Seeking Affordable Infant/toddler Carseat

The Graco ComfortSport car seats are really nice and run about $80, and you can find them at Target. They are rear/forward facing and can support up to 40 lbs. Hope this helps. C.

Whatever you choose, just try to find a seat that has high harness slots, some only have 16 inch top slots, and some have 18 inch top slots. Most seats, aside from Britax and Fisher Price, only harness to 40lbs and 40 inches.... most kids outgrow by heigh long before weight, so make sure you buy a seat with high harness slots, bring a tape measure and measure them. :)

All seats are made to the same government safety standards. Some go above and beyond that, but all seats are safe as long as they are used correctly every time, and the child meets the criteria for the seat, heigh and weight wise.

The 3 in 1 seats (convertible, forward facing, belted booster) seats are not all that great. The seat is usually too wide for hte seatbelt to fit across the child hips when used as a belted booster, and most kids are too tall for the seat anyway. So go with something that is a dedicated harness seat up to 40, 55, or 65lbs, and then buy a dedicated belted booster whe nyour child is old enough.

Kids must remain in a five poitn harness (no overhead shield! They are now known to be dangerous!) until they are AT LEAST 4 years old and AT LEAST 40lbs. Harnessing longer is better....

www.albeebaby.com has great prices on just about any seat you could want, and free shipping.

We love the Evenflo Chase seats! They start at 20 pounds and go up to 80 pounds. We figured that this was the best bang for our buck (no additional seats as they get bigger/older). They are around $60-$80, but we got ours on sale for about $50. The straps are very easy to adjust and allow for plenty of room, but it's also very simple to transfer them from one vehicle to another (important if your kids head to grandma/grandpa's!). One other feature I like: easy to clean! Both of my kids have vomited in the car in them, and the pads can be thrown in the washing machine, and the straps/plastic clean easily; a great feature that I didn't know about until later, thankfully! Hope this helps...!

My first advice is to NOT buy a used car seat as someone else mentioned. You have no idea what has been done with it or if it has been in an accident. For all you know they've dropped it out a 2nd story window.
I guess what you buy depends on how much you want to spend and how long you want them to be in the 5 point harnesses. The Fisher Price one is a good choice that I'm also thinking of getting. I have seen them at the Burlington Baby Depot at Northtown Mall in Fridley so you might want to check your local store. Otherwise I have recently seen the Britax one at Target on sale for $220 so you could watch for that.
You might want to check the crotch straps on the other one too to see if they are adjustable. My one seat has different slots in it for the crotch strap to be put through. Closer for a baby and further away for the bigger kids.
Best Wishes,
J.

Fisher Price is very similar to Britax and I think they teamed up together. Fisher Price is alot cheaper though. You may have to order online because I haven't seen it in the stores I've been to.

Stay away from Eddie Bauer or anything made by Cosco. My daughter at age 2 broke her seat and climbed out of her seat she had the Alpha Omega. She also broke another one made by Evenflo the kind with the tray that goes over the head. My daughter isn't hyper or destructive she's never broken her toys.

If you can't afford a Britax go with Fisher Price or Graco. I don't trust or like any other brands.

I was a single parent living off my childsupport and struggling to make ends meet but after one crappy carseat after another I took a tax return and bought a Britax Marathon. My daughter is in kindergarten and still fits! It was the best piece of baby equiptment I ever bought.

Maybe ask at their first birthday party for a gift card or money put into their new carseat funds.... I'm going to guess they don't need anymore toys. I would bet family would be more willing to put money towards good carseats than another toy.

Try the Cosco Scenera at Walmart. I was in the same situation as you, needing to buy multiple car seats for multiple cars/grandparents and this has been a great fit for us. There are many adjustments on the straps so that's nice and the best part is it's only $38! Good luck!

I sell carseats. Give me your email address and I can send you a list of them with pictures, info and prices. What prices are you finding on the Britax? How much do you WANT to spend?

Dear M.,

I'm not sure where you live but here where I live you can buy car seats through the police dept. and at cost, the money used goes to the D.A.R.E. program here in the community. My husband and I have a 6 year old daugther and have always bought them this way on the average they are about $10.00 or more cheaper. I hope I have helped you.

A little about me, I am married almost 13 years and have two children, 6 years and a son who was born too early so he is now our angel. I work full time outside the home and love my life in genernal.

I have the Evenflo Triumph and love it! It's a convertible carseat, so it goes rear facing and forward facing. I chose it because after Britax, it is the best carseat on the market. I believe it priced reasonably, $140. I don't know hoe that is for you to be buying 4... but fo r1 I thought it was good. And I absolutly love it. My son is so comfortable, it has different recline positions and it's soft. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

It has been a LONG time since my daughter was in a car seat...a whole 5 years! I don't know what's out there right now but I can tell you to stay away from Cosco. Eddie Bauer is an extension of Cosco. They are the worst company safety and comfort wise in my opinion. Go with Graco or Century. They are some of the safest, most compact and mid priced baby/toddler items out there. I know I didn't help much, I hope you can find something safe and priced right for your family.

Hi M.,

I have to agree with Shannon A. The Evenflo Triumph has served us wonderfully. It ranks up there with the expensive Britax models according to Consumer Reports (Hopefully not too outdated, as I did my research about a year ago....:) without such an intimidating price tag. I don't really need to elaborate, as she covered it nicely...forward to rear facing...five point harness...Our daughter has always been very comfortable and content in this seat. And we feel that she is safe. I am very happy with this carseat.

Good luck in your search

S.

The Fisher Price Safe Voyage seats are made by Britax but are more reasonably priced.

How about the Britax Roundabout? That's cheaper than the Marathon. Have you checked out the Graco seats? I'm sorry I don't know the name but there is a Graco seat that offers the same safety as the Britax. Hopefully someone can help me out here....

We own the Evenflo Triumph. I love this seat. It takes me only 5 minutes to get into the seat (and that is using the belt clip)! It is nice and roomy and both of my boys seem to like it. I have never had a complaint about them being uncomfortable in it.
The only downside is that it goes to 40lbs and 40 inches. I know my oldest will hit the height maximum before he gets to 40 lbs. My pediatrician was very insistant that he stay in a 5 point harness until he is 40 lbs.
I have been doing some research on what to buy next since my husband broke one of our carseats (trying to get it to recline - he was too forceful). I have read a lot about the Fisher-Price Safe Voyage. It is the same shell as the Marathon but about $100 cheaper. It goes to 55 lbs(not sure on the height) and it is airline approved.
I have also looked at the Graco Safe Seat Step 2 (a little cheaper still).
Overall, carseats all have to pass federal regulations. With that in mind they are all safe to use. The issue is how they fit in your car, the ease of installation, and the comfort of your children. Take your kids to the baby store and "test" out some seats. See what they like in your price range. The great thing about the baby stores is that they will let you install it in your car to see how it fits and how easy it is for you to install it. This will save you return trips to the store.
Good Luck.

If you're set on the Britax, you might try craigslist. It's a local board for people to sell or give away things - like a giant online community classifieds. It's especially good for large things folks might not put in a garage sale or on eBay.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/

If you look at used car seats, be sure to check the recall list from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.c1a4b...

But most seats you find for sale will be safe.

I see a lot of moms had good luck with other brands, but I'm very pro-Britax myself. We've had Britax and Graco seats, and the Britax are much better engineered and much more comfortable. In fact, my three-year-old keeps asking if he can sit in his baby sister's seat (his old Britax) because he doesn't like his Graco seat.

Good luck!