car seats?

I know there is a million posts on here about car seats, but I need suggestions. On a diffrent post I read that someone suggested asking for them for christmas... well I told my mom and she said that was a good idea. now i need to know so good suggestions for ones that will last a long time and that are comfortable.
Missy

 

We bought the Evenflo Triumph Advance. My kids love them. Not a peep out of them when they are riding in the car. They are rear facing until 35# and then forward facing to 50#. They are very affordable convertible carseats.

 

Ours are expensive, but very safe: Britax Roundabouts. The Britax Marathon is awesome too.
My girls love how comfortable they are, and they got fabulous safety ratings by consumer reports.

 

My parents bought mine Marathons and i LOVE THEM! No i am not using them yet but i can not wait. I got Savannah Mariposa and Beau Mossy Oak... The patterns rock and the safety ratings were fabulous! I can not wait to use them but i am simply waiting till i have so i can get alot of use out of my infant carriers.

 

If you can afford, I would get the Britax Marathon or the newer (same size, weight) versions. Another alternative is the Radian 65 which I love for my oldest, very long lasting thanks to the high slots, but install issues in certain brands. Another alternative is the Evenflo Triump Advance.

Personally I wouldn't get the Roundabout. Slots are pretty low and many children outgrow the seat around age 3 before being ready for a booster (recommended absolute minimum requirement 40lbs and 4 yo for a booster). And the difference between Roundabout and Marathon is small (I paid $209 and $219 for mine online, no tax, free shipping). It's a great seat though, just not very long lasting for most kids, unless you have really small peanuts (my friends' son is still in one at age 4, but about to outgrow, he's 25% for height and 10% for weight)!

Cheaper alternative is a Cosco Scenera, but then you would need another convertible (or forward facing harnassed option after that, since the top slots are low but they're only $40).

It's important to look at the size of your children. If they're average or above average, get seats with higher weight limits (not just 40lbs) and seats with higher slots.

HTH!

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Convertible Seats

Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (FPSVD): RF 5-33 lbs, FF to 55 lbs. 17 inch top harness slots. Made by Britax, sold under the FP name - basically a stripped down Britax Marathon. Great seat being sold at excellent prices right now. Will last most kids to age 5-6. Supposedly discontinued due to poor sales, but Britax is still manufacturing them as of this month and they have been shipping with brand new DOM’s. ($129)

Britax Marathon, Decathlon, or Boulevard: RF 5-33lbs, FF to 65lbs. 17-17.5 inch top harness slots. Allow for RF tethering. Basically built on the same shell, all have lockoffs to replace locking clips, very easy installs, many bells and whistles that make them easier to use correctly every time. Boulevard has SIP wings. Boulevard and Marathon have separate LATCH straps, Decathlon has one long strap. Last most kids to age 5-6. ($220+)

Sunshine Kids Radian (65 or 80): RF 5-33lbs, FF to 65 or 80 lbs. 18 inch top harness slots, and allows child’s shoulders to go up to 1 inch above the top slots because it’s built on a steel frame. Allows for RF tethering. Excellent seat, but it has installation compatibility issues in some vehicles when installed with seatbelt. Lasts most kids to age 6-7. ($175+)

Evenflo Triumph Advance: RF 5-35 lbs, FF to 50 lbs. 17 in top harnass slots. Features infinite harness adjuster - no rethreading the harness! Should last most kids to age 5 or so. Has been found at Babies’R’Us and Wal-Mart. ($130-150)

Recaro Como and Signo: (Coming soon) RF 5-35 lbs, FF to 70 lbs. 19 inch top harness slots. Allow for RF tethering. Recaro makes seats for NASCAR. Built on basically the same shell, but the Signo will have SIP wings, an infinitely adjustable harness and separate LATCH belts. Will last most kids to age 6-7. ($249+) –Como set for release 2nd week of August, Signo 3rd week of September

Lower cost options... (for primary or secondary cars... they are still GREAT seats)

Cosco Scenera (5pt harness NOT Overhead shield): RF 5-35 lbs, FF to 40 lbs. 15 inch top harness slots. Very basic no frill seat. 34” minimum height required for FF in addition to 22 lbs minimum FF weight. Lasts most kids to age 3-3.5 due to low top slots and a short shell, but a good value at $40-50. Available at Wal-Mart, Target, K Mart and more.

Safety First Uptown: RF 5-35 lbs, FF to 40 lbs. 16.5 inch top harness slots making this is the ONLY 40lb limit convertible that may actually get a kid to 40lbs before it’s outgrown by height. EPP foam, super cushy. Very easy to use and with an 8 yr lifespan! (most seats are 6) Will last most kids to 40 lbs... age 3 or 4 depending on height. (about $100)

The Graco Comfort Sport, Evenflo Titan and Triumph, and all the Cosco/Dorel/Eddie Bauer 3-in-1 seats have low top harness slots and short shells and are usually outgrown the same time as the Scenera. You don’t get much for you money. While they are safe when used properly (like any seat), there are just other options that offer more for the same cost.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions.... Franca that is a wonderfully helpful post.. I think I am considering the evenflo triumph advance.

thanks,
Missy

 

We just bought 6 (ugh!) car seats yesterday! We need 2 for my car, 2 for DH's and 2 for my cousin who watches them while I work. We bought 4 of the Evenflo Triumph Advance for my DH's car and my cousins. For my car we are getting the Radian 80's. I just can't read enough good stuff about them. Plus, they are the only car seats that have a steel frame, which makes them the safest, god forbid there is an accident. Someone sent out a website for a foundation that was started for a couple's 3 year old son that had died, and they recommended the Radian as the best car seat for safety. Just my 2 cents.

 

QUOTE(DATJMom @ Oct 24 2007, 10:26 PM) [snapback]465872[/snapback]
We bought the Evenflo Triumph Advance. My kids love them. Not a peep out of them when they are riding in the car. They are rear facing until 35# and then forward facing to 50#. They are very affordable convertible carseats.


Ditto on this... We just replaced or GCS with The triumps advance b/c of an accident and the kids LOVE them... Just as much as we do!!!

 

Before we bought ours we went to the consumer safety reports and Britax Roundabouts rated the top so that is what we went with. They are very comfortable and the girls really like them too...They are expensive though, but with well worth it for safety, IMO.