said i was going to face her forward, she’s just ready for a bigger seat. she sleeps like a pretzel all the time, but with her legs crossed by her and the fact that her head is up so high, it’s time to move on to the next one
I bought a convertible graco my ride 65 after my daughter outgrew the infant seat at 9 months. We bought a second car and she is now old enough to be forward facing so I moved the graco to the other car and we bought the britax frontier for my car. I like the britax seat so much better the buckles are so much easier to click into place. I recommend the britax. But I’ve never used the other seats you are looking at.
I know that my cousin bought a slim toddler seat because they have a five person SUV – they figured they could easily fit three in the back if they had the slim one – just something to think about!
We have the Britax Roundabout – the Marathon just seemed too huge for us. Love the Roundabout!
Keep her turned backwards until 12 months minimum. Their bones are not strong/ fused enough. If you are in a car accident and she is facing forwards she is at much greater risk of serious injury.
yeah that’s a given over here- i just want her to have more leg room because she’s so tall
You may want to do some research on umbrella strollers, my mom does daycare and says they have no back support and are the worse things for a child’s back. I’m sure you will but I know lots of people use them and don’t reliaze that.
Hey Gina,
I have three kids and I can swear by the Britax. Great seat and very safe. Also a great company if you need anything . Best of luck. I’m sure whatever you choose Liv will love it. Exciting news on the walking front.. You’re in trouble now, haha!
Check out Diono Radian RXT. It’s the best on the market from my research. Britax is still good- we bought a Marathon before I read more about the Radian, and it will go into Hs car for secondary use. But I think the Radian is better.
Sheesh… Did I miss where she mentioned that she was going to turn Oliv face forward? Chill out, people. We have a Britax Boulevard and Frontier for our 2 older kids and have been happy. My SIL loves her Radian. Good luck, it’s a tough decision!
thank you.
Haha agreed! I don’t know where people got that! We switched my son to a bigger carseat at 5 months. No big deal (and he’s still rear facing, obvi!)
I was thinking the same thing! I don’t know why people thought that meant that she was putting Olivia facing forward just because the little one’s getting to big for an infant seat. Chill out ladies!
And love the reading pic!
Every friend I know who switched from an infant seat to a larger seat, turned their babies around when they put in the new seat. So I mentioned above that rear facing is best. And I am pretty chilled out, thanks.
My little guy has yet to arrive, but I’ve read a LOT of good reviews on Britax. I ended up buying a Britax stroller, infant seat and toddler seat. Here’s hoping the reviews are as good as they say!
I thought the Orbit toddler seat looked neat, too. Probably not the most practical or cost effective, though. Here’s my two cents: stay as far away as you can from Recaro! I always check carseats against the HealthyStuff.org test results, and Recaro routinely ranks among the worst offenders for their BFRs (brominated flame retardants) and heavy metal content. Totally not something I am comfortable with, especially since you can find safer alternatives. I always thought I’d go with a Britax, but some of their fabrics (the darker ones, it seems?) also rank dangerously high on BFRs and heavy metals. So —– after spending days (weeks? lol) researching and calling companies, I decided on the Diono RadianRXT in their new untreated fabrics: Storm and Rugby. They are made of a fabric that is inherently flame retardant and as such, they are not treated with any BFRs. This made me feel much more comfortable having it in the car (not as much polluted indoor air) and up against Ben’s skin. Plus it’s supposed to be the safest seat on the market and has the highest rear-facing weight/length capacity of any convertible carseat. It can also be used as a booster right up until the child is 120 pounds (not that you’d have your high schooler in a carseat, haha).
Anyway, sorry for the novel, but I wanted to share my thoughts. Also, if you decide on the RadianRXT, I’m doing a giveaway for one in the next couple weeks on The Shopping Mama. 🙂
ohhh i’ll be on the lookout for it- thank you friend!
Britax all the way, they great!
Here are some of the links to last year’s carseat test results. They are currently preparing to test 2012 carseats; more info can be found on their FB page.
Carseat test results: http://www.healthystuff.org/get-stuff.php?report=Hazardous+flame+retardants+found+in+majority+of+2011+child+car+seats
http://www.healthystuff.org/findings.080311.carseats.php
FYI, the only one I could find from the “best of” list that is still on the market (in the tested color) is the Safety 1st in Lemans. But I feel good about the RadianRXT in Storm. 🙂