Poplar S Convertible Car Seat - Slim 17” Design

Convertible (or all-in-one) car seats are *the* next stage after infant car seats, full stop! Most of them last until 5-7 years old, some a bit longer if you’re dedicated to using every mode of an all-in-one car seat. It’s recommended to rear face to the limits of your child’s convertible car seat; or, realistically, as close to four years old as you can get, though forward facing in a properly used car seat is considered safe (and usually legal) at age 2. Some of my favorites in no particular order: - Britax Poplar/Poplar S: the headlining features are how easy this seat is to install with Clicktight technology; and how compact (small) it is front to back rear facing when you install it upright for a toddler. It has high rear facing limits, and it’s great for small/tight backseats or tall front seat passengers. The main drawback is that it is not compatible forward facing if your car has forward-angled headrests that cannot be removed. If your vehicle headrests are removable you’re all set with this seat until about age 5-6! - Graco Slimfit3 LX: narrow, easy to install, reasonably compact front to back. Has a high back booster mode that is way less bulky than some other all-in-one seats, so it’s actually really usable in booster mode (many all in one seats are too bulky to be practical for big kids who want to buckle themselves). Harness mode lasts until about age 5-6, high back booster mode will last another ~2 years beyond that. The fabric of this seat is also *very* easy to remove and replace for washing, and it is compatible with non-removable vehicle headrests in most cases, if that’s a concern for you. - Chicco Fit3X: super similar to the Graco Slimfit3 LX, with the added benefit of being even taller in the harness. It could last up to about age 7 in forward facing harness mode, and another year or two for high back booster mode. It has a lower rear facing height limit than some seats but realistically will still get most kids, even upper height percentile kids, to 3.5-4 rear facing unless they hit the 40lb weight limit first. - Graco Extend2Fit: it’s wide side to side, but otherwise a really great seat - high rear facing limits and a leg extension panel that can help with comfort for long legged rear facing kids, if you have the space to use it. There is a 2 in 1 (convertible) version that lasts most kids until 5-7, and a 3-1 version with a high back booster mode (though the booster is huge and bulky so I don’t find it super user friendly or practical past the harness stage). - Evenflo Revolve Extend or Slim: a rotating seat can be nice for higher percentile babies! Definitely makes it easier to load during the alligator-rolling toddler phase. This one has very high rear facing limits and also gets very tall to last a long time in forward facing harness mode, usually age 6-7 or so - Chicco fit360: another rotating seat, lower rear facing limits than the Evenflo options but also a little bit smaller front to back most of the time. Not as tall/long lasting as the Evenflos so it could be outgrown forward facing around 5 for a tall kid - Nuna Rava/Rava Next: bougie and super pleasant to use if it’s in budget! Similar-ish to the Poplar in that they have a super easy install (true tension doors) and high rear facing limits. It is compatible forward facing with non-removable vehicle headrests, most of the time. Main parent complaints are the high sides (which can make it a little harder to load/harder for a child to climb in on their own) and how annoying it is to replace the cover after washing it. Usually last until 5-6!

We have the Britax poplar with anti rebound bar. I honestly prefer it over our Rava. Britax is also flame retardant free. I’ve had better experiences with their customer service and CPST than with nuna’s. I really dislike how Nuna handled the recall of the Rava. And honestly the fabric isn’t really any nicer than the poplar, nor is the padding. “Safest” is something we don’t really know: all seats must pass the same minimum, but we don’t know what they actually score on various tests because the results aren’t published. So every seat is equally ‘minimally’ safe, and we don’t know which seats exceed that minimum (or in which categories/test subsections). 

I use the Britax one. It's like a luggage cart, folds up, and goes in the overhead bin when we get on the plane. I do use a Britax Poplar since it's narrow, and I can wheel it down the aisle. Previously, we used a one4life (also britax) but had to carry it through the plane since it was so wide (dont recommend)

Britax click tight series are super quick and easy to install/uninstall and pretty fool proof. I think they are a bit pricey though.

You'll definitely want a convertible seat in both cars. You can swap a convertible seat between cars, but it takes a few minutes and would be a real pain to do multiple times per week. My older kid has been in a Graco Extend2Fit for the past several years and it's been fine. My only real complaint is that I foolishly bought the car seat in a light blue color and it is now really stained and gross looking. Stick with black or dark gray. I do think the mid-tier Britax car seat I bought for my younger kid is nicer, with better quality upholstery, a sturdier-seeming frame, and more padding, but it's not a massive difference. I used my brother's turn2me seat on vacation and thought it was pretty cool, but definitely not necessary for most parents. I think they may have bought it because they're tall people putting a baby in a sedan and wanted to avoid a lot of bending and stooping.

We have the Clek Liing and I LOVE it. It’s so easy to install, the liner is machine washable (a LOT of them aren’t), it’s durable, it’s not too heavy and it’s compact. It fits nicely in the back of our small car without us having to push the front seat all the way forward like we did with a few other infant seats. The downside is that some of the compatible strollers are expensive and you have to buy adapters for them. We went with the Bumbleride Era City and while bulky, I love it, so it worked out. For convertible seats we also have Britax and Graco. I also love the Britax. The one I have isnt machine washable which is a bummer (though I think the new ones are?) but it’s super easy to install and really easy to get kiddo in and out of. I hate the Graco (4ever). It took me forever to install it and it’s so hard to tighten the harness properly. My kiddo also doesn’t find it as comfortable. All that being said, every car seat in Canada is safe to use. It just depends what bells and whistles you want, what kind of car you drive (some car seats work better in some cars than others). Some are also outgrown earlier than others. I recommend checking out the Canadian Car seat Safety group on Facebook. There’s a lot of info there. You can search your car and find posts for what seats are recommended for your vehicle. That’s a good place to start. Clek is definitely one of the more recommended seats in that group.

The easiest install is typically something with clicktight. Either Britax or Graco triogrow. The Britax may or may not work forward facing depending on the vehicle but the trio grow would. By the time you get to 6/7 and can switch to a seatbelt booster you will want a new seat anyway. Boosters are pretty cheap so I really wouldn't think that far head. Just look at your rear facing goals are and your Child's grow patterns. If you have a high percentile child and want to rear face as long as possible then an extend2fit is your best bet. Average percentile and a triogrow is probably what you are looking for. 

Meillä ollut britaxin istuin, kaksi lasta viihtynyt siinä hyvin. On kyllä aika iso ja raskas vehje. Oli hetken aikaa myös motonetistä hommattu joku Cybexin malli, mutta siinä ei lapset tuntuneet viihtyvän. Se lähti sitten kiertoon ja pienemmälle tuli tuo vanha britax kun isompi muksu tarvitsi isomman istuimen. Tosiaan, käykää liikkeissä koeistuttamassa lasta noihin, ja lukekaa noita autoliiton testejä niin hyvä tulee. Monissa paikoissa myyjät ei kuitenkaan mitään tiedä niin kannattaa pari minuuttia perehtyä tuohon asiaan.