Car Seat - North Attleboro, MA

I hated all the cheaper seats. They did not last long enough in 5 pt restraints. I totally recommend the Britax Marathon. I got two for my twins and they are 4 + and still fit in them for a little longer. They are very easy to install and and use!

Hi T.,

I'm a Child Passenger Safety Technician and quite familiar with all the convertible child seats available for sale in the US right now.

What's important to keep in mind is that there is no one 'right' or 'best' seat and that what another person loves may be awful for your situation. You know, if you're a size 32B and someone loves her 36D bra, it doesn't necessarily mean it's a good choice for you too ;-)

The 'best' car seat

1. Fits your child
2. Fits your car
3. Fits your budget
4. Will be used correctly EACH and EVERY time you ride in the car with your child.

That being said, the new Alpha Omegas (the ones that forward facing harness to 50 instead of 40) are decent seats. They make TERRIBLE UNSAFE boosters, so if you are buying it because it converts to a booster, don't let that be part of your decision. (If you want more information on boosters, let me know)

When looking for a convertible, keep in mind the most important thing is that it should allow rearfacing for as long as possible. You might have heard the old rule that once the child is 1 year and 20 lbs she can forward face in the car. We now know that to be patently false, and causes a FIVE HUNDRED PER CENT increase in death and injury in children under 24 months. Two years should be the absolute minimum your child is before turning forward facing.

Seats that will allow you maximum rearfacing time AND will last forward facing until five years or so (when most kids are old enough to move from a harnessed seat to a booster) are, in order of price

Evenflo Triumph Advance (140-180)
Graco MyRide65 (rearfaces to 40 lbs) (150)
Cosco Alpha Omega Elite (150-180)
Britax Roundabout50 (NOT THE ORIGINAL ROUNDABOUT) 170
The First Years True Fit (170-190)
Sunshine Kids Radian65/80/XT (220-280)
The Firs Years True Fit ARB (270)
Britax Marathon/Boulevard (270-330)

Any one of those seats is a decent seat, and all of them have pluses or minuses. Pick the one in your budget that you are comfortable using, make an appointment with a Child Passenger Safety Technician for an installation and education session, and you can't go wrong, as long as you rearface to the limits of the seat!

I Loooooooove the Alpha Omega. I bought the 1st one when my oldest daughter turned 1yr. She's now almost 5 and still sits comfortably using the 5pt harness. So I bought the 2nd one when my 2nd child turned a year. She's now 2 1/2 yrs and I still love it. Just be careful choosing the newer versions. I bought the 2nd seat online, only to return it, because they made the headrest sooooooo cushiony she hated sitting in it, because she couldn't even rest her head back. So I shopped in the store, and love it. I'll probably get one for my 3rd child when he turns a year this July! Good Luck!

Choosing a car seat is tough. they are expensive and all different. We have a britax advocate and we love it. It goes up to 70 lbs front and rear facing. It has side impact protection, cushion for their bottom, a really neat cushion under the seat itself that helps lower the child's center of gravity in an impact. The buckle doesn't get stuck under their bum. The fabric is soft. The seat itself is sturdy. You should check it out!
Look at their website britax.com
Or look on you tube at some of their safety features.

I am a member of the britax safety squad and these opinions are my own.

Hi T.,
I have had 3 car seat and i love the Britex Marathon. It has comfort for if they fall asleep, and the straps never get twisted and that will frustrate me to no end. This one is the best. Have never had a a thing go wrong with this one. Good luck

I have one and love it!!!!!!!

All:

Did you know that Bed Bath and Beyond now sells car seats? They recently purchased a baby coupon -- that means you can use the 20% off coupons (even if they are expired) toward the purchase of a car seat. I did that I got a Britax Marathon on sale (w/price match) for $159 a seat! No shipping either since it was during the Christmas promotion. I don't know anything about the Alpha Omega seat, but we love our Marathon. It's sturdy and most of all easy to install which makes it easy to transfer from car to car when needed.

I loved my Alpha Omega Elite so much I bought one for each car! I have fit it into my '92 Mitsubishi Galant, '03 Dodge Ram 2500, and '08 Dodge Charger. It also fits in my friend's '08 Mitsubishi Lancer. These are ALL FOUR DOOR vehicles, but it fits well in all of them.

My daughter has thrown up in her carseats and I've had to tear them apart to wash them...it's a little difficult, but once you know how it's not so bad.

Overall, I love my carseat, but I would not recommend it for a 2-door car or if you have to transfer it between cars a lot, as it's pretty heavy and a little bulky.

We bought a Sunshine Kids Radian and will never look back. SO easy to install/use, and amazing safety ratings. Also, we love that it has the best ratings on www.healthycar.org - meaning little to no nasty chemicals used in the seat's fabric, so no toxins for baby to breathe while riding.

We have 2 of them and love them (for my 3 yo & 1 yo)!

T.,

My daughter has been in the Alpha Omega Elite since she was five months of age. She is now 22 months. I think you should take into account what others have said about if you have to move it, but our stays exactly where it is and I have loved the seat. The 5-point harness has been great and my daughter is comfortable and (usually) happy. As she has gotten older, I think the whole idea of a car seat is a challenge for her, but we all struggle with that little one who wants freedom and can't get it due to safety concerns. So, if you are planning on installing it and not having to move it, go for it.

C.

we have the alpha omega, the elite version, we have had it since my daughter was born and she now is almost 3! we love it, it has lasted and converts to a booster with a back and then you can take off the back. the only real con (which isn't really one) is that it does take up some room in the backseat as a car seat, but we only have her so it works! its safe, and she is always secure.

Hi T.,

My niece has this seat and her mom is really happy with it. She went to Babies R US and checked them all out and settled on this one. I think my niece was about 6mos old when she got it? She's now 2.5yrs old and still in it; her mom is still happy with it.

P.

We have had that Alpha Omega for 2 years, and I don't really care for it. It's in our 2nd car, so I don't use it as much. We bought it as a less expensive extra to have... The area where the straps attach to the seat (to clasp the 5pt harness) is in the wrong spot for my little guy. He's 4 now, and it's fine when he doesn't have a jacket on, but during the winter it's not an easy one to snap. He's always worrying I will pinch his "peanut" (his word not mine). In our family car he rides in a Ricaro and it's so comfortable. It has side impact wings that my son rests his head on when we're traveling. He falls asleep on the long rides. The only thing is that I didn't research enough when buying it. With our particular car seat you only use the 5 pt. harness until 40 lbs. (we're still only 37lbs. so we're safe). Knowing what I know now I would buy one that we can use the 5 pt. harness in longer.

I actually write a blog on car seat safety, and have found a few others that have come out in the last 8 months that we will be purchasing when it's time for my daughter to move up.
Also, be sure to check out seatcheck.org to find out where you can have your car seat safely installed professionally. I know it seems simple, but you'd be surprised how many car seats are improperly installed.

Graco makes a nice one called Nautilus:

http://mycarseatblankie.blogspot.com/2009/02/another-3-in...

Also Sunshine Kids makes a great one, that's compact as well:

http://mycarseatblankie.blogspot.com/2008/12/another-grea...

Britax makes a great one as well.

http://mycarseatblankie.blogspot.com/2008/11/questions-on...

Good luck!

I guess it depends on your vehicle, and maybe the newer ones are better. I HATE THE ALPHA OMEGA ELITE...i have WASTED HOURS of my life wrestling with trying to get that darn seat safetly installed in our vehicles! (a chev colorado, a dodge gr caravan, a ford taurus and toyota camry) The only good TIGHT install I was able to get with it was forward facing in the middle of my dads ancient ford taurus that has the old style seat belt.
Plus the straps tangled all the time! so unsafe!
for only about $50 more, you can get the EASY to install and never tangling Britax Marathon. Check www.albeebaby.com or www.babyage.com They often have sales on discontinued patterns, fast shipping and often free shipping. I have installed that in all of the above mentioned vehicles plus a Toyota Tundra in about five minutes!

I have the Alpha Omega Elite (has the 5 point harness not the bar that goes over the head) and I love it. My son is 6 and currently using it as a booster. We started using it as soon as he was too big for the infant carrier and it was installed rear facing. was very easily converted to front facing when he was ready. my only issue was trying to remove the buckle that is between the legs - it was not easy to get to but we did eventually get it out to convert into a booster. luckily you do not need to convert/adjust that part often. other than that one issue the seat has been wonderful and it was great not to have to buy multiple seats. My mom had the alpha omega with the bar that goes over the head - didn't like that one as much - my dad could not buckle my son because his hands were too large to manuver under the bar (my dad is not a big man but he still had problems) and my son was thin but was still squished - almost could not buckle him if he had a coat on in the winter. we also could not figure out how to convert to a booster and ended up buying another seat for that. hope this helps