Convertible car seat shopping?
Hello all. I have a 6 month old girl who is getting close to needing a bigger car seat at 28 inches. I just finished reading review after review, and it seems like everyone dislikes something about each one! I know I need to keep her rear facing as long as possible, so I would like one I can RF up to 30 lbs. Of course something that dosnt cost an arm and a leg is preferred. I even went to our local Babies R Us, and the staff really couldn't tell me much. Any parents out there have some recommendations? I like the Alpha Sport NYC so far, what do you think of these? Thanks in advance for your help!
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10 Responses to “Convertible car seat shopping?”-
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we have this one:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2401317
it works great w/ our son who is large for his age. 7 months 25 lbs and 28 inches.
we got it when he was 2.5 months old. we like it and he likes it also.
good luck!
Fisher Price Safe Voyager Deluxe
rear up to 33lbs
forward to 55lbs
I have an Alpha Omega Deluxe Car Seat and I love it
I’m about to buy this one for my daughter. I love graco’s products and I have the infant seat to match.. It’s pretty inexpensive compared to others.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2507896
Fisher Price Safe Voyage
http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html
made by the most trusted name in car seats… Britax… just sold under Fisher Price and more affordable.
heres the top car seats… it is up there…
i love this car seat! easy to install! and i mean that, i move it from car to car. not so heavy. baby loves it =) and it can rear face for a long time as recommended.
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/tp/topconvcarseats.htm
ultimately the best car seat is the one that fits your baby and your car, so trying it out first is best.
good luck hope this helps =)
Car seats change so frequently — mostly it’s just cosmetic though. The things that you should be looking for that may help:
-Since car seats aren’t cheap, get the most for your $ and find a car seat with the most weight range for longer usage
-There is some variance of how 5 point harnesses adjust and do up — try them to see what works for you. (mine has a 2 piece "prong" that has to be overlapped before inserted into the buckle…a bit of a pain IMO).
-The anchor straps can vary too in how they latch to the car. I like the ones with an exposed button you press (like a seat belt) to release the hooks. It’s far better than reaching blindly into a seat to push it manually with your thumb which starts to hurt after a while.
-other fun features are movable arm rests, removable cup holder, reclining options
One last thing: If you are planning another kid a little later on and have 2 cars, it might be worthwhile getting a second car seat early so that you use it right away instead of taking one from car to car. Just be sure you like the one you buy first.
I just bought 2 from Kmart 3 weeks ago, they were onsale $10 off from the original 49.99. I checked and they had good ratings, and didnt put a pinch in my budget. I dont see why you need to buy a $200 carseat that is going to do the same thing as a $50 one. Costco was the brand.
Evenflo Titan DLX Lexington Convertible Car Seat @ Target
I haven’t bought one yet, but I am leaning toward the Britax Marathon if it will fit in my car (I hear Babies R Us will let you try that out) or the Evenflo Triumph Advance because those two have straps that adjust up and down without taking the carseat out of the car.
OK – first, as far as growing out of her infant seat, she may very well be near since most babies outgrow them at 5-7 months of age. I’m assuming your seat states a 29" height limit? Here’s the thing, weight limits are set in stone, height limits are not because what matters is how long the torso is. You could have to babies, both 28" long, and one will fit in the seat and the other won’t. One baby could have long legs, and a short torso and the other baby short legs and long torso. Here’s how you know the seat is outgrown:
1)when baby reaches the weight limit 20-22lbs depending upon model
2)when there is less than 1" of seat above her head
Legs dangling off is not dangerous and does not mean she has outgrown the seat.
Do not rely on the staff of Babies R Us or pretty much any other baby department. For some odd reason (I’m guessing the profit margin is bigger) they really push those Alpha Omega/3-in-1 seats HARD. Despite the fact that they really stink as seats, and their advertising is very misleading, its what they steer new parents to every time. You don’t HAVE to spend a fortune, but realize that like many other products (cars for instance!) you get what you pay for. The easier a seat is to use, the more likely you will use it correctly. If its not used correctly, it will not protect your child.
Remember these rules:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you’re more likely to use it correctly.
2)Good for you for knowing that Children should stay rear facing AS LNOG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child’s vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone. In other countries, rear facing 2 – 3 – 4 year olds is standard, they understand that its safer. Here, we turn them as soon as we get to, seeing it as a right of passage thing or something. Ridiculous. Most convertible seats have a 30lbs rear facing limit, Cosco/Dorel/Safety1st/Eddie Bauer seats rear face to 35lbs, Britax rear faces to 33lbs., so you can get a seat that goes higher than 30lbs easily and get more rear facing safety for your money.
3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can’t sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs. My son just turned 3, and is in the 95th% for height and weight – 40" tall and weighs 41lbs. He outgrew the 40lbs seats shortly after his 2nd birthday. It was a total waste of money. He now has a Britax Marathon, which goes to 65lbs, and will be able to fit it for some time yet. If I’d have bought it when he was born, I could have had one car seat this whole time instead of the 3 I wasted money on. They are more expensive for many reasons, this is one.
So…knowing all that, here’s some about specific seats. Please don’t get a Graco Comfort Sport. Car seat techs call it the ‘crappysport’. LOL Its a crappy seat that won’t last your child very long b/c it has a really short shell. The straps twist all the time, and if they’re twisted they won’t support your child in a wreck properly. They’re hard to install. There’s nothing good about these seats except perhaps they’re cheap sometimes. Ditto the Safety1st 3-in-1/Cosco Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in1 seats. These are all the same company – same seat, just different covers. So what do I think of the Alpha Sport? They stink. Just like its clones listed above. Hard to install, b/c of narrow belt paths. Ever tried to wash a skinny cup by hand? Now imagine that skinny cup with pointy edges. That’s what putting your hand through these to install them is like. AND they have too short a shell to really go to 40lbs. And they do not make good boosters. Also, most kids have to use boosters until they’re at least 8 years old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, so no matter what they say it is NOT the last seat you’ll ever need to buy.
The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different variances of luxury additions, with the Marathon being the cheapest base model) can be found for regular price of $269, and on sale at Albee Baby online for $209-$219. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. I can get it into 4 different vehicles in under 2 minutes. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats (all car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture) lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old.
The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn’t have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don’t have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It’s one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon. This is the number one seat I’d recommend across the board right now, and its a great price.
The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible seat is great, it is made by Britax, without all the frills. It’s the same shell as a Marathon, but for less than half the price. $130 at Albee Baby online with free shipping, or at their eBay name, babysurplus. Rear faces to 33lbs, forward to 55lbs. Easy to use, fits in most cars. A small word of warning about these seats: they are now officially not making them anymore, so the date of manufacture is getting older and older, with many being delivered that are 6+ months old already. Since car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, this could make a difference to you, especially since its possible your child could fit in the seat for the next 5-6 years.
These are the best you can buy that will give you the most bang for your buck. As a single parent I’m always watching the budget – I have no money to speak of, and these are what I would buy. (My son has a marathon and is soon getting a Britax Regent). They will last the longest. I only wish someone would’ve told me all this before I had him, I coulda saved some money for the extra seats I started out with!
All seats in the US must meet the same safety criteria to sell, so technically they all are safe, however, if its hard to install, then it won’t be used correctly and that makes it unsafe. Also, they only must meet the guidelines, some seats barely pass, some exceed them. Britax exceeds the guidelines and is easy to use.
P.S. Britax is having one of their semiannual sales from February 24 – March 2. You could snag a Britax seat for $200 or less including shipping!