Car Seat Recommendations

[MinnieTink]

Hey Everyone! This family board is so great and filled with such great info!

I am looking for a carseat for my 1y/o. It has been a while since I have been in the market for a carseat!! Just wondering if any of you absolutely love your kid's carseat so much that you would recommend it? Or if you regret buying it, I would appreciate that info too. Thanks!!!!

 

[Desnik]

I love, love, love DS's carseat!! It is a Britax Boulevard. Here's a pic and info(We have it in a different color then the one pictured.)
http://www.rightstart.com/global/store/product~item~7683.html

We have it in a different color then the one pictured.

 

[laughinplace199]

I love Britax seats. They're easy to install and very safe. I just bought a Marathon for DS, who is 12 months old. I like it, but I feel like the straps don't tighten enough. I had Roundabouts for my older two kids, and I think I liked them better than the Marathon. Maybe if I can figure out how to make the harness tighter I'll like the Marathon better.

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Evenflo Triumph.
Our daughter seems to be very comfortable in it.
easy to install
easy to get her into it each time
Fits well in our car
we have no complaints about this seat at all!
received lots of good reviews which is why we went with it
has received good marks for safety
she was 7 months when we started her in it and she is now 16 months.

 

[tanyaandallie]

What is your price range? There are tons of great seats in all price ranges. If you have the $$ I think you cannot go wrong with a britax seat. I have marathons for both of my kids and we love them.

Also, if you have not read about the importance of keeping your child rf past 1 year and 20 lbs, read here. Watch the crash test videos

http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx

Here is a list of seats that we like on a car safety board I visit -



Convertible Seats

Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (FPSVD).17 inch top slots, 5-33lbs rf, ff up to 55lbs in a 5 point harness. Made by Britax, sold under the FP name- basically a stripped down Britax Marathon. Great seat, awesome price $129 (regular 199$), and will last most kids to age 5-6 y/o.
DISCONTINUED DUE TO POOR SALES

New Triumph Advance harness to 35 lbs rear facing and 50 lbs forward facing. Max harness height of 17". The new Triumph has the infinite harness adjuster too.. So no rethreading the harness! Much nicer than the old Triumph! Much taller shell than the old Triumph too! Priced at $130-150 VERY new seat so not in many stores yet I don’t think.

Britax Marathon, Decathlon, or Boulevard. 17 in top slots, rf 5-33lbs, ff up to 65lbs in 5 point harness. Awesome seats, allow for rf tethering, has lock offs to replace locking clips, very easy installs, many bells and whistles that make them easier to use correctly every time, lasts most kids to age 5-6y/o. $220+ Check the FAQ sticky thread for a description of the three.

Sunshine Kids Radian. 18 in top slots, rf 5-33lbs, ff up to 65lbs in 5 point harness.Great seat, only second to Britax because it has some compatibility issues in some vehicles when installed with seatbelt. Really good seat otherwise, allows for rf tethering, lasts most kids to 6-7y/o. $175+ www.skjp.com has the manual available for viewing.

new seat from Recaro. Recaro makes seats for NASCAR and has made car seats for the European market and a few for the US market for years. it's a convertible seat that will rear face to 35lbs, forward face to 70lbs, and has 19" top slots. Bottom slots of 9" so not ideal for newborns...
The outside width of the seat at its widest point is approx. 19 ½” to 20”.
The Como ($249) & the Signo are basically the same shell (vs. the Marathon & Boulevard where one has SIP and one does not) - the biggest difference is that the Signo has an infinitely adjustable harness (where the Como has to be re-threaded) and the Signo's latch straps are on a bar - similar to Britax (on all their models) - so you don't have to re-thread the latch belt if you're going from rear facing to forward facing.


And lower cost options... (for primary or secondary cars... they are still GREAT seats)

Cosco Scenera $40 (stay away from the one with the overhead shield!)
5pt harness version.. Very basic, no frills seat. Minimal padding, but it's rare for a LO to complain about it. 35lb rf limit with a taller shell! 40lb ff limit however most kids outgrow it in torso height at about 3-3.5yo due to the low 15in top slots.. It just doesn’t offer enough torso grow room to get most kids to 40lbs. readily available at Walmart/Target/Kmart. Usually requires 1-3 chunks of pool noodle to get a good recline.


-Safety First Uptown: 35rf/ 40ff/ tall 16.5in top slots so this is the ONLY rf/ff 40lb limit convertible that will likely get a kid to 40lbs. EPP foam, velvety plush cover, super cushy. Very easy to use seat. 8 yr lifespan! Around $100 at albeebaby.com, Target.com, and in store at Wal-Mart.



The Graco Comfortsport, Evenflo seats, and the Alpha Omega 3in 1 types are very small seats that are usually outgrown the same time as the $40 Scenera. You don’t get much for you money. While they are safe there are just other options that offer more for the same cost.

 

[all4fun]

Definitely check out the list in Tanya's post. If you're looking at the Evenflo Convertibles, limit your search to the new Triumph ADVANCE which will last much longer than the regular Triumph (and they cost about the same, go figure).

Personally, we bought a Britax Boulevard a couple of years ago when ds outgrew his 40lb limit convertible by height (it was a Cosco AO 3in1, which I do NOT recommend). I have been very happy with the Blvd. It's very easy to install and use, ds seems very comfortable in it. I love the infinite adjustable harness, which is similar to what the Triumph Advance has. The Britax seats can also be tethered r/fing which only Britax and Sunshine Kids design their seats to do.

hth

 

[tinkandpan]

WE have the britax marathons' and I can't say enough good things about them. Both my kids have used them

 

[all4fun]

By the way, TravelingTikes has the Marathons on sale for $219 right now

https://www.travelingtikes.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/online-store/scstore/?E+scstore

hth

 

[GoinToDisney]

I have a triumph by evenflo, a scenera, and a britax boulevard. My fav is definitely the boulevard. I think it will last us at least another year. my dd is 3, and on the petite side. I did a lot of research. I got the triumph first because of the consumer reports recommendations. Then I learned that their testing isn't considered reliable by carseat techs. I was torn between a marathon and a blvd. for our main car. I was trying to get pregnant and knew my dd would eventually have to be moved out of the center position, so I chose the bldv with the side-impact protection. They did not have the triumph advance when I was looking, but it will definitely last longer than the original triumph. We have the scenera as a back-up seat for dh's car or my mom's car.

 

[ldo]

if you have a bigger kid, or one you think might be tall--make sure the shoulder harness slots will go up high enough--my kids outgrew their seats by height before the age or weight.

 

[blessedby3]

I just bought a Britax Marathon for our DD from Target. It was on sale from $279 down to $219 and then I got an extra 10% off. I am excited to use it when my DD gets out of her infant seat- which I hate, too heavy and she looks so uncomfortable. After reading all the good things about these seats I just had to get one. $200 wasnt so bad when I compared them to other seats. Most were over $100 anyway and with this one I can keep her in the harness up to 65 pounds. This should last forever as my 9 year old is only 55 pounds now. Good luck choosing a seat. Its a job!!

 

[kelliebelly]

BRITAX BOULEVARD!!!!! Both of my kids have them and love them. They are consistantly rated as one of the safest on the market. They are pricey, but I think they are totally worth the money. But, we had a Britax Marathon before the Boulevard and hated it! The Boulevard is much better and the one we got goes up to 65 pounds, so you can definitely get a lot of use out of it.

 

[MinnieTink]

Thanks so much for all the great info!