Recommendation for the Next Car Seat

We went with the Britax Marathon for my children when they were ready for a change. Both of mine were in he 90th percentile for height and weight at 5 mos, so I wanted something that would last! The Br Mar and others are convertible, meaning you can use them rear-facing until they reach the minimum of one year of age and appropriate weight (over 20 lbs). They can then be used forward facing until 65 lbs and a very realistic height. My kids are 2.6 and 3.6 and are still very comfortably riding in them. The safety records are of course the major priority and its record is great. Also consider these things with whatever seat you are looking at: The ease of installing (easy to do with the latch system and not that bad with cars without latch). Ease of cleaning (very easy, again). And for me, the ease to adjust the straps day to day (based on the thickness of the coat they are wearing) and for moving from one car to another - both are very easy to do with the Brit Marathon. Hope that helps.

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I recommend the Britax Boulevard. I use it for both my kids. It is a little more money than other seats but worth it. I had to move my son to a bigger carseat when he was almost 6 months too.

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I am SOO glad you asked this question. My daughter is smaller than some babies, since she's nine months, and still can fit in her infant seat. But, for Christmas I'm getting her a seat, and it looks like the Britax might be the one. We tried it at Babies R Us, and she seemed to love it.

A hint for Babies R Us is to look at their clearance aisle. They usually have the Marathon for a reduced price, since they seem to ALWAYS lose the box from the floor models.

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We also went through the same thing. We received a stroller/carseat travel system at our shower. The carseat is great, but he outgrew it so quick.

We purchased an Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 seat (aka Cosco Alpha Omega). It can still rear face. I really like that it is washable, which most seat covers are nowadays. The second thing I really like is that you don't have to rethread the straps to adjust the height. There is a bar on the back that you squeeze and pull up to the next height position. I don't know if other brands do this or not. Third it has 3 recline positions. We used the recline more in the beginning, but now that he is 3 it is nice for long trips, vacations, etc.

I don't know where you like to shop, but here is what I did.
I went to Babies R Us and sampled the ones I read reviews on, then I bought my carseat online. At the time, I think I saved about $80-$100 on his seat buy purchasing online.
I used albeebaby.com, they are in NY. I also purchases a stroller from them last year. I thought their prices were good, and they shipped relatively quick.

M.

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T. - I have found that car seats are extremely important...working closely with Mrs. Edgar's Help Me Grow campaign (Governor Edgar's wife), back in the 90's I learned that the #1 cause of death for children under the age of two is being thrown from a vehicle. This being said. I would strongly recommend the Britax car seats...there are different styles and weight limitations...so check out the ones that would work for you. My son is 21 months and we have the Marathon style and love it and so does my son. They are expensive but our children's safety is worth the price.

Good Luck!!!

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I have two boys ages 2 and 3 1/2. I bought both of them Britax Marathons when they outgrew their baskets at around 6 months, and I have loved the quality and security of them. However, my older son is very tall (95th percentile) and even though he technically is still within the specs for the Marathon, I find the straps a very constricting for him, even at their longest. I especially have a problem with how short the crotch strap is. So, we ended up moving one Britax to my husband's car (for my little guy) and we now have a booster seat in each car for my older son. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Britax is HUGE and HEAVY. Moving it in and out is not difficult, but it is pretty cumbersome. I would still recommend it highly for ages 6 months to 3 years, but I would not expect it to be the last seat you need if you have a very tall child. Good luck!

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Britax has several seats for someone your child's age. Check them out. (Roundabout, Marathon, probably more.)
Also, I heard that Cosco seats have bad crash ratings, but I don't know this for sure. You cannot go wrong with Britax.
Amy

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I too reccommend the Britax Marathon. It works well as a rear facing seat, and also front facing when the time is right. It also keeps them in a 5 point harness up to 65 lbs which is fantastic. We also have an Evenflo Triumph in our other car, and although it is just as safe, we will have to replace it soon cause my 30 month old is getting too tall for it, where as we have come nowhere close to the limit on the Britax. I know they are expensive, but totally worth it. There is not one piece of baby gear that is more important than a carseat and I think that their safety is definetly worth it.

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We just purchased a Britax Boulivard for our 6-month son. It was more expensive, but it is also good up to 65 lbs, as opposed to only 40 lbs with the cheaper seats. And I figured that if he didn't have a seat that went to a higher weight limit, we'd need to buy yet *another* car seat in a few years. Hopefully this will avoid this problem. I figure the extra time that he'll be able to use it, plus the great safety rating, made it worth it. Also I can tell from playing with it that it is extremely well made - seat belts are easy to adjust, slide well, cushioning is nice, etc. For what it's worth, we ended up getting $50 off ours at Babies R Us because the box was damaged :)

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I really like the Alpha Omega Elite, made by Cosco. It was $159 at Target & Toys R Us. It's good for 5-100 lbs, and is capable of rear & forward facing. Also, just as a reminder, children need to be rear facing for the first year AND the first 20 pounds.

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My daughter is very tall for her height ~ she's 23 months old and already 36 inches tall. When we were looking for a new car seat for her when she was about 8 months old, we put her in the Britax Marathon at Babies R Us, but it looked like she would be outgrowing it soon. We had heard and read tons of great things about the Evenflo Triumph and after putting her in it in the store, we knew it was the one. It is also not as expensive as the Britax brands, but is rated just as good. We are extremely happy with it, too. Hope this helps!

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I see most people already told you the best carseat. I also have a Britax carseat for my youngest...it DOES go rear facing. We have had no problems with ours and it looks sooooo comfy for them to sit in! The only down fall, be ready to put down $220 at least!

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Check out consumer reports...there recommendation when we purchased our last carseat was the Evenflo Titan. We have a Britax and we have found the Evenflo to be just as good and more than half the cost. Pricier does not always = better. Our almost 3 year old is in the Titan and loves it. Easy to clean, straps ar not confusing as others told us. Also, if your child is over the 40 lb limit they can go into a booster seat, actually I think there are even 30 lb booster seats out there.

Good luck!
K.

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I second Lisa's recommendation for the Britax Boulevard. We love ours.

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I had the same problem. My son out grew his baby car seat at 4 months. He is very tall. I then bought the Britax Roundabout. I purchased this over the Marathon, because it was rated better at least at the time for safety. I have know idea if that is the same now. The Roundabout only goes up 40 inches and the Marathon goes up to 49. So, I am now looking at purchasing another car seat, but he isn't old enough to move to a booster, since they have to be at least 4 and my son is only 2. I am now looking at the Britax Regent, this seat is for only forward facing and goes up to 80lbs and 53 inches. I think most kids outgrow car seats either by age or height, but not usually weight. I wish I had pay more attention to height, but I think it is all inevitable and you need to purchase more seats especially if you want the best in terms of safety and for me that was number one.I would suggest cheking out consumer reports. They have a whole section on car seats. The Marathon is probably the best bet in terms of lasting longer. Good Luck!

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We just bought Britax Marathon seats. Best of the best I have been told and read time and time again. Search online ... you can find some great deals out there.