need recommendations for a car seat.

Amelia - posted on 11/16/2009

Quoting Lindsay:

I have my daughter in a Britax Boulevard. It is a convertible seat that is rearfacing til 35 pounds and forward facing until 65 pounds. I am doing extended rear faing which is the safest thing to do. Thay are actually in the process of chanding the law that children have to rear face til they are 2 years old. It is also best to finda carseat that will hold your daughter til 65 pounds because it is NOT safe to move them to a booster before they hit 65 pounds. The boulevard is extremely well padded so it is very comfortable for them. It also has the no rethread harness straps, they adjust with the turn of a knob! I would say if you can afford to buy a britax don't even consider another seat there is a big difference in the quality. If you have a baby store near you like Buy Buy Baby or Babies R Us I would recommend going and seeing the seats for yourself. I had originaly planned to get my daughter a Britax Marathon and then ended up with the boulevard after actually putting her in the display seats and playing with the straps. She also really liked the extra side impact wings that are on the boulevard, they support her head when she sleeps so she doesn't slouch over. My daughter is 14 months so I just moved her to her seat a month ago.Good luck! Please keep her rear facing!

I also have a Britax Boulevard and I absolutely love it. I wish I had bought it first instead of having an infant carrier to begin with. It is a bit pricey but its pretty much the safest thing out there. And its convertible to a booster which is a big plus.

Renee - posted on 11/15/2009

I got a car seat that would convert from a newborn seat up to a booster seat. This way I didn't have to keep buying new ones at each different weight bracket. It is good for weights 5-80lbs...When you get one make sure it fits in your car well and comfortable and easy for you to use Mine has slide adjustable shoulder straps and they loosen and tighten with a turn of a dial on the side of the seat...It has been very helpful during this time of year...some days my son is in a winter coat and others in just a heavy sweater and instead of having to re-do the tightness it was very easy just to turn a knob to tighten and loosen it. I kept my son facing backwards until he was about 15 mos old, then his little legs were getting too long and cramped up so I had to turn him forwards. Just make sure you can cinch the car seat TIGHT to your seat. There should be less than 1/2 inch "play" in any direction. I find putting my knees in the seat with the majority of my body weight in the seat then pulling the seatbelt tight works well.

Lindsay - posted on 11/15/2009

I have my daughter in a Britax Boulevard. It is a convertible seat that is rearfacing til 35 pounds and forward facing until 65 pounds. I am doing extended rear faing which is the safest thing to do. Thay are actually in the process of chanding the law that children have to rear face til they are 2 years old. It is also best to finda carseat that will hold your daughter til 65 pounds because it is NOT safe to move them to a booster before they hit 65 pounds. The boulevard is extremely well padded so it is very comfortable for them. It also has the no rethread harness straps, they adjust with the turn of a knob! I would say if you can afford to buy a britax don't even consider another seat there is a big difference in the quality. If you have a baby store near you like Buy Buy Baby or Babies R Us I would recommend going and seeing the seats for yourself. I had originaly planned to get my daughter a Britax Marathon and then ended up with the boulevard after actually putting her in the display seats and playing with the straps. She also really liked the extra side impact wings that are on the boulevard, they support her head when she sleeps so she doesn't slouch over. My daughter is 14 months so I just moved her to her seat a month ago.Good luck! Please keep her rear facing!

Jen - posted on 11/15/2009

I suggest switching to a convertible car seat and then to a turbo booster after she has hit 40lbs. The convertible seats are rear and forward facing so if you choose to keep your daughter rear facing for a little longer you can do so in this type of seat. Once she has outgrown that around age 3-4 you can go to the turbo booster which is both a high back booster and then a no back booster. My daughter is only 2 so she's still in a convertible car seat. We have 3 seats and I really enjoy my Evenflo Triumph. I can tighten or loosen the straps as needed with my child in the seat and I can use the seat for multiple children throughout the day if I need to pick up one of my friend's boys because I can adjust the strap height without having to unstrap the whole seat. We also have a Cosco seat which is fine for a 2nd car because there is not much padding or anything to it. Our other seat is also an Evenflo. It's the most basic that Evenflo makes and it is used in her grandparents car. My parents also have an Evenflo for when they take my daughter. It is a forward facing to high back booster and I haven't had any complaints about it when it is used. My advice is to research a few of the top brands and read the reviews. That has always helped me when making decisions that concern the safety of my daughter.