It's a blessing and a curse with the array of car seats we get to choose for our kids. The infant seat is the easiest buy, but once that sweet baby of yours turns one and outgrows it, welcome to the world of car seat headaches. It's painfully exhausting researching which ones carry high ratings and for what reasons.
When Kensi turned one we purchased the Britax Advocate 70-G3 and loved almost everything about it. We chose this one in particular because it did have the highest ratings without completely breaking the bank. But after some wear and tear we found a few things we really disliked such as the width; it's huge and good luck ever thinking you'll manage to get three people to sit in that row ever again. We also hate the fabric. At first it seemed so plush and great for a toddler, but after experiencing a road trip back home while she battled a fever, we were ready to chuck the thing out the door. Our pediatrician warned us to take her temp every hour just to monitor because the plush car seat fabrics tend to trap heat and raise their body temp. Kensi's temp in the seat would get as high as 104 degrees F. As soon as we stopped and took her out she lowered to 101 degrees F. A drastic difference and enough of one to make us research a different seat for her and Finn made with a more breathable fabric. Luckily, so many of the car seat brands are changing their fabric choices for this reason and for ease of cleaning and I'm so grateful! It breaks my heart thinking of the dangers they can cause for our little ones.
After researching width, fabric, weight, safety and orgin we opted for the Peg Perego Convertible car seat for both our kiddos. Kensi can stay in a 5 point harness convertible up until 65 lbs which I love and with car seats having an expiration date of five years (check your seat for the exact expiration date) this leaves us in good hands with both kids.
The Peg Perego is much narrower compared to our original Britax, by a good four inches. I know that doesn't seem like much, but when it comes to space in a car, it's huge. With that said it is still too wide to fit three car seats across one seat, but it’s also much lighter and easier to take in and out of the car. The fabric is breathable and pulls sweat away from the body and it’s easy to just wipe with a damp cloth to clean. Sadly, I’ve already had to do this and we’ve only had it for a couple weeks. Lastly, we opted for Peg Perego because it’s made in Italy rather than China.
So far we’re very happy with our purchase and will be purchasing a second seat for Kensi, who is even more excited than we are because she repeatedly tells us how much she dislikes her current seat because it’s just too hot. She will be one happy girl once her’s gets here.
Now on to the next thing...since we're expanding, the great car debate!
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