Purchasing a Convertible Carseat : eBay Guides

When you're looking at purchasing a convertible carseat for you child, focus on models which have higher harness slots and harnessed weight limits (now up to 65lbs here in Canada and up to 80lbs in the US).

The True fit for example sells for $199. With a RF limit of 35 lbs, and FF limit of 65lbs + High harness slots will last you child until age 6-7 (approx). Comparatively, the Britax Roundabout sells for about $250 has a RF limit of 30lbs (35lbs in the US) and FF limit of 40lbs and lower harness slots which mean most kids will outgrow it by about 4, sometimes even sooner.

Take you child with you, put him/her in the seat and see how much room they have left. If possible, try installing the seat in your vehicle as not all seats fit in all vehicles. If you cannot test a seat first, ensure you can return the seat if you cannot get a tight install in your vehicle. (Be sure to test both the Rear Facing and Forward Facing installation.)

Rear Facing a child has outgrown their seat when they hit the upper weight limit or there is less than 1" of hard plastic shell above their head. Forward Facing a child has outgrown their seat for forward facing, is that their shoulders are above the top strap or the middle of their ears is above the back of the seat.