I would love some advice/suggestions on a good child convertible car seat to get for my 8 month old. He has almost outgrown his infant car seat and we need to advance to the next stage. Why do they grow so fast? Anyway, I would love to hear some tried and tested brands that anyone has used and some good websites to do some research on. Thank you in advance.
Thank you everyone for all your responses. They really helped me in my research. We ended up getting the Alpha Omega Elite. Today was his first day in it and he really seemed to like and just looked so comfortable!! Thanks again.
My suggestion to you isn't a brand suggestion.
I suggest that you look for a car seat that has the ability to be laid back easily for when they are sleeping, the ability to loosen and tighten the straps easy, comfy seat, and most important is that it is equiped with the LATCH system.
I have the Eddie Bauer convertible seat, and I really don't like it. I would suggest getting one that you can click the baby in and out with one hand. When they are kicking and screaming, and you have to wrestle them in the seat, you need to be able to do everything one-handed. The Britax are good, if a little pricey. The Graco Snug Ride (I think) is a good one, and affordable.
I highly reccommend any of the Britax seats that go up to 65 lbs or the Sunshine Kids Radian that also goes up to 65 lbs. Fisher Price has 2 new seats based off of Britax and the Deluxe goes up to 55 lbs (same size as the Britax Marathon). Those larger seats will help ensure that you can keep your child in a 5 pt harness as long as possible before moving to a booster. 4 years and 40 lbs is the bare minimum for that and most seats with a 40 lb weight limit have too low harness slots to last 4 years.
We have an Evenflo car seat. According to my husband, Consumer Reports highly recommended it. It's very easy to use. We've used three different types of seats and this one is the best and easiest by far.
We have an Evenflo car seat in my car and a generic one in my husbands car. We tried the Britax, but since my son is so long, he didn't fit in it comfortably. We had the carseats professionally installed. The officer (who has installed the car seats for us this entire time) basically, it doesn't have to be the expensive or super cheap as long as it hasn't been recalled, is super old or is not recommended as safe. As long as it's installed properly. My Evenflo had all the bells and whistles...bottom extra cushion, back cushion, sides, headrest, etc and the officer said my son (who will be 2 in Sept) would be much safer without all the extra padding. It was up to us if we still wanted to use it but it wasn't needed so we don't use it.
Basically, you probably won't go wrong with whichever seat you choose, just make sure it's professionally installed and you will be much better off.
We have the Triumph DLX Convertible Car Seat in Marimba Print
by: Evenflo. (Babies R Us)
When we purchased it (2 years ago), it had great reviews and the highest safety ratings with consumer reports (even better than Britax). But these ratings differ a little every year.
It goes up to 45 pounds when front facing and the seat swivels to let the baby lay back when they are younger (rear facing) and sit up when they are older and front facing. It has extra padding in the seat area, back area and a little head pillow. All these can be removed for washing.
Some things to keep in mind:
Don't use a car seat if it is older than 5 years. (safety requirements change, it may be out of date)
Buy a new carseat if you are involved in an accident, most carseats are only safe for one accident. Read your manual, some of the newer carseats have a policy if you send them the carseat, they will replace it at no charge if you have been in an accident.
Take your car and the seat to a local fire station or sheriff's office when they have a carseat check. The individuals who do these checks are up to date on how to properly install the seats.
We found through our own research that some car seats were higher priced because they came with little accessories you really didn't need like cup holders and such. One car seat we looked at was $30 less if you bought the model that didn't have the detachable cup holder, but besides that it was the same car seat.
Babies R Us also has customer reviews on their website that can help let you know how all the gear worked for other parents, if it's hard to install, not durable, recalled, etc.
You will also find a lot of parents swear by the Britax hands down, so it's really a personal choice you have to make.
We found a lot of parents were trying to sway us to the Britax, but we bought our SUV with curtain airbags, side impact airbags and the whole 9 yards, to help with safety, so we didn't feel like we compromised our child's safety by not buying the Britax.
here are a few web sites you may find helpful.
www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/CSSRating/Index.cfm
www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
Britax Marathon was a great seat for us. If is fitted great for young babies and grows with them really good as well. they area a bit pricey, but have cute covers and last forever!
M. H.
We have the Alpha Omega too. I love it. I thought that the Britax was huge, and I have a small car (plus the price tag on those is huge.) She seems very comfortable in it, falls asleep in it all the time, and I agree with a PP that this is one of the easiest to change the height of the straps too!
Being a carseat technician.... I have seen a lot of them. My personal favorites are among the Britax brands. They have several different models. They work up to 65lbs. and are top quality. They sell them at Babies R Us, Target and online...... Good luck!
We ended up getting a Britax Marathon from Babies R Us. It will last until our daughter is ready for a booster seat. It will work as a rear facing seat until your child is past one year and then it becomes a forward facing car seat.
We chose this because it was well padded and came with the latch system we use in our Dodge Magnum. It can also be used with a regular seatbelt and is FAA certified for use on comercial flights.
We have a Britax Roundabout for our two year old that he has been in since 7 mo., and a Britax Marathon for our 4 year old that he has been in since his younger brother took over the Roundabout. They are excellent seats and we have been very happy with them. I felt they were worth the extra cost. If there is one area I'm not willing to compromise on, it's our children's safety! The seat covers are easy to remove for cleaning and they have handy velcro pieces on the sides of the seat to attach the straps to when you get the kids out, so the straps rarely get tangled up or in the way. We've had the Roundabout for almost four years now and it is still in excellent condition. Incidentally, you can get these cheaper by buying online. That's what we did both times.
I really like the Alpha Omega by Cosco. Both my girls have one now (2 & 4). We have converted our 4 year old's into a belt positioning booster--super easy to use. The newer designs are even simpler--you can adjust from the front w/out removing the seat or re-threading the straps. They're also more affordable than Britax or Eddie Bauer (if that's important to you). The salesman at Babies R Us told us that the Alpha Omega is the same seat as Eddie Bauer (both made by Cosco), just cheaper because of the name. You can use them up to 80 or 85 lbs.
I would go for Evenflo Triumph 5. It does not turn into a booster but a lot of the safety research suggest that the ones that turn in to a booster are not as safe for babies. they work better for kids older. I had thought about doing the Britax, in fact about to buy the thing, but decided to go for the Triumph 5, it was cheaper and the car seat safety report has it ranked as high as the Britax. Now everyone will say the Britax has the best rating. It has been around a long time. but any car seat will protect if you install it correctly. Even the police car seat guy will tell you that. Also different cars will fit different car seats better. If you have a hard time installing it and a hard time putting the kid in it then that particular car seat is not safe. I tried out both Britax and Triumph and the Triumph was easier for me to latch the boys in and take it in and out of my car. It has the side adjuster which works great in a small space (I have a neon). I would say put your kid in the seat and try to latch it. Then put it in your car and see if you can attach it right. once in your car, push it around and see which one works better for your car. Good Luck finding a convertible.
I used the Alpha Omega for my son. He was a tall baby and it always fit him perfect. Also you can adjust the strap height very easily, you didn't have to take the straps apart and rerun them thru. Rear facing was up to 35 pounds
It also turned in to a belt postioning booster seat
We have the Alpha Omega, and the Alpha Omega Elite. The Elite is/was about $10 more than the original, but is quite a bit nicer. It has more padding, the material is softer, and has arm rests and a cup holder that you can add or leave off. I use them with my daughter, who is almost 3, and will use it with my son once he outgrows his infant carrier. I believe they go to 80 lbs, but it may as much as 100 lbs. They convert to booster seats after 40 lbs, I believe. I read all of the Babies R Us reviews before I decided on this carseat. I decided that if we were going to spend a lot of money, I wanted it to last!
BRITAX: Any of them really. That's all I have ever used and found them to not only be super safe, but comfy for the kiddos. Worth every penny of the extra cost! I have never heard a negative thing about Britax products.
we've used Alpha Omega for all 6 of our kids. They always rank in the top 5 on Consumer Reports and are still afordable. They've worked well as rear facing (though not behind the driver's seat with a tall dh ;) and as a booster.
The Britax marathon goes up to 65 pounds,and it is the safest! Go online and you can usually find it at a discounted price.
A.
