Car seat question

Sarah - posted on 02/10/2009

Yes, you should get 2 seats so you can install them securely. According to Consumer reports, the best rated convertible car seats are: Evenflo Triumph(lower priced) and Britax Roundabout or Marathon(higher priced) I bought the Evenflo because it got the same rating as the higher end car seat and I am happy with it.

Laresa - posted on 02/10/2009

Quoting Jenni:

Laresa - You're great!!!! thank you so much for this suggestion. i was thinking of something along this line but didn't know if I could convince my husband. he knows how much I am on the circle so maybe knowing I'm not the only one who is thinking my 3 year old needs more than just a backless booster will help convince him to spend a bit more money.

You're welcome! Glad to help! If you need help convincing your husband, go to youtube and search "Belle's Gift" and "Kyle David Miller" and have him watch those videos with you. They worked on my husband! I think the nautilus is a good option for a child that age because most other seats that harness that high are much more expensive and they don't convert to a booster for later on. You get the most for your money, which is always a good thing!

Augusta - posted on 02/09/2009

went with 2 seats.... keep looking for one on clearance somewhere...it turned out to be the best purchase...now we go out as a family in either car and either one can get to baby anytime we need to...i settled on envenflo...it will keep converting as she gets older. So the money is worth it...good luck

Jenni - posted on 02/09/2009

Laresa - You're great!!!! thank you so much for this suggestion. i was thinking of something along this line but didn't know if I could convince my husband. he knows how much I am on the circle so maybe knowing I'm not the only one who is thinking my 3 year old needs more than just a backless booster will help convince him to spend a bit more money.

Laresa - posted on 02/09/2009

Quoting Jenni:

Cynthia,
thank you for all the wonderful information. It certainly looks like you did a lot of research on the topic. I really appreciate that. = )

We have a three year old and I was thinking of just moving him up a chair and then moving my 9 month old into the 3 year old's seat. the issue is what type of seat do we get for him now.

For your 3 year old, I would suggest a graco nautilus. It will harness to 65lbs, then converts to a high back then no back booster up to 100lbs so you won't need to buy another seat. I have a 9 month old and 3 year old as well and we just made a switch like that. My 3 year old moved from our britax marathon into a nautilus and my 9 month old moved into the marathon. I love both of those seats!

Jenni - posted on 02/08/2009

Cynthia,
thank you for all the wonderful information. It certainly looks like you did a lot of research on the topic. I really appreciate that. = )

We have a three year old and I was thinking of just moving him up a chair and then moving my 9 month old into the 3 year old's seat. the issue is what type of seat do we get for him now.

Cynthia - posted on 02/07/2009

FYI, Laresa's idea is a good solution if there is a primary and secondary carseat.  I've read that the Cosco Scenera ranks very high in terms of safety.  The drawback is comfort, but as long as you use the primary carseat for long trips, you should be fine.  I've recommended that my mom get the Cosco Scenera and maybe we'll get one for the daycare to use if we need to leave one with them.  We only got one covertible to start with and it will probably work for us since my husband will do all the drop off's and pick-ups and will almost always use the same vehicle.

Cynthia - posted on 02/07/2009

Hi Renee,

We're probably going to be making a similar decision when our little guy starts going to an in-home daycare in a couple of months (right  now he's home with us or with the neighbor).  We'll probably start with just leaving the carseat with them and see how it goes.  The one we got (see below) is pretty easy to take in and out of the car.  Definintely not as easy as the infant since it's heavier, bulkier and doesn't have the option of just leaving the base in the car and swapping the seat itself it you have extra bases.

I did a TON of research on the convertible car seat including web reviews, Consumer Reports, and advice from moms.  I ended up choosing the Evenflo Triumph LX.  There is a DLX which has fancier fabric, but the is the ONLY difference and it was worth the cost savings to get the LX.  We got one on amazon.com with free shipping for $125 plus tax.  It arrived in under a week.  Not too bad considering you can pay over double that.  The LX goes to 50 lbs and is rear-facing to 35 lbs.  It seems that rear-facing is the safest and it's best to have them rear-facing as long as possible.  The only real review concern on this one is that many say the straps get twisted easier.  I did notice this today after my husband put Leopold in the carseat, but it's easily fixed, not a huge deal.  I found that no review of any carseat was free of some possible improvement.  I really like this carseat, it is VERY easy to adjust the straps - great for us in the winter because of snow suits, etc.  Leopold seems much more comfortable in this than the infant seat and it's nice for him to be higher up.  The main drawback is there's no sun shade, so we need to get some screens for the windows.

My second choice was the Britax Roundabout.  It costs over $100 more.  The fabrics are nicer.  I was concerned with reviews about a short crotch strap on these and there were reviews that said some little ones were able to undo the straps.  My guy is very inquisitive and smart, so I didn't want to take that chance.  My step-brother has that one, though, and hasn't had that problem with his little one who is now 1 1/2.  The Roundabout goes to 40 lbs.  The Britax Marathon was also on our short list (although just a bit lower rating from Consumer Reports) and it goes to 65 lb.    I almost bought this one despite the cost because it goes to 65 lbs.  However, my stepsister reminded me that they can go to a booster seat at 40 lbs and that most older kids don't want to be in a carseat anymore, so it seemed that the 50 lb limit of the Triumph was plenty.  

My stepsister has 2 of the Triumphs (for a 3.5 year old and a 1.5 year old) and is very happy with them. 

The bottom line is that all the seats sold pass safety ratings, so that's not a concern.  No seat is absolutely perfect, so you should decide what's more important.  And it appears that a lot of the cost difference is based on brand and fabric - cushier and more fashionable fabrics can bump the price up significantly.  My guy is comfy in what we've got, so we're very happy. 

A lot of folks also recommend taking your baby into a store where you can put him/her in the different models and see how you like them.  Also, you can see how they fit in your car.  We've got a Subaru Legacy hatchback and a Honda Accord sedan and the seat we have fits no problem.  Some of the Britax seats are supposed to be pretty big relative to others.

Hope this helps!

Cynthia

Amaryah - posted on 02/05/2009

I Haven't had to switch car seats that often yet, but the few times I have the more expensive seat won on ease of transfer.  I have a Britax Marathon and my mom has a Cosco Alpha Elite.  The Britax is easier to tighten based on the baby's clothing, which I do everyday in comparison to the strap adjustment which happens very rarely.  The other two things that I appreciate about the Marathon most is that it is installed easily and tightens without a hassle unlike the Cosco.  Secondly my son falls asleep without any fuss in the Marathon and when he is asleep his head doesn't fall forward.  In the Cosco seat he fights falling asleep and when he finally does his head falls forward, which at first I thought might be due to the angle of the seat, but it has been professionally installed at the correct angle.  If you are going to stick to one carseat I would recommend spending the extra money and buying a Britax, the marathon is good up to 65lbs forward facing. Good luck

Katie - posted on 02/04/2009

I guess I am the only one who is surving on one seat.  We have the Britax Roundabout and it's really easy to put in and take out of the cars.  I asked myself this same question when we bought it.  We decided to start with one and it has been fine!  I don't think we need another one.  With the infant seat we had two bases and that was handy.  But seriously, it's a piece of cake to take out and put in.  However, I should add that we only take move the carseat once or twice a week.

Emily - posted on 02/04/2009

It was so worth it to get two seats.  I felt that it was safer than constantly switching the seats around and more convenient.  If cost is an issue, wait until someone has a baby days sale.

Laresa - posted on 02/04/2009

I would get two seats because it would be so much easier and you wouldn't have to worry about getting a good install every time you moved the seat. If you are going to be using one seat more than the other, I would recommend getting something like a first years true fit as your main seat and a cosco scenera as your second. The true fits are under $200, rear face to 35lbs and harness to 65lbs then you can go to a booster. The sceneras rear face to 35lbs also, harness to 40lbs and are under $50 (on sale in-store at target right now for $39), perfect for a second car.

User - posted on 02/03/2009

i am having the same problem (our 3rd) in my experence it is best to get 2 seats- the prices are crazy i know but the convience wins in my book every time.

Jessica - posted on 02/03/2009

This is my second child, and we went through a big struggle trying to save money with the first child, and I didn't want to get two car seats, either!  The convertibles are definitely a PAIN to transfer, so get two seats!  The good news?  This one will last for a few years, so you will be happy that you have two seats.  Especially if messes happen and you need to take one apart to wash it - also a pain!  Also, if you have another baby, you will already have a new seat for the second child...like we did!

Theresa - posted on 02/03/2009

We ended up getting two car seats, our son he's 22 bought my husbands it is a Triumph Advance LX and I would have gotten it but it wouldn't recline in my truck so I let my husband put it in his truck so I never got it back and so I used the baby seat that we had for a while longer then I got the Triumph advance deluxe and it does fit better in my truck oh and they are made by evenflow they are very nice car seats and very safe they are however not the cheaper brands though but very comfortable and safe, I'm sure there are cheaper ones that are safe to I just like this brand. The thing I like best about them is that the belt slides up and down instead of having to take the belt out of the hole to adjust it for the hight.I checked online before buying to see how there safety rating was and to get feedback from other people that already had the seats and that helped me decide what car seat to buy.

Julie - posted on 02/02/2009

Two car seats seems inevitable... The First Years has a (relatively) inexpensive car seat that is rated extremely high in safety ratings (comparable to Britax). This may be a good option to enable you to afford two seats.

Theresa - posted on 02/02/2009

We plan on buying 2 carseats. More for saftey than convienence. I dont like the idea of undoing the carseat/tether straps/ anchor systems all the time. I also usually get in the seat knees down to make sure it gets tightly secured. I really dont want to be doing this every day! Once baby goes from convertible to booster than thats a different story. They are easy to switch back and forth. (tho most convertible seats now turn into boosters.) As for brand we have always stuck with Graco. Good Luck!

Jenni - posted on 02/02/2009

I also got two seats, one for my car and one for my husbands. With the infant seat we had two bases which made the transition easier but I didn't find it that easy to take out the larger car seat so it made more sense for use to get two.

Vicki - posted on 02/01/2009

We ended up buying two car seats. It was so much easier. We bought a Evenflo Symphony because it is easy to move between the babysitters and dad's car. We bought a Recaro Signo that stays in my car. It's a little bit heavier. My son seems to like them both. I shopped on-line for the Recaro and was able to get it cheaper than I could in the store.