Last Friday I went to Super Target in Urbandale and bought Strummer's new car seat. (It is awesome they sold it in the store, b/c not all stores had it on hand, just on the website....and extra awesome that we just received a $50 gift card from brad's co-workers to Target! Thanks everyone!)
He actually could have stayed in his infant carrier for another month or so, however, he was getting really heavy to carry in his carrier and his legs were sticking out of the edge of the seat! So after much research on deciding what to buy, we decided to go with The First Years True Fit convertible car seat. I read tons of reviews and looked on the websites that sell it, including Babies R Us, Target and Amazon. I love the seat so far. Some of the main reasons I decided to go with this one is because you can use it til your child reaches 50 inches and 65 lbs. Which is why it has the removable headrest. You do not need to use it until the child reaches 22 lbs. However, you can keep the seat rear facing until your child reaches 35 lbs. Which is the more safe way for them to travel. Another reason is because there is a lever on the side of the seat where you can raise and lower the straps. Very easy to change things! Another good thing about it is that the cover snaps off. So incase it gets dirty from spit-up or what not, you just snap it off the seat and wash it! Very handy! It also had a 4-star rating for ease of use from the NHTSA. 2 other things are just cool, is that it's very soft and plushy, and has a removable cup holder that you can place on either side. Plus not that is really matters, I think the car seat is super-cute! However, those are just extra bonus!
I thought it was very easy to install in my car, it probably took like 10 minutes. Plus, it fits in my Fusion. I was very happy about that! I had read some things about converter seats not fitting in some vehicles in the rear-facing position. It is on the passenger's side and I'm still able to have the seat put all the way back! So when I do have someone in my car, they aren't squished! Hurray!
We had our first 'test' this past weekend when we traveled to Omaha. Strummer fell asleep w/in the first 1/2 hour and stayed asleep during the 2+ hour trip! So I think it's a hit. Of course, I really can't ask him about it, but basing by his mood when he's in it, I believe it's A-Ok in his book! He also seems to enjoy being able to look back at me by turning his head and looking out the sides. I guess it's a whole different view from his carrier! :P
Here are some pics of the new seat!
Testing out the new seat before it goes in the car
With the headrest
From the side
A pic from the front seat
From the other side of the car
From his side of the car
