Car seat recommendations

[Disneyland1084]

My 7 month DD will be out of her infant car seat I imagine within just a few months. Which brand of car seat do you suggest I buy for her? We currently have Graco and it's been great, I'm just wondering if there's anything better.

 

[RadioNate]

Britax - hands down.

In your situation I'd look into the Marathon.

 

[safetymom]

You should pick the one that works best in your car. When you go to buy the car seat you should take the car you plan on using it in. Some car seats work better with the seat belts in certain cars.

The American Acad. of Peds has a list of approved car seats.
http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm

 

[lil mermaid]

Britax. I'd probably go with the Marathon as RadioNate suggested.

Although, I totally agree with safetymom - it has to fit properly in your car.

 

[lulugirl]

Britax - hands down.

In your situation I'd look into the Marathon.

I love Britax seats also. We've had three since our oldest was born.
Ds is currently in a Marathon.

 

[RadioNate]

You should pick the one that works best in your car. When you go to buy the car seat you should take the car you plan on using it in. Some car seats work better with the seat belts in certain cars.

The American Acad. of Peds has a list of approved car seats.
http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/carseatsafety.cfm

Building on this...the site carseatdata.org keeps a database of how seats fit in certain cars.

Rememeber you need a rear facing seat for AT LEAST the next 5 months. If your ds is already 20lbs look for one that rear faces to a higher weight (the Britax seats rear face to 33lbs - I like the Marathon, Decathalon and Boulvard because of the high front facing weight limit (65lbs)

 

[diz_princess]

"I like the Marathon, Decathalon and Boulvard because of the high front facing weight limit (65lbs)"

EXCELLENT advice! Britax is the way to go. They even have one that goes up to 80 pounds. I forget the name. When speaking with our car seat tech they recommend buying a car seat with a high limit and using it up the limit. They recommend using a car seat for as long as possible before using a booster seat.

 

[KrnB]

I have to start looking for new ones for our boys too, as the boys are pretty much at 20 lbs now.

What makes the Britax ones so much better? Is it just the higher weight limits or is there something else to it? They're a lot more expensive than the others so I'm trying to understand if it's worth it - especially when I have to buy two of them (the Babies R Us discount of 10% for twins only helps so much).

I'm not saying that I wouldn't spend the money in a heartbeat if they really are better - Lord knows the boys are worth it! I just want to make sure I'm not spending money for the something that is expensive for the sake of being expensive.

 

[jodifla]

Of course, Britax is wildly expensive, so if you need two seats, you'll be shelling out major bucks.

There are less expensive brands that are as good. We always used Graco and were pleased.

 

[RadioNate]

I have to start looking for new ones for our boys too, as the boys are pretty much at 20 lbs now.

What makes the Britax ones so much better? Is it just the higher weight limits or is there something else to it? They're a lot more expensive than the others so I'm trying to understand if it's worth it - especially when I have to buy two of them (the Babies R Us discount of 10% for twins only helps so much).

I'm not saying that I wouldn't spend the money in a heartbeat if they really are better - Lord knows the boys are worth it! I just want to make sure I'm not spending money for the something that is expensive for the sake of being expensive.

They are all going to pass federal standards.

I like Britax because of the higher weightlimits, rear facing tether, EPS foam, no twist harness straps...all of those things make them 'better' in my eyes.

We had an evenflo and the wrinkly twisty flimsy haarness straps drove me insane. The cover material on our Britax seats has also held up better and just seems higher quality. It isn't as scrachy and cheap feeling.

I'm not terribly up on harnessed seats for 2 reasons...1 I'm pretty Britax loyal and 2 my DS is older now but from my tech training 4 years ago I remember the Graco comfort sport and evenflo triumph were both pretty good. I also remember that I was told to pretty much stay away from Cosco/Eddie Bauer/Safety 1st.

 

[KrnB]

Disneyland1084 - what did you end up getting?

We bought Britax car seats today, but we got the Roundabout model, which is their lower-end one. It only is good for up to 40 lbs, but DH decided he'd rather have them in booster seats around that time anyway.

One of the things that really sold us on the Britax vs. Evenflo and Graco was the easier-operating LATCH system. Since we need to leave seats that our nanny can use when she takes the boys out, we needed something that was relatively easy to get in and out. It's lighter-weight too, so that was also nice.

 

[vettechick99]

Can this be right? I put in my car model (2006 Honda Odyssey) and only the Britax and Snugride came up. I want a Britax so that's ok, but can that possibly be right that only two brands are compatible? Or they only tested those? I'm confuzzled.

 

[D L and K's Mom]

We have a mini van and it does not have a beanch seat. It has captains seats. We were having a terible time finding a seat to fit "well". We ended up with Britex and we love them. Yup they were $$$ but I liked many of the features. I am not sure but I think it was babysrus that will let you try the display models in your car. A word of caution the Britex did not work well for us on the plane. DD was up to high and was very close to the seat in front of her. I dont' know if this was just eh BRITEX or if it happens with other seats. WE had a heck of a time strapping it in and getting it off also.

 

[KrnB]

Can this be right? I put in my car model (2006 Honda Odyssey) and only the Britax and Snugride came up. I want a Britax so that's ok, but can that possibly be right that only two brands are compatible? Or they only tested those? I'm confuzzled.

I think those are the only ones that have been tested/reported on that site. I have a 2006 Toyota Sienna, and the Britax Marathon was the only one that came up.

Maybe it's because our vans are newer models that users haven't reported on them yet?

D,L and K's Mom - that's good to know about the plane with the Britax. We're considering bringing the seats on board when we take the boys to visit their grandparents in the spring. We may end up just holding them since they'll be just over a year at that point; it'll all come down to price, since that would be an extra two seats.

 

[bjgrazi]

We just spent 2 days car seat shopping and ended up getting the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite.

 

[pjshaff]

Can this be right? I put in my car model (2006 Honda Odyssey) and only the Britax and Snugride came up. I want a Britax so that's ok, but can that possibly be right that only two brands are compatible? Or they only tested those? I'm confuzzled.

When my son was born in 2002, we used the Graco Snugride in our 01 Odyssey until he outgrew it and then moved him into the Britax Roundabout (Cowmooflage---loved that cover). The Roundabout fit so well in the 2nd row captain's chairs. We then got an 05 Odyssey after giving the older one to my MIL when she needed a new veh. Again the Britax seats fit so well in this van. Right now both kids are in Huskys in the back seat and those puppies DO NOT MOVE at all. I guess what I'm trying to say is that the 2 seats you mentioned will fit fine in your Odyssey. Good luck with the baby.

 

[lulu71]

Britax for sure. Very safe and I like that the height limits are higher.

I would NEVER buy a Graco anything - I find their stuff to be poorly made. I also know from a family member's very sad experience that they are not the safest option. Good luck.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

We have a mini van and it does not have a beanch seat. It has captains seats. We were having a terible time finding a seat to fit "well". We ended up with Britex and we love them. Yup they were $$$ but I liked many of the features. I am not sure but I think it was babysrus that will let you try the display models in your car. A word of caution the Britex did not work well for us on the plane. DD was up to high and was very close to the seat in front of her. I dont' know if this was just eh BRITEX or if it happens with other seats. WE had a heck of a time strapping it in and getting it off also.

We had the same problem with the fit of our Britax Marathon on a flight to Detroit for Thanksgiving...we ended up gate checking it because it was too tight a fit and my daughter would have ended up kicking the seat in front of her the entire flight.

 

[Va-bear]

I have to start looking for new ones for our boys too, as the boys are pretty much at 20 lbs now.

What makes the Britax ones so much better? Is it just the higher weight limits or is there something else to it? They're a lot more expensive than the others so I'm trying to understand if it's worth it - especially when I have to buy two of them (the Babies R Us discount of 10% for twins only helps so much).

I'm not saying that I wouldn't spend the money in a heartbeat if they really are better - Lord knows the boys are worth it! I just want to make sure I'm not spending money for the something that is expensive for the sake of being expensive.

There's been a LOT of research to show you dont need to spend that extra money! Any seat that passes the standards set, will do the job. The point about it fitting your car, does apply (thats kind of a given though, if something doesnt fit/work you return it.) It also should be easy to use:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/CPS/CSSRating/Index.cfm

I like the type that once you're done using it as a harness seat, you can remove the straps and use it as a booster - saves a TON of money.(We got the Cosco/Eddie Bauer convertable ones - look great but didnt cost a ton - all "A" ratings.) My sons are in the same seats they used right out of the rear facing ones (even the almost 8 year old....soon he wont need a booster - yeah!)

Good luck!