Looking for a New Car Seat for My Eleven Month Old

I have to say Britax Marathon, it is kind of spendy about $260.00 but well worth saving the money for it, it goes up to 65 pounds, and is easy to install, has built in locking clips if you do not have a latch system. My husband had a cow when I told him I was buying it and he almost forbid it b/c of the cost, now he wants one for his truck, we are also on a very fixed income especially with 4 kids and the baby was the last so I couldn't even justify passing it down but I would buy another one in a second. They are the best.

Just a little note to think about....

Try to get a carseat that will keep your child in a 5pt Harness the longest. Britax and Sunshine Kids are great for that...

Go to this website and you will learn more about the
5pt harness..

http://www.kyledavidmiller.org/pages/home/index.htm

cosco scenera's are cheap AND safe. i highly recommend registering for the baby bargains forum (you know the book, baby bargains?) and checking out this forum for recommendations:

http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?s=f...

We love our Alpha Omega by Costco. It goes from infant (we never used that) to toddler to booster seat.

Go for the brytex ("regent" is the style name). Try google to find it. It will grow with him up to 80 pounds in a 5 point harness. The website also offers free shipping. It's well worth the money!!!! Do some research about booster seats (children can slip out of seatbelts or the seatbelts can malfunction)it's best to have them in a 5 point harness until they are truly big enough.

I say go Britax Marathon all the way!

I have a 2001 FordFocus fits wonderfully

Best carseat I have EVER owned

We ended up buying one online from albeebaby.com. We go the car seat within a few days with paying the cheapest shipping rate.

They have great prices, at the very least you save about $20 and there are many car seats 50% less then you find in stores. We did go to Babies R Us to try out the seats (take them down, have the kid sit in it and so on) but then went online to buy for a lot less money.

We got a Cosco Summit (cost around $130 but can get it from this web site for $70). It is under the booster seat and works for 20 lbs to 100 lbs so it will be the last car seat we buy. From 20 - 40 pounds you use the harness and then from 40 - 100 pounds you use a seat belt. (I would suggest going this route no matter where you buy a car seat, it will last you till they don't need it any more saving you money in the end).

Exactly what Shannon said. Your little guy is coming out of an infant seat into a convertible that he will use until he is 4-6yrs old, depending on what you buy. Sure, you can spend $40 now nad get a Cosco Scenera, which is a great seat, but he will probably outgrow it in height or weight by the time he's 3yrs old. My 2 1/2yr old is *almost* too tall for this seat (its our airplane/travel seat).

To get a seat that will last your child well past his 4th b-day, you will need to spend a bit more. Look for seats that have a higher harness weight and height. The 3-in-1 seats (Eddie Bauer, Cosco Alpha Omega) will ONLY harness to 40lb, then they must be used as a belted booster seat wit hthe harness removed. And they have short top slots, that very top slot is only good in booster mode, so the 2nd to the top is the highest it will get with the harness.

I know its confusing, but please don't refer to consumer reports when considering a carseat. tHey refuse to divulge thier testing results, and last year it came out they tested the seats wrong and had to retract thier findings. They are unreliable.

Basically what you will wnat to look for is a seat that will harness to 50, 55, 65lbs. These seats are....

Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE (Make sure its says ADVANCE $130). This will rear face to 30lbs and forward face to 50lbs, and will fit most 5yr olds. Great seat, easy to find, easy on the pocket book. Will more than likely last you to age 5 or so, when you can then move your child safely to a high back booster seat.

FIsher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (online only www.albeebaby.com $130) this is the same shell as the Britax Marathon, made BY Britax for fisher price. WIll rear face to 33lbs and forwad face to 55lbs. This seat will fit most 5-6yr olds. My very tall 6yr old still has about an inch in this seat, so it will last you until it expires. GREAT seat for the money.

Britax Marathon, Decathlon, BOulevard ($270) will rear face to 35lbs, forwad face to 65lbs. Will hold most kids to 6-7yrs old, when you can safely move him into a high back booster. This seat is GREAT, it WILL last you until it expires, and when you consider how much you use it, and how long.... the price makes sense. Go to the store, touch the seats, pick them up, play with hte harness, and you'll notice the huge idfference between the Britax and Graco/Cosco/etc.

SUnshine Kids Radian65 ($270 online or at USABaby.com) will rear face to 35lbs and forward to 65lbs. They have a low belt path and are not compatible with many vehicles, so if you go this route make sure you can return it before you buy in case it won't fit. GREAT seat, heavy made of steel, and foldable.

Recaro has the Como and SIgno, but they just had recalls again so I won't recommend them right now.

I know its confusing, but if you choose a seat that will last your child to age 5+, you will get your moneys worth, and spending $200 on a seat doesn't seem as daunting. :)

We have a 03 Focus (4 door) and have a Graco Comfort Sport. It fits in the car and we have had no problems with it. I believe it was around $90. It is a convertible seat.

I know you don't want to spend much, but you need to think of this as an investment. It is the only thing keeping them safe on the road and if you purchase wisely, the seats will be used for YEARS!

Both of my children have the Britax Marathon. I purchased them because they are the best car seats available...the safest and also the seat that can be used for the longest period of time given it's height and weight limits. And another Britax perk is that the straps NEVER twist!!!

They're an investment, but an important one to make!