hey moms,it's time for my little one to move into a bigger carseat, which one do i choose? i am getting one from my family for Christmas and i am overwhelmed by all the choices. My baby is 8months and 20lbs. I want a seat that reclines and has a cup holder. Around $100-150. Any help? thanks
Hello!
I was in the same situation and sooo confused! Even much lauded Britax had a recall around that time.
We ended up buying 2 different versions of the Graco Comfort Sport for the cars. They are convertible car seats, meaning they can be both rear and front facing. They were around $80 each at Target. They are easy to install and to take apart to wash the cover.
We like them a lot and would recommend them to anyone.
D.
Look on Consumer Reports. I have the rear facing right now, but I know the ones I bought were high on the list. They also list prices next the recommendations.
BRITAX and here are some videos to watch.... They say it all!
Importance of rear-facing car seats for your child
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo
Car seats vs booster for your toddler
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ
Infant car seat safety tips
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihjHWjgyf6w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3BBv78HV6I
God bless and Merry Christmas
Britax makes the safest car seats available on the market, but they do not have cup holders usually and they cost around $200-$270. Britax is rated number one by Consumer Reports. Their seats are really easy to use and install. Easy to clean and the seat belts never get tangled. I highly recommend the Britax Marathon because it has a weight limit of 60 or 65 lbs. So you won't ever need to buy another car seat for your child. He/she will go straight from the Britax Marathon to a seat belt in the car. I keep saying the Marathon model because the Britax Roundabout only has a weight limit of 40 lbs. Good luck!
I have not heard of the britax car seat, but then I have not bought a car seat in a year!But I bought both my boys the Eddie Baurer and have the use the cr@*p out of them!! I bought two of them at the same time, and they have some little extras, but after years of taking the entire car seat apart to adjust the shoulder strap when the kids had a growth spurt, the easy shoulder adjustable strap was a blessing. But now I am guessing that most of the carseats do that now. I would go to Babys R Us and check out what they have in your price range. I suggest taking the baby with you to see if he fits in the seat nicely, by last baby is a chunk and some of the seats were a bit snug for him. His brother is on the skinny side and he needed the side pillows that came with the seat until he was 3! Look for several seats that fit your needs and your car and before purchasing it look it up on the internet for its ratings. Good luck, it is such a hard choice because they are VERY important and expensive and you will use this car seat for years.
Hey J.,
I think just because your baby is 20lbs you should still wait till he is a year. My son hit 20lbs when he was 10 months and his doctor told me not to get a new car seat and to wait till he is one. If you are set on getting a new car seat I would go to babies R us because they have a range of car seats. After you do that then your local fire department can show you how to install it the right way.
Consumer reports recommends the Evenflo Triumph for the best safety. We got these for our 2 kids and love them. although, the cupholder is pretty crappy. They also recommended the Briantix (i don't know how to spell it). My friend has this one. It's a lot more expensive. I don't like the way you have to tighten the straps because you have to get in front of it and pull. If you're in a vehicle that won't let you get in front of the carseat then it's difficult to use. Theirs doesn't have a cup holder. The Evenflo Trimph has a knob to tighten it and is easy to use.
Britax is rated very high, but due to the cost, not easily accessible to everyone. (I'm a stay at home mome - I can't affort 200+ for a carseat!) So, I use Graco. They have pretty good reputations. We looked at a lot of things when we chose our last carseat. Plus, if you go online to the Graco website and register your seat, they well send you info about other things but also, if for some reason there is a recall, they will notify you immediately!
P.S. Target has some Britax carseats for about 170, if I recall right.
I recently purchased a new carseat for my 7 mo old. My Baby Bargains book recommended a Britax Roundabout. I think they said the Marathon is good, too. They run about $200. For a less expensive but good carseat they also recommended the Graco Comfort Sport. We have one of those for my husband's car and it's quite nice, too. And much less expensive--less than $100!
I was told that carseat.org will have some helpful information. Hope that helps!
I know the Britax are some of the highest rated. I've found some sites like albeebaby.com that have close outs & sales so that you can get the higher rated ones for less. The Britax also takes a child up through 65 lbs. Still, a close out one would cost you more towards $175-$200. My daughter is just about your sons age. It seemed like a splurge, but if it lasts 5-6 years, it sounds pretty good. Here's a bit more info: http://babyproducts.about.com/b/2006/04/03/car-seats-for-... & http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/ Best of luck! -J.
We just got a Cosco I think for about $160.00 at Target. We love it. It does rear facing and two reclining postitions for forward facing. It was more than I wanted to spend, and I don't remember the exact price, but we're expecting another one, and we'll buy the same carseat again. You can loosen and tighten the straps easily and adjust the shoulder straps and between the legs with the child sitting in the car seat. It does have cup holders and our older son in jealous the baby has such a nice seat. It's the easiest carseat we've ever owned. We love it! Hope you find the right one for you. I know you don't have to spend a lot to get it, it just takes extra shopping time.
-K-
The reclining ones are short lived, you want one that will hold up them up to when they are a toddler so you can use it for a few years and not have to get new ones constantly. The Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 is fabulous. A child doesn't need a cup holder nor a reclining seat (most of them cannot recline to be safe), call your local fire dept and see what ones they recommend as they have lists of recalled ones, have records on which ones are good solid and safe seats. I paid $150 for my kids each for the 3 in 1, three years later my 6 year old is still in that seat and will be until next year when it is booster seat time. My son loves his, has side pockets so it holds toys. They sit up so high cup holders are really necessary at all. The 3 in 1 are rear facing then you can flip them around at 1 and then can serve as boosters later.
Good luck, go with quality and not accessories...
BRITAX!!! I recommend the Roundabout or the Marathon. It is the safest carseat on the market. While it doesn't have a cupholder, it does recline.
Hi J.!
Far as I know, it is the law to wait until they are 1 year old to be in a front facing car seat ...
And after they grow out of the 'car seat', they must be in a booster seat until 4' 9" .... I have a 9 yr old that isn't quite tall enough to sit without one yet, and boy, she can't wait =0)
I have always liked the car seats by Graco...sturdy and easy to install.. and their booster seats are great as well...
Hope this helps....
M.
Hi J.,
My husband and I just bought our 2 month old a convertible car seat from Costco. Manufacturer is Safety 1st, Alpha Omega Elite model, it's a 3-in-1 (infant, toddler, booster), for children up to 100 lbs, 52", and it has a cup holder. It was about $120. Good luck!
I have a Cosco Alpha Omega 3 i 1 convertible car seat that I have had since my toddler was about 6 months old. He was a big boy and quickly outgrew his infant seat. This one is inexpensive considering it goes from infant to toddler and even becomes a booster seat. It is comfy and my son prefers it to the cheap one we have in our other car. I bought it early last year at Walmart, but I found the new model on their website so you can look at it. It is nice because it can go forward or rear facing and reclines. It has arm rests and comes with a cup holder. Hope this helps, and it is between $100-$150
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3932620
Evenflo Triumph has the highest safety rating. Britax carseats are just overpriced and not as safe.
You should wait until he is at least a year and even then, I was told that their little heads are better off in an accident if they are still rear facing up to 35 pounds. It makes sense. Don't be hasty to buy a new car seat unless he has totally outgrown his old one. Just a suggestion.
