Looking for Next Car Seat...

I agree with everyone else. We had a Britax infant and then the roundabout and we loved both of them. They get the highest safety rating.

Go for the Britax. Yes, you will wince at the price BUT it goes to 65 pounds which most do not. You will probably get 1-2 more years out of it for that reason.

Hi E.- I recommend and own the Britax Boulevard. A friend- who is a legal mediator and has worked with lots of parents of vehicular lawsuits with car companies - completely recommends the Britax line- especially with side impact protection. They have really proven to be quite safe for children in accidents. I bought the Boulevard to last a while- up to 65 pounds- it can face either backwards (infant) or forwards (toddler and up). I got mine at Baby Universe, www.babyuniverse.com(on sale) with free shipping. Good Luck.

We have the britex marathon for my daughter which has been great, but a bit pricey. (although, something you may not know-if you have an accident, you can send the carseat and police report to britex and they will give you a replacement free). When we had my son, my daughter wasn't ready for a booster yet, so it meant getting 2 new seats, we got a fisher price. you can only get it online, but it is made by britex and is a lot less expensive. it is actually the same seat as the marathon without the fancy seat pad designs. I would advise putting your child in a few at the store. With my daughter we had a graco comfortsport first, well she was so tall she outgrew that by age 2. So keep height and weight in mind.

You can't go wrong with a Britax. Especially if she is on the large side of the growth charts (height or weigh), she will just outgrow the others. I had a Graco before I made the Britax investment because my daughter had grown too tall for the Graco. The Graco was fine, but the straps always twisted. Never had that problem with the Britax Marathon.

I love the Britax Marathon. It is a convertible car seat and is good up to 65lbs. in the forward facing postion. It has an excellent safety rating, is easy to install, and is comfortable.

we have a britax roundabout convertable carseat and we love it. it has gotten really good revies and has little velcro things on the side to help hold the straps back when we put our daughter in it. it can convert from rear to forward facing when she is big enough. hope that helps.

Hi E.,

Check WalMart or Toy's R Us. See what your needs are and pick one.

Good luck. D.

I have an Evenflo Triumph. The reviews it got are just as good, if not better, than some of the Britax seats. Plus the Evenflo is less expensive. My daughter started using it rear facing at 7 months.

We selected the Britex Marathon 3 years ago as when our daughter outgrew her infant seat. At the time it was one of few that had side-impact protection. I also believe it had a higher weight limit than some others - so it will last longer. A car seat is safer than a booster, so when you find yourself with a 3-4 year old, it is good to have a car seat that can accomodate her weight (as opposed to the temptation of getting a booster).

The seat has held up great. I have nothing to compare it to, but the one drawback is that it seems a bit difficult to move the shoulder straps up. My husband also has one in his car and for some reason I have trouble tightening the straps on it (the strap you pull on seems tighter) - don't know why. Just make sure yours is easy to operate for you.

Maybe ask a firend or two to let you put your daughter in and out of their seats and see what workd for you. The most important think after installation is that you are able to adjust and tighten it appropriately. Good luck.

Hi E.,
I have 2 of the Britax Marathon's. My daughter is 29 mo. and my son is 8 mon. I bought hers when she was 9 mo. old and his when he was 6 mo. I love them and I know the kiddos do because they just seem so comfy and I have peace of mind knowing that they are rated the safest. They are pricey, but you can find good deals online. I got his for a lot cheaper.

Hi E.! I have a Britax Decathalon for my son (20 mos) and a Britax Boulevard for my daughter (6 mos). I love them both, although I will admit I like the Boulevard better. I love Britax carseats as they generally rank highest in safety, and they are easy to install (especially with LATCH) and to load the kids in and out. I've used a few cheaper carseats for my kids when we've been traveling, and I haven't been as happy with them, or felt they were as safe. Britax is not cheap, but to me you can't put a price on safety.

That said, remember that ANY carseat sold in the US has passed rigorous safety standards, and NO carseat will be unsafe unless used improperly. So don't feel that by not spending $300 on a carseat you are at all endangering your child. I believe I have heard a lot of people like their Eddie Bauer seats, but that is purely second-hand.

HTH!

A.

Hi E., is your daughter still under a year old? if so, Consumer Reports has the Evenflo Triumph and the Britax Roundabout tied for top score for convertible seats. The Triumph scores lower on ease of use, but higher on crash ratings, and is half the price, so we chose it. Good luck!

Hi there...
We 1st bought a Alpha Omega Elite and our daughter's head ended up in her lap all the time and she sat weird in it. We took it back and bought a Britax Diplomat. Love it...yes, it was a bit expensive...but it's great in every aspect...safety, quality, comfort. The only thing I don't like about it, it smells a lil like hay....who knows, maybe the fabric. lol....You have to think about the length of time your child is going to be in the seat....at least 3 years! So when it comes to it, it's worth the money!

Hi E.,
My little baby girl reached 22 pounds when she was only 7 months, so we had to look for a convertible car seat, which meant that it was still good for an infant in rear position, and than would be good as she grew in the forward facing position.
We bought the Britax Boulevard Convertible car seat (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2908501), quite pricey, but I thought it was the best choice.
I did a lot of research before buying the car seat last year, and if I remember correctly this seat has been tested in crashes up to 50 mph, while other seats are tested only in crashes about 30 mph to 35 mph. So based on safety reports, I preferred to spend a little more and get this seat, compared to other maybe with more fancy colors, and optionals such as cup holders, etc.
This seat is very comfortable, as it is well padded. My daughter used to sleep in it when she was rear facing, and she still falls asleep in it now that is 17 months old.
It was also very easy to install, and the head support and shoulder straps are extremely easy to adjust.
One small complaint, is that the little belt/lock that goes between the legs might seem a bit short, so you just need to take an extra few seconds to fasten the baby in, but other than that, I am very happy with this seat, and I would certainly recommend it.

We were recently hit in an accident and I had to replace all four of the car seats that were in the van. I bought 4 Britax Frontier car seats, two in pink for the girls and 2 in gray for the boys. They are fantastic. Not only do they have side impact protection but the five point harness goes up to 80 pounds instead of 40 pounds like all the other car seats I've seen. All the kids love them and I love them.

D.

I got the Evenflo Triumph carseat for my daughter in 2004 and like it so much I also got it for my son in 2006. I believe it is rated as high as the Britax (and costs alot less) except for the rear-facing position, which I didn't need. I like that the straps are so easy to adjust - they adjust from the front. Some people have had trouble figuring out how the straps work, but you shouldn't have a problem if you read the directions the first time. My kids seem to find them comfortable as well. The drawback is that they are very heavy and large. This is not a problem in my van, but could be an issue in a smaller car or if you need to move the carseat often. When looking for a new carseat I read alot of reviews on the internet - try amazon or epinions.

Definitely get a Britax! They are expensive, but they are the best and well worth it for all of the years your toddler will spend in it. If you need a price break, www.babyage.com runs sales on them all of the time. We got our boulevard for $100 off a few months ago. Check them out!

a Britax Marathon! AWESOME!

I would recommend any of the Britax seats except the Roundabout or Diplomat (unless you have a tiny, tiny car) b/c they don't last as long as the other Britax seats. The Frontier that someone mentioned is a great seat but it is a forward facing seat so assuming your kiddo is under 1 still (it's still safer to rearface as long as possible) then that is not an option for you. The Marathon and the Boulevard are great seats. We have a Marathon that my off the charts tall 22 month old is still able to rearface in). Another good seat is the Evenflo Triumph Advanced (the one that goes up to 50 lbs.) As someone mentioned any of the Eddie bauer, Safety 1st or Cosco 3 in 1 seats are not going to last you until booster age so you are going to end up buying another seat to get your little girl to booster age which is bare MINIMUM 4 years AND 40 lbs.

*another plus to the new britax seats, if you can get a brand new one, is that they now rearface to 35 lbs.

Hi E. -

Consumer reports lists the best rated car seats for safety so you may want to check them out. We have the Britax Marathon, we have had it for 2 years and love it. My son is a very large (30lbs. 37") 26 month old and he is very comfy in it. As someone else mentioned the Britax carseats have side impact protection and they also have a tether that you use for the car seat in the rear and front facing positions. They are the only carseats that have this. The tether is just another safety precaution. we had a police officer install ours and he told us the britax line is among the best that yu can buy. Good luck with your seach.

I have the Britax Boulevard for my daughter and will get a Britax for my son as well when he is ready. We love it and think it was worth the money.

we have the costco summit which we love but I have jts had to buy the 60 dollar evenflo convertible one form Babies R Us because my youngest is 15 months and 17 pounds and she can sit up but still has to face backwards. I like both, but if I was starating over i would suggest a convertible one anywya because they can be in them from a small weight all the way up to 20 pounds facing backwards and to 40-60 pounds facing forward depending on which one you get

E., I would agree with most...Britax is best!!

Love the Britax seats! Great safety records.

We have used many different types and either the straps twist, or it is difficult to tighten or hook the harnest straps into the crotch buckle. We really like the Britax roundabout, it can be rear facing and forward facing. The straps never twist or get tangled. The belt latches are easy to use. However the best thing to do is try it out in your car to make sure it fits. All cars are different and therefore carseats will fit differently. Good luck

I love my Britax Marathon. It is way more comfy for the kids than the ones I have seen that have less padding. Its is also ultra easy to get the covers off, move from car to car and they cannot get the buckle undone which they have done in friends car seats. Good luck. I know it is a lot of money to spend on a car seta, but for me, the money was well worth it.

I took my son to Babies R Us and 'tested' him in various ones. That way I could see what would be easy to buckle him into and what he would stay in (he is Hudini reincarnated!!) I went with one from evenflo, dont remember the style name, but its one that has the seat belt clips on the side so that when he is ready for a booster I would not have to go through that process again.

We were given a Cosco Alpha Omega and we love it! I've heard some really good things about other brands, but I think the one thing to look for is that it's a booster as well, and that it RECLINES! That is the absolute best feature I've ever seen. We bought one as a second for our other car and didn't want to pay too much... Now we have two boys and the older one, poor guy has the "cheapie" seat. He's almost 4 years old, but still sometimes falls asleep in the car... his poor neck is all craned over... we've tried pillows etc to help, but I really just want to buy another Alpha Omega. If I were you, I'd go ahead and spend the money for the better seat. Get one that reclines. That's my best advice. Good luck.

I have the Britax Roundabout and LOVE it. A friend of mine bought a "cheaper" carseat around the same time and has admitted she wishes she'd spent the extra $$ for the Britax. If you need to move your carseat often (we travel a lot), the Britax has a lot of features to make this very easy. Very high parent and safety ratings. "Baby Bargains" book has reviews of all carseat brands and this is one of their top picks.

we have an evenflo triumph for our son and we love it. Try to keep her rear facing as long as you can- so much safer than front facing. Our son finally had to be turned around at 2 because his legs were getting too long....
If you are in an accident especially from behind- their heads and frontal lobes of their brains end up taking the brunt of the force- not a good thing. If they are rear facing- their head is cushioned more and the seat takes most of the force...

Good luck!

How old is your daughter? If she is under one or you still want her to be rear facing I would recommend the Evenflow triumph. I used the Graco comfort sport also and my son seemed to like it and it worked well in my van. If she is over one and you are ready for her to be front facing and don't want to shell out the big bucks for the britax seats (I don't have that kind of money)then I recommend the Graco Nautilus. It is a new seat that has come out recently and I really love it and it has outstanding reviews. It is a front facing only seat that goes up to 65 pounds as a car seat. When your child outgrows it as a car seat it can be used as a booster and then a backless booster. It is a great seat for taller children as well. My son has a long torso (he is 2) and is in the 90% for height and still has 2 slots above him for the shoulder straps so he should be able to sit in it at least till he is 5 (and maybe even longer!)as a carseat and then he can use it as a booster. Remember babies should be rear facing as long as possible and then should be in a carseat as long as possible before going to a booster. Hope this helps!

Hi E.!

I LOVE my Radian65 made by Sunshine Kids. It has a steal frame and is the most narrow car seat out there. Once you switch to front facing, the bottom of the seat can flip up and out of the way when not in use. It can also hold a child safely until 65 lbs and has an 8 year expiration so you will never need another seat. If you have a heavy baby, they also make the Radian85 that holds a child until 85 lbs. My son will never reach 65 lbs. before the car seat expires, so I didn't need to spend the extra money. It is comparable to the Britax Marathon and costs @ $200. Good luck!

I looked at consumer reports online to find my son's carseat. it cost a couple dollars for a month subscription but it was worth it to me.