Our little one is about to outgrow his Peg Prego infant car seat.

Can anyone give advice on the next stage convertable (rear or forward facing) seats?

I understand the Britax Roundabout fits...is there any other seat to consider?

Appreciate any help :smile:

 

Britax Roundabout is overpriced crap for sucker parents who figure more expensive = more safe. (go ahead, ask my opinion )

Sure, it fits in the MINI...particularly if your spouse (assuming you're driving) is under 5' tall or actually likes sitting with his/her knees under his/her chin. But bottom line is that it's a big honking hunk of plastic that is hard to clean and breaks easily (mine required replacement parts twice and ultimately broke off the base, irreparably). Oh, and it costs about twice what other seats do.

I have had great luck with the basic Graco seats with the 5 point (?) harness. They wear like iron, are inexpensive, and convert to a regular booster when junior outgrows the need for the harness.

 

Does the Graco fit in rear-facing mode? And do you know what the model you have is called?

Franky, I looked at the Britax over the weekend and yikes was it ugly. It was like they went out of their way to use the most hideous fabrics possible. I know car seats are about safety before fashion but jeez. I won't even mention the grey-white plastic base.

At the end of the day the most important thing is finding a seat that fits well and is safe. And the clock is ticking.

 

This is one of those times where you should rely on Consumer Reports. There are many different versions of car seats, and not all of those by the same manufacturer are necessarily safe and/or reliable. Graco has made some shady seats, and some excellent seats. I have found CR ratings to be very insightful:
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/...=1097609781943

 

I/we have a britax but its quite old (4yrs) and I don't know what a "roundabout" is. Its nice though. It does fit in the Mini no problem and when 2 year old Calvin falls asleep he is very comfortable. He sits behind me and I'm 6'1" and he's a big 2 year old. We have no clearence issues. That said the Brtiax is usually in the Honda and he is in a blue seat with little armrests (I think its an Eddie Bauer) that takes advantage of the latch system. The four year old is in a booster seat that uses the normal belt. You didn't say how old your youg un was. Do you still need it to be rearward facing? I don't think either of ours do that. Consumer Reports is a good start but I'd also say to physically install the seat to make sure it you and child will all be comfortable.

 

Our son just turned 3 months old yesterday. But he is already 17.5 lbs and 25.5 inches long and is just about ready to spill out of his infant seat.

I have looked at Consumer Reports...but with a "specialized" car like the MINI, fit is obviously critical. Whatever is next has to work rear-facing.

 

Hey Spycar, nice to see you around NAM! Congrats on the newborn!

Sorry no kids yet so I can't give you any carseat advice, but my nephew uses a Britax car seat (He is 4 and a half years old) and that seat is like a throne so huge it won't fit not even inside a Hummer.

I am not impressed with Britax products given the price point. Fisher Price use to make excellent car seats but they stopped manufacturing them some years ago.

I can't believe that Peg-Perego doesn't have anything for your current need. I think Perego makes very high quality products, after all they have Italian design.

 

Thanks, I should get around here more often :smile:

You know sometimes you need to turn to your countrymen. I know all about what car-seat I would get if I lived in England

Figure someone on here has got to have some opinions on the issue.

 

get one of these:

 

He's big...but he ain't that big

 

Try, the Evenflo Triumph 5 Convertable, it should work no problem.
I work at toys R us/Babies R us and I sell these things everyday.
FYI though, Evenflo's custumer service is crap, so if you have any problems, try exchanging the car seat at the store you bought it as soon as possible.

link

 

The Graco/Century seats I wrote of were actually for slightly older kids than I think you have. If you're looking for something that can still be used rear-facing, I don't have a specific recommendation (other than to avoid the Britax that my guys used at that in-between age...but that was mostly pre-MINI). I too have heard good things about the Evenflos...but the key will be to go to a store and TRY several for fit. In this regard, you may be better off at a smaller store than one of the big-box places. You can always do your shopping at a small store and then buy online or from a big box store. You're right though, not just any seat (especially rear-facing) will fit in the MINI.

Good luck!

 

wow he's pretty big. my 2.5-month old daughter is 13lb and 24.5 in and I thought she was big. we've used Baby Bargains. It comes out yearly with updates for new models. The ratings also try to account for price. We are still in the r-f infant seat and haven't started looking. I'd be interested in what you find, though.

 

She's a big girl too, wow!

Congratulations...it's wonderful, huh?

With all these future 6-footers coming up maybe we better petition MINI to start building a 4 door Estate version by 2012.

Looks like I'm going to have to go around and try even last convertable car seat on the market and see what works.

I'll post what I find out.

In the mean while if anyone else who has already been through this wants to pipe up please feel free.

 

Tried the Triumph 5 (at Babies R Us ) unfortunately the quick harness tightening **** near the base, which is a very nice feature, sticks out too much in rear facing mode and hit the side of the car. Makes it pretty much impossible to fix. Also very heavy.

The Graco has very limited recline positions (read either up or down) and the worst thing from my point of view is that the latch system is just a simple clip rather than having a seat-belt type release button. Makes removing the seat very very difficult. Might be OK if you were going to fix it and forget it...but the MINI is not going to be our prime baby hauler and I need something that is a snap to take in and out. Too bad the price is right.

Hate to say it...but it looks like the Britax Roundabout may win by default. It fits, is number one rated for safety...just wish the fabrics were nicer and boy is it expensive in comparison.

 

Actually, they are the safest on the market and they fit the MINI. Parents who do their research really aren't suckers.

Most American made car seats are just hard platic covered with padded fabric. High quality car seats, like the Britax are made from hard plastic, inlaid with the same styrofoam found in most bicycle safety helmets and then covered with the padded fabric.

We have the Roundabout and the Marathon which usually ride in our Subaru.

We're not rich but we do care about our kid's safety.

 

Thanks for the input. Have you been happy with the Roundabout?

Seems like it fits the MINI very well both rear and front facing...but nothing like hearing from someone who has used one long-term to confirm it.

BTW, I did notice some (but not all) of the Graco Comfort seats are starting to come with the styrofoam. Very confusing because all their seats go under the same name and some of the less expensive versions have the foam, while the most expensive Graco at Babies R Us did not. Anyone thinking about a Graco, I urge you to take off the cover and take a look before you buy it.

For me, I'm going with the Britax.

 

Britax consistently earns high grades in "Baby Bargains" for safety and value, while Graco are generally cheaper (read chincy). Glad to hear that the Britax fits. My daughter had recently moved to the highest shoulder stap setting and no spacer pads in the infant seat so I think she will also be moving to the second stage, soon.

 

We've been more than happy with the Britax! We use them for our 5-yr old and our 11-month old. We have used others including the MaxiCosi (sp??) but found the Britax the better seat. Plus with newer cars and the newer fasteners, switching them out and correctly mounting them is a breeze.

I'm glad other brands are putting in the styrofoam! Good advice to check under the pad! Also, my wife has checked tons of magazines from Consumer Reports to just about every parenting magazine as well as a dozen sites on the Internet.

 

Spycar,
I would highly recommend the Cosco Alpha Omega Convertible Car Seat. It is highly recommended in Consumer Reports and the price is right compared to Britax and Per Perego. Five point harness is a must, and my son is now 2 years 3 months and loves to climb in. The LATCH system works great once you get it nice and tight.

The weight limit is 80 pounds, so it will last for some time. Another important point is that it is not so big that it overwhelms th MINI's back seat. I can safely tell you that I did a lot of research before buying. I knew Britax was not the seat for me because of price, and I saw a picture on the forum about 1 1/2 years ago of the Britax in a MINI. It was scary.

Keep shopping and keep asking for advice.

Lolo

 

Just for clarification, scary because it was ugly? or because of the size? or something else?

Still looking around.

Say, does the Alpha/Omega latch come with a clip or does it have a seatbet type release. I found the former too hard to use for fast set up and removal with the Graco.

Appreciate your input :smile:

 

Wondering where you got a Maxi-Cosi? I thought those were European only.

There is a Maxi-Cosi Priori XP that a number of our British MINI friends have settled on...but you can't get them here.

 

We got the last two Fisher Prices in my area about three years ago. Best seats we have used. Half the price of the Britax and much easier to use (and ranked higher in crash results). They were also LATCH compliant well before most other brands. They were built like tanks - make the competitors look cheap and plasticky.

We graduated to the Britax when our near-four year old graduated to a booster. Have been less than impressed. There have also been several recalls associated with Britax seats in the past.

The latest addition of Consumer Reports shows that the Evenflow Triumph 5 has better crash ratings than the Britax Roundabout and is $100.00 cheaper.

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/...East_id=333145

 

^ Like he said...

Assuming my personal experience is not sufficient (a certainly valid assumption), just check out CU. The Britax Roundabout and Marathon (their two "convertable" models) have nearly equivalent ratings in all categories to the next highest performing model...the Evenflo Titan. The Britax seats list at $230/$249 and the Evenflo at $70. Not to mention that the Evenflo is likely available at a discount from Toys R Us, etc....whereas the Britax is likely only sold at list at speciality stores.

Oh, and the Marathon is currently under recall. The Roundabout has been recalled twice in the past 4 years.

As has also been said, CU is excellent for ratings on things such as these.

 

It was scary because of the size. There are two more things I thought of when I saw that picture (from different angles I might add). First, even though your little one is long it does not mean her neck is strong, so the seat will still need to be rear facing ( you know that) . With the size of the Britax it looked very uncomfortable to get in the MINI to strap my son in.
Two, the front seat had to be pushed far up to accomodate the Britax. Even though I am the only passenger in my car I found this scenario unacceptable.

To answer your question the LATCH for the Alpha Omega is a clip. Once I got mine in snug I have not removed it except when I take her in for a check up and I need a loaner.

Another piece of advice which I'm sure you are doing. Look online shop around, but nothing beats seeing it for yourself. I actually did research online then I went to the store to see the display (size), touch it (comfort), work the clips (can I get him out in time in case of an emergency). If the store had it cheaper I would buy there, if not it was back to my PC to make the online purchase elsewhere.

A little more work and effort, but in the end it saves you time in returns and dissatisfaction.

Lolo