Car Seat Advice - Romeoville,IL

My 9mo old is close to outgrowing her infant car seat. We went with the Evenflow Triumph Advanced. It was rated #1 on consumer reports and it's good up to 50lbs forward facing. It's big but we'll install it in the next week or so, probably after her 9mo dr's appt and the weather is more consistently nice.

Another vote for the Britax Marathon. I have both my kids in them and feel they are very safe. I want them in a five point harness as long as possible. I highly recommend this carseat to anyone who asks. Also I find it very easy to install.

Hi. I have the Britax that goes to 80lbs~ but it's really big so we bought the radian80 and they're great. We now have 4 kids so I'm looking into buying the First Years True Fit b/c of it's safety ratings are so high and it doesn't seem to be as big as the Britax car seat and doesn't cost as much as the radian80.

I would avoid the 3-in-1 seats like the Alpha Omega. They are ok rear facing but are outgrown in height long before weight, and they make terrible booster seats... they consistently failed booster crash tests because they don't position the lap portion of the belt properly.

The MyRide 65 is a GREAT seat. Its very comparable to the Britax Marathon size wise, and it rear faces to 40lbs! It then forward faces to 65lbs. It has awesome side impact protection and its a pretty tall seat so it works great for bigger kids. My son fit in the MyRide exactly the same as he did his Marathon. :)

First years TrueFit is also a great seat. The Britax Roundabout 50 is the same shell height as the Marathon but it only harnesses to 50lbs vs. the 65 of the Marathon, but honestly my 7.5yr old is just now 65lbs.... but is way too tall for the Marathon, so the Roundabout 50 would have been perfect for both my boys. And its about $100 cheaper. The Britax and Sunshine kids seats can be tethered rear facing, and that reduces rebound dramatically. That would be one of my huge reasons for purchasing a Britax or Sunshine Kids right now.

Please google Extended Rear facing and Joels journey, and keep your little one rear facing as ong as possible. When rear facing the harness should come from at or below the shoulders, and the chest clip should be level with the armpits. A rear facing car seat is outgrown when the child goes over the weight limit or there is less than one inch of shell above the childs head.

I would recomend against the all in one seats because by the time they get to using it as a booster it's so beat up you want to buy a new booster anyway. ( BTDT) Graco and Evenflo both make some great seats. When I'm shopping for a seat I check for comfortableness , ie how padded is it, 5pt harness, and the weight limit on it. My kids were big too but I didn't have the big $$$ to spend on the Britax. I also look for a cup holder, sounds simple but when you can just stick a bottle or sippy cup right there in the cup holder instead of trying fiddle with the diaper bag and drive at the same time it makes things SO much more simpler.

On of mine had the Eddie bauer all in one that we ended up replacing when she was big enough to use it as a booster. And the other had an Evenflo Triumph, the 4 yrs ago version.

i would buy a seat that has the highest rear facing weight limit ( you want to keep your kid rear facing for as long as the weight/height limit will allow you to, for some kids that is up to age 3 or so) Please look at the link i provided and watch the video that shows the 2 types of crashes and how that impacts a small childs spine and head. My daughter is 2 and is still rear facing and will be until she grows out of the weight limit

http://lifeofasahm-L..blogspot.com/2010/03/car-seat-basic...

At that age, I'd highly recommend a Britax Roudabout because of their safety profile. We have had both of our kids in it over the past 3 years. It's rated up to a decent weight. Our daughter just turned 2, is in the 95th percentile for height/weight and is doing great in it.

One thing to consider: car seats are a big expense, but the cost is 100% worth it in the event anything ever happens. If you think about the number of years you'll use it, it's less than pennies/day in the long run.

Good luck.

If you want you can check out www.carseatnanny.blogspot.com. She has a list of carseat that are rear/forward facing and she will help you with any questions you have. My son was big and we chose the Graco SnugRide 65, so we could keep him rear facing as long as possible. He is only 2 /12 and 37 inches tall and 37 pounds. The Graco SnugRide rear faces until 40 lbs. Good Luck!

I had the same exact issue with my son. I ended up with the Evenflo Symphony 65. I LOVE it. Super easy to install (if you read the directions!!) and the latch system is a breeze. He is very comfortable in it and he can stay rear facing until he is 40 lbs. It also turns into a forward-facing seat (up to 65 lbs.) and booster (up to 100 lbs.) so it's a car seat that really grows. My daughter had the Britax Marathon and I love that one too - so much that I got her the Britax Frontier as a booster for our other car. Both seats can be pricey but there's no price tag for safety... at least that's what I keep repeating to myself as I review the credit card bill, ha ha. Good luck!

I too would reccomend the Britax Marathon. I used it both back-facing and forward facing with no problems. However I have a good sized suv. It is a larger seat, so if you have a small car it may not fit in the backward facing position. It is rated one of the safest seats, and has a bunch of little helpful features - such as tangle-free straps, a gaurd on the lower buckle (so you don't clip the babies skin), velco on the sides to hold the straps back... I also have a. Alpha Omega and an not happy with it. The lower buckle will not accomidate a larger baby/toddler - it's too close to the crotch.
The Marathon is pricy but well worth it - and if you buy it at Buy Buy Baby, you can use the Bed Bath & Beyond coupons that come in the mail!

Looks like you have got some pretty good advice here for the most part. Just thought I would share a link to a group where I have gone and gotten a lot of questions answered over the years by car seat techs and parents who have BTDT. http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a7645/car_seat_que...

They have a great FAQ thread and can give you specific suggestions based on your baby and car.

I see you have gotten a lot of votes for the Britax Marathon. We have 2 and they are great-probably my favorites among the 10+ seats I have bought for our 4 kids in the last 9 years as they hold up well and are easy to use and install. I have heard good things about the Graco MyRide, Evenflo Triumph Advance, and First Years TrueFit though I don't have any personal experience as I haven't had to buy a convertible since they came out.

One last thing - you can often get a better price online than in store. If you find something you like in store, you might be able to find it online cheaper. I know www.albeebaby.com used to have some good deals, Some of their closeout seats are discontinued and may be a few months older than the regular cost ones but sometimes the discount makes up for the lost lifespan of the seat..

If you need it to be more affordable, I'd def go with the Graco, I have one for my 2 year old and it is great....it can rearface to 40 lbs (only seat on the market that does), the First Years True Fit or the Evenflo Symphony. They are bigger seats cause they accommodate kids up to 65 lbs so make sure you have room in your car.

If you can spend the extra money, Britax are great....they have a longer expire date and better features. Safety wise they are really about equal, the Britax just has more convenience features and is a little easier to use. I have a Marathon in my main car for my 2 year old.

I would not buy a combination seat of any other brand. They CLAIM to work up to 65 lbs, but the truth is they will outgrow the seat by height before they get to that weight. And the other combination seats don't make very good boosters when you get to that stage (don't position the belt right).

When you get the new seat make sure to read the manual and install correctly, there should be no more than one inch of movement at the base. Also the seats that are "all in one" usually have a foot or an adjustment you have to do to make it work rearfacing. Just be careful and do your homework.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message, I am a CPS tech and would be happy to help you. Thanks!

Hello L. ~ I had both my kids in the britax marathon & love it..one is still currently in the marathon while my daughter was moved to a booster (britax parkway).

Britax are the best and safest seats you can buy. They have to abide by stricter safety guidelines than seats produced in America. I have only used Britax seats with my kids and I highly recommend them. I currently have a Marathon and the seat goes to 65 lbs. My daughter is comfortable and safe in hers now. The Britax seats do cost more than some other brands like Graco but I don't think you can put a price on your child's safety.

I have an Evenflo Truimph Advance and am really happy with it. It has a lot of features that the expensive top of the line ones have, like easy to adjust harnesses, but is no where near the cost. It got really good ratings/reviews. You should definitely take your baby in and try them out in any that you are considering.

Here are some links that I used to help make my decision:
http://cpsafety.com/articles/ConvertibleShop.aspx
www.consumerreports.com

Hi L.,

We use the Britax Roundabout, which is a convertible (rear and forward facing) and have been very pleased with it. Britax carseats are great and highly rated, but expensive (around $200). The Roundabout is our carseat of choice, since we have a compact car (the others are much larger). The Cosco Scenera is supposed to be a good bare bones option (not too much padding, but the book Baby Bargains gives it a B+ overall rating) and it retails around $50. We are probably going to get one of these for my mom's car so she can pick my daughter up from preschool.

Hope that helps!

R.

After a lot of research we decided on the Evenflo Symphony 65. It has gotten great reviews and has a longer life than the Britax Roundabout or Marathon. We were deciding between the two, but for about the same price, it made sense for us to get something that will last longer. It goes all the way up to 65lbs. and it has multiply reclining positons. After that it can be used as a booster until 100lbs!

It surprisingly doesn't take up a whole lot of room in my small car either.
And the SureLatch made it so easy to put in the car! Good luck:)

I regret not putting the money out for a Britax Marathon. I had instead purchased a Graco and it SUCKS!! Its only 2 years old and it's not holding up all that well. Plus I want to keep my son harnessed until 65lbs and our seat only goes up to 40lbs. Another down side to the Graco brand is the hight... your son will probably out grow their hight restrictions far before the weight. Britax is wonderful in so many aspects, easy to install, easy to put your child in, safer by far and will last longer.

Britax! They have the best seats, and safest. Check out the Marathon or the Roundabout, they are both convertible.
Best of luck!

We have the Britax marathon and love it! Don't forget that the AAP now recommends keeping babies rear facing for AT LEAST 2 years.

i have the Graco my Ride 65 and i LOVE it so does my son. he is 2 years old still rear facing 30 lbs and 36 inches tall height wise(90th %) he still has a little bit to go before he has to turn forward so it is great in that department. i had no trouble installing it in less then 5 mins. it was even just listed by fitpregnancy magazine as the best value in convertible carseats. for the money it is fantastic. i have had it for nearly a year and i have not had one problem with it. my son will use it until the new baby is to big for the infant seat then i will move him up to the Graco Nautilus. i know what you are feeling about the overwhelming feeling with getting a car seat but as soon as i found the My Ride i felt so much better it is safe and it looks cool too:)

We have an evenflo symphony 65 and a Britax. We prefer the evenflo over the britax. The evenflo has surelatches so it is really easy to put in the car and you don't have to sit and pull on the latches to make sure they are tight. Also it 3 different recline positions which is great when you are using it rear facing.

I am a huge fan of britax although I did have an issue with the roudabout. my son got too tall before he was 4 and was too young for a booster. The marathon is a great seat we have that for my daughter. The one you are looking at looks like a pretty good carseat. Just don't go with the 3-1 seats we also had one of those in my husbands truck. It worked as a car seat but when he was ready for a booster It was horrible. We ended up getting a new high back booster that supported him better. Just make sure its properly installed and your child will be a lot safer.

I didn't see any votes for my car seat. We just got the first years true fit convertible. My son is already 45 lbs but not yet 3. He had well outgrown his other seat but isn't mature enough for a booster. I needed something he would fit in for a while but didn't want to spend a ton of money either- since he's growing so fast. This seat is the easiest seat I've ever used as far as switching between cars (my car doesn't have latch), my son is really comfortable and it's really easy to move the straps. I love it. Good luck! K

We have the Britax roundabout also. Both our kids have used it. It holds up to 40-45 lbs. Its pretty compact and fits in a lot of cars. We also had the Boulevard but it was big, we sold it when our son was ready for a bigger/lower seat. Our daughter has used the Roundabout since about 9 months 18 lbs (our son sam age and 22+ lbs) This was when our son was almost 3 and over 40 inches tall and 40 lbs. We moved him into the Britax Frontier, he gets to use the 5 point harness up to 65 lbs and then it converts to a booster up to 80 lbs. The Britax are a bit more expensive but we have gotten a lot of use out of them, they are comfortable and made of quality material that is easy to clean. We do have inexpensive car seats in my husbands truck for just in case but we switch car seats out if we are traveling any distance.

I purchased Britax Marathon for both my kids. They will not convert into a booster, so they are not all-in-one. However, I made this decision because I want to keep my children in a 5-point harness until they become 65lbs. Many of the all-in-one seats are only rated to 40 lbs for the 5-pt harness (then you switch over to booster -- but I'm not familiar with the model you are looking at). It's really just a personal decision. I'll have to buy a booster in the distant future, but I have no idea when. I think it's a long time off, though. My 3 yr old is 31 lbs (60th percentile) while my 4 yr old is 42 lbs (90th) if that helps give any perspective.

I have a Britax for both of my kids and love them! Britax has a cool feature on their site that will help you customize and choose a seat that will work for your needs and wants. My daughter is in a Britax that goes from 5-65lbs and can stay rear facing till 35 libs.

I love that her seat goes to 35 lbs rear-facing because the recommendation now is that little ones stay rear facing at least until age 2 and even then as long as possible. My daughter will be 2 this summer and I plan on keeping her rear facing even after that as she won't be anywhere near 35lbs.

We went to the Britax Roundabout when my kids were the same age. I think the Britax Marathon is good too - it is bigger so you may get a little longer out of it. Britax makes really safe seats - you can check the IIHS site as well as consumer reports. Also Britax is made in the USA. When my son turned three we moved up to the Britax Frontier and now his sister uses the Roundabout.

Good luck

Personally I went for saftey features this time. I have four boys and I ended up with the Recaro carseat from Germany. Goes till they are 12 years old and has excellent side impact features. You can only start using from one year old so I hired a large cacoon seat till they were one. I am so happy and many of my friends now want one.
You would have to google for you local retailer or send for one. I have even travelled across the world on planes with it and it is great.

Good luck with your search.

Either Britax Roundabout or Marathon - we've had both and been really happy with them.