This will be interesting to read the responses b/c I personally just have a Cosco one from walmart that is pink with flowers and was $40. When I went to new baby and me classes the basic answer I got was that they all have to pass safety tests, so there all safe. I dont honestly know if some are "better" then others but with the price ranges I would assume something makes people like them, I guess I just dont understand how they could be any differet.
If I were to have a new baby I would buy one that would keep them facing backwards as long as possible. That information was not available when my daughter who is almost 5 was a baby...it was turn them around once they hit one year old...we have never been in an accident and it was never a problem, but I felt so uneasy with her little one year old body facing forward at the time I remember. We had an infant carrier carseat until 20 pounds and then moved on to a booster that goes from 20-40 pounds with the 5 point harness and 40-100 with a seatbelt and my daughter is still using it and it will not expire until December 2009, so we have got out money's worth out of it very much! We have an Eddie Bauer Booster Seat that was about $120.00 new from Toy's 'R' Us. Also, if I were to need a new carseat I would buy one that keeps them in a 5-point harness as long as possible as well, because again, that information was not out there when I was in the market for a bigger seat after the infant carrier.
I am doing extended RF with my child and do plan on 5-point harness as log as possible as well. If you want to do any of these you need to make sure the seat you are purchasing supports these. I know a Graco that we got as a shower gift and ended up selling as new and getting another because it RF to a decent weight but you couldn't use the top slot for RF so it just wasn't going to work for what we needed it for. There's a post with links on rear facing here if anyone's interested:
http://siouxfallsmoms.com/extended_rear_facing
We also are doing extended rear facing and Kyli knows absolutely no difference. We have 2 Britax Marathons--one for my parents car and one for my car. She will stay rear facing as long as possible and will also stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. We actually already have 2 Britax Regents for when that time comes because we found them on a sale we couldn't pass up.
Ok, now I have a question. My daughter is 16 months old and she only weighs 17 lbs. I have her in a front facing carseat because she's SOOOOO much more happy in the car now that she can see everything. I didn't think it was going to hurt anything. Now I feel like a bad mom. Should I not be doing this? I figured she was close enough to 20 that it shouldnt' matter. Maybe i'll put her back in her baby carseat...she's just so tall she looks like she doesn't fit anymore and if I turn her convertible carseat backwards, when she falls asleep her head hangs and that has to be very uncomfortable. So what should I do?
I would call Sanford Child Services and see what they recommend. Personally, I would keep her rear facing, but that's just me. I think the "rule" is 1 year AND 20 pounds, but if you turn her back around now, who knows how she will take it...unless you get some of those toys you can hang in front of her on the seat of the car???
"A winker is a winker is a winker." -- mamabelle
It's not good if her feet are hanging over the edge of the baby carseat either, that is another sign they should be moved to a convertible.
~Amy~
I would definately turn her back around. Our convertable carseat has a reclining position for when it is rear facing so that the head doesn't flop forward. I wouldn't think she'd be real happy going back into the infant carrier though. Rear facing is just the safest way to go. If there does happen to be an impact, the baby slides back in the seat rather than having the head fly forward and then snap back.
I bought a Evenflo Triumph Advance LX Convertible Carseat and I am very pleased with it especially the adjustment of the shoulder straps and it runs $130 i like it much better than our other one (its off brand unsure what it is forsure) my son seems more comfortable and I have more piece of midn with him riding in it..
We have the Evenflo Titan Elite in Sage. I don't know if you can still get it in that color, though. But we got ours about two or three months ago at Target. We love it. It can rear face to 40 pounds, I believe, 30 for sure, and forward facing to 50 pounds. It is roomy for her, and comfortable, I think...she falls asleep in it all the time! And you can use it for 5 pounds and up, if you want to put a newborn in it (I personally wouldn't, I would stick with the infant seat for newborns until they can sit up well).
"A winker is a winker is a winker." -- mamabelle
We have the Evenflo Triumph Advance LX and the Evenflo Titan Elite. I have the Titan Elite (brown from KMart)in my Jeep and my husband has the Trimuph Advance in his Grand Prix, we really like both seats, the Triumph's straps are easier to adjust but in my opinion it is really bulky. The Titan Elite is really easy to install and move from car to car if needed. Hope my thoughts are helpful.
We have the alpha omega's for each of our kids. If I recall, the weight starts at 5lbs.
Here is a link ~ http://www.coscojuvenile.com/product/detail.asp?ID=562
We love these chairs and have had no problems with them. They do go to 100 lbs.
Good Luck and happy shopping!
So I have a question, all these car seats that go to 100lbs. Are you still going to have a 7,8,9,10 year old who is under 100lbs in a convertible seat?? Wouldn't you then go to a booster? I just have never seen a kid over the ago of 4 or 5 in these convertible car seats!
~Amy~
When you take out the buckles/strapes and use it with just the seatbelt, it changes into the booster. My daughter is 4 1/2 now and we still use it and will continue to. As far as kids being in them past the age, I am sure that goes by if parents put them in the chairs/seats or not. There is also a certain weight (can't remember about height?) a child is suppose to be. My assumption for the chairs going to 100 lbs would be for some kids who are bigger than others at a younger age. All kids grow differently so I am sure its to cover all little ones. Does that make sense?
The guidelines say...4'9"~57 inches and 80 lbs. and 8-12 years old. It makes me sick to think of how many people do not follow these guidelines out there! There is a reason all of these safety stuides have been done! My daughter will be in a booster as the guidelines recommend...safety is a number one concern and should be for every person no matter if we are talking about carseats/booster seats or anything else in the world for that matter. There should be no reason as to why a child that is smaller than 4'9" and 80 lbs. is not in a booster seat in my opinion. These parents wouldn't think twice about not keeping a small child in a carseat, so why is it any different when a child is bigger??? It shouldn't be a question in anyone's mind if you ask me! If they are smaller than the guidelines say, then the seatbelt is not fitting them properly and will not perfrom properly in case of an accident. My child's safety is worth far more than the $30-$40 for a new booster seat when the other expires to me. We have had many discussions on this board about carseats and it amazes me as to how many people do not have a child in a booster as the guidelines say.
**Here is a link to a discussion that talks just about that very subject...people not having kids in boosters as the guidelines say, even though it may not be law past 5 years of age...5 is not a magical age that makes a seat belt fit a small child properly, that is what the height and weight guidelines are out there for...
http://www.siouxfallsmoms.com/booster_seat_question
**Here is also another link that talks about how backless booster seats are not to be used in cars without headrests. This is information that so many people do not know about and for some reason it is not anywhere on the boxes of a backless booster seat when a person would go to buy one to even know...
http://www.siouxfallsmoms.com/backless_booster_seat_information
I was reccomended this site when I was deciding/researching one for my child:
http://car-seat.org/
We purchased an Eddie Bauer one at target that we love for 2-80lbs. We also bought a Graco one rated for 2-40lbs that we really like, but my two year old has almost outgrown it already, and he isn't even close to being ready for a booster yet. The eddie bauer one is really great for him, he naps in it comfortably, and seems to do better in that one than the other on long trips. One thing my Chiropractor told me to look for when purchasing one, was to buy one that has the padding on the plastic (you have to take off the fabric cover to look) that goes all the way up the back. Some of them only have padding half way up, and it isn't enough back support. I had thought a lot about safety, but I hadn't thought much about comfort. If I could do it again, I would buy two of the eddie bauer!
I have an Alpha Omega that I am trying to sell, but we live out of town. Sorry. We were happy with it, I believe it goes from 5 to 100 lbs. I know others have posted about keeping their children rear facing as long as possible, I can see their point about safety, but for our own sanity we turned our kids around a little before they were one. Our other seat was a Graco, it was much cheaper then the Alpha Omega.. but it worked just as well.
Sandra
First we bought this really cute pink graco one that didnt fit in our car right, then we got a Britax, and truth be told, I hate the dumb thing! There might be a little more padding then the Graco one, but overall its not that different. My daughter still hates this carseat just as much as her other cheaper one. I know toys r us has some cute ones, and so does kmart. If you dont need it right away try the Target website they have a good selection, and offer free shipping a lot of times.
I just got a Graco Nautilus - it's a 3-in-1 convertible seat. It had a 5 point harness up until 65 pounds, then changes to a booster with the seat belt up to 100 pounds. My son is 5 - I had to replace a car seat that was in an accident, and he isn't yet 40 pounds, so I couldn't get a regular booster. I REALLY like the idea of keeping him in a 5 point harness for as long as possible - it is SO much safer :)
Jenny ~ www.LittleHouseChildcare.com
Just so other mom's know if looking for a seat the Nautilus is for forward facing only. Other than that I have seen great reviews for it.
Also, the height limit needs to be taken into consideration as well...the Graco Nautilus goes to 65 lbs. with a 5 point harness which is great, but also only 52 inches with that 5 point harness as well. My daughter is no where near 65 pounds, but only a few inches away from the 52 iches. That is the only reason she is not in a 5 point harness right now and just in a seatbelt with her high back booster...because of her height, so keep that in mind to look at both height and weight as one. The child needsd to be within the guidelines for both weight and height, not just one or the other.
OK, so from the different responses, and the sites that I have visited, I have'nt found any that outright say DO NOT BUY!! I seen alot of praises for a couple certain ones (Britax, Evenflo Triumph). So now I am wondering why I have "heard", or have it in my head, that Cosco, for instance, is not good? I have seen a couple Cosco ones that fit the weight limits I need,(and is cute) but I hesitate to even think about buying it? I honestly have no idea why! Is it just that Cosco is cheaper to buy than some, that I have this impression in my mind? I am by no means the type of person who needs the most expensive of everything, but I am wondering why a seat can range from $50 to $300, and each meet the safety requirements? Does this make sense??
It is all brands and the name that you are paying for with some of those seats. Some you are paying more for that have the extended rear facing options, or extended 5 point harness past the typical 40 pounds, but a lot of it is the name of the brand. They all have to meet certain safety standards though. Some may exceed the basics in safety and that comes into play as well. Some may be more comfortable and more durable, it all varies with each individual seat, but every seat that is available meets at least the basics in safety tests that have to be performed. Just as anything you buy, you are paying for the brand name. Yes, that may come with better quality, but sometimes it is the same exact thing with a different label on it...so do your research.
The alpha omega is cosco and when we got our first chair for our daughter back in 04, it was one I had heard was the best. I have not heard anything negative on them. I think if you look at the snap part on the chest of the eddie bauer chair, it says cosco on it as well. I remember seeing that and then thinking, WOW, totally paying for the name there!
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I am looking to buy 2 convertible carseats for my daughter, since she will be too big for her infant carseat soon. I have tried to research the safty ratings of different brands and types, but I can't really find an official site? The sites I have seen just seem to be peoples opinions? I have heard that Graco is good, and of course Britax (which may be too spendy considering we will need 2), but what others? I would like to get a halfway "girly" looking one, but the only kind I seem to see in the stores are all black & gray. Not too worried about the color though, as long as it's safe. Does anyone know of an official site? I seen one that I like, but it's for 30-100 lbs. I need something that starts at 20 lbs & up. Any ideas/opinions??