What Car Seat to Buy??

I'm just going to say ditto on the Britax. We have two Marathons, which, at the time, were listed as the safest. It's worth the extra money as they are good up to 65 pounds. =0)
L. A. =0)

You can't go wrong with a Britax. Another good one is the Sunshine Radian 80. It's a 5pt. harness up to 80 lbs and three of them would fit side by side in a back seat, that's how narrow it is. I personally have two Britax Marathons for my kids and love them. The thing to remember is that a seat "expires" after 6 years. My daughter has had her Britax Marathon since growing out of her infant seat. She is now 5 and weighs 43 lbs. So, technically I will need to get her another seat. SO, you could get the Britax Roundabout that goes up to 40 lbs and plan on getting another seat after that point. It used to be that most people would put their kids in a booster after they outgrew their 40 lbs max seat. Unfortunately, that's really too soon to put a child in a booster. Many new models are coming out with 5pt harness up to a higher weight. Still I would recommend any Britax seat or the Sunshine Radian 80. I am going to get the Radian 80 once my daughter's Britax Marathon is past 6 years old. Then once she does move to a booster, my son can use the Radian 80. The Radian is on sale here: My son is currently also in a Britax Marathon. They are the best seats on the market and the easiest to install. Be sure to contact your local police dept and ask about having a certified carseat specialist come help you install your seat for the first time. Check out www.car-seat.org

www.elitecarseat.com is also another good site.

Good luck! A quality carseat is the most important thing you can buy for your child.

I agree with everyone! You really can't go wrong with a Britax! We've got a Britax Roundabout. I think it's a cheaper version, and a little smaller maybe? (my car is on the tiny side) but the Marathon is totally worth the $$, I think most Britax products are, and as much time as we all spend in the car nowadays living our daily lives, not to mention trips, etc, it doesn't make any sense not to go for the best you can, totally worth it.

Go for the Britax Marathon! I know it's more expensive but in my opinion it is worth the extra money. My mom bought a cheaper Evenflo carseat for her car and ended up taking it back because it was such a pain to deal with compared with the Marathon we had in our car. Plus our daughter was much more comfortable in the Marathon. Instead of buying it at Babies 'R Us check online and you can usually find older patterns on sale. We got ours at https://www.travelingtikes.com

We tried three car seats before settling on the Graco comfortsport. It was okay. And I stess, OKAY. Then my dad needed a seat for his car because he was moving up here. We gave him that one and we got the Britax we should have just sprung for originally. I wish we had done it all along! It's night and day with other seats. It adjusts more so smaller and bigger kids both fit in it and it is so much more secure installed (our Graco always leaned to the side because of the seat-belt - ARGH!). As for size, go to BabysRUs and see what size fits in your car best - actually test it in your car. If you can, go with the Marathon/Boulevard size (just make sure your baby and car fit it well) so you can use it longer than the smaller Roundabout/Diplomat. If you want the BEST price you're going to find, order it online from www.AlbeeBaby.com. They always have 1 or 2 styles of each on sale, free shipping on them, and NO TAX for WA state!!

Our little girl is 2 1/2 and we keep her backwards (because it's the safest way to go) and she doesn't mind one bit. It sits her up higher and she can see fine out the windows. She's not cramped at all and I know she's safer than when we used the Graco. To top it off, my dad was so frustrated with the Graco that he just ordered a Britax Marathon for himself (we have the Boulevard).

We love our Britax Marathon. We also have a Triumph (don't remember the manufacturer) - it's much harder to use, the straps get twisted, etc. I don't recommend that one.

Hi L.
I did a ton of research and found the Britax Marathon for our vehicle (we have a Pilot) and it is great. I just love it. My mom has a Camry and we bought her an Evenflo Triumph which we also love. It fits her car great and serves her purposes. The Britax is better suited for us. I have noticed that when my daughter falls asleep her head falls forward more in the Triumph and that the straps twist a little more, but that's about it. I have also heard that the Britax covers are far easier to remove and clean. The Triumph is quite a bit less expensive and was rated highly by Consumer Reports. The Britax is also well loved. If you look on any site you will see parents raving about it again and again. I think it is really a personal decision and dependent upon your child. I know my little one is long and lean so certain seats would not work as well for her. I would recommend that you call 1-800-Buckle-Up. They are SO helpful. If you describe your child they can help you narrow down choices. There is also a woman named Sue who can tell you what seats will work best in your vehicle. They really helped me narrow down my choices. I had spent countless hours researching and that one phone call really narrowed things down and made my decision much easier!
Good luck!

I don't know about Britax, but we have an Alpha Omega Elite 3 in 1 by Costco. It has a five point harness and can old up to 100 lbs. My ten-month-old seems to enjoy it. He is still facing backwards of course, but he likes being able to see outside. We got ours from Amazon. The 3 in 1 refers to rear facing, forward facing, and booster.

http://www.amazon.com/Cosco-Alpha-Omega-Elite-Seat/dp/B00...

Good luck!

R. R.

Britax is an awesome brand that you can't really go wrong with. Try going to a store that sells a couple of their different models (Merry Go Round) and try them out in your car. The roundabout and marathon are the two most popular I think, but you have to go with what fits in your car and since your little one is still rear facing, that makes it a little harder.

You might want to try car-seat.org. There are amazing techs there who can help.

We have 2 Britax Marathons and LOVE them! DD is still rearfacing at 3 years and will be able to forward face for quite awhile after she turns around!!! It will last you far longer than the traditional 40lbs weight limit seats.