Car Seat Suggestions for 9 Month Old

I tried and tried not to get the Britax because of the price, when other less expensive seats were just as safe... but after going through two other convertable car seats that had problems with the straps I finaly ponied up the cash and did it.

NO REGRETS! The Britax is the easiest to install, the straps don't tangle or get stuck. The Marathon was pretty competitively price with the others and if you take a valid 20% Bed Bath and Beyond coupon to Buy Buy Baby, you get 20% off!

We have a Graco car seat for our son. It is one of those that he should be able to use forever - you can take parts off as they get bigger and, eventually, it's just a booster. We bought one for each of our cars and, so far, have liked it a lot. It has easily adjustable straps and I have a pretty easy time getting him in and out - he's now 17 months. This model, however, did not have the option to first be a rear facing seat - we got it when he turned one. But, as far as everything else goes, I've been satisfied. I've had lots of Graco brand baby stuff for Max and we've liked it all. I can't recall the exact price, but, I think it was around $150.00. :-D

J.,

My children are finally out of carseats and have moved on to booster seats. I'm married to an engineer who researches every major purchase in depth before making a purchase. Britax, though expensive, are the best seats on the market, period. In the past we have owned four different seats and I currently have one now (let me know if you're interested). These seats are easy to install and are very stable once installed. They score the best in crash tests ratings, hands down! The cover is completely removable and can be washed in the machine. The straps have never twisted on any of my seats. They're just awesome!

C.

the law in michign is kids must be in a car seat until 8 or 80 pounds.. so you might want to get a seat that goes upto that size..

we have 2 britax roundabouts.. they go up to 40 inches and 40 pounds.... we love these seats... easy easy to install, use straps dont twist...

but our kids are getting close to 40 inches... so they need the next size seat... we also bought a graco nautilus... it goes to 100 pounds so it is the last seat we will buy..
it is a good seat but the crotch strap is too far back and hard to use...

I would get a used britax roundabout and use it for 2-3 years.. buy it on craigslist used and sell it when you are done with it.

The bigger size britax seats are REALLY big and REAALLY heavy... they weight like 25-30 pounds just for the seat..

Also you will need a car seat for each car... the infant seats easily move from car to car.. the bigger seats are too big and bulky and hard to move around.

http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Triumph-Advance-Convertible...

$125 with free shipping on one of the best convertible seats around. It gets great safety reviews and I can't say enough good about it. I love that it has the higher limits for rear-facing, super easy to adjust the straps, and is so comfortable too. We were so impressed after a couple of months of using ours we went out and bought another one for the other car. I would buy it again & again. It's not a cheap seat but it's not nearly as expensive as some and has wonderful safety ratings and features. You can get the same seat up over $200 depending on the fanciness of the fabric and padding. If you don't have an infant, there's no need for the padding so you don't have to worry about that. We have a fancy one that cost $180 and the one that costs $125 now (it was $145 when we bought it) and there is no difference once you take all the extra stuff off of it.

Can you tell we like it? LOL! Just read the Amazon reviews for more positive responses!

Oh, also, at 2 1/2 my daughter still has quite a ways to go before she'll outgrow the shoulder straps. :)

Some things to keep in mind when choosing a convertible seat:

1) What is the height/weight limit for rear-facing? The AAP recommends all children rear-face until at least the age of 2, so take those restrictions into mind when choosing a seat. If you feel your baby will reach 35lbs (which is the basic limit for most seats) before 2 years of age, consider going with a higher limit seat even if it costs a bit more.

2) How easy will it be to clean? Does the seat cover come off? Does the manufacturer sell replacements?

3) How likely are the straps to twist? This is my number one annoyance with car seats! The straps aren't as effective or safe when they're twisted all around into thin slivers of material but some are just impossible to keep from getting that way. Reading consumer reviews (try Amazon.com for some of those, or even here) can help with getting an idea of what you're looking for here.

4) Last but not least, think about how likely is it to fit in your car. I had a Saturn Ion before getting my Ford Fusion and the seat my daughter uses now would not rear-face in the Ion. There's just no way it would have fit. I didn't switch cars because of that, since I did so before she moved to a convertible, but it's definitely something to keep in mind. You should be able to buy a seat and install it and have no issues returning it. Keep that in mind when you choose a store to purchase one from.

All that said, we use the Safety 1st/Cosco Alpha Omega Elite. It rear-faces to 35lbs and turns into a 5-point harness at 40lbs (which is also an important feature). It comes with a sippy cup holder and moveable armrests. Costco has it on their website for $89, I believe, but we got it for even cheaper in the store. The straps do occasionally get twisted but I make sure to fix them before taking my daughter out so it doesn't get out of control. She is 17 months and still rear-facing and has no issues with it whatsoever.

Also something to remember: "ratings" for car seats are useless if they're not properly installed in the car or if they don't fit the car correctly. When you buy the new seat, make an appointment with your local fire department or health department's safety division to have it properly installed. Take notes and pointers from the person who installs it! It was amazing to see the things that you just don't know while installing a seat; most people think you just buckle it in and you're off. Not so! Check out this link to get an idea of where you can go: http://www.michigansafekids.org/passenger-fitting.php

Good luck!

One thing to keep in mind is your child should remain rear facing as long as possible, the AAP suggest that children ride rear facing for 2 years minimum!

"New research indicates that children under 2 years of age are 75% less likely to die or experience serious injury when they ride in a rear-facing car seat and, toddlers between 1 and 2 years of age are 5 times safer than toddlers who ride in a front-facing car seat."

To learn more read the full article here, http://www.motheringmyway.com/new-aap-car-seat-recommenda....

hello, i have the graco my ride 65 and LOVE IT! is goes up to 40lbs or until your childs head is one inch from the top and then 65 lbs forward facing. is super easy to put in. they have a ball level thing to help you put it in at the right angle. my 2 yr old still rides rear face and he still has one more harness height for rear facing so he will be this was for a while yet. it has to latch straps so no more switching the latch from rear facing to forward facing. my 6 yr old would still be able to fit in the weight and height wise also, so i know we will get many more years out of this seat. i bought the seat at baby depot at burlington. for 149.00. i love this seat, i wish they made this seat whem my older kids were younger

We love our Britax Marathon. It was worth all the extra cost. We have a Graco in our 2nd car but the Britax is the one my daughter is in 90% of the time!

My husband and I are big fans of the Graco My Ride 65. It goes up to 65 pounds (hence the name). We just started using it for our 7 month old a few weeks ago. If you get it from Babies R Us you may be able to catch it on sale and then use one of their 20% off coupons too. That's what we did. Good luck!

To piggyback on Michelle H's response.

I believe the carseat that she is referring to is the Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat. This carseat however is not a rear racing carseat. We have one of those for our 2 year old, we started using it when she was 11 month olds. Yes I broke the law but my daughter grow out of her infant carseat overnight. Unable to afford two carseats at that time. I felt that it was alright to put her forward facing since at her first ped appt, the doc said she had the head control of a 4 month old. The reason the law says one year is that most babies don't have the head control that is needed to hold thier heads from getting whiplash in a accident.

So after all this babbling I would suggest buying a not so expensive convertible carseat then when you feel that your child is ready to go forward facing I would suggest the Graco Nautlius 3-in-1 Carseat that will last till your little one will no longer need a carseat.

We bought our at Babies "R" Us (Graco) and our other one that is a convertible carseat at Wal-Mart, which we don't use everyday so it does not get the wear and tear that the Nautilus does.

We confronted the same issue last month with our now 11-month old son, and after much research (and many trips to stores to "try out" the seats), we decided to transition from the Chicco Keyfit to the First Years True Fit. Although we purchased the older edition from Amazon.com (current price is $150 for the lt. beige, slightly more expensive for other colors), there is a newer edition with Anti-Rebound Bar and an easier adjustment strap. So far, we LOVE this seat! DS looks much more comfortable, and is able to sit high enough to see outside side windows while driving, The size is comparable to the Chicco, is usable up to 65lbs, long life-span (expires after seven years), and is as easy to install as the Chicco (I taught my parents in less than 5 minutes). Also, this consistently ranks in the top five on Amazon.com in the convertible seat category (4.5 stars with 138 reviews).
My best advice is to continue to research online to narrow down your choices, then physically see each in person to make a final decision. A great website is car-seat.org. Another poster listed some great questions to ask yourself when considering the different brands.
Good luck! I know my head was spinning trying to find the safest seat for our family. :)

Hello J. ~ We've put our daughter in a Britax Marathon (rear facing)at 9 months we still have the seat & she loves it (she will be 5 in December) it has been worth the extra money....

We have Britax Marathons for our big boys, and LOVE them. They are super easy to use, transport from car to car (and airplane!)and comfortable for our boys. We also have a Graco Nataulis (sp?) for our 3 year old ~ another awesome seat, but it only forward faces. I like this one b/c it will turn into a backless booster when it comes time. We also have an Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 seat that I hate - the straps twist and the LATCH doesn't tighten well, and it doesn't look all that comfy for an infant or a toddler. (we have one and my parents have one, and personally I think they're both junk!)

Long story short, I think you get what you pay for.

Good luck!

We startted with the Chicco Infant seat too: really liked it for the most part. Now that by little man is 23 pounds, we bought the Britax Boulevard CS Convertible car seat. I know it's expensive but it works up to 65 lbs, then he should be in a booster. It is very confortable and safe; has side impact-wings. We are very happy with it. If you search online you can usually find a good sale and free shipping. Think we got ours from Diapers.com

Hope this helps,
Jenn

We have the Britax (Marathon I think?) and have liked it fine. It is a lot bigger than most (safer?) and the sides, where her head rests is cushier... she does sleep a little more comfortably in this seat than other she has been in. One thing to keep in mind is that this seat, unlike the infant carrier, lasts for years... not months... so that does make it a better value. My daughter is now 40 pounds and will be 4 at the end of November. She still fits in this seat fine. The only thing I would caution is that this seat would not be good for air travel and it doesn't fit very well in smaller vehicles. Good luck. Whatever you chose, I'm sure it will be good as these seats appear to be well regulated.

We first purchased the Britax Boulevard seat and LOVE it! We've been using it for almost a year now. It does have all the bells and whistles and that does make a difference. It it very easy to adjust and nothing has to be rerouted. Super easy to take apart and wash and the fabric is very soft for the babe. It also has a very high safety rating. I would definitely purchase this as my seat of choice. Recently we purchased a much less expensive Graco seat for a second/back-up seat and this difference is VERY noticeable. It had to be completely rerouted just to use it the first time. It doesn't have all the cushion and comfort features and to adjust any part of it becomes a huge rerouting ordeal. I think the upfront cost is definitely worth it for the Britax.