Seeking Car Seat Information

I just bought a new carseat yesterday for my daughter, and I checked out the consumer reports website first. It doesn't have a ton of information, but it was helpful. The website is www.consumerreports.org. You can also try compring seats (read the reviews) and babycenter.com

First off...I urge you to keep your baby rear-facing. Yes, the MINIMUM is 1 year and 20 pounds, but it is safest to keep them rear facing until they reach the limit on their seat (I am reading this as you have an infant carrier and are looking for a convertible seat, which can be rear facing or forward facing). Most convertible seats have a rf limit of 33 or 35 pounds. Children under age 2 are FOUR TIMES more likely to die in an accident if they are forward facing than if they are rear facing.

As far as seats go, any seat that is installed correctly is safe. Some are easier to install correctly (like Britax) and are easier to use, but if they're all installed properly, they're all considered safe. Also, not all seats fit in all cars. So, test some out.

Car seat techs do not rely on Consumber reports because CR will not release information about their testing standards and techniques.

There's a book called Baby Bargains... it's like a Consumer Reports, but only has kids products. They publish a new one every year and rate everything on price, safety, durability, etc. It's a great resource for just about anything you're wondering about, from jar food to car seats to clothing to strollers!
Good luck!

Hi G.,

Here's a helpful website for safety of car seats. We have two Britax car seats for our kids, the Wizard and Boulevard which both go up to 65 lbs. These are great and the safest on the market. The are not cheap, but well worth your child's safety and you don't have to get another one until they reach 65 lbs, unlike most other seats. We got both of ours new off of ebay. The boulevard was misspelled on ebay so we got it $100.00 less then any other store.
http://www.consumersearch.com/www/family/car-seats/index....

Good luck!

I checked out the consumer reports and learned that the Evenflo Truimp is pretty much one of the safest and rated very well. I would check out the consumer reports also. I found this out last yr this time.

Hi go to like consumer reports website. I believe it is www.consumerreports.com but I am not sure. That is where my father does all his research. Good luck

we are going to get the britax for our baby. from what i have heard from all of our friends, they are the best!

Consumer Reports is cheap if you sign up for one month. Just make sure you cancel it before the month is over. They give you detailed info about all of the ones they have tested. Evenflo has a very highly rated one that is the cheapest price.

Hello!
We just got convertible seats for both cars, because our daughter was one year old, but not at 20 pounds yet, so we have to keep her rear-facing for a while longer. We got two versions of Graco ComfortSport models at Target, which we are very happy with and did not break the bank. Every manufacturer has their own website explaining their car seats and you can also check magazine sites like Parents, Child etc. for information. We also got input from the Consumer Reports site. There are also sites that show consumer opinions (good and bad) of a product like Amazon.com or epinions.com.
Our city's Fire Department offers also a service where they check the car seat installation. It is a free service. Your city might have a similar program and maybe they are even able to help with comments on selecting a seat in the first place.

Good luck with this!
D.

Hello:
As far as car seats go, I have found through extensive research that Britax makes the very best and safest car seats available. They cost more, but well worth the expense to assure your child is as safe as possible. I purchased one for my Daughter when she was 1.5 years old and am still using it today at 4.5 years old. I have checked with the childrens specialty store (the Right Start), where I purchased the seat, and they informed me (based on state child seat guidelines) that I am still good for at least 6 more months. Depending on how big the child and how fast your child grows, your usage life cycle will vary. I plan to immediately purchase a Britax booster seat. I currently own the "Marathon" model and plan to get the "Parkway" booster when she is ready. I firmly believe one should NEVER skimp on a childs safety. My daughter loves her car seat and considers it extremely confortable. Everytime she's in it, she is out within 15 mins. of the ride. Their high quality 5 point harness is arguably the best on the market. You can't beat comfort, quality, and top level safety. They make strollers as well, but you have greater choices of top tier manufacturers there. NEVER consider used car seats as you can never be certain of their history or if they were involved in an accident, which makes them unsafe at that point.

Here is their web site: www.britaxusa.net

Hope this info helps,

S.

We looked at Consumer Reports and a bunch of online reviews. We ended up going with a Britax. They are more expensive but what we found is that European crash test standards are considerably higher for example they test at a higher rate of speed. We ended up getting a model that was good up to 40 lb. at Target on sale ($179 I think) and a more expensive model good up to 65 lb. online. Some friends also had good luck with new seats on ebay. good luck!