Roundabout Mist Convertible Car Seat

I currently own a Britax Marathon, Britax Regent, Britax Roundabout and a Graco Nautilus. My mom has had an older Graco ComfortSport and a newer version of the same seat. Of all of the seats that I have used, this is by far my favorite. The push button release for the straps ROCKS. It is so easy to loosen or tighten the straps even when the seat is rear facing (a challenge for many other seats). Its very comfortable for a baby and a great transition seat from the infant seat since its not too big that it overwhelms the baby. The fabric that we have is a very nice, soft plush grey that is very soft. This has been the easiest seat by far to install in any vehicle with or without LATCH connectors because it has built in lock offs - something only Britax seats have. I recommend this seat to all of my friends because it is just SO easy to use. It also fits very nicely in all vehicle sizes. Many of the newer seats are being built to last forever, so they have to have enormous proportions. This is a nice sized seat that will fit in an average or small vehicle very nicely.

The Pros on this seat are basically everything I said. It is a nice transition seat out of the infant carrier. It has soft, plush fabrics. The harness adjuster is the best on the planet. It installs effortlessly both rear and forward facing. It is not a ridiculously huge seat. It's a great transitional seat. I moved both of my kids into a Roundabout at approximately 6-8 months old.

There are cons, though. The cover is hard to remove because of the way the straps are threaded through which makes it a pain to wash. However, this does flip to a con, because a Graco seat I have had a very easy to remove cover, but it would slip off all of the time. Either way has its problems, I guess. The fabric does wash very well, though. It is a seat your child will outgrow. This poses a problem for some frugal parents that want their child to remain in a five point harness as long as possible, but do not have a million dollars to spend on car seats. I personally do not think that most kids are ready to go from their Roundabout to a booster. I do think that a good option is to buy a Roundabout over a Marathon or other, larger seat and then buy another seat - either a Graco Nautilus, Britax Regent or Britax Frontier to remain in a five point harness for a longer amount of time. I also don't think any child is ready to go into a Nautilus, Regent or Frontier right out of their infant carrier. Which is why I think the Roundabout is a great transitional seat. See, even my cons are turning into pros for this seat!

It is a pricey seat considering its height/weight limitations (rear facing to 33 pounds, forward facing to 40 pounds, but your child will most likely outgrow it by height before weight). However, there are some GREAT deals to be found. I paid about $150.00 for this seat. I also recently heard that some Target stores are discontinuing their Roundabout stocks and some can be found for as low as $50.00 (a friend bought one last week in Michigan for that price). Albeebaby.com and Amazon.com often run promotions on these seats as well and usually offer free shipping. Britax also has a twice yearly sale in September and February where some online retailers offer incredible prices on their seats.