We area bout to take a LONG car trip and my daughter 9 months and still in a infant seat. I'd like to move her to a new seat before the trip so she'll be more comfortable. I am considering the SAFETY 1ST Alpha Omega Elite. I have read a lot of reviews stating that it is a tight fit as a rear facing seat. I don't want to compromise the comfort of the passenger seat too much by having to scoot it all the way forward for such a long trip. Also let me add that we'll be traveling with a toddler in another car seat so I can't put it in the middle. So do any of you have this seat in a Dodge Durango or similar shaped vehicle? How does it fit?
it will fit but it is a horrible seat. we had one and they don't last. My 3 year old is still at the weight that he could rear face but out grew it height wise this past winter for forward facing and there was no way I was going to put a then two year old in a booster! Please research some other seats there are ones that are a lot better out there. If I could do it again I would have gotten the graco myride 65
babies r us or if you have one, buy buy baby, should let you install it in your car to see if it fits, just ask them. we did that when we bought our last car seat. a sales associate went out with my husband to our car.
Don't waste your money on an Alpha Omega. For the cost, you can find a seat that will rear face your child longer, harness your child forward facing longer, and is overall a better seat. Plus they make awful booster seats and have failed (like killed the dummy failed) every crash test they've ever been in. So you can't use it as a booster either.
Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE wil lrear face to 35lbs, forward to 50lbs, and will fit most kids rear to 3, forward to 5/6, and is $130.
Graco MyRide 65 will rear face to 40lbs, forward to 65lbs. Fits most kids to 4 rear facing, forward to 6. AWESOME seat, padded and good side impact protection, and its $150.
First Years TrueFit will rear face to 35lbs, forward to 65lbs. Fist most kids rear to 3, forward to 6/7. $150-$200
Sunshine Kids radian will rear face to 40-45lbs, forward 65-80lbs. Fits most kids to 5 rear, forward to age 7+. $200-$300
Britax Marathon or Boulevard will rear face to 40lbs, forward to 70 (new models, older were 35/65). Fits most kids to 4 rear, forward to age 6/7. $250-$300.
Any of these seats are a better option than the Alpha Omega. They will last longer for your child both rear facing and forward facing as you want your child rear facing as long as possible (AAP recommends 2 and 30lbs) and forward facing in a harness as long as possible (at least 4 AND 40lbs, but its best to kee pa child harnessed until 5/6). Google EXTENDED REAR FACING and JOELS JOURNEY for more information.
I'm sure it will fit. But don't be fooled by the "only seat you'll ever need" garbage. I have teeny kids and our AOE seats were outgrown long before any of my kids were ready to be turned forward facing so ended up spending more money on new seats. You're better off spending your money on a good convertible with high weight limits and high harness heights.
I think they are good seats. We have 2 for my daughter, one in each car and they are bulky. There is a base on the bottom of the seat that is removable and doesn't harm the safety features, so I would suggest removing that for optimum fit and comfort for the person in front. My brother is a certified car seat installer, so he did ours, but you might want to have a professional do it to make sure the base comes off and it fits nicely. You can go to any local fire station.
I have a Jeep Liberty and my kids are a year about. Anyways, my son had the Eddie Bauer edition and my daughter had the Alpha Omega Elite. I put my daughter behind me (the driver) and I didn't really have to scootch the bottom leg part of my chair, but I did have to have the seat sitting almost upright. I eventually just got used to it, plus better posture anyways, hehe. But, even though I have a Jeep, I would think you would be ok in a Durango.
Good Luck and have fun on the trip!!
We had one in our jeep grand Cherokee and it fit fine. Not sure how similar the interiors are, but the Durango is bigger than our old Jeep.
I too have heard bad things about this seat. We have the britax marathon, sooo comfortable! It's always been easy to install, and fit perfectly in every car we have had (4), backward and forward. Our oldest was backward in it until age two, and as a tall 5.5 year old she still fits in it! It goes to 65 lbs forward facing. She now has a britax frontier 85 booster, which will keep her harnessed to 85 lbs! My friend had the britax marathon a few years ago in her Durango. Britax seats are highly rated for safety and comfort, and there are always coupons at babies r us, or good deals on the sets and shipping at www.albeebaby.com, you can also find new in box ones on eBay.
