Help Choosing Our Next Carseat

Updated on December 22, 2008
A.L. asks from Gig Harbor, WA
36 answers

Hi Moms,

I need some help with choosing the next carseat for my son. He's 11 months old and is pretty tall (at his 9 month appt. he was 27 inches and 22 1/2 pounds). We need a new carseat for him but wanted to get the one that will last the longest, especially with the weight limits. Please let me know what you do/don't like about the carseats!

Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thank you all so much for your recommendations on the carseat. We are on our way out the door to go find one, and I printed off all the information from you and will be using it to help us choose!

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T.P.

answers from Portland on

Hi A., I am very happy with both of the convertable seats we got for my then 11m old daughter. She had passed the legal weight/hieight limit to be moved to a forward facing seat, but because it is SO MUCH SAFER to her to be rear facing i dedicded to get a Britax Marathon that I could rear face to 35lbs. We also have a Cosco Scenera for my husbands car that works very well rear facing too. my daughter is now 15m old and stil quiet happy facing backwards.

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L.J.

answers from Portland on

Britax Marathon, hands down. I used one for both of my boys and for my daughter thought I'd save $100 and get a different one. I'm SO disappointed with the Safety First. The seatbelts twist ALL the time and it's hard to latch into the seat. The Britax has been EASY ALL the time and I REALLY wish I had gotten one for my daughter!!!!!

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A.G.

answers from Anchorage on

One word,
Britax!
They are amazing! You can buy a used one on craigslist for around $100. Works just like a new one! Good luck!

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L.S.

answers from Portland on

Once again- the BRITAX MARATHON- Babies R us opens their doors late ( I think once a month) to customers that sign up for this free rewards club. You can get 20 % of one item- We did it and got quite a bit off this carseat. Just an idea. They also said it goes by european standards instead of US and that is supposed to be better. I thought it was spendy but didn't want to scrimp in this area.
L.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.P.

answers from Seattle on

We have the Britax Boulevard - really love it. It has side impact protection and "wings" to protect your little ones head. The wings are also great when they fall asleep as they help support and cradle them so that they don't flop around so much. This is not an inexpensive seat but has a lot going for it. We looked at it as a relatively inexpensive insurance policy to safeguard our precious child - we spend a great deal on car insurance and felt that we should do all we could to protect our child. The seat is rated to 65 pounds and is easily adjustable. Best of luck with your decision.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.F.

answers from Seattle on

Many people have suggested the Britax and mentioned the safety ratings. If you check the consumer guide safety ratings, you'll actually find that the evenflo triumph has a better record!!! We have one and love it. Ours is a few years old, so it only goes to 40 pounds. They have since come out with one that goes up to 50 pounds(I think). I have not looked into price or safety ratings for this one, but it is worth a look. We also have the alpha omega elite which supposedly goes to 100 pounds, however after 40 pounds it can be used only as a booster. Therefore, our youngest daughter uses these two seats. Our son is 5. He weighs 45 pounds and is 47 inches tall. About 4 months ago we purchased the graco nautilus for him. It goes up to 65 pounds. Even though he is quite tall, there is still one height notch left for him to grow. We love the seat and he does, too. Just wanted to let you know that there are options other than Britax out there. Do some research and look in the stores for yourself.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from Seattle on

We bought a couple of convertible carseats from Fred Meyer and Costco because they were in our price range, and I wish we had saved up and spent more. The material is falling apart and I'm never satisfied with how securely they are attached to the seat. (Our van does not have the latch system.) My friend has the Britax carseats and I am so impressed with them!!! They even have a mechanism for gripping the seatbelt after pulling it tight so it can't loosen up again... I think they have the highest safety rating too. My only problem with those is that they are bulky and heavy and a pain to move from car to car (my friend and I carpool so we do this almost every day...) They are super secure though and I believe they are convertible. The materials seem to be of good quality too. Best of luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Portland on

The best value for your money is the Cosco Alpha Omega. You can get it just about anywhere, but Costco has the best deal at $89. It claims to go from 5-100 pounds, but neither of my children fit in it properly until 15 pounds and 25 inches. It can stay rear facing as long as 35 pounds, which is far longer than most all others. My daughter was 4 years old at 35 pounds, so we did not keep it rear facing that long, but studies show it is much safer backwards, so from 20-35 pounds, you have the option to have this car seat forward or rear facing. At 40 pounds, this car seat becomes a booster type seat used with a regular seat belt. It is a big and bulky car seat, but that is also what makes it safer. I picked this car seat because it is the last one you will ever have to buy for that child.

http://www.coscojuvenile.com/product/detail.asp?ID=2694&a...

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M.C.

answers from Seattle on

ALPHA OMEGA ELITE...I would suggest this one 1million times over as ours were just tested out yesterday morning. We were in a massive crash I feel like @#$% and my daughter who was in an alpha omega elite has no injuries at all not even shoulder strap bruises. I would say it is a mid price range car seat and for us has been proven we already have two new ones on order.

I want to give you this site also Very helpful with ratings The Britax is not the best one out there so don't be fooled. It is a great seat don't get me wrong but there are better out there. And you want to look at the ratings for each position that they are in and remember with some kids the they will never reach the booster seat position within the expiration time so don't worry about buying for that. Our daughter is so tiny we will have to buy a new seat for booster position so we are not even worrying about that position.
Anyway here is the site go to car seat review or just good car seat reviews and it bring the exact page up

http://www.nhtsa.gov

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M.L.

answers from Seattle on

We have the Britax Boulevard and love it! It's a great carseat and does have the higher weight and height capacity. It is fairly easy for my husband and I to each install, but doesn't need to be reinstalled to adjust the straps. My 18 month old seems to be very comfortable in it! It comes with a couple extra support and padding pieces which is nice. We've been to a couple different classes on carseat and they always say not to buy extra supports or padding, but that anything that comes with the seat is crash tested the same as the seat and is ok to use. We found ours on albeebaby.com, but tinyride.com also carries it. You probably won't find Britax seats on sale, but it is worth checking different websites because different places will carry different patterns. It is a convertible carseat and we plan to leave our daughter rear facing until she's too big. We also decided that while Britax seats are a bit expensive, we would rather spend a little extra now to get the best seat now than regret it if we were ever in an accident. Good luck!

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J.R.

answers from Seattle on

We switched to the Britax Marathon when our son was 6 months - he was to heavy to carry around in the infant seat, and I thought the regular seat was going to be more comfortable...he has NEVER complained about having to get in it. He is able to fall asleep in it, we take it on airplanes and he stays in the entire flight...so we are quite happy! I have heard that the decathalon (which is more expensive and may go a bit higher in weight) is not great because it restricts a child's vision line with its headrests, but we don't have one...just what others have told me. I believe ours goes to 65 pounds...at 3 my son is barely 30, so I am not worried about him gaining 35 in the next several years!

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A.D.

answers from Portland on

Check out the Graco Nautilus. Could work well for you.

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T.J.

answers from Seattle on

He's much too small for a booster, make sure whatever you buy you check the weight and height minimums and maximums. I will personally never buy anything but the Britax, we were in a horrible accident where the other person died and she was backward (even though tall and old enough at the time!) in a Britax Marathon and was fine. They have the highest safety ratings, do a comparison online! Sometimes you can find last year's model (different colors on the covers!) for cheaper. But to me, safety has no price tag!

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T.F.

answers from Eugene on

When looking at a carseat I would look at a 3 in 1 kind. With the 5 point harness of course. Where it transistions from infant, toddler, to booster seat type. When my husband went looking for a carseat for our son before he was born we picked out that could transistion easier. I can't remember what brand it is - it was from Target for about $165.00. I wanted to make sure good money was spent on our little angels safety. Good luck with your decision.

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N.D.

answers from Portland on

we chose britax for both size (my 6 year old still fits in it) and safety. tho the radian sounds interesting. read the reviews on amazon and also make sure it fits in your car before you buy it. check out: http://www.carseatdata.org/ it will help you narrow down your search.

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A.H.

answers from Portland on

Hi, I don't have any advice, but wanted to see what others said. I went to Consumer Reports, but apparently they don't review forward-facing car seats (or the librarian and I couldn't find it at all) so I'm not sure how to know. Eager to read everyone's responses.

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L.M.

answers from Seattle on

Hi,
I have 2 girls.. I love all Britax products.. I have a marathon and then purchase 2 5 point harness booster seat the regant that goes clear up to 100 lbs very big though.. I wish I would of bought my Britax from a friend.. b/c some of my friends sold there britax for half of what they paid for it.. and if you buy them from someone you know.. then you can be sure the carseat has never been in a crash. Just a side note the car seat covers wah well :)
Best of luck,
Lenc

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J.K.

answers from Portland on

I love the Graco Nautilus. It is forward facing only, but he can stay in the harness up to 65 pounds, and it converts to a high-back or backless booster seat up to 100 pounds! It's a little spendy, but I think worth it, given it's the last one you'll need to buy. It's alos very comfy and has a cup holder and two "secret" pockets. You can get it at Target, Walmart, Fred Meyer, Babys R Us, and Seigals.

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M.M.

answers from Portland on

We have a Radian by Sunshine Kids on love it!!! It is available in two weight limits, 65 and 80 pounds. Their prices have just recently dropped so you can get the 80 pound version for $220.
Some of the great things about the car seat . . . it has a steel alloy frame under the plastic so it is much less prone to damage and cracking and will hold up much better in an accident. And despite the frame, the car seat itself is very light and folds in half (the seat folds into the rest of the car seat) for easy travel and storage when it's not in use. The 80 pound version even comes with a carry strap. Another thing that is really cool about the Radian is that it is narrower overall but wider in the leg/hip/thigh area than most car seats. It is possible to fit three Radians across the seat of most SUVs, incase you ever had a situation where you had multiple children in your vehicle.
And with the latest safety requirements telling us it is best to keep our children in a 5-point harness until they are 4 years old AND 40 pounds, this car seat will keep them in a 5-point until 65 or 80 pounds. My boss used it for her daughter until her 7th birthday. Seriously!
Also in the Radian, you can keep you child rear facing until 32 pounds, which is the safest although most people turn their children around the one year mark. I have two friend who just turned their daughters forward facing on their second birthdays because they hadn't yet reached the rear facing weight limit.
We just found out we're pregnant with baby number two and will be buying a Radian for that baby as well.
Hope this helps!
-M.

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T.S.

answers from Seattle on

The Alpha Omega Elite made by both Saftey First and Cosco (it is the same seat) is the "consumer best buy" in consumer reports. It converts from infant seat to forward facing carseat to toddler booster seat and has a 100lb capacity. We bought this one for our neice when she was in town visiting and plan to use it for my daughter when she outgrows her infant seat.

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S.T.

answers from Portland on

I have a Britax Marathon for each of my two girls. One is 2 and one is 8 months and it seems comfortable for both of them. It has a 65lb weight limit. The store I bought them at also installed them for me. They have the latch system and also have a tether as an additional safety measure. I was able to pick one out that matched the interior of my car which I really liked. Both girls seemed more comfortable in them than the Graco infant car seat that I started them in. When I take them out and put them back in it is annoying to reattach the tether but worth the extra work for peace of mind.

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K.L.

answers from Eugene on

We love the Graco Nautilus and our son does too! It is a little spendy (around $150.00) but well worth the money, you will never have to buy another one. We liked it so much that we bought another one for our other car.

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A.M.

answers from Seattle on

We have 2 Britax Marathons and love them! Check out car-seat.org for amazing information!

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F.M.

answers from Portland on

Gotta say we love the Britax Marathon, too! We tried out several different ones and bought two of these-- one for each car. This one was rated the best overall so we went with it. It is expensive, though. If you can, try going to Segals over in Beaverton. Some of the staff there are highly knowledgeable and can answer all your questions. Also, the Marathon is supposed to be the easiest to install and this feature will come in so handy down the road when you do any traveling or trade off between cars.

Best of luck in your decision-making!

Take care.

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L.A.

answers from Seattle on

My daughter is a really tall and heavy child - Britax Marathon.

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M.G.

answers from Seattle on

We just a few weeks ago bought our second car seat and decided to go with the Evenflo Triumph DLX.
It is a convertibe seat, which was important to me, since we want our baby facing backwards as long as possible. The weight limit is 50 lbs, though it has to be said that for all convertible seats, kids are likely to outgrow the height of the seat before they reach the weight limit.
The seat tested even with the Britax Marathon, at less than half the price.
I am generally please with the seat, it has a few downsides though:
- it is a pain to install with the belt. The instructions are all but useless.
- the belt tightening system is hard to operate when the seat is installed facing backwards

What I like about it:
- it seems comfortable
- it fits in our tiny Kia Rio
- the belt tightening sytem is very easy to operate (if you can get to it) and positioned in a way the kids any loosen the belts themselves
- the non-threading shoulder height system - Very convenient!

Remember a good carseat is one that can be installed correctly in your car and operated correctly EVERY time you use it.
Go to a store and ask whether you can test-install it in your car.
Good luck.

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E.N.

answers from Eugene on

We have the Britax Roundabout, really like it. Chose it over the Marathon because it seemed a little smaller, and figured by the time he hit the weight limit with it, he'd be big enough for a booster seat instead of a carseat, and we'll just use it with the next kid then. I like that it is comfortable for him (we have another brand for my husbands car, one that is 20-100 lbs), but I don't care for it much. It sits him so upright that it looks so uncomfortable when he sleeps. I love the comfort and compactness of the Britax, if you're able to spend the money, it's worth it!

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T.H.

answers from Seattle on

We use the Britax. My husband researched it for a long time. Our model is probably outdated. It's called the Britax Roundabout. But they keep up on safety specifications very well. Look them up on the internet. When we went to have it inspected at the hospital they said it was what they would use for their children, they said it was the best. Good Luck

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C.R.

answers from Eugene on

Britax Marathon for larger kids. Super easy to install and uninstall, very comfortable (kids are very happy in Britax carseats!) and excellent safety. Also comes in lots of fun designs. Only downside is expense but for a carseat, I think it's worth spending the extra money. I love our Britax Roundabout (we have a smaller guy) and wouldn't trade it for any other carseat on the market!

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K.C.

answers from Portland on

We have Britaxs and LOVE them. The great thing is that you can keep your child rear facing for longer in the Britax (its safer) because they have a higher weight and height limit then most. We bought the Britax Boulevards, but have heard great things about the other models as well. Also keep in mind that depending on your car the Britax may be a bit big. I definitely recommend going to Babies R Us and trying out the carseat you are interested in, in your car. This way you know what fits well. And of course with whatever you do buy don't forget to take it to a tech to have it professionally installed. Good Luck, the carseat decision is always a HUGE one!

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C.S.

answers from Medford on

Hi A.,
I have 2 little boys, 20 months and almost 3, and when my 2nd was about the same age I did a lot of research online and ended up getting him the Britax Boulevard Convertible Carseat - you can check out pictures and reviews on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Boulevard-Convertible-Seat-H...

It is EXPENSIVE (just over $300) but well worth it. My other son's head slouches forward when he sleeps, but the angle this is at keeps the baby's head back better. The padding is very nice and some people complain that the strap between the legs is short but mine has a circle of cloth around it so easy to grab and also protects baby from the hard buckle. The straps are super easy to adjust with the quick release button type of lever that I think most infant carseats use now. And the latch straps have buttons to release like a regular adult seatbelt - this makes it SO MUCH EASIER to get in and out then the other hooks you have to do with your finger. Also, the shoulder straps have a piece of rubber on them so the chest buckle doesn't slide out of position, this is a big plus so kids don't try to wiggle their arms out.

It is pretty big, but if I put it in at an angle (to get it in) it fit fine in my 4 door 2001 Honda Civic - now I have a minivan and it easily fits in there. I think the weight limit is up to 65 lbs. so it will last a long time.

Hope this helps!

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D.B.

answers from Richland on

I have a Britax that I LOVE but I am looking at giving that to my 6 month old and upgrading my son to the Grace Nautilus(about $150)! They can also use the harness until the children at 45 lbs and it had really high safety ratings! Just a little fyi, Jon and Kate use these for their sextuplets on the show Jon and Kate plus 8! Good Luck

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C.G.

answers from Portland on

I recommend the Britax Marathon convertible carseat.

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C.C.

answers from Portland on

I bought my son the Britax Marathon when he grew out of his infant seat we love it. We loved it so much we bought a second one just like it for my husbands car. My son is a tall 4 year old now and he is still using the same carseat and it still fits him well. We went to look at booster seats and the sales person discouraged us from buying one because she said that the Britax will fit him unitl 60 pounds and is still the safest option on the market. The straps are easily adjustable as the kids grow, the latch system makes them super easy to install, and the 5 point harness is easy to use (not tricky to figure out).

Good Luck,

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J.W.

answers from Portland on

I would recommend the Britax Marathon. It lasts up to 65 lbs (I don't remeber the height limit). We have this car seat in our vehicles and love it.

M.B.

answers from Seattle on

A.,

If you're like my family and can't really afford to spend hundreds of dollars on something that the kid will outgrow before s/he wears it out, look at the Graco/Evenflo brands. We have a Graco booster seat with removable back for our son, and are using the same Evenflo carseat with our daughter that we used with our son. I don't know the exact brand of the carseat, but it's designed for front or rear facing, and is good for up to 80 pounds. I don't have the exact info, the booklet is in the car that my hubby just took to work. I think that it's around $100 or less. Check at your local Babies R Us if you have one.

Melissa

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