Carseats, carseats, carseats.

I don't lose sleep over things that aren't important very often. But earlier this weekend I was seriously about to lose sleep over this! I was having a very difficult time wrapping my mind around our current carseat situation. What seats are expiring, need to be replaced, with what type, and with the new baby coming, how that fit in to the situation as well. So much so, in fact that I got my sister to help me figure it out. Thanks Elizabeth!!

I considered writing out all the details of the issue, but since Elizabeth helped me solve it and figure out what we actually need to buy, I'll spare you :) Let's suffice it to say that we have 2 carseats that will be expiring in March and need to be replaced with toddler seats with a harness up to 65lbs or more, and we also need an infant carrier that will hold a baby of 'longer length' since it appears this baby is built much like Kristopher (her foot measured near 2" at 24 weeks!) and he outgrew his carrier at 4 1/2 months. Hopefully that seat will keep baby girl for quite a while, but at the time she outgrows it, we'll need another seat for her and at that time we'll figure out what type- infant/toddler or just toddler, etc... That's hopefully a year and more down the road.

I considered for about 30 seconds saving the $ on the infant carrier and just getting her a permanent carseat that's an infant/toddler one. Then I considered not being able to take her out of the car and set her down unless I had a stroller already out and ready to get the other kids unbuckled- or even to get the other kids IN the car she'd have to be in first and they'd be running away... I'll spend the $$ on a carseat that's a carrier! LOL That is... if we find one that will work for more than 4-5 months that seems worthwhile...

Ok, I promise you that our conversation was about twenty times that long and I really did spare you tons of details!

So in the next 3 months (WOW, only 3 months?!?) we need an infant carrier. Preferrably one that has a length limit of to 32" or more. Graco makes 2 different ones I believe. Anyone else? Has anyone used these? Are they huge and bulky? Does the child seem to actually FIT in them for that long or are they just "allowed" to? Do they use a regular seatbelt to go into a second car of do you have to use the base at all times? Anyone know?? I see a trip to Babies R Us in the future...

And while I'm at it shopping for carseats, I'm doing a 'first through' on the toddler seats too. I know there are more than just the Radian that go up to 65 lbs in a harness now (we have a Radian 80 and LOVE it, but the other seats seem much less expensive and this time we don't need the seat to go rear-facing for B and M). Anyone have experience with the Graco Nautilus? I found the Apex too, but because our big van doesn't have headrests, and the manual says that it shouldn't be used if the child's head is above the back of the VAN seat (behind the carseat), thus not one that I'm willing to buy. I can't find the manual for the Nautilus online even through Graco's website to know if it is the same way. Are there other seats that go up to 65lbs in the harness?

No, I'm not losing any more sleep over this :) PROMISE! But I'd love any info you all have about any of these seats or any others that might fit our kiddos well!