Car Seat Suggestions Needed

Personally, I have a eddie bauer convetable car seat. I wish I had asked and investigated more into buying a car seat. Most convertable seats go up to 40lbs where few go to 65lbs. Britax is more expensive but most will go to 65lbs. Which is great because the longer you keep them in a 5 point harness the safer they are. So I would say invest.

Hope this helps because in the long run the price is well worth it.

http://www.britaxusa.com/

I haven't seen the recommendations for this year, but last year when I bought ours Consumer Reports recommended the Titan by Evenflow as the best seat for the money. I have twins, and we have 4 of them between our 2 vehicles. We love them. They're easy to use, and we've not had any problems with them. Good luck!

I love my Britax car seat. Now granted a friend of mine had one and gave it to me, it has gone through my first and my second is now using it and it will be a while before she is into a booster seat. Even though I didn't pay for the car seat, if I had to buy my own car seat I would have paid the money for a Britax, worth it. AND, if you decide to have another child these car seats are durable and will last through as many children as you have! Good luck, check out that website!!!!!! Good luck! Ellen, mom to two children

We use the alpha omega elite which got very good ratings by consumer reports (MUCH better than the Britax Marathon) and it's reasonable priced at about $160
It is a pain to adjust the straps rear facing, the time they are in rear facing is very short compared to front facing. This seat goes up to 100lbs and 52" and converts from rear facing to front facing to booster. You can check out consumer reports with a month to month membership of only $6.

britax marathon. it is the only carseat worth your time and money. pricey but perfectly safe and many are not safe.

There is some information out there that says that kids should be in a 5 point harness much longer than we are leaving them in them. I noticed someone else told you the same thing. Britax makes one that goes 80lbs http://www.elitecarseats.com/Britax-Regent.pro. Also another company makes one that is not as bulky http://www.elitecarseats.com/Sunshine-Kids-Radian-80.pro

I am going to check them out myself but wanted to let you know the information a friend had just sent me. There are reviews on the links I posted.

we have a britax decathalon - I liked it out of the entire series because of the extra pillows to secure him and make him more cozy! http://www.britaxusa.com/products/product_detail.aspx?ID=3

We have both the Britax Marathon and Decathalon and love them! Definitely worth the money. I have also heard good things abut the Recaro and Sunshine Kids Radian.

Britax is the best! They are more expensive but well worth it. My kids both used the Roundabout (which goes up to 40 pounds) but if I had to do it over, I think I would get the Marathon which goes up to 60 pounds. Go to www.britax.com for more info.

We have Britax Wizards for both kids. Since we have a small car and the car seats are right against the doors, side impact protection makes me feel a bit better.If I had the $$$$ I would get the RECARO car seats though(they also make seats for the race cars.....talking about safety).

We have a Britax Roundabout for our 13month old son. We love it!!!! It fits great in our Toyota Corolla.

I have to boys, 2.5 years and 1 year, and we use Britax. We have the marathon for the older one and the roundabout for the younger. So far I love them because the kids seems to be comfy in them, they gotten really great reviews, and when they get sick in the car, the covers are removable for washing and still come out looking great after being laundered (no dryer). The marathon goes up to 55 or 65 (?) pounds and the roundabout up to 45 (I think...). Also, the marathon is on sale at Target this week. In the secondary car, we use the cosco scenera. Those are really cheap and can be found at Target/Walmart for like $45, and have also gotten really good reviews. No frills, but very safe. I also have read really great things about the FP Safe Voyage Deluxe and the Evenflo Triumph Advance. HTH!

My husband and I did a lot of research when picking out carseats. We went with the Evenflow Triumph. It is a 5 year/50 lb. limit convertible carseat. It has just as high crash test ratings as the expensive Britax seats at a fraction of the price and is very user friendly. I would stay away from the Eddie Bauer seats, you will spend more time trying to figure out how to use it than your child will ever spend in it. Good luck.

When my son was old enough to change I bought a Graco car seat that when he is old enough to go to full back booster the base comes off. The straps also adjust and eventually can come out when he still has to be in the booster but can use the regular car seatbelt. Its rated to 80 or 85 lbs so it can be used until he doesnt have to use one anymore. That way you dont have to keep buying new seats for every stage. Its a little more expensive than the regular car seats, but when you figure what you would spend on ones for different stages its not. I found mine at wal mart.

Britax...expensive, but great quality!

We just moved our 6 month old into the Britax Roundabout. We did a lot of research and found that this one was the best for us. One of the reasons that we like it is because it is the best and easiest car seat for traveling. It was very easy to install and is very comfortable. All of the adjustments are very easy to use as well. She will be in it until 40 lbs, and although that is lower than some other convertible car seats, it will last quite awhile and it is not as big and bulky as the other ones. In our research we also found that the Britax marathon and boulevard have gotten good reviews, especially for side crash protection. For a less expensive option, there is the fisher price safe voyage. They have stopped making them though so I believe there is only one color that is in stock at most of the stores. They are made by the same company that makes the Britax car seats, and have great reviews as well. Just a bit less expensive. Anyway, good luck finding one!

check out recaro.com.
they might seem pricey but arent really if you're looking at britax and the like. we have one and LOVE it.

I would recommend a seat that can later be used as a booster. Car seats are so expensive and to have to keep getting new seats is crazy. Besides, the forward facing car seats are much safer than the booster seats anyway...the 5 point harness ones that is. That's just my opinion. Hope this helps.

C.

Hey, go to Babie's R Us. Those people know EVERYTHING! and they won't try to sell you the most expensive one (Brittax) if you don't want it. We bought the Graco Sport (I think it's called.) it was about 80 dollars and it's worked out great. We then bought another one for the other car and ended up getting the Evenflo Comfort touch. It's AWESOME! it was about 125.00 but you NEVER have to take it out! It adjusts while still hooked into the car! and you can completely take the cover (a really soft suede feeling material) off for cleaning without having to take the seat out. WE LOVE IT! IT also, goes up to a higher weight than the Graco.

ANywho, just go to Babie's R Us ( On Capitol if you're in Raleigh) and I forget the guy's name, but he works the carseats and strollers and you cana sk any question you want and he'll know the answer. He's a tall heavy set fella with glasses and REALLY nice.

good luck!

honestly I would recomend the alpha omega car seats because they will take him till he no longer needs a seat at all, 8 years old! but most people choose to get a boster seat at 5-6 it is alot smaller and more convenient. but this seat is wonderful a little pricy but well worth it! like $99-150. but when you look at the fact that it will last 5-6 years I think its well worth it!!!!!
hope I was a help. and good luck with your son!

I had the Alpha Omega as well, and loved it. My son got too tall for it at age 3 and I just bought a Radian 65, which is also a convertable seat, it goes to 65 lbs forward facing. I love that it is slim and has a steel frame, among other safety features. For safety, the Radian, Recaro and Britax seem to be highly rated, but also come with high price. The Recaro only went to 40 lbs forward facing, if I'm not mistaken, and my son is already 35 lbs, so not worth it for me. Also, I understand there are 3 or 4 different Britax seats, so if you go with one of them your child may outgrow it fast. The largest one is the Regent which I hear is a monstor--huge and heavy. They are also $250-$300. I got my Radian for $199 at Target.com with free shipping.

A.,
I bought a Britax for my daughter. It is a little bit more expensive than other carseats, but it is well worth it. I did a lot of research and Britax has one of the highest safety ratings.
Tanja

When I was a new mom I had to have the Alpha Omega carseat. It was like $200 or maybe more, but it was the "best." And it was great, it did what it was supposed to and it reclined, which the cheaper ones dont, but we never really used the recline options. It went through both my older kids, and then as soon as I got rid of ALL my baby stuff I got remarried and found out I was going to have another baby. I reserached it this time, and wanted more bang for my buck so when my baby, who is a huge 7 month old, was ready for a bigger seat I found out the cheapest one at Wal-Mart was getting great parent reviews and it is approved for airline travel too (some aren't but most are). It doesn't have the fancy bar to rest toys on, but I got creative and solved that problem for free; and it doesn't recline, so if you have an SUV or a really sloped seat then you have to bolster the seat to get it "level with the ground" and then your baby will be just as happy and comfortable as mine is, and for $45 that means he can have a new toy too!

I hope that helps. Good luck.

I think anything made by Britax is great. We have 2 Roundabouts and 1 Marathon model car seats by Britax. I sort of prefer the Marathon b/c it's a little bigger, but my daughter fits in either just fine. They are quite expensive if you buy them new, so look for them on ebay or at consignment sales or at yard sales (I was lucky enough to find the Marathon at a yard sale for $35! What a steal!)

I strongly suggest you get a subscrition to consumer reports both the print and the online. I use it on a regular basis and it will have upto date info on what products get the top ratings. It is also a good source for recall information which is very helpful when you have children.

Another loyal Britax user here. When we bought it, a couple years ago, all the Britax seats were getting the best ratings. We have the Britax Marathon. Love it! Yes, they are slightly more expensive than what you find on the shelves at Wal-Mart but so worth it.

I see you already have alot of suggestions but i just wanted to tell you the Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 is what we just recently bought for our now 6 month old. In fact we took him to Babies'R Us and put him in the Britax which he didn't want to stay in and tried to get out of and the Eddie Bauer one and he just sat back like he liked it so after reading up on it we got it. And he loves it. Let your son try out the carseat in the store before you buy it could be something about one he doesn't like and it may be nothing but a headacache for you. Good Luck!!

We have been using the Britax Decathlon for our daughter, who will be 4yr old in June and it has been a terrific car seat and still looks like new. My mother-in-law uses the Britax but hers is a Roundabout, which my daugher loves that one, too but it's only rated up to 40lbs whereas the Decathlon is rated up to 65lbs. My son who is almost 8 months old is quickly outgrowing his infant carrier (Evenflo Discovery) and we are having to go shopping for a bigger car seat and we definitely (along with the in-laws) will be purchasing another Britax for him!

Hello A., We provide Car seat Safety classes for families with children from newborn to 8 yrs of age at our
non-profit organization. The local Health Dept. provides the classes. I don't know where you live but you might want
to check with your local Health Dept. They also provide the car seats at a reduced cost. Hope this helps, I.

Britaxx has some of the best ratings on the market. We got one for my son and he loves it. A little on the expensive side but its a small price to pay for his safety!

We bought my son two car seats when he moved up because we have two cars. We got a Britax Marathon and an Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 convertable car seat. While the paddin on the Britax was nicer, my son was able to loosen the straps and squirm out of it by the time he was about 2. He is pretty good about listening and when we told him not to do it any more it fixed the problem, however, I don't think it is great to have a car seat (especially one that expensive) where the children can let them selves out. The Eddie Bauer has been pretty good and is easily adjustable as they grow. The only thing that sort of drives me nuts is that the chest clip slides down whenever he is out of the seat and has to be moved back up every time. However, this is a fairly minor complaint about a car seat that has worked well for us.

We use the alpha omega and love it. It goes all the way to 80 lbs. It was recommend to use by a police oficer friend of ours.

A.

We used Even Flo with both of our girls and loved them! We are currently shopping for another evenflo for our son since he is also moving out of his. I can't remember exactly what the name of the girls were, just that they were even flo, when I remember I will let you know.