Looking for Safe Car Seat

K., I researched all carseats thoroughly when my daughter was ready to move from the carrier. I ended up settling on the Britax marathon. It is expensive but worth every penny! It had the best safety rating and it is so comfortable for them. My daughter's head never hangs when she falls asleep and she sleeps soundly in it. My mother bought an Eddie Bower carseat to keep at her house and it is horrible. My daughter cannot sleep in it and it hurts her neck. My advice to every mother is to spend the money on the Britax marathon. It is safe and comfortable for them and worth every penny!

call the safety council in baton rouge. they have a car seat tech there who installs car seats. she knows EVERYTHING and is up to date on each seat and each car. her name is karen and shes wonderful.

Ask a paramedic or fire fighter or policeman because they are the ones that see first hand which ones do the best job. Also er personnel might be used if you need a tie breaker.

We got the Costco from walmart when my son was around 10 months or so... i know you are supposed to wate until the one year mark, but our son was hanging over the edge of his infant seat, and was miserable! we got the carseat, and he LOVES it! its black and was around $39. its very easy to take the cover off to wash (our son has reflux, so, its needed!) good luck!

Properly installed, all new car seats will pass safety requirements. Always buy new, fill out the registration card that comes with every new restraint(in case of a recall) and follow age, height, and weight requirements and you can rest assured your child is as safe as possible. If you are unsure about installation, most fire departments or hospitals have certified child restraint technicians available to assist you. Also SafeKids has website info available. Good Luck! and keep those children safe by always, always properly restraining them. Make sure your 8 yr old has passed the requirements she must reach before using a lap/shoulder belt.
As you can see, this is a topic I am passionate about and it thrills me to know you are seeking advice. I wish every one would!
J. R.

I love the Britax Roundabout. I have 2 (one in each vehicle). They are pricey but worth it. They are very plush and comfy and the straps never get twisted. I tried the Cosco Alpha Omega--big waste of money. Poor quality material and the straps stayed twisted no matter how often I straightened them. I hope this helps. AS

K.,

The Britax wins hands down. I became a mother again after my children were in their 20's. My son is 15 months and my daughter range from 22 to 27 so I had to research everything before I bought it since it has been so long since I had needed anything and everything is new or been upgraded. I have 5 Britax car seats with one in my car, husbands car, two daughters and 1 son-in-laws car. It was worth every penny. No they are not cheap but I had tried several other brands and was not happy with them. Sears carries the Britax and you can find it for $150 on sale or regualar price is $200. Toys R Us online also carries the Britax and if you have a resale shop in your area they sometimes carry them new.

Good luck and like I told my husband when he complained about the cost which we really could not afford his not eating out a month paid for the carseat and our child is safe and worth much more to me than money.

J.

Britax is the best brand on the market. they are more expensive, but it's worth it. They are the only brand I have been able to find that has styrofoam between the cover and the seat. Britax also makes seats for airlines and their car seats are approved for use on airlines. We had the roundabout, actually 2 because my oldest was still in his when my second was ready. Then we bought a marathon...the only five point harness seat I could find that goes up to 80lbs. It is safer to have your child in a 5 point harness as long as possible versus a booster. A little about me...11 years ago I lost a dear friend in a car accident, so when my son was born almost 6 years ago, car safety was top priority. I did alot of research on this and Britax came out on top...hope this helps.

We love our Britax Wizard car seat. Both of our boys have the same model. They are the safest car seat on the market. At least they were 3 yrs ago, I'm confident that hasn't changed.

I love my britax. We have three of them for our two kids. It is comfy for long rides and has side impact protection.

ditto everyone on Britax...check out the book Best Baby Bargains, they have carseat ratings! I see that you're from Bixby.....My Ipod is full of Roy mercer and the international tours of bixby prank phone call is one of the best!!

Regarding carseat again... we also have a britax booster seat and love it as well!! My son's friends love to ride in our comfy carseats and booster seats!

I am a personal fan of the Britax Marathon...it is on the expensive side, but it is safe and they can stay into it for a long time... it is convertable too! I also know that the graco comfort sport ranks really well for safety and is affordable $119 I think! Good luck!

I've done a lot of research on carseats. There is a nice website at http://www.kyledavidmiller.org with advice. Two really good possible seats are the Scenera (available at Walmart for about $40) and the Evenflo Triumph Advance (about $140). The Triumph is obviously more expensive, but your child can use it a long time and it's a lot cheaper than a Britax! It's really comfortable for a young baby. The Scenera is just as safe but not as padded and will only last to 40 pounds (the Triumph goes to 50 pounds). Those are good choices for seats that last a relatively long time; many popular seats are outgrown quickly.

I have taken the 40 hour course to become a certified carseat technician for a volunteer group. You should keep your son rear facing up to the limit of the seat. I am not sure the law in OK, but in AR it is rear facing until at LEAST 20 lbs. AND 12 months. I know it is difficult not to see him, but he is safest. I kept my youngest child rear facing until she was 18 months. Even if he is big, his neck muscles are not developed enough to protect his spine from injuries in a frontal collision. He is likely ready to move from an infant carrier to a convertible seat. (A seat that can be used rear facing and then forward facing when the child is big enough). My personal favorite is the Britax - that is not a recommendation from any course, just what I liked. I think it is one of the easier ones to install correctly. All seats are tested and as long as they are installed correctly and fit your particular car, they should protect your child. I would warn that seats that have a lot of "bells and whistles" tend to be harder to install correctly. Whatever you buy, (don't get a used one from a resale) make sure to send in the warranty card. The company will send you info on recalls and fix-it kits, if necessary. Almost all carseats have a recall at some time. If you have any questions, respond to this and I will be glad to answer what I can.

I have an Cosco Alpha Omega, used it with my daughter, now my infant is using it rear-facing, will change around when he reaches one year. My daughter was always comfortable in it, I never have had a problem with it at all!! It is rear-facing for infants, then car seat, then to a booster. We love it!

Britax is the safest out there. When my daughter was ready to move into a larger car seat, I bought her an Evenflow at first because I couldn't get over the Britax price tag. Then I read that it had some safety issues and that scared me. Also, she cried and hated being in that car seat so much! My husband and I decided to go ahead and buy the Britax. It was the best buy I've ever made! She loves it and it's the only car seat with side impact protection. I couldn't believe how easy it is to clean. You can take it apart and wash it and it's not difficult at all! Also, it's easy to recline. If my daughter falls asleep, I can actually reach back and recline her car seat while I'm driving. I know it's more money but safety is well worth it AND you can usually find a few corners to cut til your able to save the money to buy it.

Good Luck!
N.

We researched and decided to get the Britax Marathon carset. I like it, my daughter likes it and I feel good about the saftey ratings and how it feels in the truck. It was pricey, but the saftey is worth it. I got mine on e-bay.

We bought a Sunshine Kids Radian 65 for our 7 month old, which is a car seat that is designed to securely hold a kid from 5-65 lbs. It's approved for aircraft use, has a steel alloy frame, and folds for more compact storage. Here is their website: http://sunshinekidsbaby.comfortfirst.com/ They provide excellent customer service and free shipping. It can be a bit of a squeeze (front to back) depending on the size of your car, so check the specifications on the website and measure the space available in your car. We have a '93 Buick Century and I have to make do with less leg room, but I'm very pleased with the seat and our son does very well in it. Sunshine Kids also makes a Radian 80 (up to 80 lbs.) but I figured we wouldn't have the room for that.

I LOVE the Britax boulevard. It has side-impact protection and my 2 year old son LOVES it. It's really comfortable and easy to adjust. We rented a rental car with a cheaper seat in it and he HATED it. It was only a piece of plastic with some carpet on it. We even went ahead and bought the britax regent for our next seat (it goes up to 80-100 lbs.). Check them out! Some good sites are elitecarseats.com or babyuniverse.com or kidsurplus.com

i just bought a new car seat for my five month old and i got her a britax.they have a very good rating.they have that special foam for impact.they are price but if you can look into one. they do go 5 to 35 pounds rear faceing and 20 to 65 front facing.i got my online at babyrus.

I've used Graco car seats with the 5-point harness for both an infant car seat, and the reversible/convertible toddler/car seat.

Actually it's recommended that you not change carseats until the child is 12 months old AND 20 lbs. At that time, I would just suggest you make sure that the car seat you choose works with your car and fits in the seat snuggly. I personally prefer the ones without the bar that comes down over the baby's head. I also like the 5 point harness as opposed to the three. I have an Eddie Bauer one that I use for my daycare toddlers and really like it.

B.

We love our Britax Marathon. It is pricey but it is one you will keep for years to come. We purchased the Britax Dicathalon for our second child and we do not like it nearly as much as the Marathon. The Marathon is easily to put in the car and appears to be very secure.

Like Brandi E said, a baby's car seat should not turn around & face forward until he is 12 months old. I would recommend getting a car seat that is rear-facing AND forward-facing. When my daughter seemed too cramped in the Graco infant snug-ride, we got a Cosco convertible seat that can be rear-facing & then forward-facing. We never had any problems with it. We actually ended up getting the next convertible Cosco seat that is forward-facing (20-40lbs) and then will be a booster seat when she is old enough/big enough (probably in 10 years! haha).

As far as quality, I know Britax is supposed to be one of the best. They have seats that will last a child through all stages, but they are expensive!! I would have loved to have gotten one of those, but we just can't afford it. And with as dirty as a toddler can get a car seat, I'm kinda glad I didn't spend so much on her seats! ha!