Input on Car Seats

I have a daughter soon to be three still in her Evenflo Triumph, we love this car seat. Easy to use and got the same ratings as the Britax, but not with the huge price tag. I think we bought it at Target for 129.99. When she out grows it I plan on putting my newborn in it ASAP.
P.S. We dont have the latch system either.

I definitely think you are making the right decision on getting new seats. As far as your 10 month old goes, I wouldn't waste your money on the Roundabout. She won't last in it very long. I would get either the Britax Marathon or Boulevard, or the Recaro Como or Signo (Signo isn't out yet, but the Como is and I have seen pics of 3 months old and older in it and it looks awesome). These seats will last until she is at least 3 years old or longer. If you want a little cheaper, the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible Car Seat is made by Britax and is basically the same shell as the Marathon. It is about $160 on-line, although it goes on sale often. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is a nice seat as well, at about $120ish, and it will last her until she is 3+.

As for your 4 year old, I agree with you that she should be in a 5 point harness as long as possible. I have my 4.5 year old in a Britax Regent and we really like it. I love that he will be in a 5 point harness until he is out of a car seat. It is just safer. I think this is your best bet. Sunshine Kids Radian 65 or 80 will work as well, as they have a 5 point harness to 65 or 80 lbs. But, the harness height is only 17" so the Regent is a better bet as that will last until she is 19".

I would stay away from the Eddie Bauer or Alpha Omega car seats. I had the Alpha Omega (my sister-in-law had the Eddie Bauer- they are basically the same seat made by the same company) and it broke after 3 years for both of us. It isn't worth it. The straps twisted all the time.

There is a really great car seat board out there where you can get reviews of all the car seats and ask questions and get specifics. It is www.car-seat.org. It's free to sign up, or you can just surf the boards and look for whatever seat you want to. I have learned so much after looking through there for my recent purchase of a Britax Boulevard and Recaro Signo.

Good luck!

My husband is a police officer and a certified car seat technician. He said the best thing you can do for your kids is keep them in a 5 point harness as long as possible. Also, a friend had an Eddie Bauer car seat and had a very difficult time installing it correctly. She said it was very difficult to switch cars with it. They are also one of the car seats my husband has the most trouble installing for people. He just recommended the Evenflow Triumph to my sister. You can also call your local police department and make an appointment with a certified technician to check the seats once they are in.

the installer at the station told us to get the evenflo triumph too. We have two of them and we love it along with out daughter.

Just my opinion, but I think the Britax seats are overpriced. They don't do that well in consumer reviews or crash tests, and in fact there was recently a recall on some of their seats (I think it was the buckle assembly or something, check the government recall website). I have never owned one, so take my opinion for what it's worth, but that is just my .02.

I have always read that the safest seat to buy is one with the smallest weight range- i.e. the ones that are 5-45 pounds are less safe because they are not designed for a particular size, but to hold all sizes. The ones that are for a smaller range, say 5-20 pounds are designed specifically for a baby of that size and not all sizes so protect better.

Good luck, I tend to think all seats are pretty similar when all is said and done, but there is certainly a wide range in price.

NAME MANUFACTURER HARNESS HEIGHT SEATBELT PRICE
Radian80 Convertible Car Seat - Manhattan
Sunshine Kids
5 TO 80
N/A
279

Sunshine Kids Radian Car Seat - Granite
Sunshine Kids
5 TO 65
N/A
200

Britax Boulevard Convertible Car Seat
Britax
5 TO 65
N//A
300

Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat
Britax
5 TO 65 49"
N/A
270

Evenflo Triumph Advance DLX - Convertible Car Seat
EVENFLO
5 TO 50
N/A
130

Safety 1st Apex 65 Booster Car Seat
Safety 1st
5 TO 65 57"
40 TO 100 seat be;t
130

Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible Car Seat
BRITAX MAKES IT
5 TO 55
160

I would look at the weight of the 5 pt harness, I bought the evenflo generations thinking in my head that at 40 lb she would be ready for the seatbelt, she's not so now i am buying another 5 pt harness that goes higher than 40 lb, we have the marathon for my car this is for my husbands my husband had the roundabout but she outgrew fast (the marathon would not fit in his old car at the time) my daughter is 42 inches 38 pounds so her weight is in her height and i'm not ready for the seatbelt yet

I don't know if I would get a Round about for a 10 month old....I would think she would outgrow that pretty fast. What about a Marathon? That will last for years and the ff weight limit is 65 lbs. Or the Evenflo Triumph Deluxe (if you'd like to spend a little less). I have the non Deluxe version and loved it...and the new Deluxe version goes up to 55 lbs in the harness. You can also use both of those rear facing I think up to 33 lbs or so

For a preschooler that you would like to keep in a 5 pt harness, I would look either at the Britax Regent, the Radian 65 or Radian 80, or if you are looking for a lower cost option, I just got a nice one for my 3 1/2 year old when he outgrew his Evenflo Triumph. The only catch is that you have to have high seat backs (ie the whole back of the carseat needs to be supported by the seat of your car). http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=245231...
It goes to 65 lbs with the harness, and then to 80 or 100 as a backed booster. The Eddie Bauer ones tend to have low strap heights, so even if they say they go to a certain weight limit, your child will outgrow them by height first. For a forward facing seat you want to make sure the strap slots are at or above the shoulders.

This is a great site for info....lots of registered car seat safety techs on here with really great advice. Plus a database where you can check the fit of certain seats (according to a tech) in the model of your car.

http://www.car-safety.org/

We have 2 Britax Marathons. They are really great seats. If you are looking for a seat that will last, you may want to look at the Marathon as opposed to the Roundabout, they are a bit bigger and have a higher weight limit.

Sorry, I have no input on boosters.

Jessica