Really good convertible car seat??

Question

Any reccomendations for a convertible car seat??

My mom wants to get me one for when my baby outgrows the carseat that is part of his travel system. He's not even born yet, but according to her "you can never be too prepared" Also, that means I don't have to buy it! LoL

Answer 1

I'm going to give you a lot of info about car seats - bear with me. Its all good stuff!

I do have recommendations...in a sec. But first tell your mom to save her money for until baby outgrows the travel system seat you already have. Here's why: car seats are typically already 3-6 months old, sometimes more, when purchase them. Baby isn't going to need it until he's 4-7 months old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, no matter when it was bought or started being used. So...by the time you start using the seat it will already be a year or more old!!! Wasting a year of its life. Definitely not getting her money's worth.  Now, if she wants to get a convertible seat that fits newborns well (Evenflo Triumph Advance, Compass/First Years TrueFit) then it could start being used as a spare now and then its not really being wasted.

And one other note one another answerer's comment: if is NOT safe to ever put an infant carrier on a shopping cart. Use a sling/pouch/wrap instead. Carriers should NEVER be placed on grocery carts. It makes the carts unstable and they can tip over, seriously injuring the baby. Also, not all car seats fit all carts, and they don't lock on, they're just sitting there, posing an obvious threat. And some of the carts are shaped or sized in a way that it puts the carrier at an unsafe/uncomfortable angle for the baby. I've seen babies laying in carriers on carts with their head lower than their feet - not a good idea for digestion or spit up.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says Parents and caregivers should never Place an infant carrier on top of the shopping cart. "Many infant-only car safety seats lock into shopping carts, and many stores have shopping carts with built-in infant seats. This may seem safe, but thousands of children are hurt every year from falling out of shopping carts or from the carts tipping over. Instead of placing your baby's car safety seat on the cart, consider using a stroller or front pack while shopping with your baby. "

Also, we are seeing rampant developmental delays becuase babies are in these carriers (and swings, and bouncy seats...) so much. Look around everywhere you go and instead of holding their babies, people have them in these carriers. When on their back and harnessed (and any time a child is in a carrier, he needs to be harnessed, even though its not in a car!) they can not work the muscles they need to develop to crawl, sit up, and walk. In the manuals for these carriers, it even says specifically 'for use in cars and strollers only'! But we all seem to miss that part.

When shopping Remember these rules:

1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you're more likely to use it correctly.

2)children need to stay rear facing as long as possible.

Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!

  A)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.

  B)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.

  C)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.

  D)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can't sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs. My son just turned 3, and is in the 95th% for height and weight - 40" tall and weighs 41lbs. He outgrew the 40lbs seats shortly after his 2nd birthday. It was a total waste of money. He now has a Britax Marathon, which goes to 65lbs, and will be able to fit it for some time yet. If I'd have bought it when he was born, I could have had one car seat this whole time instead of the 3 I wasted money on. They are more expensive for many reasons, this is one.

So...knowing all that, here's some about specific seats. Please don't get a Graco Comfort Sport. Car seat techs call it the 'crappysport'. LOL Its a crappy seat that won't last your child very long b/c it has a really short shell. The straps twist all the time, and if they're twisted they won't support your child in a wreck properly. They're hard to install. There's nothing good about these seats except perhaps they're cheap sometimes. Ditto the Safety1st 3-in-1/Cosco Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in1 seats. These are all the same company - same seat, just different covers. They stink. Hard to install, b/c of narrow belt paths. Ever tried to wash a skinny cup by hand? Now imagine that skinny cup with pointy edges. That's what putting your hand through these to install them is like. AND they have too short a shell to really go to 40lbs. And that's another misleading thing the box says - 5-100lbs. What the box fails to mention (you don't find out until reading the manual!) is that the harness only goes to 40lbs, NOT 100lbs! After 40lbs it must be used as a booster.And they do not make good boosters. Also, most kids have to use boosters until they're at least 8 years old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, so no matter what they say it is NOT the last seat you'll ever need to buy.

The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different variances of luxury additions, with the Marathon being the cheapest base model) can be found for regular price of $269, and on sale at Albee Baby online for $209-$219. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. I can get it into 4 different vehicles in under 2 minutes. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats (all car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture) lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using k***s on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon.

The Compass Tue Fit, also sold as The First Years True Fit, is a great choice, too. Here's a thread talking all about it: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t... Has 16.5 inch top harness slots, half inch shorter than the Britax Marathon and Evenflo Triumph Advance. Rear faces to 35lbs, forward faces to 65lbs, has built-in lockoffs, and you never have to rethread the harness to change harness height. The headrest is removable to fit better in smaller cars. $179 for the one cover Walmart offers it in, check Babies R Us and other stores for different covers at a little more expensive price.

Answer 2

well the britax is great and they start at 200 and go over then i finally found the perfect seat for me and my car which was a alpha olmega elite at walmart for like 160.00 and it goes from infant till they are the age of 8 then they have some at walmart that are i think right at 40 and well alot of people say they are good you can go to the store and just browes and try them out and if you don't like it take it back till you find the right one at baby depot they carried several out to my car and let me see how they fit and well did not like them so when i went to walmart and found that one they took it out and it fit in the car and was comfy looking nad well it worked

Answer 3

Woohoo, Grandma buying the carseat was the biggest help to me! :)

We have a Britax Marathon.  Really good seat, and it has excellent safety ratings.  I highly recommend this seat to everyone I talk to!

Congrats, momma to be! :)

Answer 4

I recommend a Britax Marathon, Decathlon, or Boulevard. They are a bit pricey, but you can usually find a decent deal online at places like albeebaby.com. The seats are easy to install, safe, and will likely last your child until he is in kindergarten.

Answer 5

Definitely take her up on the offer, but ask her to wait until your little one will be closer to outgrowing the infant seat.   Carseats expire, so you want to get every usable minute out of it.  

We have 2 Britax Marathons and love them!  Check out car-seat.org and you will find so much you never knew!  I wish I had found it when I was pregnant!

Answer 6

My daughter is 7 months old and is in need of a convertible car seat. I say you can probably go six or seven months without one in the begining! Do you have everything else you need? Some parents don't use their travel systems (i've honestly only used mine like 5 times). It's much easier to use a shopping cart while you're grocery shopping. Strollers are good for the stores that don't have carts and for walking places.

It's tough to say what's a good convertible car seat. I heard some aren't comfortable, some hardly fit in the car too! I'm not sure if price has anything to do with it either. Walmart sells some for $40 and they have gotten mixed reviews. Try to go with the same brand as your car seat. Have your mom keep the receipt and packaging just incase! Good luck with the baby to be!

Answer 7

Do NOT get an Evenflo/Safety 1st/Cosco/Eddie Bauer. Some swear by the Evenflo Triumph Advance--yes, it adjusts easily, but if you can tighten it by turning a little k**b, then what's the likelihood that it'd be safe in a crash? The straps twist easily and are slippery, also. That goes for all of the cheaper brands. The Gracos aren't great, either. Go with a Britax Marathon or a Sunshine Kids Radian seat. Both have high weight limits and are the safest on the market. Both have a steel frame, while the other brands only have plastic. You won't be sorry with either. They both have straps that are basically untwistable and not slippery so everything stays in place. The LATCH connections are really sturdy, too.