Advice on Car Seat

We have the Britax and love it! It is a bit pricey; however, it has been well worth it. I think they make one for children up to 80 pounds; you could get some miles out of it. M

Hello! I understand everyone loves their Britax but they were just so expensive. I did a search on top convertible car seats and the True Fit convertible car seat by First Years came in near the top. I searched for mothers reviews, they were hard to find at first but I found some and all but 2 were positive. the 2 that were not had a problem with the removable headrest for rear facing (whey you read about it you will understand). We ordered one for 169.00 that included tax and shipping from albeebaby. For rear facing I did have to boost it a little with a towel but when i actually pulled the straps to tighten the latch system it does not move at all. It is so strong that I actually sat on it while tightening the strap and it did fine. It has been compared to the Britax Boulevard for a fraction of the price. I have included two websites that helped me a lot. I don't believe you should have to break the bank for a great car seat.
Good luck,
A.
http://www.thingamababy.com/baby/2008/06/truefit.html
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000YBM2V0?showViewp...

My son (now 3.5) used the Evenflo Triumph and it has been really great! And we bought a Britax for my daughter when she was about 10 months old b/c she was growing too long for the infant carrier. She's 15 months and still rear-facing in the Britax. So we've really been pleased with both brands of car seats :)

Hi LF,
It wasn't that long ago that we were facing the same decision you are now (our son is now 16 mos old, but outgrew his infant carrier between 8 and 9 mos of age b/c of his length).

After doing extensive research and hearing what Child Passenger Safety Technicians, police officers, and other emergency workers had to say, we each bought Britax convertible seats. We bought the Roundabout ($200) for my smaller car and the Boulevard ($300) for my husband's bigger truck.

Each of these seats (along with the Britax Marathon) consistently show up in top ratings, reviews, etc.

Yes, they are extremely pricey, but they will hold our son until he is anywhere from 4 to 5 years old, so it's waaaaay cheaper per year than our $99 Graco Snugride infant carrier that lasted only 8 months!

Re: the rear-facing aspect, both of our seats (I think this is standard for ALL convertibles) can hold our child rear-facing for up to 33 lbs or 49". We plan to keep him rear-facing until one of those limits is reached.

In case you need convincing, you should check out this link, which shows crash test results of both forward-facing and rear-facing scenarios and interviews experts in the field... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8 It shows that babies are SIGNIFICANTLY safer in a rear-facing position and should be in that position as long as possible.

Re: the big, up-front investment, like Brenda B. below, we asked the grandparents to help purchase the car seat for our son's 1st Birthday. He also had plenty of toys and they loved the idea of helping to make such an important purchase!!!

I hope this helps you make your decision!

Take care,
D.

I'd check out Consumer Reports to see what they have to say on the most recent batch of car seats. Many that people swear by do not perform well even in the low-speed crash tests. I'm with the last poster - Recaro all the way. They make the car seats for professional racing drivers and military aircraft! We have a Recaro Signo, and found it online (shipped) for $215 within the last two weeks (www.albeebaby.com). Lonestar Baby has them if you want to touch one before purchasing it online.

We've had both Evenflo and Britax carseats. The Evenflo Triumph has been great but doesn't look as good as our Britax does. The Evenflo's seat cover has faded from the sun whereas our Britax still looks new. I think the Britax just holds up better. Plus if you buy the Britax Marathon then you can use it until the kid is 65 pounds - which will be after 5 years old. Good luck!

We had the same issue and like you I posted and most everyone talked about the Britax brand ut we ould not really afford that one. My daughter was 8 mos when I moved her to the bigger one I got the evenflo Triumph it has been tested for side impact and all and I love it.. So does my daughter I have had no problem and I love that you can loosen and tighten each time it makes it so easy look and some of the customer reviews on babys rus I did it is a great seat I can not express although it is big but I love it good luck..

I bought a cheaper car seat for my older two, but decided to try the Britax for my youngest and it was worth it. They are in the car seat so many hours of their life and you spend a lot of time getting them in and out and switching the seat to a different car. The Britax is easier to use in all these areas. What I like the best is that the straps don't get rolled up on themselves because they are thicker and sturdier and that makes it easier to get the kids strapped in even three years later when they are caked with juice box drippings and peanutbutter cracker crumbs.

If you can afford a Britax car seat, then get it! Don't waste your money on a crappy Graco carseat. My toddler sits in a Graco carseat, and my 4 year old is in a Britax car seat, and the Britax is so much better! It's definatly worth paying the extra money for a Britax.

You can't go wrong with a Britax seat! It is worth the money that you will spend. My twins who are 3 1/2 use them and my other son who is 21 months has one. Stay away from the Roundabout model because it only goes up to 40 pounds. A friend of mine who checks car seats at Cooks recommended Britax seats to us when we were looking.

We have the Evenflow Truimph for our girls, but that was until Graco came out with the Nautilus that has a harness for up to 60 lbs (all others except one from Britax is only rated for the harness up to 40 lbs--read manual carefully). This carseat is the last we will need...it goes from harness to seat belt to booster; all in one. My daughter seems very comfortable in it and it is at Walmart--$150.

Ask your pediatrician. As an infant, they should be in an infant carried until they are 1 year AND 20 lbs. We switched to a Britax marathon at 1 year and we love it. They are pricey but durable and so safe.

I loved the Alpha/Omega All in One! Not as pricey as Britax.

if you are ready to move her forward facing i would check out the graco nautilis. it has a high 5 pt harness weight (65#s) and can be a high back booster then a backless booster. they run about $160.

I have one 4.5 and one 2.5 year old in Britax. Love them worth every penny. Remember do not move to a booster too early. Wait! as long as you can. Until you child begs to get out of his or her car seat. A booster is not a car seat. They only make you child taller for a seat belt.

I am at the same stage. I looked at a ton of them and I think we are going to get the Graco Nautilus. They are around $150 and will grow with him all the way up to a backless booster. Best of luck!

We wanted the safety of a Britax without spending the money, so we bought a Fisher Price Safe Voyage. It's made by Britax - the same as ... one of them - the Marathon, maybe? Anyhow, it's a Britax for $100 less than a Britax name. Of course, ours doesn't have the bells and whistles that the Britax one does, but it is as safe, and that was our main concern. I've seen a friend's Britax and it's really nice... The extra features may actually be worth the extra $100. We're still trying to decide between the Fisher Price and the Britax for our second child.

BRITAX is the way to go its worth every penny! I use the Britax marathons for my 3 and 2 year olds and my oldest who is 5.5 uses the Britax REGENT (goes upto 80 pounds using a 5 point harnes!) if you really LOOK at the way the Britax car seats are made compared to the other brands you will see the difference. You really do get what you pay for and the Britax seats meet and far EXCEED the US standards for car seats and they make SEVERAL car seats that use the 5 point harness for over 40 pounds. I would also suggest the Recaro seats.

There has been more and more evidence that booster seats are not safe they are NOT CAR SEATS they simply raise your child to a level where they can use the cars seat belt and that is not the safest way for a child to travel. There are MANY MANY videos on U-tube showing how unsafe booster seats are and how its very important to have your childin a 5 point harness. I would wear a 5 point my self if they made them for adults. :o)

HTH-
A. J

I wouldn't spend my money on anything other than a Britax. I would sell something in my home if that is what it took to purchase one, that is how strongly I believe in them! They are the safest seat out there. I was in a wreck in 2007 with my then 6 month old and 2 year old. My 2 year old was in a Britax and when our car got hit by a truck running the red light, it his on my 2 year olds side towards the back of the car, but still hitting the door beside her. The door was molded around her seat! (Britax car seats are reinforced with steel) She had the Britax seat with the side impact protection and I firmly believe that the Britax seat is one of the reasons she walked away from that wreck with only some scraps from the window being shattered on her. My son was not as fortunate....he was in an infant carrier and suffered from minor brain damage. All is well now, but I can't help but wonder if he had been in a Britax if things would have turned out different. Immediately following the wreck we got them both a Britax and they are still enjoying them, with my children being 4 and 2 years of age. (My son was just 6 months when I put him in his first Britax, and it worked well rear facing and he loved it!) They are going to be using these seats for a long time...I think they go up to at least 60 pounds, maybe even 80, and my 4 year old is just 40 pounds right now, so we have alot more use to get from them. Buy a Britax, you won't be sorry!

Hi!

Ok, we absolutely LOVE our little girl's seat! It's the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite. We used it rear-facing for a few months, as she outgrew the length of her carrier at 8 months old! It also turns into a booster. (I think it's called a "3-in-1.") The safety ratings were really good... I searched around and got a lot of recommendations for this seat. It's probably the next best one to the Britax, and about $100 less expensive. As a bonus, it's really cushiony and comfy, and the print we got is really cute.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3091042

We got a cute pink & brown plaid... it's not showing up on the website, but the store might still have it.

Emma Kate loves her car seat.

Hope you find the perfect one! :-)

S.

Try this site - http://www.elitecarseats.com/?sNav=2. It is the best for comparing carseats. If you call them for advise they are also super knowledgeable and will spend as much time on the line with you as needed. Shipping is free and you can spend an extra $5 for return shipping insurance (so if you don't like, you return for only the $5 cost - can't beat it!!).

We have the Recaro Como (Signo or Sigma would be the same with a few upgrades..) and LOVE it!!

I would get a Britax. We have a Britax Marathon for my daughter. They have a really high rear-facing weight limit (safest way for babies to be, even after 1 year), and are worth saving for.

Definitely go Britax -- they cannot be beat for safety and ease! I got 5 of mine on Ebay -- and was pleased with each one that I successfully bid upon. Plus the bidding price was so much cheaper!

I would recommend looking at the Graco Nautilus. I bought this carseat because my convertible carseat only went up to 40 pounds and 37 inches tall. My two and a half year old has met the height requirement. A child can stay in the 5 point harness up to 65 pounds and then it will turn into a booster seat up to 100 pounds. It is very well made and easy to clean. The selling point for me was that my son could stay in the 5 point harness longer than any other carseat I could find at the time.

After doing some research (cost, safety, functionality, user reviews, consumer ratings agencies, etc.), we settled on the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite. Here is a link to one that is listed on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Cosco-Alpha-Omega-Elite-Seat/dp/B00....

The cost was reasonable, and I like the fact that our little one will be able to use it up to 100 pounds. Similar to many car seats, it offers different price levels . . . I'm not really sure what the differences are, though, except maybe fabric choices. Our daughter is very comfortable in it! We bought one for each car. Just be sure to research if it is the right seat for your car, because each seat is structured differently and may not always fit correctly. One suggestion is to ask the store to allow you to try it out in your car -- try before you buy. I have a Toyota minivan and it fits great in the (optional) middle seat of the second row, but it had to be installed in the side seat of my husband's smaller car because it wouldn't fit snugly in the middle.

Our son was in a Britax Roundabout and now is in a Britax Monarch booster seat. I felt great about their safety ratings. You can get the "411" on car seats at http://www.epregnancy.com/Parenting/411-On-Car-Seat-Safet...
FYI -- I am one of five featured parent bloggers on www.epregnancy.com as Oh Mama! (see woman wearing Superhero cape in jest)
Good luck!
J.

We have a now 3.5-year-old who has been using her Alpha Omega Elite carseats since turning a year old. We second what Christine already wrote about these great seats. The only caveat is they are larger seats than many brands out there, so be aware of the space.

When my daughter outgrew her infant carrier, we bought the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite. I was looking forward to using it until she was out of a car seat since it's supposed to be convertible and can be used up to 100 pounds. Unfortunately, my daughter was very tall for her age and she outgrew the height requirements WAY before the weight requirements so we bought the Century Breverra Booster Car Seat to get her through the rest of the time. It was much taller and was cheaper so it worked for us at the time.

When we had to change our son's seat, I decided to bite the bullet and buy the Britax Regent because I really wanted to use the five-point harness for as long as possible and you can use it in the Regent up to 80 pounds. It's also very tall so it's doubtful I will have the same problem with height for my son's car seat that I did with my daughter.

While the Regent was expensive, I had a 10% off certificate from Target AND got free shipping when I purchased it on-line so it ended up probably costing about the same as it did buying the two car seats for my daughter, which was several years prior. The Regent is a BIG car seat so you have to be prepared for that in terms of the space in your car.

I consider it a great buy, I feel I will definitely get my money's worth out of it over time and I know my son is in one of the highest rated seats in terms of safety on the market. Definitely worth it to me.

Good luck!

We went with the Britax Regent. It's a forward facing seat for children 22-80 lbs. We love it! Because our son has so many toys, and didn't really need anything, we asked each set of grandparents to help buy his new carseat for his birthdy. They each gave however much they wanted, and I also had a 15% off coupon from Baby's R Us, and we ended up not paying for the carseat! They really loved helping get him the safest seat available. We are on a tight budget, so that really helped us out!

i would go with a britax if there's any way at all you can afford it, it's a purchase you'll NEVER regret.

paige b is incorrect, children do not need to be in an infant carrier until 1 year and 20 lbs, they just need to be rear facing. it's actually best to leave them rear facing longer than that though - many of the britax seats are convertible, so your little girl could still stay rear facing.

The Britex seats are good, but keep in mind you are also paying for the name. Go for what works in your car, transitions the way you want and is comfortable for your child. We do a good amount of long car trips and I wanted something as comfortable as possible. I went with one of only two cars seats out there that safely reclines while your child is in the seat. My son has NOT enjoyed the car and since I switched him to the new seat, he is much, much happier and the recline was wonderful on our last trip. We have the Graco Safe Seat 2. Easy to install or switch to another car and very easy to get my son in and out. $130.00 at Babies R Us and I think they are having a sale this weekend. Good luck with whatever you choose!