Baby Gear: Car Seats
I can guarantee that whatever I say about car seats, someone is going to disagree with me on this topic. It can get pretty heated.
Before I go any further, let me say that I am not a car seat tech. I’m not a doctor. I’m not a police officer. I’m not a paramedic or EMT. I’m just a researching mom who is very protective of her kids and their safety.
With that said:
There are people who say that all car seats have to meet the same Federally mandated standards, so you can buy the cheapest one and that’s fine. And there are those who point out that the more expensive ones often greatly exceed those mandated standards, and that the more expensive ones are often at the cutting edge of the latest technologies, and that you are putting your child at unnecessary risk if you just buy the cheapest seat. In case you are wondering, for my own personal choice I fall into the latter category. I can’t imagine putting my child in the cheapest car seat money can buy. I just can’t. If a few hundred dollars might be the difference between life and death, or between a spinal injury with paralysis vs no spinal injury… I’ll spend it. All of our car seats (and we have six) are either Britax or the Fisher Price seats that are made by Britax. But you don’t have to get Britax in order to be safe. If you want to go against the grain and be different, from what I understand, the Recaro seats are supposed to be the same caliber as the Britax.
I think it’s common sense that none of us in the China program are going to need an infant seat. We can go straight to a convertible seat that can go backwards for a while and then be turned around to go forwards. So, my first real piece of advice is to not spend money on the Britax Roundabout. Yes, it’s cheaper than the other Britax models, but the Roundabout only goes up to 40 pounds and then you’re stuck buying something else (and if you have a tall child, you’ll need something else before they get to 40 pounds). In my opinion it is better to spend the difference to buy one of the Britax seats for a heavier weight that also works for a taller child. No matter what brand you end up with, consider the weight limits and harness slot height so it will last as long as possible. If you already have your child you may have an idea of whether they are going to be tall and slim or short and chunky (or somewhere in between), so you can take that into account when considering the weight and height limits of each seat as well.
Both of my girls are still in a Britax car seat. GlitterGirl has been legally able to go into a booster for a really long time now, but she’s still in the safety of the Britax Boulevard
Why do we have six seats? RK and I need seats in each of our vehicles because often I drop the kids off and he picks them up, or vice versa. There is no way to swap the seats, even if we wanted to, which we don’t. I also bought car seats for my parents to use because my parents sometimes pick the girls up for us, especially with some of GG’s extra curricular activities. My parents were of the “you were never in a car seat and you’re fine, we’ll just get something cheap so we’ll be legal” mentality. So, I bought the Fisher Price seats for them, and then showed my parents the proper way to install them. They think it is ridiculous that I spent that kind of money, and I don’t really care how ridiculous they think I am, as long as my children are safe. I’m not a “name brand” sort of person, this isn’t about name brands for me, it’s about finding a car seat that I trust to keep my kids safe in an accident.
Two other points of safety I want to talk about. First, when GG was little we were told to turn babies around when their feet hit the seat to prevent leg or hip injuries, but that thinking has changed and now they want you to leave the child rear facing until your child exceeds the rear facing weight limit of your car seat. I have this mirror
The other safety thing to talk about is the part where you don’t use a hand-me-down carseat, and you don’t buy a used car seat. A lot of people warn against buying them from ebay for the same reason, even if they claim it is new, you still don’t know the history of the seat. Once a seat has been in an accident you are supposed to get rid of it and buy a new one – I’ve been told that whether you can see damage to the seat or not, you should consider that once it has been in an accident the structural integrity is no longer there and it is no longer safe to use.
If you drive a small car then you need to make sure one of the larger seats (like the Britax) will fit into it. If not, then the Recaro or one of the Sunshine Kids seats may be a better fit. If you’ve got a smaller car then go online and see what others who have your vehicle say they are successfully using to get a starting place for your own research.
I mentioned on an earlier Baby Gear post that if you have a finite amount of money to spend that you shouldn’t go for the expensive name brands on some of the other gear so that you can save it to go toward the more expensive car seats. My advice is to get a cheaper stroller, and a cheaper high chair or booster, and a cheaper crib, and then spend that money on the car seat.
June 27th, 2009 at 9:23 am
Thanks RQ! Lots to learn here.
Just a note to my fellow Canadians. I leave somewhat close to the border so am often shopping in the US. Although it’s tempting to purchase a car seat there because of the $$ difference and the options, it’s illegal for us to purchase a US car seat to use in Canada. Would hate for anyone to purchase one there only to find out you cannot use it here.
Now….with a LID of 03/23/06 and wondering if July will be my month…off to dream about purchaing a car seat!!!
Catherine
June 27th, 2009 at 9:23 am
With three boys- I have been through a lot of car seats, boosters and what not. We had just about every car seat and in the end… after about 10 others… I found Britax was well worth the money. Comfort, safety, cleanliness… and the straps NEVER tangle!!!! Not too mention- the material comes in different patterns which is fun!
We have had the roundabout, marathon and the booster and I loved them all. My youngest is currently still in the booster and at 60 pounds- it works very well still! I really love this manufacturer and i do not work for them. I guess i am part of the Britax cult- because people that do love them- swear by them like crazy people! That would be me.
The one piece of advice I gave my sister when she was registering- put Britax as the car seat and save your money in case you do not get it. RQ is right- this is the place to invest the money and cut back on strollers and high chairs- etc.
June 27th, 2009 at 9:54 am
I have the Britax Marathon & it is wonderful. It took me 5 minutes to install it rear-facing & when I had it checked – it was installed correctly (the seat tech was surprised as they almost never see correctly installed seats). My carseat advice, other than buy a Britax, is to leave your child rear facing as long as possible. A little boy we know was in an accident shortly after his first birthday. He was forward facing & nearly died & this was not a major accident. His mom was going less than 30mph & skidded on some ice. The Intensivist during his PICU stay told his family that had he been rear facing he would have come away from the accident with nothing but bruises. Due to that my daughter was rear-facing until her 2nd birthday.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:04 am
I’m trying to convince my wife to skip the car seat. I’m planning on just holding her on my lap ala Brittany Spears style and spending the money on beer which will be on the seat next to me.
Just kidding!
We just registered for a Recarro car seat which got a lot of good reviews.
Come on referrals! Don’t make me move to Canada! Although they do have some great beer there….
Big D
June 27th, 2009 at 10:12 am
We just have one car seat (DH has a small truck and the car seat can not go in there so we just needed one for our Honda Civic). We have the Britax Boulevard. We were of the mind that we would splurge on the car seat–we bought it ourselves and did not bother putting it on our registry. We love the safety ratings, it is pretty easy to install once you’ve done it a couple of times. We’ve never had the straps tangle–in fact I did not realize this was an issue until I read that in today’s posts. Our DD loves her seat–it is very comfy for her. The headrest is adjustable so now that she is getting quite tall the seat still fits her safely. It is also FAA approved for airline travel and we thought this a plus as DH is a Brit and we travel a lot. Having said that–we have not used it in the plane as we have the CARES harness for that (but hey that’s another catagory). The seat is bigger than some of the others I’ve seen but it works just fine in the civic which is not a huge car.
One important tip…most towns or cities have a car seat specialist who can check to make sure you’ve installed it properly–usually either a police officer or fire fighter. You can call your local PD to find out. I think this is key as proper installation is vital.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I never realized tangling and twisting and curling was an issue either, until I spent time with a cousin and her kids, helping her get them in and out of their seats. Everything was in a permanent twist, there was no way to tell which direction anything was supposed to go, and no way to straighten them out (I tried, she told me it was pointless, eventually I had to agree). Those twisted straps can’t be safe, the idea is the more amount of space the energy goes, the safer. Something twisted like rope has to hurt more than a spread out belt would in an accident.
I’ve never had a problem with twisting or tangling with either the Britax or Fisher Price models. Guess that’s why I forgot to mention it in the blog post.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:33 am
We have easily installed a Britax Marathon in a Saturn LS1 forward facing and rear facing. The Rear Facing was a wee bit tougher and almost didn’t fit.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:51 am
We have a Britax Marathon and for some reason in our suv my hubby had trouble getting it level when we switched it to forward facing. Needed to add a rolled towel to level it.
We are considering a Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 for our second seat, since our daughter is over a year and well over 20lbs. Anyone have experience with this seat???
June 27th, 2009 at 10:53 am
We have a Britax Marathon and for some reason in our GMC Acadia with captains chairs (due to the headrest) my hubby had trouble getting it level when we switched it to forward facing. Needed to add a rolled towel to level it.
We are considering a Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 for our second seat, since our daughter is over a year and well over 20lbs. Anyone have experience with this seat???
June 27th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Good morning everyone. This is my first time posting though I have been addicted to this site for years. We have a son born in Jiangsu Province and currently paperchasing for #2 through the SN program! So exciting…
Anyway, this topic is something I have to comment on. I am a certified car seat tech and am actually at work right now about to leave for a community car seat check event. I am impressed! The information posted here is right on.
That being said, I have been doing this for 8 years and I do not have a Britax. They are safe and very cute but they are also big and I do see alot of missuse with them.
My biggest tips are: make sure your car seat fits into your car appropriately before you remove any tags or throw out the box. Keep your child rear facing as long as you can and to the upper weight limits of your seat. Make sure you can easily and correctly install the seat every time and so can anyone else who will be transporting your child. And I agree with “soxfan”, please find a certified tech in your area to recieve a proper installation and learn how to do it yourself. You can also look on the Safe Kids Worldwide website to find a location near you. Not all police and fire departments have certified techs even though they may try to help anyway. In our area, it is the health departments that have the techs.
Good luck in your search for the right car seat for you, your child and your vehicle! Any questions, you can contact me…
June 27th, 2009 at 11:12 am
When our girls were in a rear facing car seat we used the Graco car seat that came with our travel system. Once they outgrew the weight requirement/length requirement we moved them to the Evenflow Triumph and we love it. It has been a great car seat. It has the LATCH system with is wonderful. The straps don’t twist or tangle and I like how it buckles. The bottom pieces come together like a puzzle before being buckled. It has been great at keeping the girls from buckling and unbuckling. It is not so big that it didn’t fit in the back seat of any of the cars. We have 2 of them, one for me and my husband. I highly recommend it!
For my older daughter we have the Graco Highback Turbo Booster. It has also been wonderful. It has the highback to help support in case of an accident and it helps the belt fit the person correctly. It come with cup holders, which are usually full of toys at this point, but my daughter enjoys having place to stash her things. We also like that when she gets larger, we can take the back off and use it as a traditional booster. We like that it is easily transferred to other cars for school field trips and rides with friends/grandparents. We also have two of these, one for each car, and it’s been great.
Both are very easy to use and have kept both of my kiddos safe!
June 27th, 2009 at 11:15 am
what is the safe kids website?
June 27th, 2009 at 11:18 am
USA: http://www.usa.safekids.org/
Worldwide: http://www.safekids.org/
June 27th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
The car seat tech that checked our installation removed the mirror from the seat back. She indicated that it could become a projectile and cause a problem in an accident.
June 27th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
sewhopeful – using a towel to level a forward facing seat is not safe. Does your child fit rear-facing? She would be incredibly more safe in the rear-facing position, especially since you are having installation issues forward facing. This website is about a little boy who was 18 months and severely injured while forward facing in a collision. It has a lot of information you may find helpful:
http://www.joelsjourney.org/ViewJoelsvideo.html
Are the headrests in your SUV removeable? If they are, take the headrest off and install the seat. It should sit flat without the headrest in the way. Otherwise, try pulling the base of the carseat a little further forward on the vehicle seat so that the shell of the carseat fits beneath the headrest (if the headrest moves up, put it in the highest position).
As others have said, a certified child passenger safety technician wouldbe an excellent resource for helping you get this seat installed safely.
The Nautilus is a great seat if you wish to have her forward facing. The harness will last a long time (65 pounds and tall harness slots) and then becomes a high back and backless booster seat.
June 27th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
eloquentangel – did you have one of the mirrors that just velcros on, maybe? The one I use has two straps, one that goes around (and under) the headrest, and another that goes over the top of the headrest. And it buckles, it doesn’t velcro. It is not coming off in an accident. There is even an option to attach it to the carseat tether point.
Some of them just go around the headrest horizontally and I can see how they could slip off, and some of them velcro instead of buckle. I can see those coming off in an accident, but the one I have is on there until someone unbuckles it.
There is a PDF at this link that shows you how to install it.
June 27th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
We had narrowed down our car seat choices before we got a referral. But when we received a referral for a 6 month old, we ended up purchasing the Britax Roundabout. She was rear-facing until she was 15 months old because she was still under 20 pounds. Now DD is almost 3, nearing the height limits of the seat, and is 28-29 pounds. But we’ve had this seat for 2 years with her and are adopting an infant through the domestic program. DD will now move to the Britax Frontier and our new baby will get the Roundabout. So, the Roundabout worked well for us. Even if we didn’t have #2 joining our family, I would still get the Roundabout and then the Frontier. Just my 2 cents…
June 27th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
This is a very useful discussion. I HATE the car seats we currently use for exactly the reason you describe with the twirling, twisting straps. I could pull my hair out over those!! I am a recently converted car safety nut. Previously I was kind of like RQ’s parents…I never had a car seat, what’s really the risk? YIKES. Then I was minding my own business on my way to work at a COMPLETE STOP and someone rear ended me going only about 30 miles an hour….and I was the second car to be rear ended in the chain. Fortunatelly my kids were not with me. Things flew, I flew (only a little due to my belt) and major damage was done to my vehicle. I now want to get the safest biggest car and the safest car seat for any travel. I am a convert. The lady said the sun was in her eyes and she didn’t see the cars stopped at the RED LIGHT. My lesson…I can only control my own behavior.
June 27th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I am a big believer in safety. I shattered the windsheild of my car in an accident when I was 19 and seatbelts weren’t the law. Took until the ambulance was pulling up to the hospital for me to realize it was my head that shattered the windsheild. No one rides with me without belts since.
My girl and I walked away from a car total without a bump or a scratch. She slept through it and when the car stopped I turned around and looked at her and she said. Hello Momma. Nicest words I ever heard
Needless to say, I am a big fan of our car seat. It is the Evenflow Triumph. Easy to install, straps never tangle and in fact there is a knob to tighten and loosen the straps, everytime they get in so it accomadates, heavier vs lighter clothing. And there is no struggling to get them in. Everyone I know who has kids and has helped my girl in or out of her seat is jealous of that knob.
I was also one of those, what’s the biggie about having them in a carseat on a plane. Last vacation we brought it only because we were renting a car and after the crappy car seat we rented the vacation before, no way was she going to be in any seat but her own. Well on the way home we hit turbulence like I have never seen in many years of flying. The little give in my seatbelt cause me to be airborne. Needless to say, she flys in the carseat now, always.
I am also a big fan of the 5 point harness. Again, walking away from a total. A friend of mines young daugher was not so lucky. Old enough to not need a carseat, she was ejected from the car in a collision. She didn’t make it.
So when my girl outgrows the Evenflow. It will be the Radian 80 (Sunshine Kids), Keeps them in a 5 point harness, until 80lbs and or 4 ft 9 (I think on height).
My BIL, bought a motorcylce. Told the salesman he wanted the cheapest helmut, because he was only wearing it because it was the law. The salesman said, Hey you got a 10 dollar head, get a 10 dollar helmut.
Point made he didn’t by the most expensive, but paid attention to safety factors and bought a better helmut.
My father does the same thing, oh you kids never had car seats. I tell him, yeah there was a time cars didn’t have windshield wipers.
When you know better you do better.
June 27th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Besides the safety issues surrounding car seats, another thing to consider is to buy one with a removable seat cover. We had bought a seat several years ago for our oldest and thought it looked great until the “throw up” incident in the car. Tried and tried to remove the cover but it was impossible since you would have to destroy the seat to remove it. So we cleaned and cleaned it …..then the potty accident. Needless to say, the seat went to the garbage the very next day.
June 27th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
another piece of car seat info to share: it is reccomended that you replace your car seats if you are in a accident, no matter how minor it may seem. there is no way to tell if the stress on the seat from the accident will make it unsafe if it were to be in another accident. Some car insurances will even pay for new seats.
June 27th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Just wanted to give a shout out for the Sunshine Radian seat. We were looking at the britax, but we could not fit three of them (which we will need once we get our baby home) in the back of our Outback. The Sunshine kids Radian is a serious seat, very safe, and has a narrow base. We can even fit three in the back of a prius!!
-akina
3/29/06…getting closer
June 27th, 2009 at 10:03 pm
RQ, I have this one http://www.target.com/Baby-Night-Sight-Light-Mirror/dp/B00013HDF6/sr=1-1/qid=1246128764/ref=sr_1_1/601-9889591-9201720?ie=UTF8&frombrowse=0&rh=k%3ANight%20Sight%20Baby&page=1 . It looks like it attaches the way that yours does. I was a little shocked that she removed it, but she did anyway.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
We are another family with the Sunshine Kids, car seat. We have two Radian 80 seats. We bought them a couple of years ago after hearing about a little boy who was in a booster seat, and he was killed when the cars seat belt did not hold the booster in place, he was thrown from the car. Anyway, this seat is WONDERFUL! At the time our oldest was already in a booster, even though I did not feel like she was completely secure. At the time this seat was the only one that holds kids up to 80 pounds with a 5 point harness. It rear faces up to 35 pounds, and like akina says: it is only about 17 inches wide, so yes you can fit 3 across the back seat. Even though I did not think my husband would want to spend that much ($250 each) when I mentioned it to him, he said the same thing as you, if it could possible be the one thing that could save her life in a accident then it would be worth it.
Here’s a link for this seat:
http://www.sunshinekidsbaby.com/?gclid=CLS3naHzq5sCFRKLxwodDUpHyw
June 27th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
I think what is important to remember that a car seat only has to do its job one time, but when it comes time for it to do its job, you need to have it installed correctly, used correctly, or it cannot do its job. Use it correctly every time or when you need it, it won’t work.
A child must be in a rear facing child restraint until they are at least 1 year old AND 20 pounds. While this is a minimum standard, it is recommended that a child stay in a rear facing child restraint until they are at least 2 years old and 30lbs. A child in the rear facing position is 5 times safer than when they are moved to a forward facing restraint at the minimum of 1 year and 20 pounds. Your child can easily ride in a CONVERTIBLE car seat until they are 2yrs old, most convertible seats on the market will rear face to 35lbs. A car seat is outgrown rear facing when the child goes over the rear facing weight limits or there is less than 1 inch of hard shell above the head. Legs touching the seat or even bent knees (criss cross applesauce sitting) is OK! The harness should be at or below the shoulders for rear facing.
A child in a forward facing car seat should ideally be over 2yrs old/30lbs. A forward facing child seat will typically hold a child up to 40lbs, however many convertible car seats now days hold children to 50lbs, 65lbs, and even 80lbs. However it is important to remember that car seats are typically outgrown in height before weight, so steering clear of short shelled seats (Evenflo Triumph) is a good idea. A forward facing car seat is outgrown when one of three things happens; the shoulders go over the top harness slot, the ears become level with the seat back, or the child goes over the weight limit.
A child should move ot a booster NO SOONER than age 4 AND 40lbs. A child smaller than this is at risk for submarining under the belt in a crash, and suffering very serious internal injuries (google seatbelt syndrome for more info). A child who moves to a belt positioning booster should be mature enough to stay awake in the car, sit upright for the entire ride, and keep the seat belt across the chest and not move it behind the arm or back. If your child cannot remain upright for the entire car ride, fiddles with the belt, or falls asleep easily in the car, you should reconsider putting him/her in a belted booster. A high back booster is best as it provides side impact protection in the event of a crash.
A child can safely sit in the adult belt with no car seat or booster when they can pass the five step test. 1. The child sits with back against the seat. 2. knees bend comfortably at the seat without slouching. 3. feet sit flat on the floor. 4. lap belt sits low on the hips and not up on the abdomen. 5. shoulder belt crosses the shoulder and chest properly and does not cut across the neck. If your child cannot do even ONE of these things, regardless of age, he/she should still be in a booster.
The most common mistakes parents make are turning their child forward facing too soon, letting the harness twist (it needs to lay flat untwisted to do its job), having the harness too loose (needs to be tight against the child with no slack to pinch), the chest clip too low or too high (needs to be level with the armpits/over the nipples), using the wrong seat for the childs size/age/height/weight, not buckling all the harness (both the crotch buckle and the chest buckle need ot be buckled).
And most importantly, find a SAFEKIDS coalition in your area and have a CPST install your child safety seats so you can learn to properly do it yourself.
June 27th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
And in all my rambling I forgot to put down seat recommendations!
Convertible car seats that will rear face to 33/35/40lbs and forward face to 50/65lbs.
1–Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathlon. These seats will RF to 35lbs. They will FF, IN A HARNESS to 65lbs. These seats run $200-$300. There are small differences between them. The Marathon is the basic model of the 65lb convertibles with a lift lever harness release–with quite a few different covers to choose from! The Boulevard has “wings” called True Side Impact Protection. It also has a harness adjustor knob that will move the harness without having to uninstall the seat. It is about 1/2″ shorter than the Marathon and the Decathlon. The Decathlon has extra padding–the infant insert–and a push button harness release and 3 position crotch buckle settings
2–Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE–harness to 35lbs RFing and 50lbs FFing. It has the infinite harness adjustor (no slots), so you can easily lift two red tabs and move them. This seat runs $129-$159, depending on which model. The higher end model, the premier, has more padding.
3–Compass TrueFit— It RF to 35lbs (with the headrest on and 22lbs without the headrest on) and FF to 65lbs. It seems to be competitive to Britax convertibles. Runs about $179-$189. They have several covers available.
4–Sunshine Kids Radian 65 or 80–These seats will RF to 35lbs and FF to either 65lbs or 80lbs, depending on the seat. These are the narrowest seats on the market, but have the highest incompatability with vehicles due to the low FF belt path. Runs $180-$300.
5–Graco MyRide 65– This seat will rear face to 40lbs and forward face to 65lbs. It has massive side impact wings, and has the same shell and harness heights as the Britax Marathon. Its a great deep seat, kids can easily rear face in it until age 3+. Runs $150
Forward facing only seats that harness beyond 40lbs–
Britax Regent– they have about 5 different covers to choose from, but here is their girly girl one http://www.albeebaby.com/brreyocarse2.html. These are the tallest, highest harnessing weight seats on the market (besides the special needs seats). I own 2 of them and LOVE them. They are HUGE seats, but, in my opinion, well worth the size and money. They harness to 80lbs and around 53″. You must have a tether anchor for this seat. If you do NOT have one in your vehicle (read your vehicle owners manual), you can likely have one retrofitted. This has a 6 year life span.
Apex 65– http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1stap65boc1.html This seat will harness to 65lbs, then turns into a booster to 100lbs. The straps are about 2″ shorter than the Regent. WE have this seat in my hubbys truck and my daughter is on the top harness straps, but with room to grow. You MUST have an adjustable headrest in your vehicle for this seat OR at least 33″ high seatbacks. This has a 6 year life span.
Graco Nautilus– http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8112222 It will harness to 65lbs, then booster to 100lbs. Runs $150 and is GREAT! The top harness slots are only about 1″ shorter than the Regent’s slots. Nothing specific you have to do with this seat. They are FLYING off WalMart shelves, so so so so worth the $150!!!! this seat, when used in the harness mode and the high back booster mode have a life span of 6 years. When using it as a backless booster, it has a 9 year life span.
Britax Frontier– http://www.rightstart.com/global/search/default.aspx?keyword=britax%20frontier . Harness from 25-80lbs, then booster to 100+lbs. Runs $280. There are 8 harness slots ranging from 12.25″-18.25″. 3 crotch buckle positions. Shorter and narrower than the Regent, but you will still be required to use a tether anchor from 65-80lbs. It has a 9 year life span.
PLEASE REMEMBER that the best seat is the one that fits your child, fits your vehicle, and fits your budget. All seats are safe as long as you have it installed correctly and you USE it correctly 100% of the time. You never know when you will need it, but when you do, you need to be sure that its going to be able to do its job protecting your child by using it correctly ALL THE TIME.
June 27th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
We are a Britax family with Marathons for the 3 year old and a frontier and Regent currently for the 5 year old. They are easy to use correctly, comfortable and pretty for my girls and fit well in our cars.
We also have 2 graco nautilus seats that we use when visiting grandma and grandpa. They are a bit lighter without as much padding and the straps do tend to twist some. Overall I like them as secondary seats for bigger kids, they have a high top slot and weight limit.
Two important things to remember when it comes to kids and car seats that I often see people forget -
You should remove your childs coat before buckling them in
Latch is only good until kids hit the vehicle latch weight limit. In most cars this is 40lbs so once your kid surpasses this weight you have to install using the seatbelt (I’ve seen many big kids in higher weight limit seats installed using latch)
Another good site for car seat info is kyledavidmiller.org, our 5 year old is a lightweight and will certainly be in her regent until well into grade school.
June 27th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
We had a Grace Comfort Sport seat I believe. It wasn’t the cheapest or the most expensive. My daughter and I walked away from an accident in which our car was totaled in a side impact collision. She was forward facing at 2 1/2 and 21 lbs at the time of the accident. We have always kept her in the middle of the car especially so since the accident. She didn’t even have marks from the straps. She had a TINY bit of blood on her lip from where we believe she bit her lip. We credit Graco and the car seat techs for keeping her safe.
Our daughter will remain in a 5 pt harness until she is too tall. If she stays on her growth curve, she will still “qualify” to be in a booster when she’s 18. By current recommendations, she would be in 1st or 2nd grade before we could turn her around. I am not saying that all car seats are created equally. Just that a proper install is much MORE important than a specific brand or price point.
We borrowed a car seat (Radian from Sunshine) from her sitter to get her home from the accident, but I had to purchase one the next day at our very small target. I didn’t have a lot of options. We don’t even have a Babies R Us within an hours drive.
We have a Evenflo now that is a belt position booster with a 5 pt harness. It is wonderful. Much more comfortable than the Graco. The straps are easily adjustable and never twist. Easy enough for me to get her in and out of the harness one-handed, but two difficult for her to get out by herself. We have removed the cover and washed it once since the accident. Hopefully, it will be the last we will own until she can drive!
The car we replaced the totaled car with had leather seats and the other did not. The car seat techs had issues with it sliding on the leather, so they pulled out a roll of the non-slip shelf liner. Worked like a charm.
Jen
June 27th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Sorry for the typo. I meant too instead of two. It is a little late for me. Forgive any other typos you find
Jen
June 28th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I would echo much of what is said here. We did not get the Britax with number one. We went with the Evenflo Triumph, which I loved. The downside to that particular carseat (at the time, I have not researched this in a while) was the weight limit. Once our son exceeded the limit we purchased the Britax Marathon. He was probably 2.5 or 3 then. I remember at the time thinking he could technically go into a booster but they are still so tiny at that age. So, we purchased the Britax. I do not regret having the Evenflo, however, since we eventually purchased the Britax, I wish we had shelled out the money up front. Our son sat in the Marathon until 3 months shy of age 5. Then, we allowed him to move to the Britax Parkway booster. He is 7.5 now and will be in that seat at least another year and a half.
On the carseat conversation, my big beef with cheap carseats – it gripes me to see folks in big nice SUV’s and cars with the bells and whistles and seeing the kids in the non cushioned el cheapo carseats. Really folks! You get the heated seats, they get the Walmart special of the week! LOL!
June 28th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Both my girls are in Britax Marathons. The 5 year old weighs 37 pounds; the 6.5 year old weighs 42 pounds. I’m researching booster seats for them now, so really appreciate this discussion – but would love to see more thought and comments about booster seats!!
June 28th, 2009 at 10:29 am
The marathon goes to 65 pounds, unless they are getting too tall for it, you’ve got a long time until you have to look for boosters.
GG is a good bit older than your girls and is still in the Britax Boulevard, and will be in it for some time.
June 28th, 2009 at 10:40 am
We are waiting for DD#1, but based on by SIL’s recent purchase of an Evenflo Symphony, that is the car seat we are going with. It is a 3 way convertible – rear facing, forward facing AND a booster with the seat belt positioner. It can go all the way up to 100 lbs as a booster. It is easy to install and locks into place quite well. The harness does not tangle and is easy to adjust/tighten. They have one and have moved it occasionally to the grandparents’ vehicles. It also has a removable, washer safe cover – which came in handy when our niece threw up all over it the other day!
June 28th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Buying a more expensive carseat is not buying ‘more safety’. Those companies don’t really exceed necessary safety limits in any measurable way compared to cheaper seats. its all marketing and fear-mongering. The best example of this is in the advertising, which claims that fewer children sustain serious injury in Expensive CarSeat, as compared to MediumPriced CarSeat and CheapCarSeat riders. But what they don’t explain is, because only 1/10 of the carseats on the road are their brand, and 3/10 are a medium priced seat, and 6/10 are cheap ones, the numbers don’t add up – obviously, more children sustain serious injury in the cheap carseat. Even if every kid in the expensive carseat was injured, there would still be way, way fewer of them than in cheaper car seats, because fewer of the seats are sold. It capitalizes on perception of safety, not actual safety records.
I think as parents we have to be careful not to buy in to the fear-marketing that is thrown at us, 24-7. Buy the expensive carseat if you like it, it fits your car, and you feel comfortable using it. But buying one that costs $250 because its advertising claims that you need to spend that kind of money to keep your children safe is unnecessary. I have a car seat I have confidence in. And unlike the Britax seats, the manufacturer isn’t having to issue recalls every year for unsafe manufacturing. If you own a Boulevard, a Marathon, Decathalon, Frontier, etc, all from Britax, please know that all of these seats have recall notices on them.
June 28th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
This is in response to PIJill-
The reason there are so many recalls on Britax is because they continually test their seats under rigorous standards. So even though my Britax Marathon is 3.5yr old, they are still testing that specific seat today, and will recall the second they find something wrong. Unlike Graco who waits until a child is killed or injured, or in most cases MULTIPLE children are killed or injured, before issuing a recall. Companies other than Britax (and a few select others) like Graco, Eddie Bauer, Cosco do NOT continually test their seats, they test to release and thats it. So that is why you don’t hear of their recalls as oftne, they only recall if a child is injured or killed in a crash.
Britax recalls for minor things, like a latchhook that bends on impact, they replace it. Or they find a crotch buckle that weakens after so many impacts, they replace it. They KNOW these seats are safe for one impact but they don’t knw how poeple use the seats, so they continually test them to make them better.
IMO, I’d rather they re-test constantly adn recall for every little thing they find, then wait for children to be killed, essentially letting them be crash test dummies, before recalling.
And I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, if you have a $300 seat and don’t use it properly, it won’t save your child in a crash. If you have a $40 seat and use it properly, it will. It doesnt matter waht seat you have as long as its not expired, used properly, and installed properly. I prefer Britax because of the higher weight and height limits, the comfort, the heavy harness, and the fact that they DO continually test and recall when necessary. I trust them.
June 28th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
We just got 2 of the Roundabouts for our first child (one for each vehicle). I was turned off by the next step up seat b/c there were many complaints that the crotch buckle was not deep enough and in fact the Roundabout’s crotch buckle was deeper allowing for more room for their bottom and diaper. And it is a couple inches bigger and already the Roundabout is taking up lots of room in my older accord. I am going back and forth on whether to have one roundabout and one marathon, or just stick w/ what we have knowing that in a few years hopefully we will be adopting again and can use the roundabouts for the new kid and transfer the first kid into bigger seats.
????
June 28th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Rq and Akindofmagic – yes the Britax Marathons/Boulevards go to 65 pounds, but its a rare child that reaches that weight before they are too tall for the seat. Remember that a forward facing seat is outgrown when 1 of these 3 things happens:
1. Shoulders above the top harness position
2. tops of ears above the top of the carseat shell
3. over weight limit – I’ve never seen a 65 pound child in one of these seats. Depending on the torso height of the child, it could be outgrown long before 65 pounds (some as early as 40-45 pounds).
June 28th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Right momofnic… look at what I said:
“The marathon goes to 65 pounds, unless they are getting too tall for it, you’ve got a long time until you have to look for boosters.”
GG is a good bit older than akindofmagic’s kids and GG is still fine in her Boulevard, has several inches and many pounds before she outgrows it, in fact.
June 28th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
justplainbeckyw – you are exactly right, Britax tests and does their own voluntary recalls without children having to die first.
Many of the other seat manufacturers only do recalls once the government pretty much forces them to, and that is after kids have died due to a defect.
June 28th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
RQ – I knew you knew that, just was pointing it out in case others did not, sorry for pointing it at you. Many people do not realize that seats can be outgrown before that weight limit.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:50 am
I just wanted to thank justplainbecky especially for her wonderful posts. I have just ordered a Britax Marathon from the site to which she linked. To my surprise and delight, they had a couple of models on major sale ($100 off) depending on the fabric and those being overstocked. I have owned too many car seats to count with DD being our 3rd and our oldest almost 11. The one I have now and purchased right before we brought DD home (fall 08) has been a big disappointment b/c it throws her head forward when she falls asleep. I know this cannot be safe. It is going to be relegated to being the back-up for short trips w/ Grandma who lives just across town and won’t buy a new seat (the one she wants to use WE purchased when my oldest was about a year old). DH is going to get rid of it next time he is at their house. :)
Anyway, thank you all for an informative discussion and especially jpb for sharing all of those links.
Oh and I’m looking into the Sunshine Kids boosters for my almost 7-year-old. Anyone out there w/ an almost-11-year-old who is about 50″ but only 50 lbs. What do I do???
June 29th, 2009 at 9:32 am
We have a Marathon and a Roundabout. My 3 year old still fits in the Roundabout just fine. She isn’t anywhere close to the 40 pound limit. She uses the Roundabout when in one car, and the Marathon in the other. I wish my 7 year old would still use the Marathon in fact – he still fits it easilly too. His head is still way below the top. Just this year, though, he became too vain to use it and now has a booster like his brother’s.
In our state, kids have to be in boosters until 7. That seems way too young to give up boosters. Even my 9 year old isn’t quite tall enough to go without one.
June 29th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I should clarify: both our boys, 7 and 10, sit in boosters but they are the sit-on kind and they use them w/ belts. I know this is all but useless in the event of major crash. Our state requires to age 8 and 80 lbs. So that is where I don’t know what to do about 10-year-old. At the rate he is gaining weight, he’ll be 18 before he reaches 80 lbs. :))) Cars are not made for the short and lightweight. I know that all too well. I have seriously considered having my air bag disabled b/c it would hit me squarely where it could do more harm than good, but it is a big legal pain to have this done in our state. Our boys get their short, lean frames from me … anyone have any ideas for our 10-year-old. I’m all ears.
June 29th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
We have 2 Britax Marathons for Lily. We love them and she must too because she has never once objected to sitting in them, not even on the way home from the airport when we first got her. She sat right down, got strapped in and had herself a nap. This is pretty much what she does now. :-) I couldn’t live with myself if I bought a cheaper seat and God forbid something happened. Even if it had nothing to do with the cheap seat I would always wonder what if. Ugh. Don’t even want to think about it. Anyway, we’re big Britax fans. Attractive, easy to install, comfortable and SAFE.
June 29th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I don’t mean to just pick on Britax, but their seats pass Britax safety tests, and handpicked independent testers, just like every other car seat out there. however, those tests are conducted on sleds that do not mimic the actual force of a crash, just the speed.
Again, what is being quoted here about Britax and their ‘voluntary recalls’ is Britax advertising. What is true is that, when the Marathon was recalled, Britax fought the ruling, stating that problems with their tether hooks, which resulted in the seat being insecure in the car, was not a real safety concern, and the Marathon seats were only recalled at the insistence of the NHTSA. Britax fought to keep the recall from happening, and it is not the only instance they did so.
We could pick apart all car seats and car seat manufacturers, but Britax sells seats that are easily 2-3 times more expensive than the rest, and they do it by fear mongering and by convincing parents that it is possible to buy more and more safety with more and more dollars.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
We loved the Britax Roundabout that we used when our daughter was younger but when our son joined us we decided to move him into the Roundabout and purchased Britax Regents for our daughter. I have not been nearly as happy with them. For some reason the placement of the straps on the bottom of the seat makes it very difficult to install the seat correctly. The seat seems to be fine but then when our daughter sits in it, her weight pushes against the strap and makes it very difficult to tighten the strap down against her ocrrectly. We brought our vehicles in to three different firestations for installation with no avail. I even spoke with Britax over the phone to try to get some advice on the issue. Ultimately I had several parents from another listserv chime in with similar issues with the Regent and after some fussing about, we managed to install the seats so that the straps can be moved. They are still a bit of a pain though and I would not recommend this particular carseat to anyone. Has anyone else found this to be a problem?
Joanie
Mom to Shaeleigh (5, Foshan Nanhai) &
Chance (2, Ho Chi Minh City)
http://www.xanga.com/smitheroni
June 29th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Smitheroni, please visit http://www.safekids.com and find a CPST (Certified Passenger Safety Technician) in your area, or find an event in your area. We have a Regent for our 7yr old, and I haven’t had that problem, which leads me to think the harness may be routed through the seat wrong. It shouldn’t be under her at all, the harness should be behind the seat, and under the seat, not between the fabric and the seat, kwim?
Find a CPST. Firemen/policement are NOT certified, they are simply trained for 2hrs one time to install seats. a CPST will have knowledge of the Regent and can fully inspect and install it for you.