We are now in the market for Collin's next car seat. We have been reading reviews online, but I wanted to poll my friends and family and see what they recommend. Please leave a comment if you particularly like or dislike your child's car seat.
Here are some things we are trying to decide about:
1 - Booster included: We need one that will rear-face and forward-face, but should we get the one that will also be a booster seat down the road? Is it worth the extra expense?
2 - Compact design: Are they as safe/comfortable? We would like it to fit behind the driver's seat in our 4-door sedan without Collin kicking the driver in the back, but does the smaller size work as well as the taller ones?
3 - Comfort: Are the more expensive ones really more comfortable? We take Collin on road-trips to St. Louis at least monthly, and I want him to be as comfy as possible, since a happy baby is a happy mommy and daddy, and therefore a happy road trip.
4 - Brand: What do you prefer? Graco? Evenflow? Eddie Bauer? Safety First?
Any other recommendations? What have you liked or hated? Collin is more than done with his infant carrier, and we want to get the best value for our buck. What have you learned from experience and/or your own research?
THANK YOU!
11 comments:
I don't really have much advice to offer since I don't know much about any other brands, but we have a Safety First forward facing without a booster and it's worked really well on our many road trips for Austin... good luck!
I REALLY need to get Asher a new seat too. I would love to get the Britax Marathon but it's so pricey. Still haven't decided. Luckily our infant seat is a bit larger than many and is still working.
I laugh because Logan has been the one in our family doing the research for a new car seat. I should ask him what he found :). We are in the same boat. Brennan is 20 lbs (although I think his car seat limit is 22) and not quite a year. We too need something that's rear facing and then forward facing - with a boaster option? so we don't have to get another one. . . I'll have to ask Logan and then comment again.
I LOVE that you are posting about this, and I'm eagerly reading everyone's comments, because we have been "trying on" car seats for a week now. I think Collin and Gideon are very similar in size, although Collin is taller? (About 20 lbs & 28 inches, or so we estimate...)
Wow. I started writing a really long comment, but I'm gonna post it on my blog instead. Here's the link!
We have the cosco Alpha Omega since Aiden went into a carseat back 5 years ago. I have amazingly been happy with it and we are now using it with the 3rd kid. Not to pricey and has the option to convert from rear to front facing. We never used it much for rear facing, they always stayed in their infant seats until one. But the fact that it can recline for long trips...is great! We just had Ash laying back while we drove to UT. I was sure it was expired and I just checked and it goes until 2012. So, we may get all the kids through that carseat.
I would try it out in your car, becaue I remember it being so hard in a sedan. If it doesn't work....TAKE IT BACK! Remember we talked about returning stuff.
I have to say that I love my Maxi Cosi. I love the fact that it reclines and it faces either forwards or backwards. It holds up to 40 lbs. I think that its a good weight because I'm sure the next baby will have to be in it when Grady switches to a booster. It is a little pricey at 200 dollars but Grady has always traveled really well in it.
We have always like Graco brands. We have the Zephr and love it for Hayden. We weren't crazy about Ashlyn's. It's the cheaper rear facing car seat. I think around $89. I think we just didn't like it because her head flopped over. But they fit in all cars differently. Just remember more expensive is not better or safer. ( But you guys also know this, you have an ENGR in your house too!) Luckily someone gave us another booster for Hayden because Henry has needed to be in a new car seat since a month ago-little chunkier! Good luck in your search.
Well, just so you know I don't really think the booster component matters that much because before you know it you'll have another kiddo & they will be ready for a forward facing carseat & you can just move Collin into a booster at that time! That is what we did anyway & Makena isn't quite ready for a booster yet she is just in a forward facing & her carseat is about to expire anyway...yes if you didn't know car seats expire check on the bottom & it will say when! Also, I like the ones that can recline so when they fall asleep! I think this is the only advice I have! Oh & also make sure the sides kind of come out a little way around their head. So, that when they fall asleep they have somewhere to rest their little heads when your on the road. I like Graco, but we also have a car seat that I can't remeber the brand & I like it too! Good Luck!
Linds, we got a big, comfy Evenflo that is rear (with an adjustable knob so they are at the right angle) and forward facing. It was priced the middle of the line and had good reviews. I didn't feel the need to get the booster option, because by the time Carson was ready for the booster, Abby was ready for his carseat so we passed it down to her and bought him a high backed booster (which are less expensive then a carseat). I like our carseat, but one thing we did not consider is how easy it is to take off the pad and wash it. It is near impossible and requires almost taking the whole carseat apart. I would recommend checking into that aspect.
I love the new picture of you guys on the top! What a cute family
:) Yay that you've decided! I hope you like yours!
We tried out our new Evenflo Triumph DLX on Saturday, and we like it a lot!
The pros?
The fabric is so soft and the seat is plush. The seat was easy to install (we wedged a baby blanket under it to get it super tight), and straps are super easy to adjust! The seat is tall enough that Gideon's eyes aren't in the sun too badly, and I was worried about that since convertibles don't have sun visors.
The cons? Well, Jonathan managed to pinch Gideon's naked thigh on the buckle. :( I think that was a user error. The straps get twisted easily, but are hard to untwist. We aren't using any of the extra cushions that came with it, and I might buy a pillow for the sides of Gideon's head...
We like it! And I don't know the difference between the LX and the DLX. I wasn't even sure which one we got until I checked it just now.
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