Any recommendations for cozy carseats for 13 hour drive with 2 yo

[disneygirl1977k]

Hey guys,
Just wondering if you guys could recommend any comfortable carseats for my 2yo DS for our 13 hour drive to WDW in August....I have a nice one now, however, I don't think it would be ideal for a long drive.....I would like to get him something comfortable and cozy and has padding.....just wondering if you guys could give me some advice......thanks to these boards I am getting him the 2005 peg perego pliko p3 stroller and now I am researching car seats....so far I have been looking at the Evenflo Triumph, but just wondered if you guys have any recommendations.....thanks guys. He needs a convertible car seat.
Kristy

 

[tlbwriter]

What's your budget? A Britax Marathon would be a great choice. Britax seats are well-padded, and since the Marathon can be used up to 65 lb with the harness, it will last you a good long time. But they're on the pricey side (about $240).

 

[long4disney]

Another vote for the Britax Marathon. It is so plush and roomy and my dd is almost 3 and very tall for her age. She is almost 40 inches tall and she still has 2 levels to move her harness straps up. Her head still has quite a bit of room too! We had a Britax Advantage (Similar to the Roundabout) but she outgrew that one too quickly. This Marathon should last her for a while now, since it goes up to 65 pounds. My dd is only 30 pounds. They also make a Britax Husky that is even bigger, but most people don't have that much room in their cars for that seat.

My dd has never gotten fussy in this seat since it is so comfy and it does have a recline option too! Not to mention it is the #1 rated seat for safety. All the police and fire departments rave about the Britax seats! That was enough for us to purchase the carseat!

 

[yyzgurl]

We started out with one Britax marathon for our DS. But now we have three, one in each of our cars and one in my mother's car. It is a GREAT carseat that is ultra comfortable. DS falls asleep in it all the time!

 

[long4disney]

I saw that you also bought the Peg Perego Pliko P3 stroller. We have that one too, and it is the best WDW stroller and so comfortable for the children to sit in. We love that stroller and our Maclaren Volo too. I think you will be thrilled with your new purchase!

 

[disneygirl1977k]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the help....definately looks like I will be checking into the Britax seats.....I love love LOVE LOVE LOVE the peg perego pliko P3 and my husband who as I posted in another thread thought our 2 yo DS didn't even need one Loves it.....best purchase I have made in a while.
Kristy

 

[dtsaos]

might want to ck out www.onestepahead.com They have car seat acsessories that are supposed to make children more comfortable during long rides, such as special neck/head support pillows, etc.

Check out their "toddler coddler"

 

[cheyennemama]

Glad to see I'm not the only crazy one making LONG cartrips to WDW! We'll be travelling with our 3.5dd and 20 mo ds in 2 wks from MA to WDW. We're driving MA to NJ to my parents to drop off my dog and then NJ to WDW which Yahoo says will be 16.5 hrs. DH is driving through the night out of NJ, so I pray the kids sleep. Plus we have a DVD player in the minivan. Anyway, no carseat suggestions. We'll be making a few pitstops (McDonalds, though obviously unhealthy, has a nice trip planner online where you can find playspaces within 0.5 miles off your route) and I pray they do well!

Good luck!

 

[tlbwriter]

Unfortunately, many of the things One Step Ahead carries aren't particularly safe. You shouldn't add aftermarket products (like play trays, padding, etc.) to a carseat. Luckily the Marathon already comes with pads to keep the straps from rubbing on your child's neck. And a pillow is fine. The Toddler Coddler is okay if it doesn't go between the child and the carseat.

 

[welovedis]

As a car seat tech I will chime in with my glowing recommendation of the Britax Marathon. Although it is pricey, I've heard nothing but good comments about its comfort from parents. From a tech's point of view, it is a terrifically safe seat and easy to fit in *most* vehicles.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[tlbwriter]

We'll be making a few pitstops (McDonalds, though obviously unhealthy, has a nice trip planner online where you can find playspaces within 0.5 miles off your route) and I pray they do well!

I didn't know that, thanks! I already have a list of McDonalds with indoor playspaces between my house and grandma's house, but that trip planner sounds like it will be very helpful.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

We just bought my soon to be 3 son a Britax Huskey. I sold his old Britax Roundabout for $40!

Lori

 

[cheyennemama]

I also painstakingly punched in all the McDonalds zip codes into the Chuck E Cheese website and came up with 2 Chuck E Cheeses close to our route.

 

[dtsaos]

Unfortunately, many of the things One Step Ahead carries aren't particularly safe. You shouldn't add aftermarket products (like play trays, padding, etc.) to a carseat. Luckily the Marathon already comes with pads to keep the straps from rubbing on your child's neck. And a pillow is fine. The Toddler Coddler is okay if it doesn't go between the child and the carseat.

Just wondering how you know that a lot of the things one step ahead carries are unsafe. Is that your opinion or do you have knowledge to back up a statement like that? Really not trying to start an argument, but would just like to know where you get this info from.

 

[tlbwriter]

Just wondering how you know that a lot of the things one step ahead carries are unsafe. Is that your opinion or do you have knowledge to back up a statement like that? Really not trying to start an argument, but would just like to know where you get this info from.

Thanks for asking. I'm not a carseat tech (so maybe Welovedis will chime in here ) but I am very interested in child passenger safety, and I read a few boards/mailing lists devoted to the topic.

The bottom line is, all carseat manufacturers warn against using aftermarket add-ons. They haven't been tested with the seat (although many of them claim to meet certain federal standards, there are no standards or crash tests for add-ons), and no one really knows how they'll perform in a crash. Or sometimes you *do* know.

Take, for example, the Mighty Tite (or, as OSA calls their version, the Tight Ride. These things are totally unncessary and can cause more harm than good. They have been known to damage seatbelts, and one tech I know had a parent report that it had failed in a low-speed crash, and her child's carseat flew forward as if it weren't even buckled in. What if that had been a high-speed crash? If you can't get your seat installed without one, it might mean the seat doesn't fit your car.

Or the Taby Tray. Looks great, doesn't it? But watch some crash footage, and you'll realize that in a crash, your child's face is going to smack right into that tray.

And then there are products that add padding, such as strap covers or pads like this one. You never want to add padding between your child and his/her carseat. In a crash, that padding will compress, and it can be enough to cause your child to slip out of the harness and be ejected from the seat. Thick strap covers can prevent you from tightening the harness adequately. Seats that have padding or strap covers off the shelf are fine, since they have been tested that way. You just don't want to add anything, since it changes the crash dynamics.

This website has some good information on aftermarket products.

 

[welovedis]

Just wondering how you know that a lot of the things one step ahead carries are unsafe. Is that your opinion or do you have knowledge to back up a statement like that? Really not trying to start an argument, but would just like to know where you get this info from.

tlbwriter gave you the very same link (at the bottom of the post) that I would have directed you to. While these items are convenient and seem rather harmless they are not designed or tested by the car seat manufacturer and can actually cause harm to the child by either changing the way the seat "reacts" in a crash or by becoming dislodged and turning into a projectile which could harm the child or another passenger. Some of the items are really tempting but essentially can cause the seat to fail in crash and that would be devastating. Even the innocent appearing extra padding can be harmful as mentioned in the above post.

Another neat message board devoted to car seats is:
http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-ppcarseats
Some car seat junkies, like me-lol, hang out there....also here is a site to help you find a tech (not directed at anyone in particular here just wanted to post this) to check the fit of your car seat:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/Contacts/index.cfm

HTH!

 

[dtsaos]

tlbwriter,
it's funny, but a lot of the items you pointed out are things I wouldn't add to the car seats because they look like they could possibly be dangerous. I just like the look of the toddler coddler because when my kids fall asleep, many times their heads dangle down and to the side and it looks sooo uncomfortable, plus from my own feeling of common sense, I don't think it's so safe to have their heads hanging down like that if a sudden crash did (G forbid) occur. I also like the look of the "foot rest" that one step ahead offers and I can't figure out why that one would be un safe. I always feel so bad for them with their little legs hanging on long trips. We'll be driving down this time too and I want them to be as comfy (and safe of course) as possible!

 

[tlbwriter]

I also like the look of the "foot rest" that one step ahead offers and I can't figure out why that one would be un safe. I always feel so bad for them with their little legs hanging on long trips. We'll be driving down this time too and I want them to be as comfy (and safe of course) as possible!

So do I! I like to use a lightweight plastic bucket (it's a toy, not heavy at all, no metal parts) with a pillow on top as a footrest for DD.

 

[welovedis]

I'm curious how the Toddler Coddler works, is this the right product?
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/33179/325781/117.html#readmore

How is this attached to the seat? I've not seen this one before and was wondering how it stays in place and whether or not any part of the padding is underneath the child's shoulders or neck?

As far as the footrest, we were discussing it at a local meeting and I honestly felt it was a better idea that what we've seen some parents using already--no offense tblwriter--but buckets, upside-down totes and other items are so rigid and can be thrown around in a crash. I thought the fact that this product was secured under the seat and very soft was a nice alternative. Some of the other techs disagreed, but couldn't really pinpoint an answer why.

 

[cutienibbler]

We took a 19hour drive to wdw last year with my 17month old and 4 year old (ages at the time). They both were comfy in their Britax Marathon seats.