Car Seat Shopping

We went for a middle of the road priced seat... Evenflo Triumph DXL. It got great reviews on car seat safety sites, and it's more affordable. Ours goes from 5-25 lbs rear-facing and up to 50 lbs forward facing. It has extra infant support pillows that are removable, a cup holder, the padding is removable for washing, the harness is fully adjustable with a tightening knob, and it has 2 strap positions so you can adjust as your child grows.

Also, just because you move up in car seats doesn't mean you need to switch to forward facing. 1 year and 20 lbs is the minimum, but the AAP recommends to keep them rear-facing for as long as possible. Here is a link to more info about why extended rear-facing is best: http://www.carsafety4kids.com/rearfacing.html

Some sites I used to decide on a seat:
http://www.car-safety.org/
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
http://www.carseat.org/

1 mom found this helpful

Check out babybargains.com. There are a lot of great reviews and information on all baby products. I think the top ranked carseat is the Radian 60. I am also researching convertable carseats and am leaning towards the Evenflo that the pp suggested. I also like to read the reviews on babiesrus.com.

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Well, we have bought two convertible seats (one for my car and one for my mother in law who watches my son). I bought the $300 Britax Boulevard for my car and I bought the Evenflo Triumph for her car and there are aspects about both of them that I like. The Evenflo was only $130. The Britax is easy to get in and out of the car the few times I've had to do that, but it is much easier to get my son into the Evenflo one. It is much easier to tighten the Britax so it moves very little. We struggled quite a bit getting the Evenflo one to not move a lot. Also, the Evenflo car seat did better than the Britax in crash tests. I went on Babies R Us website and looked at the reviews for each carseat to decide which ones to get. I am happy with both of them.

1 mom found this helpful

I've heard that more expensive usually means you are paying more just for the name, look, and padding, not for better safety. I would look for one that is JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association) Certified. Beyond that, the most important thing is that it fits in your car and is installed properly.

Hi D.,
I work for a plaintiff's law firm that handles a lot of car seat cases. The car seat you buy for your child is one of your most important investments you will make in my opinion. I know that a good one is expensive, but I've seen the results of buying a cheap car seat and I'm sure you don't want that for your child. I recently bought a Britax brand car seat for my great nephew. Maybe family members can chip in if you can't afford it.
B.

I have the Saftey 1st-Summit booster seat, purchased at wal-mart. Its not a very expensive seat and not the cheapest. The main reason I purchased it was it goes up to 100 lbs. So then your not stuck buying another seat after those that only go to 40-50lbs. Plus it has the 5-point harness and the seat reclines a little which is really nice when traveling and your child falls asleep.

I used to be a nanny and the family I worked for had two of the Cosco ones...they are about to go through their 3rd child using them and they are still in pretty good condition! They are a little dirty from two little girls using them, but what car seat wouldn't be? :) They are super easy to install and use and we just bought one (we plan to get two) for our daughter...you can use them rear-facing from 5-22 lbs. and then forward facing until 40 lbs. They are only about $48.

Evenflo Triumph is reasonably priced and got great reviews.

So.... I see you have plenty of respones but I cannot give enough praise to my carseat manufacturer... so here's my opinion.

SUNSHINE KIDS - RADIAN 80

I too, didn't think I could justify spending ridiculous amounts of money on a car seat... until I found this " at it's widest pointproduct. The car seat is 17" at it's widestpoint (which was a huge selling point for me b/c my husband has an Eddie Bauer car seat in his truck and it works well for his monstrosity of a truck, but took up way too much space in my backseat). Also, the crotch strap has 3 different placings (so if your kid is chunky or skinny, you can place the strap in an accurate spot) plus the strap is plenty long (the car seat my husband has usually requires us to go searching for the crotch strap thing).

Here's their website.... www.skjp.com .... I encourage you to check it out.
I bought mine off of ebay for a lot less (the ebay store was babysafetyforless).

I have the Graco Comfort Sport and love it. It is easy to install, easy to adjust, easy to get him in and out of...no complaints! I can't remember how much it was, but under $100 - I think $70-$80. Different colors are exclusive to certain stores, I just checked on Graco's web site to find what I wanted, then where to get it!

I agree with the Britax people. I've used other carseats and it really is worth it. My daughter started using it at about 6 months and will still use it for awhile at 3.75, which doesn't make it crazy money (still more, obviously). I kept thinking, if something happened to my kid while they were in an accident would I keep beating myself up about not getting it. For me the answer was yes. We bought it when we were a 0 income family (my husband had just started his JD and I was a stay at home mom), but since it's a one-time purchase, it was worth it.

BUT... Any carseat is a carseat, just keep your kid safe and use it correctly.

K.

I have 2 things I look at for car seats for my kids.
1. Good cushion on the bottom seat. There are several with just material covering the hard plastic. How would you like to sit on that very long? ouch!
2. Reclining option. For those times when your sweetie falls asleep you can recline it back so that they can sleep without their head lopping forward.
Those are the 2 biggies I look for and they are usually more costly. But think of it this way. Your child will be in this car seat for years and they will be in the car a lot. It's worth the extra money now to feel good about their comfort for that long of a time frame. Just my opinion :D I've got 6 kids, 5 still car seat and booster age.
C.

I said the same thing when it was time to switch! I found most are the same, some just have cuter pads--and those are expensive. Also, the ones that have the biggest range in height and weight, that will still fit your child right now would be the best. They'll last a few years. Kids have to be in a carseat, by law, until they're 50 lbs. I bought a Graco, 5point harness seat with an anchor at the top (where their head is)that has a gray pad for about $100-$120. The pad is easy to clean and its easy to install.

I would get one with the padded thing that goes down over their heads. They are just as safe as the 5 point harness ones and much easier to deal with. Plus the children can't get out quite as easily while you're driving. You can get them from wal-mart.com or at most Once-Upon-A-Child stores I'm sure. Also you can always try Salvation Army or Goodwill.

I read a few of the responses and my opinion is this: No, you can't put a price on your child's life, but you also can't pass inspection to be sold at a store without being of some worth... Car seats have to pass inspection or they'll be recalled. I don't think it matters how much money you spend. I spent about $20 on my 6 yr old's booster and about $50 on a Cosco seat from wal-mart for my soon to be 1 yr old's rear to front facing car seat. It only goes to 40 lbs, but That will take him into a booster with will then cost about $20 and still haven't spent as much as some of the higher end that go to 80 lbs. I think my daughter (6 yr old) will be old enough to sit in a belt before she reaches 80 lbs anyway...
Your decision. If you have the money, you can justify it with safety; but if you don't have the money, you can assure yourself that the higher end are a luxury.

Our 8-month-old outgrew the infant seat at 6 months and we've been using an Evenflo convertible seat. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. Prior to my own research, I hadn't even thought of looking at Evenflo, but they have great Consumer Reports ratings AND great user ratings (I read these mostly on Babies R Us). Also, someone posted a question similar to yours in January sometime and I read a lot of the responses (I was curious if others were recommending Evenflo) and the responses were split about 50-50 between Evenflo and Britax. Our son seems very comfortable in his new seat, and we can use it to 55 pounds. I hope this helps - good luck!

http://www.evenflo.com/Homepage/ProductList/tabid/203/nav...

I am really happy with the Evenflo Triumph; we bought it for about $140 at Babies R Us. I have heard excellent things about the Britax car seats, but my husband and I just didn't want to spend that amount of money. So, when I researched it online and in the Baby Bargains/Toddler Bargains books, the Evenflo Triumph was listed as 'the closest thing to a Britax, but for less $' (that's not an exact quote).

I DO NOT like the Eddie Bauer Convertible car seat that my parents use in their car (but wasn't asked before they bought it!) The crotch buckle is way too low and we have accidentally gotten my daughter's skin caught in it a few times while trying to get it buckled.

We are also getting ready to purchase another car seat for our son (19 monhs) and I am at a loss because he is a very big boy and most seats only go to 40 pounds (he's already 30 pounds!), so I know how hard it can be to make a decision! Good luck!

we have the evenflo triumph advance dlx. it was about $150. i was agonizing over the same issues as you. i ended up choosing this one because of a review i read about someone being in an accident with it and how it did its job and protected their baby from any harm. i will say it is big and comfy and lasts until 50lbs. a down side is that every once in awhile the straps may twist once (it seems to only happen to my husband though :0) and i think that is when he loosens it completely to take my son out of the seat. other then those moments of trying to untwist (which is really annoying and sometimes has me wondering if i should have paid for the britax with untwistable straps) we have been very happy. the question i guess is whether you would pay $100 to never have to untwist the straps.

See if a Children's Orchard near you has any for sale. They are usually gently used and are a good price.

I too had a hard time dropping down the $$ for a car seat, but hey its your kids life right, and they are worth it. I got a Britax and absolutely love it, its really good for long trips too, we took a 2 day road trip and my daughter was comfortable the whole time. Check out shopzilla.com and it will find the cheapest site to buy at, and most times you can find free shipping. Good luck.

I have gone middle of the road for both my kids and used the Cosco and Graco seats. They are about $100 at Walmart and Target. As long as they are installed correctly, I think you are fine. I went to the firestation and they said that the biggest problem is folks do not get them tight enough. Good luck!

We bought a Graco for around $60 for our grandson who is 2-1/2. We got that because his mother has one and lots of her friends have one. It has the double seatbelt - shoulder harness and around the legs all joining at the middle. He knows this one and can climb into and out of on his own. He actually knows how to open it, but has learned that he cannot touch it until the car is parked and turned off. We got it at Target. I don't know the model # but it is navy blue with a blue plaid insert in the back section. Very easy to install. Good luck!! J. W.

I got my son one made by Eddie Bauer and we both love it! It cost $120, has a great safety rating and the best feature (in my opinion) is that it's so easy to adjust!

We bought all of ours from walmart. We only paid 60.00 at the time.(i think the price went up to 79.00), but our carseat goes up to 100 lbs. for both our boys. We also bought our infant daughters carseat from there too. Personally, i think 250.00 is way too much to spend on anything for a child who's just going to outgrow it anyway.

We just bought a convertible carseat that we have facing forward and love ours. I'm like you, I wasn't a fan of spending an exorbitant amount of money for the coveted Britax. We spent $130 on the Graco Safeseat Step 2. The best feature is it has a recline lever. So even with our little guy facing forward we can reach back and recline his seat if he's sleepy. Its very cushy, looks good, etc. It looks large but still fits okay in a sedan. Good luck on your purchase!

check consumer reports! we bought a Titan by Evenflo that was highly ranked on there, it was $100 or $110. that was 1 1/2 years ago approx.

Check with your auto insurance. Some companies offer carseats for lower prices.

my son purchased a britax carseat that goes up to 80# and his 3 yr old is still very comfortable in it.

I also have a big gap between my children. 4 1/2 years between the first and second, and 5 1/2 years between the second and third. I loved the car seat I had sor my second and was thrilled tht they not only still made it but that it was still getting pretty good reviews. We bought the Evenflo Triumph and love it all over again. It looks so comfortable that I would like to travel in it! LOL! It was very reasonably priced too.
http://www.evenflo.com/Homepage/ProductList/tabid/203/nav...

The tan and black or pink flowery and black ones that are sold at Wal Mart made by cosco (The actual name has slipped my mind) have excellent crash test ratings and are only about $45. I bought one of these for my son after doing a lot of research.

The Evenflo Triumph line is great--they are rated second to the Britax and about half the price.

D., It's been a lot longer than 6 years since my last one - but why not check out the garage sales - I know you can find them there.

S.

Okay, with my 5-year old I went through a graco, cosco, and the evenflow truimph! They are cheaper, but not worth the money. With my next child I went for a Britax Roundabout! I LOVE IT!!! He is now almost 3, and the carseat is still in GREAT condition. I would strongly recomend a Britax. They are so easy to install and use. Hope this helps...

I hate to say it, but the Britax that are over $200 are really great. I have one for my 2nd, but had a different one for my 1st. I can't tell you how much better it is. I wish I would have spent the money the 1st time around.
We change cars (mine & my husbands) every once in a while and the Britax is so much easier to install with the anchor system and the straps never get turned around or tangled.

I couldn't believe I spent that much on anything, but you will use it for a long time, so that may help spending the money.

Can u say Walmart, I have a three and a half year old and she has been in hers since we turned her around. I spend $100 bucks and she'll be in it till she out grows it. Good luck

I bought a Brittax for my son and he loves it. It goes up to 65lbs so he'll use it for many years to come. We just got a convertible seat for my daughter (8 months) and with 2 kids money is pretty tight, so I bought the Alpha Omega from Babies R Us which was still $150.00. Horrible decision! I'm planning on taking it back and getting another Brittax. There just isn't any comparison. Some in a previous post said "it your childs life and this is one one of the most important purchases you will make" she is absolutely correct.

Babies R Us has coupons out right now for 15% off one item, so you might check into the seats there, and save a little money too.

I say go for the best one, you cant put a price on your childs life, its worth the money for the safety of your child. We have a britix and it goes up to 80lbs.

My husband and I went with a "grow with me seat," after the infant carrier. We still kept our son rear facing because although he aged up at one, he still did not weigh enough (something to keep in mind). We have enjoyed the "grow" style because now he is three and 1/2 and soon--maybe around age 4 or so, we will remove the harness strap and it will be replaced with the car shoulder strap. This avoids having to buy in essence four different seats. (1)infant carrier (2) baby car-seat (3) toddler seat and (4) booster seat. {although as an infant--I preferred his infant (Eddie Bauer) seat and stuck with that}. We also checked out every web-site and consumer report and parent magazine web-sites we could find on comments and quality suggestions before we bought our "Cosco--grow with me". I also highly recommend the certified installer to show you the correct way, so you will always have that safe assurance.
Good Luck, I hope this helps. M.