Great job mama for keeping him rearfacing as long as possible, great decision!! My sister bought a Sunshine Radian and LOVES it. In our family we also have a First Years True Fit, which I love, and a Graco myRide 65. They both rearface to 40 lbs too. We have a Britax Decathalon and a Graco Comfortsport which rearface to 30 or 35. By far I love the First Years and the myRide the most. They are comfy, easy to instal and adjust, get great crash ratings, etc. I know the myRide and I think the First Years both frontface to 65lbs. My kids are going to be 20 before they are 65 lbs :/. They are both tall too, so its great for tall kids since their heads need to be an inch below the top of the seat.
For switching forward, when DD turned 3 we got her the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It is so easy to install correctly, comfy for her, really awesome cubbies and the right size/kind of armrest, good side impact protection that works for sleeping :) She can stay in the 5pt harness until she is like 80 pounds i think. Maybe 65 and in the hi-back booster with belt until 80. She is never going to be 80 lbs so I haven't looked in a long time ;) (she is barely 30 lbs and 4 in 3 weeks). In retrospect I would still have her rearfacing as well since she could for height and rear..but its hard to make her go rear all the time when she has been facing front for so long. She will for short trips when she's in my sister or my m om's carseat that is already rearfacing, but not in our car. Our DD2 will be rearfacing probably until she's 4, when I anticipate she will grow out of her carseat.
I c/p-ed an earlier post with some carseat links in case that is helpful for you! GL mama! :)
Do lots of research as they are changing and upgrading ALL the time. And I have found that I am more happy with other brands innovations as opposed to the Britax, which is one of the ‘names.’ but that just imho. I would suggest getting a full convertible and leave your son rearfacing until he doesn’t fit the seat anymore. He will likely grow out of length (head 1" below the top of the carseat) before weight (new ones rear face to 40-45 lbs as opposed to 25-30). Then keep him in a front face 5-pt harness as absolutely long as they fit in the seat with the proper strap adjustment. They are SOOO much safer with a 5-pt harness...don’t rush him out of it, its not one of the “milestones” to celebrate like walking :) Be sure to check your vehicle manufacturing guidelines for how long it is appropriate to keep a seat in the LATCH positions (usually up to 85 lbs I think). When they can’t do LATCH and lose that 5pt harness, keep them in a high-back booster as long as possible. I fully expect my girls to be in their 5-point harnesses at least into kindergarten if not longer. It is just plain safe and makes sense...and there is a big trend and support that way so I don’t think it will be an issue in school. My girls are both small for their ages and I anticipate they will have to be in a high-back booster+belt or backless booster+belt throughout most of elementary school.
for info check out
www.car-seat.org
www.seatcheck.org
www.joelsjourney.org
www.healthychildren.org