Seeking Opinions and Advice on 20Lbs and up Car Seats

I am not a name brand mom unless my sweat sister-in-law is handing it down to me :) My best advice for choosing a car seat is to Contact your local WIC office in the Health Department. They give out free car seats to low income families. The car seats (just like the food) are the ones the State has deemed the safest and most valuable for the dollar. I would stop in and ask them what car seat they recommend. Also, when considering which car seat is deemed the "safest" be sure to check to see who did the ratings. You will find alot of times the company of who is rated #1 is a sub-company of who did the ratings and they are only boosting thier sales...It is VERY TRUE and it is a falisy in advertisement. I mean of course GM Powertrain is going to rank their Trucks #1 in Safety and affordability and you would be very surprised to know how many companies put out studies on how their product (without you even knowing it is their product) is the best. Hope that helps, and PS my girls were 20lbs and front facing at 4 and 5 months

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I assume you mean car seat, not booster (not allowed until 4yrs and 40lb.)
I don't have the time to read all the other answers, so this might be a repeat. It is recomended that you don't turn your baby around until they hit either the 33-36" (depending on seat) or the weight limit on the seat. Their neck and back bones aren't fully formed until between 2 and 3 years so you are really taking a chance turning them around so early.
Last I checked on Consumer reports, Britax Marathon (expensive) and Evenflo Triumph were tied at #1 with 81 points. Cosco Alpha Omega Elite ws #2 with 80 points and can be used as a booster as well so you will never have to buy another car seat or booster. We have a Triumph and the AOE and really prefer the AOE, it's easier to use and change strap height and such.
Even the AAP says keep them rear-facing as long as the car seat accomodates.
"Rear-facing is the safest position the child can ride in. It is strongly recommended that all children stay rear-facing beyond the minimum requirements of 1 year and 20 lbs. Children should not be turned forward-facing until they reach the maximum rear-facing limits of a convertible seat (that allows rear-facing to at least 30 lbs). These limits are either the maximum rear-facing weight limit or when the top of their head is within one inch of the top of the seat shell, whichever comes first. While most parents are aware that they must keep their children rear-facing "until they are AT LEAST 1 year old AND 20 lbs", very few are told that there are significant safety benefits when a child remains rear-facing as long as the seat allows. For most children, rear-facing can and should continue well into the second year of life."

Here are a couple things to check out before you turn your baby around too soon:
http://www.homesafety.net/Resources/AsktheSafetyGuy/Safet...

If that's not enough, this will convince you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo

There have been no documented cases of children breaking legs because they were rear-facing in a car crash. And, even if there were, wouldn't you rather have a child with a broken leg than a neck or spinal injury, or worse, dead? Please buy a convertable seat and leave them rear-facing.

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I bought an Alpha Omega for my first child. I loved it so much that I bought another one when I had my second child. (My oldest was still using hers as a booster at this point.) They're a little more expensive, but I thought they were well worth the money. They also have the 5-point harness, which is rated highly for safety.

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Britax Marathon is totally worth the price. And it goes up to 65 lbs! I tried all the others and they are made cheaply and are very uncomfortable to sit in (according to my daughter). I bit the bullet and bought the Marathon and my daughters love them! They are also the safest on the market. You can't put a price tag on your children's safety. $250 is worth the peace of mind!

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I have a Britax and it is completely worth it. It is super easy to install (LATCH, tether, or seatbelt) if you ever have to take it out and move it around. I also have great peace of mind knowing that it is one of the absolute best and safest seats out there. Yes, it is pricey but I'd rather have a great and safe seat protecting my child in the event, God forbid, something awful happen.

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I have the Britax Roundabout (rated #1) in my car, and we have the Evenflo Triumph XL (rated #2) in my husband's car. I like them both. Love the latch system on the Britax!!! The evenflo has a nice dial feature...you dial to tighten the straps once the child is in, rather than pull the strap like in most carseats. The Britax is a more compact carseat, and the Evenflo will seem a lot bigger (wider) when comparing the two.

My advice is go to Babies R Us, as they have both types of carseats. Look at both. Try to latch both on the seat they have in the store. See what works best for you.

Hi-
I agree that the price tag on the Britax is crazy, especially when you have to buy two! We have the Evenflo with the good ratings, and we like it. I think it's the Triumph (but DH is the one who's geeky on researching ratings!) It has the 5-point harness, but can also transition to a belt-positioning booster, and is good up to I think 60 or 80 lbs. It also has a cup holder, which initially made me roll my eyes, but has come in SOOO handy! It seems comfortable, and a lot come with side-impact foam now. I'm pretty sure Consumer Reports has rated the one Evenflo a best buy several times. Our latest challenge now is fitting the big booster, a convertable forward-facing (also an evenflo) and the Graco infant seat in the vehicles...#3 is due in a few weeks! :-)

My son just turned 1 and is 24# and we wanted a reasonably priced seat that could last for a while. We got the Graco Nautilus and really like it. I wish it reclined a little more, but it does recline and it also turns into a child carseat and then a booster, so he shouldn't need another one. He also likes the little side pouches for toys and the cup/snack holder. He seems very comfortable in it and it is not as wide as the Evenflo.

Albeebaby.com has seats at hugely discounted prices. They offer a Fisher Price seat that is actually made by Britax and gets the same ratings for far less money. Please consider keeping them rear-facing as long as possible. My son is 17 months and still faces rear and has never complained once. It is much safer as long as your seat is compatible. Also you can go to babycenter.com and search car seat safety and there's some really good info there and you can make sure your seat is compatible with your car. Some aren't...

I have the Alpha Omega, my in-laws have another kind (not sure) and my husband has another one (not sure) and they all work really well. I know with the Alpha Omgea one, they can sit in it from 8# up. I turned both of my kids around to the forward facing position before the time that was recommended. My son absolutlely HATED staring at the back of the seat and his feet were squished between his car seat and the back of the seat. My daughter didn't like looking back either, all though her feet weren't as bad. I don't think that it should really matter when your child gets moved, as long as you are careful about making sure that they are strapped in good and that they have an appropriate car seat for their weight and such. Both of my kids were out of their infant seats at quite an early age because they got too big and their feet and legs were hanging out of it and I didn't feel it was safe if we happened to get into an accident. My daughter is 2.5 and I think she's ready for one of those 5 point harness seats because of her weight and height even though the law here says they are suppose to be 3 & 30#. I feel that this should be left to the parents' discression and as long as they are in a carseat that is "safe" then there should be no problems. Good luck!

E.,
First I would say, unless your boys don't like facing backwards, I would leave them there at little longer, given their size, it's just a safer position.
With that said, I have an Evenflo and an Alpha Omega. I LOVE my Evenflo. It's big and sturdy, easy to use (I love the dial on the side) Kids look comfy. The only downside for me was it topped out at 40 lbs and my daughter wasn't ready for a belted booster at 3. That's when we started using the Alpha Omega. The only other precaution I would give you about the Evenflo is it's kind of wide and if you ever needed to put two next to each other or three across, they don't fit well. I had an Explorer and you couldn't put two of those and a booster in the same row. My friend has the Britax and she loves it. I think if I were to do it all over again, knowing that my kids were going to grow so fast, I would have gotten the Britax that goes to 60-100 lbs. My daugher is 4 1/2 and has gone through 3 car seats. However if your little guys stay little, you could use the Evenflo or other that goes only to 40 lbs until that time they are ready to go to a booster. Hope that helps.
T.

Hi E.,
My daughter is also turning one soon (Friday!) We just bought an Evenflow, but have not put it in the car yet so I cannot comment on how well we like it. I was told that all of the car seats have passed the safety test so pick the seat that suits your needs the best. You do not have to spend a ton of money to get a good one. I also wanted to say that we WILL BE facing our daughter forward as soon as she hits the 20lb marker!!! Our doctor said it was perfectly safe for her! I know many people have disagreed with it, but I trust my dr. I also think we will have much happier car rides as soon as she can see something other than the back of the car! :) Good luck to you!

I recommend carseatdata.org too. I have the Britax diplomat, since I have a smaller car. One area my tightwad hubby isn't stingy on is safety. We originally bought the Ricaro (from the people who make racecars!) but had to return it as it was just too giant to go rearfacing in my car. I LOVED it and so did my daughter it was seriously like a lounge chair and has excellent side impact protection. I had to compromise with the Britax diplomat since it was smaller, but still offers that important TRUE side impact protection. This is an area to do your research and really compare the features that are important to you. Another thing about cost, with the higher end seats they often have a very high weight range and it may just be the last seat you have to buy for your children, therefore making it worth the investment. I bought through Elitecarseats.com where you can compare items side by side and they were extremely helpful and have an excellent return policy if you change your mind. Good luck!

we received a Britax as a shower gift. and moved our kids once the infant seat started to seem too small (they were tall babies so this was before 1 year). one thing that i LOVE about the britax is that it sits up higher than other seats i've seen.
so the child can actually look out the window, rather than be sunk down low and reclining in the seat.

my kids Loved it, and prefer it over the seat in their grandma's car. (an eddie bauer).

good luck!

There are a lot of different options out there -- when we were searching, we looked at Consumer Reports to find out which ones were the safest. I want to say we ended up buying one called the Triumph, but I can't honestly remember which brand name it was. It was a great car seat though. :)

Also, I belong to a group called the Northeast Ohio Early Childhood PTA and at our next meeting we're going to have a Police officer from the Mentor Police Department come and talk to our group about Child safety seats. Our group meets at the Mentor Public Library on the second Thursday of each month. For more info about our group, visit our website www.neoecpta.com.

- M.

I LOVE the Britax carseat. I think yes, it is expensive, but for safety and ease of use, it think it's worth it. If you have two cars, it's so simple to take out and install. Our in-laws and my mom have the Graco carseat, which was less expensive, but I find them impossible to use. My in-laws' seat always has the straps twisted and I don't believe it's safe that way. Plus, it's really hard to tighten the straps. I can't speak to the Evenflo or the other seat. We are going to need a booster seat for our son soon and we'll be getting another Britax. I am very loyal, I think it's a really great product.

I was just at Costco last week and noticed that they had Britax Marathons available. I didn't notice the price. Also, I believe Babycenter.com is having a 15% sale until the end of September.

Happy shopping!

Hey E.! I highly recommend the Britax! They are wonderful carseats. They will last forever. I know that you said you don't really need one that is convertable, but they can seat both ways in these and they go up to like 60 lbs, so technically you wouldn't have to buy a booster when your kids get older. You can replace the cover for the seats as well if you ever need to. One more thing that I love about the Britax is it is so easy to switch from car to car. We actually only have one seat for our daughter because it's so quick and easy! The clips are wonderful! Good luck and I hope I was of some help!

We've used the Alpha Omega with all three of our kids. We love them and recommend them to our friends. They are easily adjustable, all from the front with out unbuckling. With the latch system it comes in and out of the car easily. The best part is that is can be used up to 80 lbs, so it is the only seat you will ever buy, unless you are in an accident. My oldest daughter used hers until she was 7 years old. She complained bitterly about riding in a car seat at that age, none of her friends did, but she could see out the window so much better. Turning babies around is up to you. I liked mine forward facing, because I could keep my eye on them better, they can also see you in a mirror better. I've noticed that my 20 mo. daughter watches me while I drive. She does look out the windows and she waves at me and points to things she wants to talk about. If she were rear facing we would not have that interaction. And whoever said that babies don't get uncomfortable has never listened to a couped up baby cry for an hour on the way home! The do get uncomfortable and they do need to move around and stretch their muscles just like you do. Sit a child in a car seat in your living room and watch how much they move around, even when they're sleeping! Go to babies r us and try out all the different brands. See which ones fits your child the best, but still leaves room to grow. See which one is easiest to adjust, especially now with jackets in the morning, but not the afternoon. They'll even let you try it in your car to find out if it fits there well. You'll also be able to see which fits your budget the best. For me safety is important, but money is always an object!

Hi E.!

I think you have to look at your child. My oldest daughter is a VERY big girl. She has always been in the 95% for height. So, we had to go from the infant seat to the convertible rear facing by the time she was 9 months. She lasted only in the convertible seat until she was about 15 months. Not because of the weight, but because of the height. We couldn't adjust the straps anymore for her and it wasn't safe for her head not to be protected.

Because of her young age, I didn't have a choice but to go to a booster. However, most of the boosters didn't have a 5 point system. A few did and I think I bought every one of them. However, I ended up taking them all back because the bottom strap that goes between the legs didn't adjust. This caused a pinching and rubbing on her thighs. Then I found a Britax version with many adjustments both on the leg and shoulder position. It also has a 5 point harness system and goes up to 100#s. She still fits very comfortably in it and we haven't had to adjust the leg strap yet.

So, I think it is important to look at the growth of your child, not only weight but height and pick the best for you. I know that the Britax is more expensive, but in my mind it is worth it knowing it is a really safe seat.

Good Luck
K.

I really hope you meant forward-facing toddler seat instead of "booster"!!! Booster seats use the car's seatbelt across the child and not the 5 point harness.

The laws may still say "1 year and 20 lbs" for facing-backward but every child seat safety group and the American Academy of Pediatrics now says to leave kids rear-facing until 18-24 months. It isn't uncommon for a 15-18 month old facing forward to be "internally decapitated" in an accident. Yes - it's as bad as it sounds. Many states are now considering changing the laws to reflect the results of that massive study that was released last spring. Keep in mind that most of the toddler (forward facing only) seats were safety tested with a 2-3 year old size/weight dummy -- not a 12 month old -- so the safety ratings don't mean much for a 1 year old.

The options for rear-facing until higher weights are plenty these days. Personally, we love the Comfort True Fit. It's rear-facing until 35 (or 40? I forget exactly) lbs. And then it goes forward-facing until 65 lbs. My 3 year-old is in the Graco Nautilus and she really loves it (harness until 65 lbs) but it's a toddler seat, not a convertible.

I personally loved britax even though it was pricey, I loved the fact that it grew with her,and it was the last seat I would ever buy. It also was the narrowest of the seats available at the time so if an adult wanted to ride with us somewhere 2 could comfortably sit in the backseat with her in the middle. Also my sister in law is due soon and I plan on buying an new cover and passing it down to her because of the safety rating. Hope this helps

my daughter has the "eddie bauer" rear/forward facing car seat for 20lbs & up. we still use it rear facing though(she's only 15lbs). she is more comfortable in that one compared to her evenflo infant carrier. i can't remember the web address, but the gov. has one with all the brands of carseats & they're safty/comfort rating. good luck & God be with you.

I have always used Graco - they have a carseat now that starts at the 1 yr/20 # mark and goes through 100 lbs as a highback or backless booster and I really like it. I have had experience using some evenflo models and can't say I love them, my sister-in-law has a convertible one that if you ever have to use a seatbelt with it instead of the latch belts you better have small hands because the space to feed the seatbelt through is ridiculous. In my opinion the Britax carseats are Luxury carseats - they do have more features, but if price is a concern I don't think they're worth it. I've had just about every model of Graco (my father-in-law used to work for the company) and have no complaints about any of them - the newest one is great if you want to not worry about new carseats ever again - they run about $150. I believe it's called the nautilus - actually it's on sale at Amazon with free shipping. Hope this helps!

I'll just add to all the pro-Britax / pro-rear facing posts.

Please, please, please do the research. Read up on the safety issues. We, as adults, put our own thoughts and feelings upon our children with regards to "riding in cars" -- meaning, WE think they are uncomfortable with either facing to the rear, bent legs, or not being able to "see the world." But, watch your children when they are playing. Often, a child's preferred way of sitting will be with bent legs. Unlike adults, children are not uncomfortable. Additionally, unless they are already forward facing, it's not as if they "know" that they are "missing" anything. My DS stayed rear-facing until he was 2.5 years old and 31 lbs. Personally, I wish I had left him until now as he has just now reached the upper weight limit (33 lbs.) at 3.5 years old.

I'm not sure why so many people are in such a rush to turn their children around. Safety should be, first and foremost in our minds with regards to our children. Convenience or avoiding paying for a car seat should not.

Yes, Britax is rated highly. Yes, we have a Britax. However, I did not pay anywhere near retail as there are several internet sites which sell them at a discounted rate. There are several online boards where you can ask car seat techs their advice. There are other convertible car seats which are not as cost prohibitive and are ranked fairly high with regards to safety.

I have no doubt that you love your sons and want to do what is best for them. I do urge you to look at all the pros and cons, including watching some of the videos on the reasons for extended rear-facing. Many parents I know haven't watched them simply because they KNOW that it will make them feel guilty for even thinking about turning their child around to soon.

Ultimately, it is your decision as a parent. A previous poster mentioned the Graco Nautilus. If you are planning to turn them around at the legally-accepted minimum of 1 year AND 20 lbs., this would be a good car seat to own.

On a side note, the post from Sindy, "...PS my girls were 20lbs and front facing at 4 and 5 months" not only advocates irresponsible parenting, it supports illegal behavior. I highly recommend ignoring that post.

Best of luck. Car seats are a financial burden, but in the end it's better to be safe, you know?

I love my Alpha Omega. Once you have everything adjusted it is easy to move from car to car. My rather tall, average build child fits perfectly in the seat and it seems more secure than my other car seat. The pieces aren't quite as junky as my evenflow or eddie bauer ones seem. Also the cover I have is a nylon material and you can just hose the entire care seat off. I have used it in the back of a 2-door Civic and the front of an F-150, just to give you some idea.

Hope this helps.

First of all, I'd like to recommend you leaving your sons rear-facing longer. Yes, the law says 20 pounds and 1 year, but each step you move up, is less safe than the one before. I'd like to direct you to www.car-seat.org, and you can read there about the benefits of extended rear facing (30 lbs and 2 years at the least). Also, you can check out some videos on youtube.com if you do a search for extended rear facing.

Your children can see the world rear facing. I personally think it's a selfish reason to want to forward face your child, especially when you know it is safer to keep them rear facing. Plus, your children are not in their car seats 24/7, so they are able to see the world when they're not riding in the car.

What makes you think they are ready to face forward? Because you want them to? That's what it seems. They're little undeveloped bodies are truely not ready to face forward. And, not to mention that you should use your car seats until they reach the maximum weight limits, which I'm confident that they have not. Like I said, I don't believe they are ready to move on. I'd get a convertible car seat, if you don't want to continue to use an infant carrier (which I don't blame you there!), and have them rear-facing until 30 lbs and 2 years.

Better safe, than sorry. Better to have them rear facing longer and be safe, than to jump the gun because you want to switch them prematurely.

As far as car seats go, I absolutely love the Evenflo Triumph Advance.

I am currently using the Alpha Omega as a rear facing with Jaxon (he is almost 8 months)

I like it ok, but it is complicated to take apart and put back together to wash the coverings...

I like the fact that all you have to do to adjust the straps is to either pull on them at the harness (to loosen) or pull on the excess strap down underneath the buckle (to tighten)

the seat is rather large, but if you are gonna use it forward facing, it shouldnt be a problem. rear facing takes a lot of room in the back seat and if you happen to have a Durango, it just wont work as a rear facing seat!

other than that, I like it... it seems to be a very good seat and will accommadate the kids for a long time since it can be used as rear facing, forward facing, and as a booster.

I"ve had Graco, Evenflo, First Years, etc... It just depends on what style fits best in your vehicle, and which one works best for you.
Some work for some, and others something different.

If you have more than one vehicle, get more than one car seat, then you dont' have to worry about switching them back and forth.

We have the Alpha Omega Elite and love it! It will last my son until he is big enough to not need one - espeically since it converts to a booster. It was very reasonably priced as well. I have friends who have the Britax and love it, but it was a gift - she even said she would never pay that price and there are others just as safe but les expensive! Good luck!

Check out tinyride.com for Britax, you save a lot of money and they don't charge shipping, I've used them and it's a great site! Good luck!

I too did a ton of reseach before we decided to buy a Britax for my car and we ended up with an eddie bauer for my husbands car. In my opinion the Britax is worth it. I too did research and didn't pay retail. I actually shopped ebay and got a great deal on 2 britax car seats. We loved the first so much we bought a second for the babysitter.

Here's what i love about Britax.
The harness is easily adjustable with a push of a button
The child sits up higher and can see out the window
Lots of padding but comes apart very easily for cleaning

The number one thing i love about Britax is the tilt seat function. This allows you to recline the seat while it is still strapped in so when your child falls asleep their head is not bobbing everywhere. Addison has taken many naps in her car seat and she'll take a full nap!

The only thing I would do differently is purchase the nmore expensive Britax that has a higher weight limit. I one i bought only goes to 45 pounds. But at the time that is what fit into the budget. However, my daughter is 2 and only 25 pounds. So when she outgrows the Britax she will probably be ready for a booster.

We have an Evenflo and we've used it on both of our kids. It's great, safe and WAY less expensive than others. If you check Consumer Reports, they do a car seat issue every year I think and though the seats are rated (which means one will always be best) there's a "best buy" option (safest for the price) and not an appreciable differnece in quality or safety from the best to the lowest. It sounds crazy but it's true. The year we registered (05) there was only one car seat they didn't recommend. We couldn't find it anywhere so getting a bad car seat it harder than it seems I think.

I love the Alpha Omega Elite. You can check out www.carseatdata.org and see which carseat would work easiest for your vehicle. Also, I would still think about keeping your kids rear-facing. I grew up in Europe and the standards there are different than over here. The reasoning to keep kids rear-facing as long as possible is that their spine is not developed enough to absorb an impact. Meaning that if you are in an accident and your kids experience 'whiplash', the injuries are not only in the neck area but almost in a 100% of the cases, there are permanent spinal and back injuries when the child is facing forward. When the child is in a rear-facing seat however, it is acutally the seat that absorbs most of the impact and the child is pushed against the seat. So, neck, back and spinal injuries are avoided. In Europe, most countries recommend keeping kids rear-facing until they are about 2 to 3 years old or as long as possible. I have read that their spine is not completely developed (as in "hardened") until they are between 4 and 5 years old. I know a lot of parents are concerned that their kids' legs will be "crunched" if they are rear-facing too long b/c the parents say that there is not enough space for the legs, but my thinking is that first of all, it doesn't bother most kids to sit with their knees up a little and secondly, I would rather have my son's legs a little "crunched", than have him deal with back, neck and/or spinal injuries for the rest of his life...

I have an Evenflo and love it. Mine is the Triumph 5 (a few years old now) and doesn't switch to a belt positioning booster. It is easy to install and the best part is how easy it is to adjust the straps to get them nice and tight. With coats on and off in the fall and spring it's nice to be able to tighten it in a second.

Hi E.,
I have the Britax Marathon for my kids- ages 2 and 4. Personally, I think the price tag was well worth it. They are so easy to get in and out of the cars (if you ever needed to switch cars), they are very stable in the car and they fit my kids well. We did try 2 others with my 4 year old and were never happy with them, a few of my friends had the britax and recomended them highly. After 3 years of use, the first one we bought is still in perfect shape. We have been very happy with them. Also, keep in mind that the weight limit on the britax is 60 lbs., so you will be able to use them longer than most of the others and will probably not need to purchase any other seats (unless Ohio changes the 4 and 40lbs rule). Good luck.

I'm a big fan of Graco. They're priced in the mid-range, do well in safety testing and aren't hideously uncomfortable.

One thing you can do to up the comfort of any seat is line it with memory foam. It's easy to cut it to the shape of the seat and put slits in for the harness and lock and stuff. My local police department took a look at mine and said that it didn't change the safety features of the seat, so I didn't have to sacrifice comfort for safety. Good luck!