Convertible 3 in One Car Seats

My husband did all kinds of research on car seats. We got a britex and got it on amazon its also a nice beige. We have the hot summers too.

you're not missing anything by not being able to see the Consumer Reports list - they're good for car reviews, not so good for car seat reviews - better sources of info are the forums at http://www.car-seat.org and http://www.carseatblog.com which are heavily frequented by certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Like the PPs have said, avoid the Alpha Omega - most kids outgrow it by height before they're mature enough to use it as a booster, and it's a lousy booster. For about the same price, the Graco MyRide65, Evenflo Triumph Advance, or First Years TrueFit would give you a lot more for your $.
My favorite way to keep my kids' car seats cool in the summer: freeze a couple blue ice blocks and put them in an insulated bag in your trunk. When your car is parked, put the an ice pack in your child's car seat and cover it with a light towel or receiving blanket (I found my kids' old hooded towels were just the right size for this) and the car seat will stay cool. Put the ice packs back in the trunk for the drive home (Bonus - the ice packs will help keep your groceries cool during the drive home :-)

i would avoid the alpha omega elite like the plague. the sunshine and recaro are GREAT seats - we have 2 radians, we bought them primarily because they fold up, which is great for air travel - and because they have such a narrow profile. my kids complain that their butts hurt in them though - it's probably because they are used to their super cushy britax boulevards in my car. you CANNOT go wrong with a britax seat, so that would be my recommendation :)

Alpha Omega is not good. It looks good for the price point but it's not really very good at doing any one of it's jobs.

I would recommend looking into a seat that rear and forward faces and has an extended weight limit for the harness. Then when your child is big enough for a booster you can buy them a $20-30 booster seat. It is hard for a seat to effectively rear, forward and also be a good booster seat. At 4 1/2 months you of course want to keep your baby rearfacing when you buy a convertible seat. It is recommended now to keep your baby rearfacing to the rearfacing limit of your seat or until your baby turns 2, which ever comes first.

Some excellent convertible seats with an extended use for harness:
Graco MyRide 65 (this one is wide)
Evenflo Symphony65
Britax Marathon, Boulevard or Advocate (depending on how much money you want to spend and how many additional safety features you want)
Sunshine Radian is good, but just be advised it is a very narrow seat. If your child is tall/thin could be a good choice but if they are heavier may not be very comfy)
First Years True Fit

The Recaro looks good and they have a good name for themselves. I wonder about the height requirements....that the child might outgrow the height limit for rearfacing before they hit 35 lbs or 2 years. It is much much much much safer to keep your child rearfacing as long as possible.

I have a Graco MyRide and a Britax Marathon and I like both of them. The Marathon was an investment but it has a longer useful life and I have used it with both of my kids. It is more solidly made and convenient and the cover is very solid and cushy and comfy. The Graco does a good job too but it is a wider seat and the kids sit lower in the seat. It is a good seat, just doesn't have as many bells and whistles.

A good place to look up reviews from car seat techs: http://www.car-seat.org/

The main thing you want to check too is how well it fits in your car and how well it fits your child. Take your child to Toys R US/BAbies R Us and have them sit in the seats you are interested in and see how well it fits them. Then narrow it down and usually they will let you take the seat out to your car and try it out if you leave your driver's license. You want to make sure you can install it without more than 1" of side to side movement. Not every carseat fits well in every car. Make sure you check your car owner manual and the seat's manual to make sure you aren't missing anything with installation. If you have problems trying to make it fit, usually police departments or fire stations will have a child safety seat tech who can help you out.

We are in TX too (but new to the area) but we have seats with grey/black covers. I just put up a shield in the window. It's not cool in the car, but it helps, and keeps the seats from absorbing all the sunshine.

Avoid the alpha omega!
If I were in your shoes I'd get the myride 65.

Can't go wrong w/ Britax.
I also researched Recaro and SK (like them both) but Britax had the highest limits for my very tall DD.
Britax always aces Consumer Reports.
I am pretty sure any fabric is going to make a kid sweat in summer, wouldn't let that be the deciding factor.
HTH!

We bought my now 3 year old an Alpha Omega Elite when he outgrew his infant seat. It was nice for the first 6 months or so. I really ended up hating it. The arm rests were always in the way and you always have to move them up to get the baby in so they ended up being loose and floppy after a few months. The fabric we had stained badly and would not come clean. I hated that there wasn't a cup holder- we did buy one that attached to the seat but it was always in the way. Once you change it to the booster seat it really sucks. It slides all over the seat and it's just akward with the seatbelt. I really wouldn't get one.

We ended up getting him a Graco My Ride 65 after fighting with the Alpha Omega Elite for awhile. He is 3 years and 5 months old and about 43 inches and is just now outgrowing it. If his shoulders weren't getting cramped he could fit for another few years I'm sure- he has plenty of head room left.

We also have our daughter in the Graco My Ride 65- still rear facing. She will be 2 next week. She is still very comfortable.

If we had the money to spend I would get them both Sunshine Radians- without question. So that is the seat I would invest in for your little guy. Have you considered getting a Britax?

The Omega Elite is good. I've heard good things about the Radiant.