I currently have an Eddie Bauer car seat for my 2 month old...that I HATE! We are thinking of getting her a new car seat soon and were looking into the convertible seats that are good all the way up to 50 lbs or so. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good one?
Looks like I am going to go w/ a Britax....most moms seem to say that's the best all around. Thanks so much everyone!!!
Spend the money and get a Britax - we've got the Boulevard and I'll never put my child in anything else - it's the safest seat on the market. And it's easy to use for you, too!
I recommend you visit http://www.car-seat.org/
This forum will give you tons of helpful info and the car seat experts on there will stir you in the right direction based on your needs...just post a thread...hope this helps you some!!
I got the Britax Boulevard. These run about $330, but I was able to get mine on sale at Babies R Us for considerably cheaper. It got really great ratings as do all of the Britax carseats and are often rated the number one carseat to get. I also looked at the Evenflo Symphony which actually goes up to 100 lbs, but decided on the Britax instead. I used the Baby Bargains book to decide. The newest version is out at bookstores. I simply went into Barnes and Noble and read the section on carseats without buying the book. Whatever you decide, Do you get the Babies R Us coupon books? I believe next week there is a 10% off carseat coupon and a 15% off one item coupon and you can combine both. Also they are having a trade in next week and I believe you can bring the carseat that you hate with you to get a discount on a new one.
The Britax is rated the safest, and carries a child up to 65 lbs. We have the Boulevard which my 43 lb. son is very comfortable in. It is very easy to adjust the size on, you simply turn a knob and the belts adjust to your growing child. It can be forward or rear facing, and is the easiest to install of any that I have tried. When it is time to remove the cover for washing, the belts come off and re-attach easily as well. I highly recommend it. It is well worth the price. The only downside is that it is very heavy, but I believe that it's sturdy construction is the reason for that, and contributes to it's high safety rating.
Have to say, I LOVE our Britax, too-- we have the boulevard, which can be a bit pricey, but you can usually find them on sale somewhere (look online before you buy). We have used it since our first son was 6 months, and he's now 3 and a half (about 40 lbs.), and is still very comfortable in it. It is nice, too, for when they fall asleep in the car, as it does support their head.
I would go Britax Marathon/Decathalon all the way! I know they're expensive, but they're very much worth it. My baby girl is a chunk herself, so we went with the bigger option because she kept outgrowing her carseats so quickly (I think it's the Decathalon which is the bigger option, but I'm not sure...try Googling it!). Anyway, we were rear-ended by a kid going 70 this summer....my nine year-old ended up in the trauma unit for five hours because her seat belt 'yanked' her so hard, but my two year-old basically slept through the whole thing. I think if it hadn't been for the airbags being so loud, she wouldn't have even woken up. Not a scratch or bruise on her! So yeah, I think Britax is the way to go!
We love our britax marathon.
I also have an Evenflo Triumph. We bought it for our 13 month old DD and love it! It's much cheaper than the Britax and rated just as high by Consumer Reports in all categories. While it's true the straps can't come out, the cover comes off very easily. The straps are also infintely adjustable (they slide up and down, instead of going through preset holes) and they are easy to tighten.
LOVE the Britax Marathon! We went with something less expensive but later broke down and bought one for both of my children. It's so easy to install, easy to get the kids in and out of, helps the kids sleep well (their heads don't flop over on their chests when they sleep)... If you have the money, I think it's worth it. We bought both of ours from travelingtikes.com and got great deals during two different sales.
I did a lot of research through Consumer Reports as well as informal polls with other "mommy" friends. The vote was almost 100% for Britax Marathon. It is a convertible seat that goes up to 65 pounds. One note---you will need to check to make sure that it fits in your car. It is a rather large car seat. I have a Nissan Pathfinder, and it fits fine......but small compact cars or 4-door cars I am not sure about. Love it!
Britax !!!!! worlds best & I would have no other !!!S.
We bought an Eddie Bauer convertible car seat before our child was born. We hated it, too, when she was tiny. Seemed like it wasn't supportive enough for her little body. That being said, we love it now that she's older! We bought a travel system shortly after her birth to use instead of the converible car seat, and I wouldn't have anything else if I had another baby. The infant carrier saved us--our baby loved to sleep in it!
I am going to agree w/ everyone on here about The Britax, we just bought the new Roundabout 50. One side note to consider, we bought this seat because our daughter who is now 9 months old is getting too big for her Chicco Key Fit 30. Your son is only 2 months old so you may want to consider a infant car seat for now. I know the first 7 months we kept her in the carseat at Target, the mall, grocery stores, etc... If you get the convertible car seat now then you have to take him out of the car seat everywhere you go. Not always convenient when a small baby sleeps a lot. Don't get me wrong I totally agree with all the posts....Britax all the way, but for a 2 month old you may want to consider an actual infant seat. Good luck!!!
I have a Britax Marathon that I love. I believe we spent around $230 at Babies R Us. Its for infants 6 months and older. Unless you are in a rush, you can monitor Babies R Us for coupons and sales. They always have sales on car seats.
I had a Evenflo Triumph until we upgraded to a booster transitional seat. Loved te Evenflo and it was only around $145 and if you have a coupon even cheaper. At age 2 1/2 we got a Graco Nautilus and again love it. My child gets car sick a lot and the straps come completly out so we can wash everything. That's why we eventually had to get rid of the Evenflo-it was just too stinky despite our washing (straps couldn't come out)-already done it. And the Graco is also a very good value. Got it from WalMart.com (cheaper than the store), and only .98 cents to ship it to my house. Very happy!
