OK, so my son is getting to the size where he really doesn't fit in his infant carseat. We already have a Britax Marathon in one car, but we're going to need a convertible seat for the other car. The Marathon's immense, so it would be nice to have a smaller, lighter seat, especially for airline travel. Anyone have any suggestions?

Ken, I would get someting like this. It will accomodate a toddler from 22 to 40 lbs now, and then up to 100lbs after the harness is removed. We've had something similar to this for all 3 kids, and they have worked out great.

If you look closely, there is a tension belt sticking out the front. You NEED to have one of these. We made the mistake of getting one that didn't, and everytime there was a coat change, we had to remove the seat and re-adjust the belts manually.

We used something very simialr to Shawn until the boys hit 40 pounds and then we could use the regular car seat seat belt but found it a touch difficult to find the clasp with the bulkier seat. We bought one like this. It is narrower and works very well. The back is easily adjusted upwards to move the seatbelt up as the child grows. My oldest had moved on to this style and it allowed us to use the other one for son #2 when the time came.

Can't 'ya just stand 'em up in the back of a pickup like when we were kids??

Ya know what's funny, it's against the law not to wear a seatbelt in the state of IL but it's not against the law to ride in the back of a pickup truck. Freakin laws are insane.

If I remember right, it is against the law in Calgary now. Too many kids in the past few years falling out and dieing.

Jason is right about the bulkiness & finding the buckle once you are using it as a straight booster. We now have 3 of the ones he linked to. The back is actually removable from the seat, and that's the way my oldest is using it. The only reason I didn't link to that one is that I thought Ken's boy is JUST out of his infant seat.

I thought about not confusing him, but a little extra shouldn't hurt too much.

A little extra what? Confusion? See now I'm confused!

We liked the Britax stuff.

Check on the airline thing thoroughly. I remember having multiple unsatisfying conversations with flight attendants about boosters v. rigid seats, etc.

Ah... ok, he's not nearly ready for a booster yet. I'm just looking for a smaller convertible than he has now for travel purposes. He's still a little guy (~29 inches tall or so, ~20 pounds, something like), and we'd still like him rear facing. But he certainly doesn't fit in his Snugride any more.

I remember that awkward travel stage. My oldest was too tall for the infant seat very early on so we went to the fully convertable 3 way seat as well, then moved on the booster after.

We use something like this for our 2.5 yr old and have for a while. (Graco Platinum Cargo Booster Seat) Our is very stripped down, so most of the padding shown is not used.

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=...%3AGraco&page=1

We used to use the Britax but agree, it's pretty big. Cosco (brand not the store) also has similar styles.

That being said, this type DOES NOT WORK on airplanes. The seatbelt is looped just underneath the back padding. This is OK when you use a car seat belt that buckles on the side. But on a plane, the buckle is on your tummy. On a car seat like this, it translates to the middle back of your kid. (Hope this makes sense.) It will not work, no matter how many creative ways (extenders/pads/etc) you try. Suffice to say that was a wasted effort bringing it back and forth to Mexico.

At 20 lbs, sounds like your kid might be too small for the true convertible booster.

For plane usage, you really have to think about where that seatbelt is routed because the seatbelt buckle is a major problem.

Let me re-rephrase--convertible as in between forward and rear facing.

So you're looking for something that's convenient for travel, but still something you feel safe strapping the kid into while you dodge idiots on the road?

We recently traveled with Gracie's Britax Roundabout. It's definitely more petite than the Marathon, but it might be overkill. Cosco has some seats that are even less bulky than the Britax that might fit the bill. The Cosco Scenera looks pretty minimal compared to the Britax models but I'm happy having Gracie in it when I take her places in my car. Also, compared to the Britax seats, it's featherweight.

I like the size of the Scenera, but the reviews aren't great. Do you actually have it?

I either have it or something like it. I wouldn't use it as a primary seat as it's not as well padded as the Britax models.