Hi,
My 17 month is finally at 20 pounds. She's 30 inches long.
We need to get her a new carseat.
We have a Graco Infant Seat and it worked fine for us. I'm looking currently at getting another Graco Carseat. I want her to stay rear-facing so the ComfortSport is the only option. After looking at all the different features. I think we'd like the DRIFTWOOD model. Anybody had this particular one or any of the Graco convertible carseats? I'm looking for both positive and negative reviews. Thanks
Graco is one of my favorite brands especially for infant seats but they aren't my favorite toddler seats. I would look at all brands when it comes to buying the next seat.
The ComfortSport is NOT your only option for extended rear facing! The ComfortSport has a very low shell/low top harness slot, most kids outgrow this seat by 3/4yrs old, and it will only harness to 40lbs. There are much better options out there for the same or a bit more money.... but the extended use of the seat with hte harness makes it worth it. I wouldn't recommend the Graco Comfortsport. you daughter is smaller so she may be ok in it, but again for your money, there are much better options out there, I wouldn't purchase the Graco comfortsport.
There are many many seats that will keep your daughter rear facing to 33/35lbs, and then forward facing for longer as well!
The Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE will rear face to 35lbs, and forward to 50lbs. Its about $160 and its a GREAT seat, has a great depth and is very padded and comfy. Most kids can rear face in this seat to 2/3yrs old. I really like this seat, for the 35lbs rear facing weight limit, the 50lb forward facing limit, and the lower price tag, and of course the comfort. It will fit most kids up to age 5/6 in the harness forward facing.
The First Years TrueFit will rear face to 35lbs (with the head rest on) and to 65lbs forward facing. This is around $180, but it has rave reviews and everyone who has purchased one really likes it. I've only played with it in the store, but it fit my 3.5 yr old awesome. Most kids can rear face in this seat to 3+. It will fit most kids up to age 5/6+ in the harness.
SunshineKids Radian65 will rear face to 35lbs, and foward to 65lbs. This is a great narrow seat if you need to fit 3 across, or need the extra space in the car. Most kids can rear face in this seat to 3+ This is a steel seat, so its heavy and well made, and has an 8yr life span (most seats expire after 6yrs). This is $200, and it will fit most kids to age 6+ in the harness.
Britax Marathon (or Boulevard or Decathlon) will rear face to 35lbs, forward face to 65lbs. These seats are $250-$300, and are ultra comfy, the quality is outstanding. These will fit most kids to age 5/6 in the harness forward facing, and most kids can rear face in this seat to age 3+. My almost 7yr old just outgrew this seat, and my youngest was rear facing in it until 2.5 (he's tall and hit the weight limit) and is now forward facing in it.
Kids will outgrow a seat rear facing when there is less than one inch of seat above their head, or they go over the rear facing weight limit. the harness needs to be at or below the shoulders for rear facing, and at or above for forward facing.
Good luck in your car seat search, and good for you for following extended rear facing!
I love our Graco Comfort Sport and we recently had another baby so I plan on buying another one. It is not as wide as other brands so it fits better in our vehicle, it is very comfy, easy to use. I have children who like to look at the world and what is going on so I turn them forward facing at 1 yr old.
I have had a Britax and Cosco toddler car seat. The Cosco toddler seat did not have any padding and was very uncomfortable, the Britax was very comfy but expensive (I got it on clearance), very heavy and large.
I have looked at the Evenflo seats and they seem very wide as well.
Good luck!
Just wanted to share my experience with the Britax Marathon--LOVE it. My son loves it and has happily ridden in it around town for two years, as well as cross country twice. And even though it can be the most expensive brand out there, it's also one of the safest.
We will need a second Marathon for our six month and last week found one (Asley Floral fabric) at www.albeebaby.com for $100 off ($179 instead of $279) and free shipping. Even though money's tight lately, we didn't consider any other carseat, especially since it was on clearance!
Whatever you decide, good luck!
Ditto what Becky W said. We originally purchased a Graco ComfortSport when my oldest outgrew her infant seat and while it is a perfectly safe and reliable seat, she outgrew it by height long before she was ready for a booster seat. And she is on the lower half of the growth charts. This may just have been my situation, but I had a lot of problems with the strap adjustment on this seat, particularly when rear facing. I found it very difficult to release and tighten the straps each time I put my child in and out of the seat. The straps also had a tendency to twist easily. I would not recommend this seat to anyone after our experience, especially with the other choices available on the market.
When it was time to move my second child to a convertible seat, we decided to replace the ComfortSport with a different seat. We did a lot of research and the Evenflo Triumph Advance was what we eventually purchased because it had the features we wanted and fit our budget better. My 28-lb 16-month old is still rear facing in this seat and will be able to rear face until he reaches the weight limit of 35 lbs. Once he hits that point, he can still use the seat forward facing until 50 lbs. I'm not sure what the height limits are offhand, but I know that the seat and harness positions are much higher than the ComfortSport. I also find the straps on the ETA to be very easy to adjust.
If extended rear facing and harnessing is what you want, I don't think the Graco ComfortSport is going to fit the bill. The seats that Becky W mentioned in her response are the ones that we looked at when we were researching convertible seats and would be a good starting point.
I have to strongly recommend the Britax Marathon. The weight limits, ease of use and comfort are well worth the extra money if you can swing it. We also got ours on sale so if you have some time to watch for sales do it! We left our son rear facing until he was uncomfortable with his legs not fitting. He is currently 2.5 yrs , front facing and loves his seat.
We tried lots of seats before getting the Marathon, we even bought a different brand and returned it because the crotch strap was already almost under his bum at 1 year old.
I also strongly recommend the britax marathon. We have one for each car and my 3 1/2 yr old now sits in it front facing. ( It can also be used rear facing. They come in a large variety of fabrics and cute colors.
Good luck and happy shopping!
We're using a couple different models of the comfortsport - one in every car (ours and grandparents). We started with it rear facing too. We've been happy. Our guy is 37 in or so and about 34 lbs now and still in the seat.
Sometimes the straps will get uneven but it is an easy fix once you figure out what to do :)
We had the infannt Graco sean along with the Graco ComfoSport and LOVE it! My daughter was in the seat from 9 mo (or so - she faced backward but was too big for the infant one) until a couple of months ago. We had the used seat for about four years.
Good luck!
We have a Britax Roundabout in the car we take long trips in, and a Graco ComfortSport in our second car. The Britax definitely seems more comfortable, but you pay for that. As far as ease of use goes, they both seem about the same, both are easier to use once they are forward facing. The ComfortSport also seemed more secure when it was forward facing. Our son is pretty small too. We know there's a chance we're going to need another seat in between the ComfortSport and a booster, but this was the right choice for us at the time.
I have a nautilis and I think graco makes it. I have a big baby and he loves it just as much as I do. It is one that will grow with the child.
We switched my son to the evenflo titan elite when he was 6 months old. It is rear facing to 35 lbs forward facing til 50 lbs. We plan on leaving our son rear facing for as long as possible. I looked into the comfort sport before we switched i don't remember what made me finally go with the Titan but i am very glad that i did, i spent a good month going back and forth trying to decide we checked it out in store then we went online and ordered the color that we wanted. My son loves the seat (as much as any one year old loves sitting still) My son is 30.5 inches tall and still has plenty of head room til he reached the top of the seat. It fits well in our small car (Jetta) and i dont have that much trouble switching it to another vehicle fast.
http://www.evenflo.com/product.aspx?id=213&pfid=176
good luck