Looking for a New Car Seat

Hi C.!

I LOVE my Radian65 made by Sunshine Kids. It can be rear-facing and front-facing and can hold a child until 65 lbs. The expiration date is also EIGHT years, so you won't need another seat until your daughter reaches booster size. It is a little pricey ($200), but well worth it. It has a very slim design so it will fit in your car nicely, but is very roomy for the child. It has a steel frame which makes it a little heavy, so if you plan on taking it on airplanes a lot, you may want to think of something else. Once it is front-facing, the bottom actually folds up when the child is not in it. My only complaint is that when it is rear-facing it takes up a lot of room (front-to-back), but all of my friends have the same complaints about their rear-facing seats too. It is comparable to the Britax Marathon as these are two of the few seats that have such a high weight limit, however, the Radian has a MUCH slimmer design. There is also a Radian85 that goes up to 85 lbs, but the height limit is the same and my son won't hit the weight limit before the height limit anyway. I hope this helps! Good luck!

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The best ones are the Britax marathon or Roundabout. i have the Roundabout and using it for hte second time and my kids were big too. I passed them both from the bubble to the seats at 4 months.

V.

1 mom found this helpful

We loved the Britax Roundabout for both of our kids. Has some of the best safety ratings in the industry, and are sturdy and soft. Not cheap, but worth the money. It will last until your child is ready to be in a booster.

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Hi
We settled on a Britax roundabout. It's a little on $$$ side but other parents raved about it's durability having used the same one with multiple kids. We have used it for over a year now and it is hardly showing signs of ware. When looking for a car seat look for variability on the back some sit up too straight and the baby will end up really uncomfortable (hanging the neck down)if sleeping in the car seat. Also forget the cup holders kids don't use them they break off and it's one more thing to make the seat harder to deal with. I also have been told bad things about eddie bauer car seats and evenflow as a brand in general. Also I'm sure you know your little girl will have to be 20 lbs AND 1yr of age before you can switch to front facing.

I bought my son a Britax Roundabout. They are expense but will carry your daughter well into the booster seat stage. I am also a first time mom, and I did alot of background research before buying a car seat. Britax are toted as one of the safest brand. They are a little bigger than a regular car seat but my son who just turned 2 sits comfortable. They are said to be the Mercedes Benz of car seats.

Look at the brand Britax--it's pricey, but when we bought our forward facing seat about 4 years ago, the Britax Marathon was rated as one of the best. We have been very happy with it and have used it with 2 children.

C. - I would highly recommend Britax car seats. They are more expensive than the other brands, but they have been proven time and time to have higher safety standards than the other brands. They are tested against the European standards (which are higher) vs. American. We have two different styles (one for each car) and I LOVE them both. They are easy to install and easy to get my daughter buckled into and out of. They also have a higher weight limit, so your child can stay in a 5 harness longer, which is safer for them in the event of an accident. (Booster seats are not nearly as safe because the only thing holding a child in the event of an accident is a seat belt and seat belts have been known to release or not tighten upon impact and children can get terribly if not fatally hurt). They usually range around $300 each, but I went on line after I'd looked at some in the stores and found a great deal that dropped the seat to just above $200. They also come in fun prints (I had a friend that got a cow print). Since it was a matter of safety my husband and I decided it was worth the extra cost.

I hope this helps.

R.

I've heard the Britax Marathon is great. Not sure what the difference is between the Marathon and the Roundabout. I know a mother of twins who still use their Marathon, they are 4 years old.

I also have the Britax Roundabout. It has great features for getting your child in & out - velcro to keep the straps aside and a pad for the front buckle. Plus it is super easy to move from car to car. It's a little pricey but well worth the extra $$. Very high saftey rating and recommended by Baby Bargains book. I would highly recommend it.

A great maker for car seats is Britax. They are a little pricy but the straps don't get tangled and it is easy to get the little one in and out. They come in really great colors too. I had the Britax Roundabout which was really good and I have heard that the Britax Marathon is really good too!

I have the Britax Roundabout convertable seat. I had it rear facing until he was a year I think and got it when he was 7 months. He climbs right in and seems to like it. I have the Baby Bargains book and it was rated high on the list. I ordered it from this website, they have very good specials and free shipping, just check it every now and then and order when it's cheap! http://www.albeebaby.com/

We started with the infant safe seat made by Graco - which goes to 30 lb and 32 inches. (may be good if you have big babies). Our child hit 30 lb before one year so we still had to go convertable. We chose the alpha omega and have liked it well enough. I think the others recomending the marathon are likely on the right track, we decided to go with a less expensive option.

Hi C.,

Toys-R-Us has a great selection of car seats. Hope this helps. D.

When my daughter was 7 mos old we had to get her a new car seat. We got the Evenflo Triumph Advanced DLX. We love it. It does rear and front facing. I don't remember what weight it goes up to, but she will be in it for awhile.

Britax. They have several options out there. I just bought the Boulevard for my 14-month olf when she turned a year.

They have smaller seats than the Boulevard and I think all their convertibles can be rear facing until 33 lbs.

They are expensive, but the seat is much nicer and safer than my daughter's infant Graco.

If you want to stick with an infant seat, there are infant seats with higher weight limits, but as this will be your second car seat, I would just buy the convertible and have it last.

Spend the extra money and purchase a Britax Marathon. Excellent car seat EASY to install, great for a large child my son is 2 years old and wears a 4T he is very tall and broad through the shoulders. He is my third child and this is the best car seat I have ever owned!

Everyone has basically said it, but as a health care provider & a parent of large children definatly go Britax!! I did not do this the first time around. My son has always been large. He was out of the one you can carry him in by 4 months because it was too heavy to carry, so we switched to a convertible (not Brittax). This was great until he hit the 40lb mark and was not yet four. It is highly recommended to keep them in a 5 pt harness until 4 or as late as possible. So, at 3 1/2 I bought the Brittax Marathon and LOVE IT! It is VERY expensive, but very worth your money. It is the easiest latch system out there!!!! Another thing you need to think about just because your child is 20 lbs you DON'T face them forward until they are BOTH 1 year old & at least 20 pounds. This is a very common mistake, but they do not have head control well enough to handle a collision before they are at least a year old. Just something to think about. Since you have such a young one I would highly recommend a Britax that goes up to at least 65+ forward facing this will cover you until 4 or 5 when you will want to move up to a booster. Hope this helps. I just moved from oregon, so this is an Oregon specific site, but it does have very helpful information that is applicable here too. It is www.childsafetyseat.org then click on Child Passenger Safety & then booster. You can get some great info on this issue and at the bottom it lists the car seats & recommendations. This list also includes weights the seats go up to and prices for the car seats. Please feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

We have two of the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite 3-in-1 Car Seat and love them! We'll be moving our 4 yr old out of them soon into smaller booster seats, but putting them aside for our 6month old to move into (soon, she's already 18.5 lbs!) We liked that they were both rear-facing infant seats and front-facing child seats. They convert to boosters too, but my DH doesn't want to disassemble them for that, he wants to use them for the baby (and he really wants to get one of those tiny little seats for his car.) We've loved them! Very comfortable for the kidlet (and we take a *lot* of long trips in the car.)

These were rated very high by Consumer Reports when we were in the market for them several years ago. Before you commit to buying a particular seat, I have two recommendations:

1) Check out the latest Consumer Reports review of car seats. I think you can purchase specific ones from their website if you/a friend/your library system are not subscribers.

2) Sounds silly, but look up the product on Amazon and check out the reviews there. There are over 50 reviews for the seat I have.
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000TZCCXY/ref=dp_to...
I like to look up my choices for baby products especially on Amazon, just for the reviews. The parents/grands who buy the product really dish the dirt on why they love or hate the product and the more reviews, the better an idea it gives you. I actually changed which stroller I was registered for, after seeing what over 270 reviews said about it and a comparison product (way back when). Anyways, I find the reviews to be a helpful tool. Hope you do too.

Good luck!

Hi C.!
We purchased the Britax Roundabout for our daughter when she was 6 months old and I am very happy with it. I was told by the salesperson at Babies R Us that Britax car seats have a higher safety rating than other seats. I also read reviews for Britax seats on the Babies R Us website and most people who had purchased them gave positive feedback. Good luck!

I bought an Evenflo carseat from Target. It was about $130, but has straps that do not have to be rethreaded to loosen or tighten. There is a lever to release the strap and a knob to tighten. This is great when one day my grandson has on a heavy jacket and the next no coat at all. I LOVE IT.

I agree with Stephanie H. The Evenflo Triumph gets the same safety ratings as Britax but is less expensive. It is easy to tighten or loosen the straps, and I (NOT my husband) installed the seat no problem. As a bonus, the seat seems really comfy--my daughter (now 9months) NEVER slept in her little snugride but nods off happily in this new one. Good luck with your purchase!

Hello,
I purchased the Britax Boulevard when my daughter was 6 months old. As another poster said, they are a little pricey but very safe. Britax has quite a few models that vary in price but not in safety.

Good Luck

C.,
We had a big baby too!! We did A LOT of research and decided on the BRITAX ROUNDABOUT. We love it! It has the BEST safety ratings, and if you install it right it might as well be cemented into your car! We used it rear facing and just turned it around. Still loving it! Good luck!
xoxoxoxo
Christy

ps.. we got ours at Great Beginnings in Gaithersburg. Great store, very very knowledgable sales people.

One thing to consider: when your child is 40 pounds, you will have to move her to a booster unless you get a seat that goes to 65+ pounds. It is safer to have one of these because the child still has the 5 pt. harness and the seat is actually strapped to the car.
I wish I had known this when I got my Britax Roundabout. I have loved it (so have my kids), but I would have spent the extra money for the Britax they stay in longer.
Also, check the expiration date on the seat. Should be printed on the sticker on the back of the seat, or on the box.
I think Britax is best.

Hi C.!

Per Mark B with Alexandria CARES (www.alexandriacares.com), the convertible seat he recommends is the Britax Marathon - he says it's the safest one and worth the money.

:)
D.

Britax Marathon is the absolute best! 5-65 pounds rear ad front facing.

Worth the money!

C.,
my daughter just turned 1 on sunday, and we had to swith seats several months ago when she passed the 22 lb limit. She is 97% for height and weight!! We got a convertible britax (more money, but we have had them for both our kids - very reputable, and easy to get in/out). Anna is now 28 lbs, and we are still using it!
Good luck

Walmart has a forward-facing car seat for about $40 that will hold a child her size. My son is 2 now and i have been using mine since he was about 6mo.

C.,
I love my Britax Marathon...very soft, cool colors, sturdy! and easy to work! My daughter will be one this month and she has been in it since she was 4 months old! awesome seat! super simple to install! and will last her up to a booster!
hope that helps,
T.

I'd recommend a seat that will take your babe as far as you can go in a 5 pt. harness. The only one I know of that can be rear facing, AND has a 5 pt. harness for over 40 pounds is the Radian 65 or Radian 80 made by Sunshine Kids.

Key here is to keep the child rear facing as long as possible (definitely beyond the 1 year minimum), and then keep them in a 5 pt. harness as long as possible.

If your child looks to be tall and thin, the Radian 65 (harness to 65#) will be the best. If she looks to be a bit husky, then maybe the Radian 80 will be better. Both have the same max height for the harness straps, but the 80 will take her to 80#, the Radian 65 to 65#.

Britax is great (I have the Boulevard), but they are big, hard to strap next to one another, and you have to buy another seat (the Britax Regent) for the 5 pt harness when they get too big.

The fisher price Safe Voyage car seat. http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html

This car seat is made by Britax and sold by FP, it's a less expensive version of the Britax Marathon.

I bought mine at Baby Universe for about $120 with free shipping, so search the net for good pricing.

I have the safe voyage and the roundabout. The Britax has a little easier install, but they are very similar. If you go Britax, the Marathon is bigger than the Roundabout. A little awkward rearfacing, but will last much longer.

Good luck.

I highly recommend the britax roundabout- it's good to 40 lbs and can be rear and forward facing - easy to install too and has a great safety rating

Like your daughter my son outgrew his infant seat when he was 4 monhts old becuase of height. He is now 2 and has been in the britax marathon since he was 4 months. We love it and he will be in it until he outgrows this one and then we will replace it with another britax.

Cheers,
M.

At 5 mo. my son was near 20 lbs., so he got a new carseat for Christmas! I went to ToysRUs and settled on the Evenflo Triumph Advance. It was around $150 and goes up to 50 lbs. I especially like the shoulder straps that just slide up or down to fit the child, unlike most that you have to take the straps out the back and feed them through the next slot as your child gets taller. There's also tension knobs on both sides for you to tighten the straps once you get her strapped in and then press the release lever and roll the knob counterclockwise to loosen them . This is a great feature with our crazy weather if you've got her bundled in a snowsuit one day and in shorts and a tee the next - hope this is helpful!

Britax Marathon... a little pricier but she can be in it until 65 pounds. It is really easy to install and well worth it with safety record.

BRITAX is the BEST on the market - safe & very easy to use.

My girl is big too, very tall for her height and weight proportionate. I wish someone had suggested Britax to me. She outgrew the Graco infant seat at 4 mo and I bought the Graco carseat to replace. I chose the Graco because it was cheaper and I liked it better aesthically. But she outgrew that around 2 yo so I ended up buying the Britax anyway. I've been very happy with the Britax. The straps never twist like the Graco did and while she is still big for her age, she still has room to go at 5yo.

I have the Britax Roundabout and love it. My daughter is almost two and could stay in that seat a while longer; we are planning our second, though, and Roundabout will fit infants so the new baby will get the Roundabout, for a while, and my daughter will move into the booster we just bought (Cosco high back booster--22-80 lbs.) Something to consider if you are planning more than one child.

I recommend the Britax Marathon. It is a little pricey, but well worth it. Both of my children have one. My 5 year old still uses hers and has had it since she was 6 months old. The only problem I have heard is that it is tall, so try it out in your vehicle first, especially rear facing. Good luck!

My baby boy is off the charts as far as height and weight goes, and I did a ton of research before deciding on the Evenflo Triumph Advance. It was given the same exact safety ratings as the Britax models, but is about $60 less expensive.We have been extremely happy with it!!
It is a convertible car seat, and switches from rear to forward-facing. The weight limit is 50 lbs., so I know that I won't have to spend more money on something else before it's time to switch over to a booster.
Hope this helps!