Car seat recommendations for B8 Avant

[Stubek]

Ok, first (and only) baby is on its way and expected at the end of August, so any recommendations on car seats?
I don't think I want one of those type that are good from 0 -5-6 years. I would rather get what I need now.

So, any input on what works really good in an Avant?

TIA

[avantagg]

Ok, first (and only) baby is on its way and expected at the end of August, so any recommendations on car seats?
I don't think I want one of those type that are good from 0 -5-6 years. I would rather get what I need now.

So, any input on what works really good in an Avant?

TIA

Congrats on the little one on the way! We put our first two in this Chicco. Granted, this seat spent much of the time in my wife's Outback, but it also fits well in the back of my avant and the car seat also mates up to a stroller.



http://m.target.com/p/chicco-keyfit-...w&gclsrc=aw.ds

[treginginco]

We used these for both of our kids right after they were born until just after their first birthdays.
http://www.toysrus.com/buy/travel-sy...00070-80055846


Then, put them in seats similar to this one
http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Platin...V7K4ESK28CP55Z

[ECDT]

This is what we got for our daughter who was born in December

http://www.gracobaby.com/products/pa...x-cascade.aspx

Much like all the others on the market it has a base that can be installed in multiple vehicles so swapping between my wife's car or our parents is a breeze and it also clicks right into the stroller which is great for getting in and out of the car if we are doing things


And don't forget the seat protector

http://t.toysrus.com/product/index.j...:17200806:TRUS

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[avantagg]

Good options. We upgraded to the gracco kids booster seats as well.

[NLPed68]

I bought this one for my first granddaughter actually bought 3 for the kids cars and my Avant :).

https://www.diapers.com/p/recaro-per...221?sku=RC-078

[kdaffy]

first of all, congrats on the baby! life is going to change a lot, and mostly for the better! parenthood is awesome!

+1 on the chicco keyfit for newborns. i like the snap and go feature, which i think some other companies offer.

if you are staying with one kid then putting it in the middle works, but there is no latch in the middle, so you need to hook up with the seatbelt.

I have a recaro performance ride for my 3yo and it works pretty well. rear facing on the side needed a bit of muscle and a pool noodle to have it secured enough to my liking.

With the recaro behind the passenger and the chicco in the middle, as a 6' driver, I had to move my seat forward and less recline than I would like, but not terrible enough to make long (3hrs) trips uncomfortable.

now with the recaro forward facing, the chicco in the center is a tight fit...need to jam it in as the recaro is a bit wide to go side by side with the chicco...there are better options for a two seat setup (in hindsight, i would go with a narrow convertible like the clek fllo), but i didnt want to get rid of the recaro and buy a new seat given that the majority of the time we dont have the avant fully loaded (usually take the wife's suv)

also, I highly recommend seat guards - i have the brica seat guardian

feel free to pm me if you have specific questions...i did a ton of research on the topic.

[The Fat Kid]

Ok, first (and only) baby is on its way and expected at the end of August, so any recommendations on car seats?
I don't think I want one of those type that are good from 0 -5-6 years. I would rather get what I need now.

So, any input on what works really good in an Avant?

TIA

Why not get what you need now, and have it last?

We have, and highly recommend, a Britax Click Tight Boulevard. We have been using it since our son was a newborn; it has rear-facing capabilities to 45 lbs; it lasts until 65 lbs when forward facing.

The biggest advantage of the Click Tights is the ease of installation; it can be moved from one car to another AND installed correctly in less than two minutes. A fringe benefit of the Click-Tight mechanism is the ability to unlock it when not in use, which takes the compression pressure off of your back seat.

[poweredbyaudi7]

first of all, congrats on the baby! life is going to change a lot, and mostly for the better! parenthood is awesome!

+1 on the chicco keyfit for newborns. i like the snap and go feature, which i think some other companies offer.

if you are staying with one kid then putting it in the middle works, but there is no latch in the middle, so you need to hook up with the seatbelt.

I have a recaro performance ride for my 3yo and it works pretty well. rear facing on the side needed a bit of muscle and a pool noodle to have it secured enough to my liking.

With the recaro behind the passenger and the chicco in the middle, as a 6' driver, I had to move my seat forward and less recline than I would like, but not terrible enough to make long (3hrs) trips uncomfortable.

now with the recaro forward facing, the chicco in the center is a tight fit...need to jam it in as the recaro is a bit wide to go side by side with the chicco...there are better options for a two seat setup (in hindsight, i would go with a narrow convertible like the clek fllo), but i didnt want to get rid of the recaro and buy a new seat given that the majority of the time we dont have the avant fully loaded (usually take the wife's suv)

also, I highly recommend seat guards - i have the brica seat guardian

feel free to pm me if you have specific questions...i did a ton of research on the topic.

Man you just settled my anxiety with this post. I too am expecting a kind (Sept). We have the Cicco keyfit seat because my wife researched the hell out of it and claims it is the safest one on the market. Only using reviews for the seat guard on Amazon, I bought two of the Brica Seat Gardians as well. I was nervous about the seat guard, but this eases me off the ledge. Thank you for that.

[magn2o]

When our daughter was an infant, we used the Britax Chaperone. This was fantastic for us since we could install bases in each of our cars that the carrier would snap into. Putting her in and out was a breeze. Once she grew out of that, we went to a Britax Boulevard. And now, she's in a Britax Parkway SGL.

I've used these in both a B7 and B8. They all fit very snugly with the LATCH system. Overall, we have been very happy with them.

That being said, if we had to do it all today -- we'd just go with the Britax Boulevard ClickTight ARB. The ability to snap in and out of bases cannot be emphasized enough. It really does make things much easier. That's the one thing I missed the most when we went from the Chaperone to the (original) Boulevard.

[moe.ron]

I have used 2 different Gracco SnugRide 35s for my three kids and have no complaints. The 35 is sized for children up to 35 lbs so you will get several years of use out of it without using a seat that is sized for a 5 year old. It can go can go forward or back and can attached to Gracco strollers. They fit well in the back seat of the Avant (B8). My understanding is that car seat manufacturers are regional, so in order to buy a Gracco in CA you would have to use the internet as no brick and mortar stores will carry them.

[kdaffy]

Man you just settled my anxiety with this post. I too am expecting a kind (Sept). We have the Cicco keyfit seat because my wife researched the hell out of it and claims it is the safest one on the market. Only using reviews for the seat guard on Amazon, I bought two of the Brica Seat Gardians as well. I was nervous about the seat guard, but this eases me off the ledge. Thank you for that.

no problem. happy to help a fellow 'ziner!

[ccoaston]

Got this for the new baby recently. Your wife would love it! Car seat and stroller

[ToddBrunswick]

I got this Uppababy because my wife wanted to have a base in each car and she wanted that seat since it went with the stroller she wanted. It's fine. Apparently it got good safety reviews, but it's a bit heavy and large, but I think all the rear facing seats are big. Once the kid got a little older, I moved over to this recaro. It looks cool, but it's pretty damn big.

[dropshadow]

We used a Chicco KeyFit 30 for both kids when born (and my 8mo son is still in it), and then we switched to the Chicco NextFit CX. It's a big seat, but install is quick and easy once you get the hang of it, and feels very sturdy when installed. Lots of reclining options for the best fit, and plenty of padding for comfortable kids. Our 2 1/2yo daughter has been in it for as long 3-4 hour trips (with stops) with no complaints. I'll be getting 3 more NextFits for our son when he's ready for a bigger seat.

I'm also using the Brica Seat Guardian in both cars, and have a couple front seatback protectors that will go into use when the kids are front-facing.

[X Y Z]

Another Chicco Keyfit30 vote, fits great in the Avant. My son is now four and we have been using a Recaro Proride for the past few years, it is a tight fit but I am not willing to give up the wagon lol

[Stubek]

Thanks everyone. Going shopping this week to look at a couple of these in person

[redge2.7t]

Congrats!! My wife and I had our first on May 22nd, 3 weeks early, but besides that happy and healthy. We went with a Graco Snugride 35 Click Connect and I couldn't be happier with our choice. Here it is when I first installed it.


After realizing that just a towel wasn't going to be enough to protect my seat I bought this seat protector and it works and looks great. I don't have a pic of it in though. Here is the link for it https://www.amazon.com/Child-Car-Sea.../dp/B010UDHXHE


One thing that makes this setup super easy is we bought separate bases for my wife and my cars. It makes everything so much easier.

Congrats again and enjoy the new edition to your family!

Just for fun here's a pic of our little girl at her 2 week mark.

[treginginco]

One more thing - read the owners manual for best seat location placement

[billybob_lee]

Like many posters here, I also used a Chicco Keyfit30 for both our kids, and upgraded them to Recaros as they got older. In the Child Car Seat thread, I posted a photo of our current set up: http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...1#post11433292

I agree with other posters in that the Brica Seat Guardian is the best seat protector to buy. I used a Prince Lionheart before, but the seat-back portion of that protector didn't go high enough. Recently, my youngest son vomited in the car, and the seat protector not only caught some of the run-off, but also shielded the seat back from staining. If I had the Prince Lionheart in at the time, it would not have protected my seats as well.

[Stubek]

Question for people with the Chicco Keyfit 30, can you put it in the middle seat of the back seat?

[dropshadow]

Question for people with the Chicco Keyfit 30, can you put it in the middle seat of the back seat?

Yes

[ranchos]

Question for people with the Chicco Keyfit 30, can you put it in the middle seat of the back seat?

+2 yes. However in this install you need to use the seatbelt and not the LATCH points. What's nice about a center install is you can keep both front seats in a comfortable driving position.

[treginginco]

Reminder --- please read the owners manual for the car to find the best position for your baby's car seat

[dbv2]

Graco Click Connect 35.. The whole stroller system with car seat is by far the best system out there. $600 ish CAD for ours. Baby doesn't know a thing when shes being put in the car from the stroller and vice versa. We went with the jogger stroller with inflatable rubber wheels rather than the dinky plastic solid wheels.

[dropshadow]

+2 yes. However in this install you need to use the seatbelt and not the LATCH points. What's nice about a center install is you can keep both front seats in a comfortable driving position.

I was able to use the LATCH points in the center position with our KeyFit30 base.

[ranchos]

I was able to use the LATCH points in the center position with our KeyFit30 base.

DO NOT DO THIS! The LATCH system is only specced for the outboard seats. You're compromising safety by spreading out the anchors to either side. Use the seatbelt for middle configuration!!!