Car Seats - McKinney,TX

I have the cosco alpha omega car seat. It is big and when rear facing the front seat can't lean back so use it on the passenger side instead of the driver side. My son is front facing now so when he falls asleep I can still pull the bottom out a little so he's more leaned back instead of sitting up.

I love the Alpha Omega - others mentioned it, too. I have 4 of them!! Yes, I have 4 in carseats/boosters. It's a neutral color and matches my interior. goes from 5 point harness rear/front facing to booster and even tilts back with the seat so they can sleep on long trips - LOVE IT!

We just went to a convertible seat and we are thrilled with our choice, the Maxi-Cosi Priori. I had heard so many recommendations for Britax, but Britax seats are quite pricey and, frankly, pretty unattractive. I was not willing to sacrifice safety for looks, don't get me wrong, but I thought surely someone makes a safe, stylish, reasonably priced car seat. The Priori is made by the European equivalent of Graco and comes in many very stylish color combinations. It was about $100 less than the Britax and has a reclining feature that the Britax does not. The straps never twist and there is a hook on either side of the frame to hold the straps out of the way for easier entry. It is so easy to install and remove. The weight limit is 40 pounds, lower than many, but by the time he will be ready for a booster, the seat will have served its time anyway. I bought mine online from Albee Baby.

As far as car seats go, please stay away from the Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer/3-in-1 car seats, they are a pain in the butt to install, not worth the $$ and most kids grow out of them really early. I would also avoid the Graco comfortsport, it is a really tiny seat that most kids outgrow SUPER early as well.

If you can afford it, I would go with a Britax Marathon ($220-270 depending on where you buy), it rear faces to 33 or 35lbs (depending on the date of manufacture of the seat) and then forward faces to 65lbs, which means your daughter will get to use it for the next few years. It is a great seat that installs easily in most cars, and you will definitely get good use out of it, probably 3 years, if not longer. Plus the Marathon has cute covers, and you can easily just buy a new gender neutral cover for your next kiddo if you want.
http://www.britaxusa.com/products/product_detail.aspx?ID=5 - click on Demo and then click fashions to see all the covers available.
The Boulevard and the Decathlon's both have some nice striped covers that are gender neutral as well.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance is also a great seat, (and the most expensive one is $160) it rear faces to 35lbs and then forward faces to 50lbs. It's not *as* easy to install as the Britax, but is still pretty user friendly. The "sandbox" cover on this seat is soft and pretty, http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3028985

I highly recommend having your seat checked by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (car seat tech) as 4 out of 5 carseats are installed and used incorrectly in the DFW metroplex.

If you (or anyone else that might be reading this) have any questions about car seat related, please feel free to email me ANY time, ____@____.com

check out www.elitecarseats.com it is the best site to compare different seats. You can call them too and they will answer any questions you have. Best thing is no shipping and low cost return insurance ($1 to $5 - meaning buy the two you like and see them in person then return the one you don't want).

Britax without a doubt. Well worth every single penny. We have the huge one (up to 80 pounds) and the mid one (up to 60 lbs) and love both....

If you get a carseat like the one you are mentioning, get it in whatever "girly" pattern you like as that carseat will be with her for the long haul, unless you are planning to have your children 5 or more years apart. My 5 1/2 year old still has the same carseat he's had since he was 1, when he transferred from the infant carrier. He still has a lot of room to grow in it as we haven't even moved the belt up to the highest notches. Coming from California where the carseat rules are a lot more stringent, I refuse to put him in a booster until he's at least 6. My daughter too is in the same car seat, she's 21 months younger. After the infant stage, I went with the Britex Marathons. The covers are removable & washable & replaceable. When I bought these, many websites labeled them as the "best". In the last few years, a few more companies have come out with seats that rival or exceed the Britax seats.

The BEST message board out there is based on the Baby & Toddler Bargains books by Denise and Alan Fields. In the baby section, check out the Places to Go: Carseats topic. It's moderated by a woman who is a certified car seat installer. She's a fountain of information and is always up on the latest tests & recall information. Post this request there or just read the posts. I can assure you that someone else has posted the same thing with TONS of responses.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=12

Yes, buying the best carseat is a huge investment, but when it's going to last you 5 or more years, it's actually one of the least expensive. The best carseat is one that is properly installed and used EVERYTIME.

K.
SAHM to 3 ages 7, 5 & 3

We have a Britax Marathon for our 13 month old. I love it because she went from her baby carseat to it and we were able to have it rear facing until she was one with no issues. It also is capable of holding a child up to 65 lbs. The Britax line is one of the safest carseats around. There are smaller versions that you could also use until time to switch to a booster... they are pricy but worth it.

Britax Marathon we love them!!

I have the britax marathon. I LOVE it!
I didn't want to sacrifice my son's safety for anything!
That youtube video with the little boy who died due to saftey seat failure just got to me!

I have the Alpha Omega car seat. It can be used with infant rear facing all the way to a booster seat. I got mine when my oldest was a baby but was too big for the carrier 0 he is now 7. It still looks great. Mine is grey and black. It is easy to move the straps up with a bar in the back - no need to re-thread and take everything apart.

I second the Britax Marathon. It is awesome. You won't regret spending the money on this top-quality, long-lasting seat!

We have the Britax Boulevard. We used it rear facing and have also switched it to forward facing. It very comfortably holds an infant and toddler. I believe the limit is 65lbs, but we haven't come close yet. My son loves his so much that when I bought him the new Britax Frontier and gave the Boulevard to the baby he wasn't too happy with me. (He's now happy in his Frontier.) There's nothing I dislike about it. I was going to buy another Boulevard for the baby, but since he already reached the minimum for the toddler seat I got that instead since it has a higher weight limit. Check out www.elitecarseats.com or www.albeebaby.com for great deals. I have used both sites and was pleased with them.

First she can't go to a booster until 4 & 40lbs, and cant go foreward until 1. We got a 5pt harness carseat from Walmart for $50ish. Once they hit booster age it is recommended to get a 5pt harness booster. I love the 5pt harness seats, I was in a wreck with both kids in the car and they were fine (just a little scared). Keep them in a 5 pt harness as long as possible for their safety.

Hi P.,
I'm sure you'll receive several responses but here is my 2 cents. I went with the Britax Diplomat for the following reasons: fits well in my Volvo (which has a compact back seat), cover easily removable, straps adjustable WITHOUT rethreading, non-twist straps, several colors I liked were available, comfort, easy installation. Of course it was a bit pricey (which is the only thing I didn't like about it) but in all the reviews I read, the only negative comments I heard about Britax was the price. We later found out the Britax made a less expensive version under the Fisher Price name so we got that one for the 2nd car. But it doesn't have all the features of Britax

Everything I read also indicated that any new carseat is safe as long as it is installed correctly.

Good luck!
J.

Hiya. Just wanted to offer my 2 cents... whatever you buy, remember that all major manufacturer carseats meet the safety standards required by the NTSB. So a cheap one is perfectly safe, if you decide to go that route. It may not be as comfy for you child, the fabric may fray quicker, or it may have fewer "bells and whistles" but I would doubt that it is actually any safer in a car accident than one that costs 3 times as much. I have chosen to go cheaper just because I've done both expensive and cheap, and the extra bells and whistles are not worth the extra $$$. My kids were just as happy in the cheap carseats. (By cheap I mean the ones that cost about $50 at Wal-Mart).

Also, always buy new. Don't buy from a resale shop. You don't know the history or age of that carseat.

I will say, that if you want a carseat that will last a long time for your present child and later your next child, it may be "too old" for the next one. The "life" of a carseat is only supposed to be 6 years (to account for plastic wear and tear and deterioration). Plus, after many years of juice cups, french fries, and spit-up, you may be ready for a new carseat in 2 or 3 years! (Another reason to think about how much money you want to spend).

One last thought; I think if you buy a convertible carseat now for your 9-month-old, that she can use forward facing when she turns 1 and later, then you can use it till she's about 3, then you can get a 5-point harness high-back booster. Heck, you could get that booster anytime after she turns 1 as long as she's heavy enough (in case your next baby needs the convertible seat). Then, she can use it till she's about 5, when she might want something more "grown-up" - my older kids (ages 5 and 7) use the boosters that are just the small square seat things to use with a seatbelt.

Hope that helps.

Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite. We really like it because it wasn't as expensive as the Britax. Works from day one rear facing and goes up to 100 lbs as a booster. It has a cup holder which you don't realize is important until you hit the toddler years. The only disadvantages I can come up with are that it's a big pain to clean the seat pad - invest in one of those "piddle pads" from Babies R Us and it's not as padded in the seat as the Britax so on LONG car rides it gets hard. Then again we have a very vocal almost 3 year old who lets us know when he's not happy so it could just be that too.

My recommendation will be Britax Marathon. Keep her rear-facing as long as possible, and then harnessed forward-facing as long as possible, too.

Check out car-seat.org or post your questions there, there are very knowledgeable car seat technicians on-board.

Hello, I have the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite. I love it. It goes from 5-100 lbs, front and rear facing. It has two handles at the top so you don't have to remove the seat to adjust the straps. It has the tether restraint system so that when they are big enough for the seat belt it can be used plus it is safer because the seat is not just sitting in the seat like most boosters it is attached to the car. The only down side I found is if you are going to be swapping from car to car alot it is time consuming because of the tethers, but if you are going to leave it in one car it is GREAT!! but that is just my opinion. I hope that helps. Oh yeah I got one for my neice also when she was to big for the baby carrier and my brother and sister-n-law love it too.

Hi P.,
I know you already have several responses, but didn't see the one we have. It's the Radian and I love it! It is rather heavy, but it's sturdy and built to last. You can face it either direction and they boast that you can fit three across. An added plus is that it folds in half for easy travel.

www.sunshinekidsbaby.com

The one thing I liked about our car seat was that it could recline. I just reached behind my seat, grabbed a pull lever and reclined the seat when he fell asleep! Great for trips! It was an Eddye Bauer. Good Luck!

I have a 13 month old that has been in a Britax Marathon since she was about 5 months so it was rear facing for 7 months and just recently turned it around. We love it!!! It uses the harness till 65lbs and most other seats only go to 40lbs harnessed so look close. A good friend of my has a Graco that goes till 65lbs harness but i don't think it is rear facing. Britax have one of the best ratings!!!