Favorite Car Seat for Infants

I have a Britax Roundabout now and absolutely love it. It reclines so you could use it with an infant BUT if I had another baby I would still buy one of the infant car seats. I would not want to wake a sleeping baby because I have to pull them out of the carseat and transfer them to their crib after a car ride. I didnt leave the baby in there all night or anything, but just for a little while, while I washed dishes or something. Also, if I go out to eat I wouldnt want to have to hold the baby. I think the infant car seat was a real life saver. If you dont want to pay a lot of money, just buy one on craigslist or something. You could probably find a great deal for a practically brand new one. They dont get used for very long anyway. Congrats on the baby!

i loved my peg perego infant seat. the downside is it's heavy, but extremely safe. one of the few that has true side impact protection not just been test/rated. my daughter was skinny and tall. she stayed in until almost 14 months old. we since switched to the britax boulevard click n'safe with true side impact protection. love it also!

I have used the evenflow triumph for the last four years with my two children. I plan on bying a second one now that our second son is out growing the carrier. They are around 140.00 but they had the best review from consumer reports, in that price range at the time. It sounds like we all have our own favorites so my suggestion is steal some time away at a local library and go through the consumer reports baby gear issue and make the best decision for you. that was the most helpful to me. With the triumph you are able to move the strap positions while the seat is still in the car.

We also have four children...congrats on your growing family :)

Britax makes a great car seat with a five point harness that has a really wide age span. We brought all four home in the Britax Roundabout and the Regent goes up to 80 lbs....

My son was almost 10 pounds and we used the Evenflo carrier. He was in it for almost a year. Still use the stroller.

I have the Graco Safe Seat carrier for my car but for my mom's car we got the Evenflo Symphany convertable seat. It is a bit large and probably won't work in a small car. We both have SUVs and they fit great in larger vehicles. My son is 4 months and has used the convertable seat as young as 2 months and 10 pounds. He was only 6lbs and 9 oz at birth and is now only about 15-16 pounds. We opted for the convertable seat for my mom's car because one he is not in it that often at this point but since it will carry him until he is 100 pounds we thought that this would be the best option for the money. My Safe Seat will hold him until he about 35 pounds. And since he is still pretty small he will be in this for some time. Hope this helps.

We did a lot of research and found one car seat that stood out among the rest. The Safe Seat from Gracco. It is a rear facing car seat to 30 pounds. It had good reviews and the only bad reviews that I found was that it is big. It is a couple of pounds heavier than other car seats and it is bigger. My daughter is over 20 pounds and a year old and still fits fine in the car seat that she came home from the hospital in. She will probably be in it until she is at least a year and a half maybe even two. It is really easy to use. I would use it again and highly recommend it.

I highly recommend the Graco Safeseat Step 1. I got one with my 5th child, because all the others had outgrown their seats very early. We got in an accident when she was 7 months old and I couldn't believe how well protected she was.

I love my Eddie Bauer car seat that goes from 0-100 pounds. It is rear and forward facing. I bought mine at Target! Good luck!

I love Britax. We have had two and love them. I have the decathalon this time and it is wonderful and my son loves it.

I just quit using an infant carrier with my 11 month old, and have switched to Safety First's Alpha Omega Elite. So far I have been satisfied (and it wasn't overly pricey...$99.99 at babyage.com, which was the cheapest place I found it). It can be used rear facing from 5 to 35 pounds (it reclines for rear facing use), as a front facing seat from 22 to 40 pounds (harness use), and as a belt positioning booster seat from 40 to 100 pounds. My biggest draw was the fact that we could use it as a booster seat after we're done with it as a carseat. I read countless reviews and product descriptions before purchasing and have been happy with my choice.

I have used three of the Britax seats- Regent, Frontiere and Boulevard. The Boulevard is 5 lbs to 65 lbs. It's very comfy and snug and is great if you're not wanting to mess with a carrier. They have found that carriers aren't great for babies anyway because the handle, which is left up most of the time while out and about, restricts the view and negatively affects optical development of the baby.

My daughter is 2 years old and still fits very well in her boulevard. I don't know that she would REALLY be able to sit in it at 65 lbs (short crotch) but it is definitely great because it's rear facing to 35 lbs if you want to keep the child rear facing that long (it's recommended.) You don't have to buy an infant seat and then a convertible seat and who knows- your child might stay in the seat until you are ready to put the child in a booster.

S., mom to 4 girls ages 6,5,4,2 and 5 angels in Heaven

Hi D..

I, too am the mother of 4. I recommend the Britax Marathon. I have four and I love them! They start at birthweight and go all the way up to 65 pounds! Although they are a little on the expensive end (I think I paid around $300 for each), it is well worth the money. They are very easy to install and remove and the quality is exceptional. I am a safety FREAK and I researched a lot of carseats before purchasing. I did have the infant carrier (Graco Safe-T seat), which made it easier to remove the sleeping baby and also made it easier to take them into a restaurant so that we didn't have to hold them (twins) while trying to eat. Congratulations on your 4th! It's a wonderful life.

Maxi-Cosi Priori Convertible Car Seat - Corniche

This is what we have used with our son since he was 3 months and had outgrown the infant seat. It's compact, and cradled him wonderfully as a infant. Cleans well, and in the summer, doesn't get super hot. He's now 16 months, 31 lbs, 33 inches tall, and still loves his carseat. No crying or fussing. Also, I love it, because once you go to forward facing, if he falls asleep, I reach back and with one hand i recline it so his head isn't bouncing around.

I think infant car seats are a waste of time. I hope this helps.

With my third, I skipped the baby bucket and went for the convertable seat. I used a sling to carry him around. He was just shy of 9# when born.

Good Luck and Congrats!

Be sure to visit this site so that you can make the best possible choice for your little one. We have a Recaro because it allows your child to remain rear facing (safest position even if your child's legs are bent at the knee) up to 30 pounds and forward facing to 70 pounds. It is comparable in quality to any Britax, but I felt that it had more side impact protection and also kept my son's head from falling forward or to the side when he fell asleep. He loves it and falls asleep in it often. Congrats on your 4th on the 4th!
http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/

You've received lots of advice. One caution on craigslist or any other used carseat. Make sure you find out the history of a seat. If it has been in a collision, the safety may be compromised. Also, on the back or bottom there is an expiration date, make sure that hasn't passed. I used a Graco infant seat with a base in both vehichles which was great. Research them and buy one that goes to a higher weight so you don't have to worry about outgrowing it too fast. A friend had a chico infant seat that went to 30 or 35 lbs. I agree completly with those that said having a carrier is much easier than waking a sleeping baby or holding one while trying to eat.

Britax car seats are very good. They r very sturdy and safe car seats. They r a little pricy but worth it because u can get one that is rear and forward facing. Hope this helps.