How to Chose the Right Converatble Car Seat

The most important thing is the safety rating! We have always gone with Britax because there is no doubt that they have the highest consistent ratings. And they're very cushioned, comfortable, and durable. The Marathon model has a removable cover that you can wash, which has been great! In addition, we were in a really bad accident once with this carseat and my daughter was fine. I immediately bought another one, which her little sister now uses and we got her the Britax Frontier, which is their high back 5-point harness booster, so she can stay safe even longer! The other thing to look for is high weight and height limits. The britax roundabout can only be used up to 40 lbs so you will have to buy another seat earlier, the marathon goes up to 60 or 65 lbs! My tall four year old still fits in it and still has 20 lbs to grow out of it! The only reason we moved her to their booster is so her sister could use the marathon.

The most important thing is that it fits your child, your car AND that you are able to install it properly.

I made my choice looking at max height allowed, since my daughter outgrew her infant seat in height before she was even close to the max. weight.
We have a small car, so it had to fit in there comfortably, we actually took our car to the store and asked them to try out seats for fit.

It has to fit your budget. It makes no sense to buy a $400 seat, if that means you won't be able to make your rent or other payments because ot that. While safety ratings can be higher and lower, ALL car seats must pass minimum safety standards.

Also look at your driving habits. Do you drive long stretches or just a short trip to the supermarket. Let your baby test the seat and try to estimate how comfortable she will be in it as she grows.

I personally insisted on seats (we have 2) with EPS impact foam, reasonable cushioning for longer trips and they had to be affordable.

We have a Evenflo Triumph Advance for our main car and a Safety First Uptown as a back up and for air travel.

I like the Britax Roundabout -- don't get the Marathon for rear-facing babies, it feels too big and the Roundabout is easier to secure in the rear-facing position. The Roundabout feels nice and snug and my 3 year old still prefers it to the Marathon we bought!

Check out car-seat.org. There are amazing carseat techs there who can help you!

For my second son I bought a Britax Marathan, because of the ratings and the weight/height limits.
I used it rear facing from about 9 months old and it fit in my hyundai elantra with no problem.
It will hold him til 65 lbs.
With my first son, I went through 4 carseats/boosters.

Last update I promise!

O.k. first of all NOT all Britax's have a high safety rating. I hate when people say to just get a Britax. Seriously look into the different types of britax seats. And they are not the only seat that has a high rating...go to the national highway sight and see the ratings. Our child was in a major accident in a high rating seat. Higher then a lot of the britax seats and survived without any bruises. That is the convertible Alpha Omega Elite. This is not a decision to take lightly and remember just because it is the most expensive DOES NOT mean that it is the best option.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/nhtsa_eou
/info.jsp?type=convertible

Seriously ask a lot of these lady's that say Britax if they really truley did the research or if they bought it because of word of mouth they are the best.

Currently this one has a higher rating the britax
Learning Curve-The First Years True Fit (RF)

We bought the Safety first summit...hard to find. for our kids who are using FF and booster

Oh and look at the info on securing the child not just the overall rating. Some of them can take a little reading to get in right but...which most people can't seem to do...and if you can't get the seat in right try a different once. Some just don't fit in some cars.