Sounds like you need to be shopping for a convertible car seat! We chose to go with Britax because of their reputation, and because of their high ratings with
Consumer Reports testing. Also, their car seats have higher weight limits, which met the
new Canadian car seat requirements long before they came in to effect this year.
One more thing you may need to consider is your vehicle. Some car seats are huge and may not fit in your back seat without pushing the front passenger seat all the way forward.
We first bought the Britax Diplomat but DD didn't like the extra side protection on either side of the head, so now we have the Britax Marathon, which she loves.
I personally don't feel the 'extras' are necessary i.e. cupholder, arm rests, etc. However, I do believe the recline is not an additional feature, but requirement for correct installation of the seat. For Britax convertible seats, you only use the seat in reclined position when it is rear-facing - this is so that you get the correct angle of the infant's head/ neck. When you turn it around forward-facing, you should *not* have the seat in recline position. It needs to be fully upright so that the back is lined up closely to your vehicle's seat.
Lastly, there are some great tips and other info on the
Ontario Ministry of Transportation website.
