Car Seat Advice

We have two daughters. I had an Alpha Omega for my oldest and did not find it to be that wonderful.........and therefore, did not use it very long. For my second daughter, who is definately also on the "larger" side for her age.........we had the Eddie Bauer Alpha Omega and it was a horrible fit for her as well. I do not like the very short strap between her legs, which can be adjusted, but not lengthened in any way. Needless to say, we then got her the Evenflo Triumph and LOVE IT! Even my older daughter asks to sit in in because it is so comfortable for them! I was a Police Officer myself for over ten years prior to having my children. I used to give seminars on car seat safety. Personally, for safety AND comfort, my choice over and over would be the Triumph. Good luck!!!!

we have the alpha omega elite. i had looks at consumer reports to the the info on the safest seats and that is one of the top ones. we have been using it for quite a while now, as my son is 19 months old and we got it as soon as he outgrew the first one we had. we are VERY satisfied with it, he seems very comfortable in it.

We have the Alpha Omega Elite for my son, he was a BIG baby too, now almost 3. We love it. Easy in and out, he uses the cup holder now, cleans easy, very adjustable, switches to a booster and has the nice head cushions on the side so he can fall asleep with some support. We switched him into this seat early because of his size and had it rear facing for about 2 months. The only problem I have with every carseat is how big they are! This one fits best in the middle when it is facing backwards but once forward it can easily fit behind a seat. We have an SUV. A friend with a minivan has the same seat and has much better luck with fit. Totally recommend the Alpha.

Check out http://www.car-seat.org for the latest info.

The last time I had to buy a seat was a year or so ago and Britax was getting all the rave. So we bought one and love it.

BTW, although you can by law turn them forward facing at one year, statistics show they are significantly safer to remain rear facing for as long as possible. I know some toddlers that still rear face. Their little legs have to sit crossed.

Here's something I found on the above link about this seat inparticular from a real mom:

"the Cosco Alpha Omega or any version of that seat will only harness to 40lbs and has low harness slots. Many children will be too big for that harness at age 2-3. At that point they are too young for the booster if that seat made a decent booster which it does not."

"All car seats will pass the same safety tests and the ratings from consumer reports are highly suspect. Seeing what car seat techs recommend is going to get you a much better idea of what seats will work best and longest."

I used the Evenflo Triumph for my oldest(now 3) and just bought another one for my youngest who is also big for his size. The only problem with getting a carseat that goes from back to forward to booster is that after time the plastic starts to break down from the constant temp. change in the car and even though it may look fine to you, it probably isn't as safe. Image what one of your childs toys look like if left outside in the yard for a year or two, the plastic becomes brittle and cracks under pressure. Your childs carseat is the same concept. After time the plastic becomes brittle and begins to break down causing it to crack under pressure and thus doesn't hold up as well in a crash!!! This usually happens before your child can use the rear forward and booster aspects. Also I dont know how much your daughter weighs now but if shes a big or long girl she probably needs to be in a larger carseat now and not at 1 year. Im assuming by your post that you still have her in her infant seat. Those are usually only good to about 20 pounds but Im not sure the length. Check with the manufacturer and if your daughter has exceeded either on she needs to be rear facing in a convertible carseat. You won’t have to spend any additional money b/c at a year you can just take that same seat and turn it around.

One other thing and then I'll get off of my "soap box" The one year/20lb rule is just the bare minimum it's okay and safer to have them rear facing until they reach the weight requirements of the convertible carseat or until their head is higher than the back of the seat.

Here a re few articles about letting your toddler ride rear facing in a convertible seat

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9916868
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/qt/rear_facing.htm
http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/04/rearfacing-car.html

And some on the "expiration date" of car seats

http://www.epinions.com/content_###-###-####
http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/07/12/reader-questio...

Good Luck picking out your seat.

Hello J.,

I have three of the Alpha Omega Elites. My son seems to love both of them. The first one I bought when he went from the rear facing to foward I have had it a little over two years. About six months ago I purchased one for my husbands car as he didn't have one and it was making life very difficult. I just recently purchased one for his Ganny's car as hers only went to 40 pounds and with him just turning 3 and almost 40 lbs. he needed a bigger one. I did however find hers at Big Lots it saved quite a bit of money. So as you can see we really like the Alpha.

Good luck

We got the Alpha Omega Elite when our daughter was born. We liked it so much that we got a second seat when our son was born. My daughter turned 4 in January, so we just last week converted the seat into the booster stage, where she uses the seatblet. It's been a great seat for us! I highly recommend the Alpha Omega Elite! The only problem we've had is that my daughter is now insisting that she needs a "pink" seat!!! =0)

We have the Alpha and love it. It came recommend to us by a police officer friend. He said that is what they recommend. Hope this helps

A. M

I also recently did a ton of research on the carseats since my daughter just turned one and needed a convertible. She's small for her age so still faces backwards, but was too tall for the infant seat. After LOTS of research we bought the same Triumph model you're looking at. It has the top safety rating along with the Britax seats, but way less expensive. I have found it easy to install and easier to get her in/out of than the infant seats. I haven't talked to anyone who used the Alpha, but the Evenflo does have a much better safety rating and is decently priced. Good luck with your new seat, I know it's a tough decision!

you really should look into a britax. they are the very best ever. so durable and safe. they are pricey, but the one my daughter has goes 22 to 80 lbs. she will be in a five point harness until she is ready to be out of a seat completely.

Go with the Alpha Omega, that is what my daughter has and if you check with www.babyage.com they have the best prices and shipping is either free or very minimal!

I use the Evenflo Triumph Advance Dlx and started using it when my son was about 7.5 months old. He is a big boy. I love this carseat and I love the fact that it reclines! We travel a lot because our family lives far, but within driving distance. He always seems comfy in this seat. It also seems to have held up well, too. Nothing has broken or messed up.

Hey, I have the Alpha Omega Elite and absolutely love it. This is my second one. the only reason it is my second is because i was in a car accident and the insurance replaced it for free. I have a son who is 8 and a son who is 3 that has used this car seat. I would highly recommend it because it does go up to 100lbs and transforms into a booster so you will never need another seat. I feel my child is very safe in this seat

I have them both. I couldn't decide when I bought the first one so I went with the Omega because it is narrower and fit better in my small car. I bought the Triumph for my fiance's truck when he returned from being recalled. They are both good seats but I prefer the Triumph for my son's comfort and because adjusting it is easier if he's wearing more or less clothes. The buckle is also easier to use. My biggest issue with the Triumph is the size. It's wide and sits high so depending on your vehicle, getting her in and out could be a challenge!

J.,

I would recommend you use Consumer Reports. I've always found their reviews to be very useful, plus they rate the safety of the seats that they test.

Dont turn her around. Please read all the current research and get a Britax Regent which will reaf face up to 33lbs and then forward face to 80lbs. If you got in a bad collision with her FF at this age she would have internal decapatation. Please read here for a current post on this. http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/04/rearfacing-car.html

Hope this helps. My son is 18 months and is still happily and safely rear faced.

I personally LOVE the Britax car seats. They are a bit expensive, but well worth it in safety and can hold up to 65 lbs, I believe (certain models). We were in a terrible car accident when my daughter was only 10 weeks old, coming back from the beach. My husband insisted in putting her in the Britax seat vs. our travel system car seat and thank goodness we did, b/c I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened if we hadn't done that. So I personally side with the Britax company, I swear that their level of safety precautions and design is what saved her life. They are several different ones you can choose from and they range in prices and sizes, but they are all convertible car seats I believe. Check them out at: www.britaxusa.com You can find them online at several different websites, I know Target and of course Babies R Us carries them too. Good luck.

A.

It looks like you got a ton of responses, so I will keep mine short. I bought a very expensive top of the line Britax. Love it. Needed another car seat and could not afford another Britax, so after much research, bought the Evenflo Triumph. Also, LOVE IT. My advice is this, The triumph is easier to use and just as safe as the Britax seat. Save your money. There is no safety compromised by buying this affordable and comfortable chair. It is also easier to install.

It's the law that she has to stay rear facing until she is 1. There are car seats taht are convertable so she can stay rear facing until she is 1 and then the seat turns around to front face.

We went to Babies' R Us on Capitol Blvd in Raleigh. There is a guy in the car seat section who knows everythign there is to know about Car seats. He's a tall kinda heavy guy with glasses and kinda salt and pepper hair and beard (i think) anywho, he knows EVERYTHING. And he doesn't necessarily just want to sell the most expensive one.

That's where I'd go or if you don't live near Raleigh, any Babies R Us -- they know their stuff.

we have the alpha omega carseat for our daughter. We love it and it goes all the up to the booster for her as well. It has been a great carseat so far and we have it for a almost 2 years now.

we have 2 Alpha Omega Elites. My husband's we bought at Babies 'r Us and mine is last year's model bought at Big Lots for about $60 less. We both like mine better. The only difference we can tell is his has memory foam and mine does not. For whatever reason the buckle is easier to use in mine but for what it's worth it's a great car seat. The only thing we don't like is the buckles turn a lot on the webbing but I'm told that happens with all of them. I kept our daughter rear-facing until she was 18 months b/c she didn't weigh 20 lbs until then, she outgrew her infant carrier at a year in length so I used the Alpha Omega in the rear-facing mode. I have an Infinit and had to put it in the actual seat to get the correct leveling in that position which cramped the front seat but have had no problems with it forward facing. My husband has an SUV and we did not have any issues with it in either direction space-wise. We looked at Britax but could not justify the money - the padding in them was minimal and our family is about 10 hrs away so we needed something that would be comfortable for long distances.

The Alpha Omega is great! We've used it for our 2 yr old for 1.5 years and he loves it. We bought a second one for our daughter from Big Lots for $80 last month and they still have the seats in stock!

BTW: Consider rear-facing until 2 or 3 years because their neck bones are not strong enough to withstand a collision without the head support that is given when they are rear-facing. My 2 yr old is still rear-facing and we hope to continue for a while longer.

I absolutely recommend the Alpha Omega Elite! My kids are 5 and 3 and the seat has been great for both of them. You can even use it as a rear-facing seat if your daughter doesn't fit in the infant car seat anymore. I have used it as a rear-facing seat myself when my daughter was about 9 months old. She was more comfortable in it as well as a little bit lighter to carry than in her infant seat. They are also easy to transfer to another car if you need to. Hope my input helps!

Hi J.,
I am in the midst of looking at car seats too. We just bought the Alpha Omega because it looked great, but we promptly took it back. I looked up safety on consumer reports and it received a white circle for toddler seat belt protection. I know you won't be using the seat belt for awhile, but a full white circle means moderate injury in a 30 mi/hr crash. The Evenflow received excellent ratings for all stages of use, full red circles. Hope this helps.
S.

We have the Alpha Omega Elite and LOVE it! I think we will stick with this one for future children as well. Hope this helps.

We bought the Evenflo Triumph for my daughter when she was readt for her next carseat. She is now 5 and we are using it for her 2 y/o brother now. We love it! I would highly recommend it. If I had to pick the worst thing about it, it would be that it is a pain to adjust when you have to move the straps and have to clean it. But really, that is a stretch. We really like it Good luck with your choice.

My first piece of advice is to be sure you have researched the safety ratings for those seats. Personally, we love our Britax. It is the most comfortable, user-friendly (though expensive) car seat out there - and with the highest safety ratings. Our son has the Roundabout (handed down from his big sis) when she got the Marathon. We will never buy another brand. They are well worth the money. We take a lot of six hour plus trips and the kids are always comfortable and never complain to get in them. The most important thing is to check safety ratings. Good luck.

J.,

I bought the Evenflo Triumph for my daughter when she outgrew the infant carrier (so around 10 months or so) and it has been great. It is easy to use and adjust, the only downside is that it does not turn into a booster. The model I have only holds up to 40 lbs so she is now 3 1/2 and is getting ready to outgrow it soon. This was not as big a deal for me since I have a younger child that will be ready to move into it when she moves out! But overall the seat is great and has held up very well for us (and we spend a good bit of time in the car!)

Holly

J. I commend you for doing sooo much research. I personally had an Alpha Omega and Britax as they were the "best" when my daughter was one. She is now almost 5. I bought the Britax "Convertible" and had her rear facing until age one and then turned it around and she used it until age 4. (Just b/c your child is large now doesnt mean she wont thin out and take a while for her to reach the appropriate 40lb/4yr size for a booster.) I personally think that either that you have chosen is a great pick. Alpha Omega has been number one or two in car seats for at least the last 7-8 yrs if not longer and Evenflo has come a long way!!!! Good Luck. Your child is gonna love the larger seat when she gets it!!!

We too had a child that was taller than average and outgrew his carseats quickly.

We 'borrowed' a four year old when we went carseat shopping and it was a GREAT help in us seeing how it would fit as our son got older/taller. If you have friends with slightly older children you might want to see if you can 'borrow' their child for a few hours--we did an hour of concentrated car seat shopping and then an hour at an indoor play park before taking the older child home. We also found a carseat that really did work well!

We bought a booster when the time came and then moved child #2 into the full car seat.

Good luck!

I recommend the Britax car seats. They are more expensive but are well worth it! The Roundabout (which both my kids used) goes up to 40 pounds. I think the Marathon goes up to 60 pounds. The Regent (which my 4 yr old is in now) goes up to 80 pounds. Remember though that she must be 1 year old AND 20 pounds to face forward. The website is www.britaxusa.com