Car Seat Opinions

We have a Britax Boulevard and love it!
http://www.britaxusa.com/products/product_detail.aspx?ID=1

I plan to have my dd rear facing as long as possible!

Please see this thread with the same question
http://www.mamasource.com/request/15323502659177021441

I have an Eddie Bauer. Was given to me by my mother. I'm not impressed. Supposed to fit him til he's 100lbs or something. He's 30lbs and it barely fits him now. Especially with a winter coat on.
I would not recommend this seat for numerous reasons, but that is just one of them!
Good luck!
L.

M.,

Sorry if more info than you wanted!

There are a few options, of course the carseat needs to best suit your child and your vehicle- I would suggest looking at a seat that will last your son awhile and that will keep in a 5pt harness as long as possible and to keep him rear facing until the limits of the seat (usually 30-35 pounds). See link below why rearfacing is safest. Consider spending between 150-250 if you can, which really isn't much when you consider it is something to be used for your most precious cargo on a daily basis.

http://www.carsafety4kids.com/rearfacing.html

The following seats are available online or in some stores (usually online is cheapest).

Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon- rearfaces till 35 and forward till 65 with pretty high harness slots, most kids will outgrown most seats by height not weight that's why high harness slots are important (and why seats like the Eddie Bauer don't really work out well)-Britax just had their semi annual sale, they were down to 200 at some places, lots of covers to choose from- this is my fav- I have 4 Marathons, why, because they have the best latch connectors, built in lockoff if you use a seatbelt install, straps very thick, never ever twist, well made, comfy for kids, can be tethered rear facing and great value - my daughter is 4 1/2 has been in it since 6 months, still has about 8 months till she may outgrow it by height.

Sunshine Kids Radian 65 or 80- also rearfaces to about 35 pounds, and forward to 65 or 80, (the sextuplets on Jon&Kate plus 8 have these), also tethers rearfacing, only it and Britax can do this which makes the seat even safer, as stated above is slightly narrower than Britax, although I've heard in some vehicles it doesn't always fit as well

Evenflo Triumph Advance - harnesses to 50 pounds, only get the Advance the regular is not nearly as good

Graco Nautilus is getting good reviews, BUT I'm not sure it rearfaces so it might not be good choice for your little guy

If you need a backup or travel seat, the Scenera available at Walmart/Kmart/Target etc for under 40.00 is very lightweight, easy to install but not much padding.

These are the most recommended seats by car seat techs who frequent the message boards associated with the Baby Bargains website www.windsorpeak.com .

And avoid any second hand seats on ebay/consignment shops...and any aftermarket products such as cute custom covers/Bundleme's etc...not safe ideas when you consider how important your carseat is.

I have learned a lot about car seats and it is kind of scary how little information the general public has about car seat use...the information given by the manufactures can also be misleading....those backless boosters say for use 30-100 lbs...it would be very unsafe to put a little 30 pound peanut in one of those, but they can get away with that!

Email me if you want names of recommended online retailers.

B.

My daughter is 4 1/2 in a Marathon, son is almost 2, rearfacing in his Marathon

M.,
We have done alot of research on this topic as well. I have a 3.5 year old son and a 9 mo daughter. We bought the Eddie Bauer for my son (2 years ago) hoping that he would be in this for awhile (it was rated one of the top car seat at the time). We were happy with it, until my son became "too tall" for it and he was starting to become squished in his private area (he is tall for his age). We looked into both the Britax and Sunshine Kids - Both are highly rated. We just purchased two Sunshine Kids Radian 80's from the Sunshine Kids co directly two days ago. We decided that it would be easier because they are a little skinnier (even though we have a Tahoe) and also fold up for travel (we have quite a few trip coming up on the airplane). We will switch both kids into these when they arrive (and just leave my daughter rear facing for awhile). Hope that helps.
A.

I am a huge supporter of Britax and think they are well worth the money. In fact they have one out now, I think it is the Regent that is larger and holds a child up to 80lbs.

A friend of mine just sent me this youtube video about a tragic story of a little boy in a booster chair. Long story short it is encouraging people to keep their child in a 5 point harness for as long as possible. On the child's foundation website there is a link to a website called www.hipmonkey.com and the proceeds from every carseat purchased go to the Kyle David Miller Foundation with helps to provide 5 point harness carseats to children in need. There is also free shipping on any purchase of $100 or more. Their prices are the same as what you would see in the stores. If interested in Kyles story you can go to

www.kyledavidmiller.org. You can access his youtube video from there also. It really makes you think twice about changing from a car seat to a booster seat.

I like my Sunshine Kids Radian 80. It works for a baby 5-80 lbs so hopefully it's the only car seat we'll need. We bought it because our car is small and it's slightly narrower than the Britax ones. Still seems huge while it's facing backwards though. I bought it online to save on shipping and tax, they were the same price everywhere. They also make one that only goes to 65 lbs. and sells for slightly cheaper.

http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus...
this is a great place to ask questions

i would recommend keeping him rear facing for a little over a year is possible, I highly recommend the britax marathon my daughter is over 4 and still in it, i plan to keep her 5pt harness as long as i can then move to a belt positioning car seat when she is 5 or so.

nautilus at walmart burlington amazon
made by graco 5 pt harness to 65 pounds
150
but turns into a back booster then a backless booster
so comfortable and nice

J.

We have a Britax decathlon. I love it and it is very comfortable looking. Whichever seat you choose, please try to keep him rear facing as long as the seat allows, not the minimum of 1 year and 20 lbs. My dd is currently 16 months and 22 lbs and very comfortable RF. The seat is good RF till over 30 lbs so it is likely she will be over 2 before we turn her.

If the price of a Britax is scaring you, check out albeebaby.com for some great prices and free shipping. We ordered from them and got ours for $235 and free shipping. It arrived in 2 days. Seeing as this will likely be her only seat, it is well worth it.

I had mine installed by the fire department. The rule is the sit rear facing until they are 21 lbs and 1yr not one or the other. They also said to leave them facing rear as long as the child will tolerate it. I did not turn my son around until his was 18 mths for a 15 hr car ride for something new for him. It is safer because in a collision the car seat forms an egg to protect them. They said not to worry about their legs being to long, they can tailor sit. I use a car seat Evenflo Triumph that has adjustments on knobs on the side. The ones with adjustable straps that you pull get in the way while your child is rear facing and you cant adjust them. The one i have you just turn a knob and the side to loosen or tighten the straps. It also reclines rear and forward facing to let your child sleep more comfortably. It was about $139 but worth every dollar. Target, Walmart and i am think other olaces too. I would also suggest you have the firedepartment put it in for you. There is a free install monthly in Porter county. Just call a fire department. Good luck.