Safety and childrens car seats.?

Question

Just a question regarding childrens car seats.

When my son was born my daughter moved into a 'maxi rider' car seat which has been really fantastic. Such a great buy, now 3 years on my son is ready for a bigger car seat. I was going to put him in the maxi rider and my daughter (who is now 5) in a nother seat... I was thinking of buying one of those seats that sit on the carseat and the car seat belt wraps around. You can buy them from target, kmart as well as proper baby shops. I was thinking this as a cheaper option but saftey comes first. Alot of my friends have these types of seats for their children and say they are fine but I saw on a news show once that they arnt as safe.

Just want your opinion as we dont want to spend the big bucks if its just for a fancier car seat but like i said if it is a saftey issue for sure then this i wont compromise.

what are your thoughts?

Answer 1

CHILD CAR SEAT RULES

1. BEFORE YOUR FIRST BIRTHDAY LESS THAN 20 POUNDS REAR-FACING INFANT-ONLY CAR SEAT OR CONVERTIBLE SEAT USED IN REAR-FACING POSITION, SECURED IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

2. 20–35 POUNDS CONVERTIBLE SEAT USED IN REAR-FACING POSITION, SECURED IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR. LOOK FOR A CHILD SAFETY SEAT THAT IS RECOMMENDED FOR HEAVIER INFANTS.

3. WHEN YOU ARE 1, 2, 3, AND 4 20–40 POUNDS FACE FORWARD IN A CONVERTIBLE SEAT OR A FORWARD-FACING-ONLY SEAT OR HIGH-BACK BOOSTER/HARNESS IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

4. WHEN YOU ARE 4, 5, 6, 7, OR 8 LESS THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER SEAT (NO BACK) OR HIGH-BACK BELT-POSITIONING BOOSTER SEAT IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

5. WHEN YOU ARE 8, 9, 10, 11, OR 12 MORE THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL MAY USE AN ADULT SEATBELT, BUT MUST KEEP YOUR BACK AGAINST THE SEAT BACK, YOUR KNEES BENT OVER THE EDGE OF THE SEAT, AND YOUR FEET FLAT ON THE FLOOR IN THE BACK SEAT OF THE CAR.

6. WHEN YOU ARE MORE THAN 12 YEARS OLD MORE THAN 4’9” (57 INCHES) TALL MAY SIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OF THE CAR WITH AN ADULT SEATBELT.

Answer 2

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 should stay rear facing AS LNOG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. 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. In other countries, rear facing 2 - 3 - 4 year olds is standard, they understand that its safer. Here, we turn them as soon as we get to, seeing it as a right of passage thing or something. Ridiculous. Most convertible seats have a 30lbs rear facing limit, Cosco/Dorel/Safety1st/Eddie Bauer seats rear face to 35lbs, Britax rear faces to 33lbs.

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's one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and 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 Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible seat is great, it is made by Britax, without all the frills. It's the same shell as a Marathon, but for less than half the price. $130 at Albee Baby online with free shipping, or at their eBay name, babysurplus. Rear faces to 33lbs, forward to 55lbs. Easy to use, fits in most cars. A small word of warning about these seats: they are now officially not making them anymore, so the date of manufacture is getting older and older, with many being delivered that are 6+ months old already. Since car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, this could make a difference to you, especially since its possible your child could fit in the seat for the next 5-6 years.

These are the best you can buy that will give you the most bang for your buck. As a single parent I'm always watching the budget - I have no money to speak of, and these are what I would buy. (My son has a marathon and is soon getting a Britax Regent). They will last the longest. I only wish someone would've told me all this before I had him, I coulda saved some money for the extra seats I started out with!

All seats in the US must meet the same safety criteria to sell, so technically they all are safe, however, if its hard to install, then it won't be used correctly and that makes it unsafe. Also, they only must meet the guidelines, some seats barely pass, some exceed them. Britax exceeds the guidelines and is easy to use.

Answer 3

I'll just add my comments on what I did for my son.

He is currently 3 years old and 35 pounds.  We still have the Evenflo Triumph that goes up to 40 pounds.  But knowing it was soon time to upgrade him, I was not happy with the regular booster seats.  I felt he needed to be safely harnessed.  The Alpha Elite Apex 65 was recommended to me.  It has a high back, and the internal harness goes up to 65 pounds.  Then the harness can be removed to be used as a belt positioned booster up to 100 pounds.  It meets and exceeds the safety reviews.  Although I would have loved to be able to afford 2 Britax seats, I am very happy with the Apex 65.  It runs for about $129 at Babies R Us, and I had a 15% off coupon.    I have personally found this Apex 65 the most easiest to install!  Between my vehicles, my sister's, and my parent's vehicles-we have gone through Graco, Evenflo, Cosco, Eddie Bauer, and now this Alpha Elite 65- all 3 boys LOVE the new one!

I regularly transport my 6 year old nephew; about 55-60 pounds, and my 3 1/2 year old 30 pound nephew.  They truly do fight over who gets to sit in the Apex 65.  

Now I will tell you with any seat out there, people have their own opinions based on personal experience.   The crotch strap is way too short and the company (Dorel Juvenile Group) will send a new one free of charge.  Secondly, for my oldest nephew, the internal harness doesn't fit well.  But used with the regular seat belt he is perfectly restrained.  

In my opinion, as a parent I simply cannot skimp on safety.  I was not able to afford the 'Cadillac' of all car seats- the Britax.  But I was able to afford 2 of the Alpha Elite Apex 65s.  I will do everything to keep any child I transport safe.  Plus, this is a car seat that will grow with the child.  It is on the wider side for that very reason-it can accomodate larger children as a booster, while still protecting those in-between age kids who have outgrown the standard convertible seat.

Answer 4

All car seats rated by NHTSA meet Federal Safety Standards & strict crash performance standards. While all rated seats are safe, they do differ in their ease of use in four basic catagories: Evaluation of Instructions, Vehicle Installation Features, Evaluation of Labels, and Securing the Child. These four categories are evaluated by star ratings, five being the best, and one being the worst. But as far as a safety standpoint, all of the seats that are given a rating by the NHTSA do MEET Federal Safety Standards. You can check your local police department to see if they provide free Child Seat Checks and Installations.

Answer 5

That is called a booster seat. My daughter is 5 and that is what i use. What is the defination of as SAFE. Thats like saying its safer to Not go anywhere than leaving!!  Your safer in an SUV!!  Is the whole world gona go out and buy a SUV? Perfectly safe. What i do is put her in or should i say she puts herself in. I then take the belt and pull it all the way out and let it back in. This locks it down so they cant move it. They are quick and work fine. Have never had any issues!!