cheap car seats help ?

need another set of carseats for my parents car.. anywhere or any brand u can recommend that is good, safe and inexpensive.. ih ave 2 britax and i am not about to gete 2 more of those.. help
!

 

We had/have the Evenflo Triumphs and they're great. Easy to use and great safety ratings by CR. They were about $100 at BRU with the twin discount. I have them in my MIL's car now.

 

Walmart has one that's about $40. It's decent ratings and lightweight, good for plane travel too. It's not comfy compared to britax, but it does the job for the extra car and just in case we ever travel by plane (doubtful).

 

Cosco Sceneras are about 40 bucks and considered a good decent seat. However, you need to have them rearfacing until 34" (see manual) and they have low top slots, so they tend to outgrow them around age 2 or 3, depending on their size. I agree the Evenflo Triumph would be a much better option, but also more expensive. Slots are 17", a little lower than the Britax Marathon, etc. and it goes up to 50 or 55lbs.

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 Roundabout: RF 5-33 lbs, FF to 40 lbs. 15.5” top slots. Smaller version of the Marathon, Decathlon or Boulevard. Allow for RF tethering. All the Britax bells and whistles, easy to install. Because of lower top slots and lower weight limit many children will outgrow this seat around age 3-4 ($150+), before being ready for a booster seat.

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: 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).

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.

 

If you have a BigLots in your area check them out. They sometimes have really decent seats for 30 bucks!

 

we have cosco 3-in-1 and they have good ratings and seat kids up to 100lbs and were around 100

 

QUOTE(Sofiesmom @ Nov 15 2007, 01:45 PM) [snapback]496722[/snapback]
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.


Those 3 in 1 seats promise a lot, but the top slots are low, the weight limit only 40lbs for the harnass and many kids outgrow the seat when they're ready for a booster (the booster limit is 100lbs but that doesn't mean much because a 3 or 4 yo should not be in a booster in my opinion). Better get a Scenera for $40 instead, cheaper.

It's recommended to keep children harnassed until 40lbs AND 4yo, and that's considered a bare minimum these days. There are plenty of seats out there that can harnass your child longer, until age 5-7.