What kind of carseat do you use?

We currently have the infant Graco Safeseat carseats and they are good up to 30 lbs.  I am pretty sure that Andrew is going to exceed this weight before he is 1.  Last time he was weighed he weighed 22 lbs, and that was like 1 1/2 months ago.  I am not going to switch him until he reaches the weight limit, and I know it is best to keep them rear-facing.  We really don't want to spend the extra money to get a convertable carseat when we already have the infant seats. 

What kind of carseat do you guys use, and did you have to switch them out of their infant carseats before they were 1?  Thanks, there are just so many different kinds out there, it is hard to decide on which one!

i have the same problem.. i have the other one.. the snug fit and it only goes to 22 lbs... well.. jayson is 4 months old and his last weigh in was 17.5 lbs.. im going to go with the true fit by first years.. its a convertable.. but goes all the way up to 65 lbs in a 5 point harness.. which i think is important.. i wouldnt waste money on ones that only go to 40 lbs since they most likley they will be in a car seat longer then that.. there are a few.. i think the britix marathon goes up to 65 lbs in a 5 point ... im not sure of any others... because those are the two i was looking at..

here is the link for the true fit... i like it because it looks easy to adjust.. easy to clean.. easy to install... also thos top part.. that head rest comes off for when they are rear facing..
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3137030

and here the the marathon..
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2934997

I'm a big fan of the Britax brand too.  They seem comfy and have great safety ratings.  Do you really think  that Andrew is going to gain 8 pounds in 4 months?    If he seems uncomfortable or you're just ready, then by all means start looking into it though!  The britax can be rear facing, and most of them will last until the kids are about 4-5, by which time they'll be needing a booster probably.  If you have a smaller car be sure the seats fit in before you buy them.  There are models that fit smaller cars and bigger ones, so since you've got to have two, make sure they are what you need and can use before investing.  Good luck!
-Donna

By 5 months old, my daughter was too tall for her baby car seat, so we got a Britax Marathon.  At 4, she's still using it.  It's a great seat!

Cindy 

I have 2 kiddos...they both have Britax Marathons...Anna is almost 3 and is about 35lbs...she loves hers as does her little brother.  The Britax Marathons go to 60 or 65lbs...can't remember but I know I would never have another carseat.  They sit up high, can see everything and I know that they are safe.  I wish they had cupholders though as both my children love to have their drinks in cup holders.  Happy Shopping!

Faye

Both my older kids (they'll be 6 and 4 next month) went into Britax Marathons when they grew out of their infant seats. My daughter still fits in her Britax, which we use in our other car, but now they are both in Graco Nautilus seats. We love them, they go from 20-100 pounds, with harness to 65 pounds. They have little cubbies for toys and a cupholder, which both of my kids love. The Nautilus converts from a harness seat to a high-back booster to a low-back booster, so you should never have to buy another seat.

I believe we switched our older son out of his infant seat before 1 year because he was much chubbier than our daughter. She was in hers until just past a year. My youngest is huge (almost 12 pounds and 5 weeks old tomorrow) so I'm glad I bought the SafeSeat!

Andrew outgrew his infant car seat by 9 months old. Chalk another one up for Britax! We love it. (Spendy though to buy 2 of them!) Good luck!

I have the Graco SnugRide and since Amanda's just 2 months and 10lb 11oz we're fine.  We used the same seat with Alice.  We put her in a forward facing carseat (the Graco SportRide I think it's called) a few weeks before she turned one.  Not because she'd exceeded the weight (she was just 19lb 3oz at her 1 year visit) but because she was too tall for the 'bucket'.

We have the Britax Marathon. We love them and they are very safe, in fact, the number one safest car seat available. 

I wanted the Graco Nautalis- however Zachary needed a convertable when he was 8-9 months old.

If you read  the manufacturing details it will say that this seat shouldn't be used for children under 1. :(  which sucks because thats what I wanted. We had the Graco Snugride infant seat.

We have an Alpha Omega Elite seat. It goes up to 65 Pounds with the 5 point harness. The Graco Nautalis went up to 100 pounds... and as another poster mentioned it turns into a booster seat with full back, and you can also take the back off and have it as a regular booster.

I did extensive research on Car seats because I was so concerned about saftey ratings. I even asked our pediatrician and different doctors that Jeff works with... it was the general concensus that Very expensive seats such as the britax isn't always the safest . I believe "The First Years" convertible was rated the safest.  Out pedi told us "Don't cheap out... but don't go over board and get a $400 car seat"....... unless you have that in pocket change x2  :)

If you want to be totally informed you can get the consumer report on car seats- which should be available at your public library for free. 

Good Luck!! I stood in Babie's R US for over an hour after I did all my research and everything... I still called my mom and had her check online one last time lol......