Any Suggestions on What Car Seat to Buy?

Updated on May 17, 2007
C.W. asks from Clearwater, FL
4 answers

There are tons out there. I need to find a reasonable priced forward facing car seat.
I don't want to pay the Britix prices. I have noticed that the Evenflo brand has a big head rest that does not look comfortable. My little one is almost 20 lbs. Any advice?

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B.C.

answers from Tampa on

Hi C.,

Here is a link to several Brtix choices at the clearance prices.

http://by104w.bay104.mail.live.com/mail/mail.aspx?&ip...

Before I have decided on a car seat I have reviewed each and every feedback on www.babiesrus.com on car seats of my interest. We picked Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Car Seat - Grayson.

Safety First!

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R.

answers from Tampa on

My friend and I have been doing alot of research on this subject. See the video on UTube to help you decide on your investment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
You might not want to invest the money in to Britax, but don't over look the fact that most 5 point harness seats only go up to 40lbs. The Britax Regent and the Radian 80 (not sold in stores) hold your child in a 5 point harness until they are 80lbs! The Regent is HUGE, bulky, and is not FAA approved. The Radian is slim, a little lighter than the Regent, is FAA approved, and folds up for easy transport. The Regent can hold a slighty taller child than the Radian so if you have tall kid then I would go with the Regent to make sure you get your money's worth. It is not suggested to move your child to a booster seat at all, as the seat belt in your car just isn't enough as you will see in the video. When you look at the fact that you will probably have to invest in two more carseats before he is grown, it might be worth the investment to purchase a Britax Regent or Radian 80. You could also invest in a seat that goes up to 65lbs they are less expensive. You can get a Radian 65 for $199 I believe. That is $99 more than your average $100 carseat. For those of you out there looking to purchase a new carseat for your newborn, the Radian 80 is the only car seat that will take your baby from newborn to 80lbs. Definately worth the investment (just can't carry the carseat or put it on a stroller, a pain). That being said, I know money is a factor when purchasing car seats. Before I learned all of this I purchased Safety 1st car seat with EPS? You want to look for that. I found the average well built car seat is about $100. Check out www.car-seat.org they have forums and carseat basics on there that will provide you with lots of information. It's daunting task trying to figure out what's best and who is right or not. Just an FYI I too was against purchasing a Britax, I felt they were highly over priced and still do. After seeing the video and doing my research the Britax Regent and the Radain 80 are the only ones I would buy. I have a 3.5 yr old boy and a 10 month old girl. I wished I would not have wasted my money on the two car seats I purchased for my son and will have to buy another after he reaches 40lbs. I should have just invested in one of the 80lb or 65lb carseats in the beginning. I am purchasing the Radian 80 for my son and will put my daughter in his 40lb carseat until I can afford to purchase a Radian or Regent for her. GOOD LUCK on your search and purchase. One more thing to look for, when looking at the wieght a carseat can hold, you need to verify if the wieght limit is with the 5 point harness or your carseat belt. Some say they go up to 100lbs, but that's if you use the seat belt in your car and not the 5 pt harness.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.K.

answers from Tampa on

Hi there! I understand what you are going through, after doing loads of research and reading reviews we decided to go with the Evenflo Triumph. My son loved it from the moment we put him in it, he was 20 lbs at 10 months. He still uses it and just recently I put it at the fullest upright forward facing position (he turned 2 in april). He sleeps in it and over all loves riding in it. In fact we intend to purchase a similar model with infant padding for baby #2 and skipping the infant carrier all together.
If you haven't already go with your list in mind to a babierus if you have one nearby. Try out your top 5 seats on their fake back seat. Make sure they are easy for you to use correctly, if not there is more room for error in your own car.
Best of luck!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.L.

answers from Tampa on

In doing my research, here are some brands that were rated overall best:

Evenflo Titan Deluxe (Up to 40lbs) 5 stars- $99.99

Graco Comfortsport 8630 CLK (Up to 40lbs) 5 stars- $79.99

Britax Marathon (Up to 65lbs) 4 stars- $269.99

Britax Boulevard (up to 65lbs) 5 stars- $299.99

Evenflo Triumph 5 (up to 40lbs)- $119.99

Fischer Price Safe Voyage (up to 55lbs)- $179.99

This is research pulled off several websites, including consumer report. We personally went with the Britax Marathon, which we love. We got ours for $200 brand new with free shipping. We went to froogle.com. It's a website google has, and they list different stores out there and who has the cheapest.

Good luck!

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