Hi Mamas!
My 5 1/2 month son is getting ready to out grow his infant car seat. I was lucky enough to recieve an email from babycenter.com about all the infant car seats that had failed the safety tests. That helped me narrow down the choices. I've been trying to do research on the convertible seats. I'm trying to find out which ones ahve passed the safety tests. However, I'm not having any luck.
Can anyone help me figure out which convertible car seats are the safest?
Thanks so much!
Britax makes great and safe seats...you can compare safety ratings online...britax are expensive, but I believe they are well worth it! Good Luck!
I love my Britax Marathon! It is a great car seat and made a lot better than the other car seats. The Europeans have higher standards for their car seats than Americans do, which is why they are rated so high in safety. You will notice to the bottom of the car seat is not light plastic like a lot of the others. The people at Babies R Us really helped us with the comparisons and details, and we are very happy. Hope this helps!
I agree with your previous post I love my Britax. We have two children a two year old and 10 month old. MY 10 month old outgrew his infant seat at 5 months as well so we went with another Britax Marathon. My children are very tall so I loved the fact that this car seat goes all the way to 49 inches so hopefully I will not have to buy another one before they are ready for boosters. They are easy to install, straps never get twisted and they are easy to clean. My husband loved the car seats so much he bought an extra one for his truck. Go to there website britaxusa.com to look at all the products. We bought ours online at www.elitecarseats.com they have free shipping and no sales tax. I know when I purchased it for my daughter in 2005 I bought an online subscription to consumerreports.com and they we listed as the number 1 car seat. Not sure if that is still the case for 2007.
Love the Britax brand. We have the marahon and it is wonderful. Easy to use and easy to move.
I love my Britax Decathlon. It is bigger than most seats, but they offer a standard size model called Marathon. It is very easy to install and remove if you have to change vehicles. My son cried the entire time we had him in the infant seat, so we moved him to the Decathlon as soon as he could hold his head up. The straps do not tangle, and are very easy to adjust. The Britax seats come with padding that is removable for different stages of development to help your little one ride more comfortably. Hope this helps.
I have a Britax Roundabout and love it. Before you buy any car seat, go to a store and ask if you can take it out to your car to see if it fits. Babies R Us allowed us to do that. It worked out well for us because the Marathon was too big for my car, which is why we got the Roundabout. However, now that I have a bigger car, if I had to do it all over again, I would have chosen the Marathon.
Hi S.,
Technically - no carseat is safer than another. Carseats have different features and brand names just like our cell phones do, so you have to figure out which one works best for you and your family! (And what fits your budget)
If you have the option, I'd stay away from the alpha omega elites, 3-in-1 carseats made by Safety 1st/Cosco/Dorel - they are massive and only harness to 40lbs, and there are lots of other seats on the market that are much easier to use, install, and can be used longer!
I am a carseat technician and would be more than happy to help you pick out a convertible seat if you'd like! I'll send you a private message with my email address and we discuss this more.
S.,
I don't know if you have made this purchase yet, but I just did this myself for my 6 month old. I bought the Evenflo Triumph and took it back! The way it connects to your car is awful if you ever plan on getting it out again. I have small hands and have a horrible time getting it connected in the first place and then trying to get it out. It wasn't happening. So I went back and bought the Britax Diplomat. I also drive a small car, so this had a lot to do with my decision on which Britax.
So that's my 2 cents... It's not just how it fits baby. Good luck!
I wouldn't buy a Britax since the Evenflo Triumph 5 gets the exact same rating as the Roundabout, better ratings than the Marathon, is $100 cheaper than the Roundabout and $130 cheaper than the Marathon.
Even better than the Evenflo is the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite because it will last you all the way to 100 pounds! It gets an 80 compared to the Triumph 5 and Roundabout's 81 (still better than the Marathon's 58 - yikes!)
The Cosco Alpha Omega Elite is still much cheaper than either Britax option and will last you longer than either the Britax or the Evenflo...
I have the consumer reports ratings on convertible car seats if you want them... That's what made me stay away from the Britax. It's like you're paying a lot more money for what is sometimes a much less safer seat...
