Help finding the best car seat for 2.5yr old please :)

[NomDePlume]

Given that ours has now been involved in an accident, we need to replace it. Cost is not an issue as we'll be reimbursed by the other driver's insurance company. DD is 2.5 years old but is as tall as the average 3.5-4 year old.

She has a Britax First Class at the moment, which has been great. We love all of the features like recline etc, but find it a little high now. It's quite awkward to manouvre DD into without catching her head on the roofline of the car . I do really like Britax, and they fit well in my car ('98 Ford Focus).

Any recommendations for an age-appropriate car seat for DD ? Preferably one that's easy-ish to fit as the seat will be swapped from my car to DH's from time to time. Thanks

We've got the graco booster seat (backless version) for DS1 now - he's had it since he was 3yrs old and it's great - got cup holderes on it too so DS loves it.

we love britax - have a rennaissance and a trio......

rennaisance is very safe and feels really sturdy but the trio is much easier to fit and converts to a booster seat later and is less bulky.........

ds is a big 2.5 year old and the trio is probably more appropriate to his size than the britax...
the trio also goes up to a heavier weight of child than the rennaisance

btw rennaissance is the 'nest one up' from the first class and the trio is the 'next one down'
does that make sense?!?

we've got the renaissance for DS2 (well it was DS1's but never been in an accident so made sense to 'pass it on). Good car seat - fits in lots of different cars and very light to move - and oh damn it's snowing again

oh and another one...we have a ford focus and find the height of the rennaisance becoming a problem
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trio is much lower......
check it out....easy to swap about too

sorry - thinking out loud there - we had the renaissance in a Ford Focue, Ford Mondeo, Fiat Punto and several other cars that people gave me lifts in while we didn't have a car

Thanks you 2. I'll def look at the trio. Sounds about perfect.

The Trio, if you want the security of a harness, or the Britax Super Cruiser Plus if you want portability. We have both and ds used the Trio from age 2 and the Cruiser from age 3 (and is still using) and we have had no problems. dd now uses the Trio in dh's car as I find it a pain to move tbh plus it wouldn't fit in my c-max. You can check the fit of the trio on the Britax website. HTH

I think one thing to think about once you're getting car seats for 'older' children (2.5yrs plus) is that how long will it be before they have to move to a normal booster seat - in our case it wasn't going to be long so we went for the booster seat option.

I think you've make a good point there Gwenick, another reason why I think the Trio may be the way to go.

Also, with the trio, you can use a lap belt too i think.

It did take me a few goes to get it into the car tight enough though. there is a knack so shout up if you need a hand!

haven't you had that baby yet?

We have the graco booster seats that do have backs. You fix the child in with the 3point belt and it has a clip above their shoulder to hold the belt in place. They are so easy to move from one seat/car to another.

forgot to mention - the trio can be used with normal car seat straps (over the shoulder) or with the diagonal car seat belt...