Car Seats

A., I have a 4 year old and have been using the Alpha Omega by Cosco since he grew out of his infant seat. The weight goes to 100 pounds and has a harness and seatbelt adjustments. It also has a cupholder that my son enjoys using.

I just got a Britax Monarch. My son is tall though, they need to be 38" and it goes up to 60 pounds.

The best kept secret: Recaro Car Seats. Look it up!! You'll love it!! I was an avid Britax fan but this is soooooooo much better.

Britax Regent! My 5 yo daughter is in this one right now and I plan to get one for my son before our next child is born.

It is big, my 2yo rides in it when his sister isn't in the car and he loves it.

M.

How much does he weigh? Depending on his weight and height you may be able to consider the booster seats that have the back support and can be used until they are 6 or even 7 years old. Babies R Us, Target, Walmart...they all have them. I like them because they are very easy to adjust and take in and out. The children need to weigh at least 30lbs and be 38 inches tall...worth looking into so your not having to buy multiple car seats. The booster seat just sit's on top of the regular seats and the child is able to use the regular shoulder/waist seat belts in the car. If he isn't quite big enough, I'd try and waite it out in his current car seat if it is still safe until he is big enough for the booster seat. And one other thing you may want to consider is my son likes to unbuckle himself when in the booster seat....so that's the only draw back which can be scary. Boys like to get into trouble. :-)

I to have an 8mo. old girl, she is my only child... but as far as car seats go... WALMART!!! lol not to expensive and she is already in the big girl seat (backwards of course) they have tons of varieties and what stages are good.. check their websight to. Can't go wrong with walmart. Let me know how it works out.

Hey A.:

I absolutely love the Toddler Safe Seat by Graco. There are a few different versions, each one with more features. I swear by this car seat.

Britax makes a great line, they are approved for airline travel as well. They go from infant (rear facing) to toddler (over 35 pounds or one year - forward facing) -- up to 65 pounds and the covers come off so you can clean them! We love yours which is the Britax "Marathon."
Hope this helps

Hi Ana!!
I love the Britax Marathon - we have it in our cars and grandparents. It is up to 65 pounds so should be all the way to the booster!

hi A.! i suggest that you get the booster/carseat. it grows with your child. congrats on your new baby!
M.

I recommend the Evenflo Triumph. It has a handle to pull for recline when they are asleep and also a knob to turn to adjust the straps. Very easy to use! Good Luck!

Both my kid's have the Britax Marathon Carseat. It's kind of pricey but it's a great carseat and it can grow with them plus it's safe.

I have the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite. It gets good safety ratings, & will convert to a booster seat once the child is 40 lbs. It was a pain to install, but who knows if that was the seat or the way the seats are in my vehicle. Oh, & the seat runs about 160.00. Babies R Us always has them and sometimes Costco does as well.

Hi A.:

I am a mother of 10 months old boy. We just bought this car seat and pretty happy about it. Great prodact & good price. It's designed for children from
40 - 100 lb. I'm sending you the link with more info.

http://products.howstuffworks.com/cosco-alpha-omega-luxe-...

We got it at Babies"R"Us or us.

Good luck,
N.

Britax. check out these important videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo

Car seats vs booster for your toddler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

C.~
http://www.HelpUStayHome.com

I really like the Cosco Alpha Omega

Check out car-safety.org forums... they are a huge help. Right now I'm assuming he is forward facing, so the Even-flow triumph advanced, or the Britax Regent (harnessed to 80#)(keep in mind it's a big seat) would be my recommendations. My daughter is 2yo 24 pounds and rearfacing in a Britax Boulevard, but if I were shopping for a forward facing seat or had a bigger child I would buy the Regent. Britax starts their annual online retailers sale in a couple of weeks... should be good discounts.

Anyting that converts to a booster is smart. Graco & Evenflo are the way we've gone. Some use your car's seat belt and others start with the harness and then go to your car's seat belt.

In my opinion, nothing beats the Britax car seats. They are a little pricey but well worth the money. Construction and safety exceed US safety standards. I currently have the Roundabout which goes up to 40 pounds but you could go straight to the Regent which goes up to 80 pounds. My twins will be 3 in Apirl and they are each getting the Regent. I like the Regent because it is the only one I have found on the market that has the 5 point harness for a child up to 80 pounds.

Hi, I have a 3 yr old and a 2 yr old. We bought a car seat for my son at Walmart, Im pretty sure it was safety first, and it has a detachable booster. SO he was in the car seat until he reached the weight limit to go to the booster, and now he'll be in the booster until he can sit on his own. It was a great investment, and it wasnt too expensive, it was from Walmart, : )
hope this helps.
M.
http://www.livetotalwellness.com/M.

As others have said, Britax are the best. We have the Marathon, Love it! All of our car seats are Britax, and we just can't seem to go wrong. The mother of 4 children, and I love them! Go to their website and it will show the weight, height requirements and limits and you can compare. Good luck

We have a very large 3-year old, and wound up buying the Evenflo Triumph after researching seats on Consumer Reports. You can find them at Babies R Us, and they go up to 50 lbs. with a 5-point harness. Very cushy, and our son loves it.

Hi A.,
I absoulutely love the Britax carseat line. I currently have a 4 y/o, a 3 y/o and a 10 month/old. All three of them are in Britax's. We have 2 Marathons up to 60 lbs and 1 Roundabout up to 45 lbs, I think. Anyway, they have been tested on the Autobonn in Germany (the one where there is no speedlimit, people are going at crazy speeds). It is one of the highly rated carseats in Europe and also a best pick for the Consumer Reports. When our carseats are intalled properly, they absoulutely do not budge. They are soooo solid. Oh also very scrubbable, I just remove the fabric liner and throw it in the wash. Happy carseat hunting!!

A. Nichols
Work At Home United
Personal Mentor, Mommy of 3
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____@____.com
www.enriched1.com

Aloha A.,
I'm a certified child car seat tech. That means I went to a 36 hour class to install car seats and take a yearly installation test. I'm also a mother of 5 children. The thing I learned is Best Practice is to get a seat that fits your car, budget, and child. Check out a child car seat tech. for more information about children car seats in your area. You might want to try the fire stations, police or any child agencies.

My son is also 2 and I have him in a Britax Marathon. I LOVE it! It's so easy to install and it's the safest seat out there. It's a big seat, but the weight limit is 33 lbs rear-facing, and 65 lbs front facing. It can definitely grow with him. Good luck!

Hi! This is what I've heard (after A TON of research) and being in several on-line mom's groups:

Everyone loves the Britax line. It's best to get a Marathon or something that will go to at least 65 if not 80lbs.

You don't hear much about it because it's not as available, but the Sunshine Kids Radian is supposed to be great too because it goes to 65lbs or 80lbs (depending on the model) and takes up a lot less room in the car.

You can go with just a booster if he is 40lbs or more, BUT it is safer to go with a 5-point harness car seat for as long as possible.

i really like my carseat from britax. we have the regent (used to be called the husky). it is easy to install and remove with their latch system. it also goes to a higher poundage in the 5 point harness system.