Convertible Car Seat - Naperville,IL

I am another big fan of the Britax Marathon. I have 2 Brit Mar seats - (2 and 3 year old children. The sizing, safety, ease of use, comfort for the kids, etc., are only a few of the reasons that made us glad we chose this make/model. We got great prices for it by shopping epinions.com to compare prices, patterns, etc.

We got the Britax Marathon due to other parents great reviews. We are not dissapointed. It is large and better in medium size car or larger. BUY IT ONLINE! I got mine for $219 no tax and no shipping.

I know lots of moms use the britax seats but be weary of that brand. I went to have my infant seat installed and asked the installer/fireman which seat to go with when my daughter was ready (this was 6 months ago) and he said that most of the seats are comparible, price is not what makes them better. He also told me that the most important thing to keep in mind for safety is that if a seat is made to hold a newborn to toddler as the britax claims to be, then do not use it because different sizes of their development require different positioning in the seat and support in different areas. He bluntly told me that one should only have three different seats for the different stages and NEVER go with one seat for all points in development through car seat usage. So we ended up going with the evenflo triumph and it has been excellent. I personally like all the padding and it is comfortable for our baby. She was miserable in the infant seat - the extra room helped calm her down. He also said that babies should not be turned around forward at a year rather when they can no longer physically fit backwards cause their legs are too bent that then they should have their seat turned around. I hope this is helpful. By the way, I had all this info told to me by the guy who does the installation at the evanston firehouse - I forget what street its on. Good luck making a decision!

Hi Marjorie!

I have the Britax Decathlon for my daughter. It is pricey at around $285.00 but it goes up to 65lbs (instead of the usual 40lbs). This seat recieved great reviews from consumer reports. It has a lot of padding and is extremely comfortable. My daughter has never complained when in this seat. It works well rear facing as well as forward facing. The latch system is extremely easy to use. I transfer this seat from car (a Ford Focus) to my husbands car (a Lincoln LS) and it takes seconds. My Father in Law is a retired Chicago Fireman and he states it is the safest seat he has ever seen.
This seat is also easy to clean ( i throw in the washer on hand wash and in the dryer on air dry).

I hope this helps!

R.

Hi Marjorie-
We have the Britax marathon car seat abd we LOVE it I will never buy anything else, but Britax..It was around 300$, but I think the cost has come down a little and trust me the extra money is defintly worth the safety and the looks of this car seat...

We LOVE the Britax Roundabout. It's the smallest Britax convertible car seat and is about 17" wide. That's important if you are planning to fly anywahere as the other Britax seats are often too wide for the plane seat (see seatguru.com).

The Roundabout is easy to install and my son loves it as much as we do. No complaints and we'd definitley get another if we needed to!

Good Luck,

R.

Hi, Marjorie ~ After MUCH research, we decided to go with the Evenflo Triumph and we were so glad we did. Originally, we were going to go with the Britax Roundabout, but after reading the reviews of it online we had second thoughts. It's more expensive, but the Triumph is cheaper and just as good. Also, after putting our daughter in the Britax in the store, we found that she would outgrow it before she would the Triumph. We were in a small fender bender a few months ago and the Triumph held up very well. Plus, it looks really comfortable ~ like a recliner! Hope this helps! L.

Hello,

I have both the Evenflo Triumph and Britax Decathlon Convertible Car Seat in Odyssey. I found Britax is big and really only good in a Mini van or suv. I think it is to big for smaller cars. The Triumph is great for sedans. Both are great. The Britax has more padding than the Triumph. I think in the long run the Britax is better for me, just because it's larger and for the price, my child can still use it for years to come.

Good luck in your decision

I bought the Evenflo Triumph. It was recommended to me from the Babies R Us, and costs about $100 less than Britax.

I have the Britax marathon and I love it. it's a bit pricey...probably around your top level of $250. but it's really worth the money. It's very soft and comfortable, EASY to get them in and out of and easy to install in the car. It also have a higher top weight than many others so your child should, in theory, be in it longer than the average seat. No complaints on ours so far and we've had it nearly 11/2 years. I wish you luck! Oh we got ours at albeebaby.com and saved about $40.

We use the Britax Roundabout in both of our cars (2005 VW Jetta and 2003 Jeep Liberty). It fits well in both and our son is comfortable with it. We chose Britax because we took an Infant Safety Course while I was pregnant and the police officer who talked about car seat safety recommended it and it was the only brand he would ever put his kids in. It's a little more expensive, but I found worth it.

You need a Britax convertible seat. Roundabout or Marathon model. These are at the top of your price range, but you will use them for a long time. The Marathon goes to 40 lbs. I think Britax also makes a seat that goes up to 60 or 65 lbs. You will like this brand.
Amy

Marjorie-
I just finished doing this research for our daughters. Our 2 year old seemed to big for the Britax Roundabout, which was consumer reports best pick when she out grew her infant carseat. Our newest daughter was starting to outgrow her infant carseat, so we put her in the Britax roundabout. Consumer Reports' best pick is currently the Evenflo Titan. It was 100 buck on line through walmart.com, that was with shipping. We have had no problems with it. Our 2 1/2 year old is a puker and have already had to clean the cover and it was easy and came out smelling great!
K.

Just installed the Alpha Omega Elite by Costco. BabyCenter.com $160, but I think I also saw it at Target. My ten month old is very tall and now he's much more comfortable (and not floppy head when he naps in the car). It's for birth to 100 lbs. It goes rear-facing, forward, and booster. Love it!

We have the britax convertible. It is the basic model (only one they had at the time) Very easy to use and comfy. They have pricer models that have the bells and shistles. Mainly, I would look for the weight limit front and rear--the higher the limit, usually more expensive. Ours was around $200. Got very safe reviews on consumer reports. Good luck!

We switched from the Travel System - Graco to a convertible carseat bought at Value City Dept store - it was $50 and it has a 5 point harness and works until the child gets to 100 lbs. The brand is Cosco. We think it's fabulous.

I used a Britax Roundabout and loved it. I now have one of their Booster seats and love it too.

We love the Britax, either Roundabout or Marathon. They are just about at the $250 range, but worth it!

We have 2 Britax Marathons and love them. I had cheaper brands prior and I don't think I will ever buy anything else. I hunted around online and found a new style last year for $200. In my opinion well worth the money!

I really like the Alpha Omega Elite made by Cosco. It ranges from 22-100 lbs. so it should grow will with your daughter. It was $159 at Target & Toys R us.

Hi Marjorie,
We bought a Cosco Alpha Omega Elite and really like it. Our son was pretty comfortable in the rear-facing position and is high enough in the forward-facing that he can see what's going on. We've also had to move it in and out of cars a lot lately and it's easy to do with the LATCH system or with a seatbelt.
Good luck!
E.