Grown Out of the Carrier & Need to Purchase a Car Seat

We love our Britax Marathons (I have twins). They are very adjustable and very comfortable. I esp. like the way the headrests angle around to hold our kids' heads when they fall asleep. If you're worried about cost, order them on-line, and you'll save the sales tax. That's what we did.

My two favorite seats are: Britax Marathon and the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite. Britax has an awesome safety record and they are really comfortable for the kids. The Cosco is a convertible seat so it will eventually turn into booster seat. You will not have to buy anither seat. It is relatively light weight, and it is really easy to adjust the seat for height.
I suggest you buy one for each car. It is an art and a science to get a carseat installed properly. It takes time and effort to really secure the seat the way it is supposed to be. Every time you take it out of one car and move it to another, you are risking the security of the seat. Save yourself a lot of grief and buy 1 for each car. It is worth it!

I think Consumer reports rate Britax as the best. I have a Britax for each car and I love them.

Try the Britax marathon or decathalon the weight limit is 65lbs and it has been tested and done well. We purchased this carseat and Im glad we did. My son is 11 mo. and tall for his age and seems to be very comfortable in this seat.

Like some of the other moms, we also like the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite: my little one has been in the 99th% aisle for height and weight since she was 3 months old, and she was grown out of her infant seat by 6 1/2 months. I did my research, and since it is pretty likely that my daughter will not be one of those children that is still too small and needs to be in a carseat until they are 7 or 8 (which I think is a little bit overkill, to be honest) I didn't want to spend such an exorbitant amount of money on a Britax that she would only use for a few years. My hubby and I went to babies r' us after I did my online research with an idea of what we wanted, and the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite was the perfect middle of the road priced carseat. It has EVERYTHING that the expensive Britax models have, all of the exact same safety and comfort features - but because you are not paying for that Britax brand name (I find $50-$75 extra dollars in order to, what, "brag" about your carseat brand unnecessary) is a chunk of change less than the highest price models.
My daughter just turned 2 this past December and is already 38 inches tall and 32lbs (your daughter sounds like she has a similar build to mine) so she will reach that booster seat appropriate age and height far before she gets much wear out of the big carseat (this model also converts into the booster seat setup easily!). The Cosco is big and cushy like the Britax, has a cool cupholder feature and armrests that my kiddo loves, and all the outside cover parts come off easily to be thrown into the washing machine (we've thrown up on the carseat a good 4 times since we;ve had it. LOL). I really recommend it - it doesnt come in as many colors as the Britax brand, but the sleek black and grey matches my car's interior, so I love it! It runs between $120 and $150 depending on where you buy them.

Hi
Yeah, I did all the research and we too bought a Britax Roundabout which was rated the best back then. We didn't know that it had a 40 lb limit so we too had to buy another. The recaro goes to 80 or 100 lbs. I would suggest getting one that can do that (and that has a 5 point until they are 40 lbs). When she was ready again I researched and we actually bought a Recaro. They are rated like a Britax. They originally produced seats/headrests for race cars and jets. It is wonderful and my daughter loves it. I found that when I inquired about the Britax the Recaro kept being brought up as an equal.
Check into it as an option. We have both and love them both. The Recaro offers wonderful protection and your daughter could use it now with the 5 point harness and then into the next stage too. I feel she is very secure and she says it is comfortable to sleep in (unlike another we bought first).
Both of my kids are very long and both work for them. Rear facing is a bit of a challenge but you are so close. Fitting them into your vehicle is important. The britax works better in my husbands car. I've learned that is very important. They are both heavy but for the protection they offer, they are WELL worth the price I think.
Good luck!

S. - Personally, I don't think it's worth it to get the more expensive Britax brand. I've gotten the Evenflo Triumph 5 and the Triumph Advance DLX which have both been really awesome! The great thing about the Advance DLX is that it has an Infinite slide harness that allows for adjustments as your child grows up to 50lbs. Here's the link to Evenflo for more info: http://www.evenflo.com/Homepage/ProductList/tabid/203/nav...
This car seats have worked great for us so far and is comparable to the Britax, but very affordable.

Hope that helps,
V.

Hi S.,
We have always had Britax car seats and have loved them. We were in a terrible accident when our daughter was only 10 months, and the CHP officer who responded said that he felt our daughter might have died if she had been in a lesser car seat or in a smaller car (score one for the giant SUV and Britax, huh?) As it was, she came away from that accident without even a scratch on her! (My husband and I weren't as lucky, but we all lived.)

Currently we have a Britax Marathon for our 2.5 year old (it will hold kids up to 65 lbs), and a Britax booster seat for our 5.5 year old. I have always been impressed with the quality and comfort of these car seats. I think you can't go wrong with them, personally.

Try them all out at Babies R Us or somewhere and see what you think. Also you'll want to make sure that the car seat you choose actually fits in your car. As I mentioned, we are in a really big SUV so there's never been an issue fitting 2 or even 3 car seats across, but if you drive a smaller sedan the Britax Marathon might be too big.

Hi S.!
We have the Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3 in 1. It's for 5lbs to 100lbs and 19in to 52in. It can be used rear and foward facing. We absolutely love it. We purchased our 1st one when our ist DD was 10 months old. She was also in the 95th and above percentile, she is still in it at 4 years old. We loved it so much we have one for our 22 month old DD too.

We have 2 Britax Marathons. They are great. You can use the latch to move them from vehicles. When they are installed, the car moves and not the seat, so I feel they are VERY safe. Plus, they go up to 65 pounds. They also will recline for rear facing, but be aware that your baby probably won't care if her legs are on the back of the seat. Most babies are pretty darn flexible and don't really know the difference! Good luck on your decision.

I would suggest taking your child to the store and putting her in and out of all the seats and buckling them etc. Some seats are easier to get in and out of than others, and some kids don't like the feel of certain seats. We did that with my son and found out he didn't like the britax seat, so was glad we didn't spend the money on it and then find out he doesn't like it later. Also, be careful with some buckles, some are easy to pinch little legs, especially when they are wearing shorts. After we let my son try out all the seats we wrote down the top three, came home and researched the safety ratings and then went back and bought the one with the best saftefy rating out of the ones he liked the best. Off hand I can't even remember what one we bought, (it was almost 4 years ago) but he is still in it and loves it etc. You also want what ever seat you buy to be easy to wash. Not as important as an infant, but very important during those potty training days.

I have a Britex Decathalon for my little girl. I believe I got it when she was about 8 or 9 months old and used it rear facing. I like you, have a very tall little girl and had the same issue. I love my Britex and wouldn't get anything else ever. It is safe and easy to use and works well for rear and front facing. Also, the weight limit is high (65 lbs I believe) so I am hoping that I can use it until she is either in a booster seat or can sit on the seat without anything. It is a bit pricier then some other options out there, but I love the ease of use and the fact that I can wash every fabric item on it! This is an important thing to look for! You want a cover you can take off and through in your washing machine.

The Radian 80 carseat is the only seat that goes up to 80 pounds with a 5-point harness. To some people it might sound like a challenge to keep an older child in a 5-point harness, but when it comes to safety, it's a no brainer. We just had a good friend killed in a car accident, and her 3 1/2 year old daughter only survived because she was in a good seat. Britax is a good brand, but doesn't go to 80 pounds with a harness. Many car seats (boosters) go to the lap and shoulder belt of a car when they are over 60 pounds, which isn't as safe. We also had the Evenflo Triumph, which is a great carseat and better rated safety-wise than the Britax (less expensive too) -- but you would need to buy another seat once they reach about 40 pounds I believe. The Radian 80 goes from birth to 80 pounds, so can face front or back. Folds to 7" thick (portable), is rated for airlines (safer than renting some mystery brand car seat from a rental car company on your arrival), and is the only seat made with an aluminum frame (most are made from plastic). I swear I'm not a company rep -- I just really love the seat! We bought a second one for my husband's car since we split transpo duties, but I think it would be easy enough to take in and out if it wasn't a regular thing. On a tangent, I had to giggle at the difference between our children's sizes -- my daughter is 14 months and is still under 18 pounds and under 28 inches long (less than 5th percentile). Needless to say she's still facing backwards! I'm hoping she'll hit a growth spurt so we can turn her around, since I know she'll enjoy the view more! Best of luck.

I love my Britax. We actually purchased two of them- one for my car and one for my husband's. The great thing is that now that we have three kids we use the one in my husband's for our two older ones (one is in a booster and the other still needs the car seat. Our baby is still in a carrier). If you have a latch system the seat is easy to move but still a bit of a hassle. I guess it is the same as with the seat belt. I would suggest that you have two seats- one for your car and another for your daycare (how often is she in the daycare seat???) Maybe you could find a cheaper seat for that one. The Britax Marathon goes up to 60 lbs. My five year old is only 40 so we will have this for a while. Hope that helps and good luck!!

We have the Evenflo Triumph and have been very pleased with it. We have one in each vehicle, one in my mom's SUV, and one in my mother in-law's SUV. They ranked very high for safety and my son seems to enjoy riding in it (much more so than his infant carrier, we transitioned him to the convertible at 6 months because he hated that thing so much). He is still rear facing (16 months and 19 pounds) and will be until he is at lest 22 pounds. However, I have installed the seat forward facing (had to get a friend's carseat next to his). Either way is easy to install. The straps are also very easy to adjust. Again, we have been very pleased with this carseat. It's affordable and safe, which is why we have one in every car Leland rides in. We will be buying a second set when baby #2 comes.

I absolutely love and highly reccomend the Britax Marathon. Pricey, yes, but rated as one of the best on the market when I was shopping for carseats. Both my 1.5 year old and my 3.5 year old ride in them comfortably. It holds up to 65 lbs, so my 3.5 daughter who weighs about 35 lbs, still has plenty of time to fit in it, which makes it worth the investment. I have many friends who have gone through 3 and 4 carseats per child, for lack of fit/comfort. My kids have no problem with the Marathon, it is cushy and comfortable enough to sleep in, which they seem to do as soon as they get into them.

I do have a less expensive graco car seat in the second car, but it seems so much less comofortable by comparison and doesn't fit great to my child (there is so much empty space around them and it doesn't have a lot of padding). We use it mainly for drop-off/pick-up for pre-school.

I feel my babies are so much more safe and secure in the Marathon. They are so well made and I just feel that when it comes to my precious cargo, I want them to have the best protection and I wouldn't get on the highway with them in any other seat. They have been worth every penny.

I bought mine at Goores and they installed them for me, which was great.

We just bought the Britax Marathon which goes up to 65 lbs. Goore's in Sacramento is having an anniversary sale where everything is 16% off including car seats but the sale ends on the 20th. We only bought a car seat for my car but may end up buying another one for my husband's car in the future.

The britax marathon goes up to 65 lbs. These are worth the extra money. They are verry easy to instal and switch back and forth if you do not want to buy more then one. I have one for each of my kids and love them. They also have the regent that goes up to 85 pounds with a 5 point harness if you want one that large. Just know that the higher the weight range the larger the seat is. They will not fit into smaller cars.

When we transitioned from a carrier to a car seat we bought the Eddie Bauer Deluxe 3 in 1. It's for 5lbs to 100lbs and 19in to 52in. It can be used rear and foward facing. Our son will be able to stay in it until he is 6 and never have to buy another one.

We've used Britax seats for both our girls, and I have been very happy with them. When we were having the same debate you are having now, we opted for the Marathon thinking it would be the last seat we'd need, however, now that my oldest is 5, and tall, we just had to go for another seat. I liked the idea of a 5 point harness over a booster, and ended up getting the Britax Regent. I wish we had just gone for it in the first place. It is rated up to something like 85 lbs, and is big enough to fit a tall, older child. Plus, it is by far the sturdiest and most secure fitting seat we have used. I have a friend who has her 14 month old in it, and it is still a good fit for the little ones (foreward facing only). Anyway, it might be worth looking at if you are planning on one seat for the duration. Good luck in your search!

I would suggest getting the newst Baby Bargains book. They have all the baby equiptment (including car seats) rated with pros and cons and cost. I read it when my LO had grown out of her seat and got a Britax Roundabout for my car and then purchased a gently used Roundabout for a spare. That works for me. My LO is only 22 pounds right now at 16 months. Good Luck!