Advice on Infant Car Seat That You Love

We have the Britax Companion and only like it so so.

The car seat is ok but I find the handle difficult to maneuver up and down because the buttons sometimes get stuck.

The stroller is very low and hard for anyone 6 ft or taller to push it without leaning down a little. Plus the hood is very small and doesn't protect baby well from the sun.

On the plus side, it was Consumer Report's recommended seat last year, which is why we got it.

NOTE: Consumer Reports yesterday retracted their report on unsafe car seats (this is what the other posters mentioned). Below I have included their statement:

"CONSUMER REPORTS WITHDRAWS INFANT CAR SEAT REPORT

Move is made pending additional testing now underway

NEW YORK (Jan. 18) -- Consumer Reports is withdrawing its recent report on infant car seats pending further tests of the performance of those seats in side-impact collisions.

A new report will be published with any necessary revisions as soon as possible after the new tests are complete.

We withdrew the report immediately upon discovering a substantive issue that may have affected the original test results. The issue came to light based on new information received Tuesday night and Wednesday morning from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) concerning the speed at which our side-impact tests were conducted.

The original study, published in the February issue of Consumer Reports, was aimed at discovering how infant seats performed in tests at speeds that match those used in the government’s New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). This program tests most new vehicles in crashes at speeds of 35 mph for frontal impact and 38 mph for side impact. Child safety seats, in contrast, are currently tested only in front-impact crashes at speeds of 30 mph.

Our tests were intended to simulate side crashes at the NCAP speed of 38 mph. The new information raises a question about whether the tests accurately simulated that speed, however, so we are now reviewing our tests and the resulting article.

To those who may have seen the report earlier in print, on the Web, or in broadcasts, we urge you to remember that use of any child seat is safer than no child seat, but to suspend judgment on the merits of individual products until the new testing has been completed and the report re-published.

We appreciate that manufacturers and particularly NHTSA are engaging directly with us on this article, and we applaud NHTSA for giving serious consideration to development of side-impact child seat tests. Consumer Reports has long advocated adoption of such tests, since government data shows that side crashes account for a significant number of child fatalities.

We look forward to re-issuing guidance on child-seat safety as soon as possible."

I also suggest reading the latest Consumer Reports. Out of 12 infant car seats tested, only 2 got good crash test ratings. The other 10 failed!

The baby Center web site did not give the Britax Champion good ratings.The Graco Snugride with EPS and the Baby Trend Flex lock with adjustable back were on there good list
N.

Hi Gretchen,

We just got the Britax Roundabout. We have not tried them yet, but everything I read on consumer reports was very positive. from ease of use to safety protection! There was actually a story about a mother who got in an accident with her child. The mother suffered internal damage while the baby was completely fine! Made me feel good! Best of Luck, it's a big decision! Congrats on the upcoming new arrival!

A.

There are MANY reports out right now about infant car seats! I think there were only 2 that were given the thumbs up. I can only recall one though, the Graco Snugride. We used this and NO problems. We also got the Graco snap & go stroller which was too easy to use! My son just grew out of this in October and we now have a Britax Roundabout (rated #2 by Consumer Reports) and an Evenflo (don't know the name but rated #1 by consumer reports). I highly recommend checking Consumer Reports buying guide for most baby products, they are very thorough in their testing.

We really liked our Peg Perego Primo Viaggio. In fact, we have the infant car seat in the Hip Hop style, if you are interested in buying it. I'd sell it for half price. We are still using the stroller part of the system, which we also like. Our little boy was born this time last year and wasn't so little! He was 21" long, so he was only in it for maybe 6 months (it's all a blur). He never urped on it and we had no car accidents, so it is in excellent condition except for the warning label, which is frayed a bit. I've been meaning to put it on Craig's list but haven't gotten around to it.

Gretchen,
I always have used Britax, but did not buy the Companion because it was a new model. Instead, we have the Peg Perego Viaggio because it fit into our stroller.
If they can tell you how big Baby is right now, you might be able to go with a convertible Britax seat. Just don't do this if your baby is at the very low end of the seat's weight range. No matter what they say, some babies are just too small for these seats in the very beginning. We bought the Peg Perego only because the Britax Roundabout was way too big for my newborn.
With a convertible seat, you would not be limited to strollers that fit the particular car seat. I say this because it can be a huge pain in the rear to fit a newborn seat into a stroller chassis. It's easier to put Baby directly in a buggy or stroller.
Amy