Convertible Car Seat Question - Which is best?

It's getting close to time for our DD to move from her bucket seat into a convertible car seat. She is 11 months old, 18 lbs, and 29 inches. She will probably stay a tall, skinny kid - lol :lol:

I am wondering what brand/model of car seat everyone has, and what your likes/dislikes are about them?

Zellers has the Cosco Alpha Omega 3 in 1 on sale for $139.97 (reg 179.97) and the Graco Nautilus on sale for $194.97 (reg 249.97) this week, but we are open to other makes as well. We have heard good things about Britax and Sunshine Kids, but I wonder if the extra $$ for them are worth it :shrug:

Would love to hear everyone's experiences!

I *think* she has to be 20 pounds AND at least one year old before she can face forward, but you'd probably have to check on that.

If I had to do it over again, I would have skipped the little car seat and went for a three in one. My DS had outgrown the baby seat by the time he was four months old, it really didn't get enough use to make it worthwhile.

We now have an Eddie Bauer two in one seat that DS has used for probably a year and a half. Now that he's nearly four and 55 pounds, we've removed the straps from it and it's a booster he can use with a seat belt. I believe he can continue to use it like that until he's about 80 pounds. So it does have longevity! But I think within the next year or so he will be too tall for it.

I did find it kind of difficult to attach to the car with the LATCH system, but that probably bothered me more than most. When you have a car, you must only do it once generally, and it's done. We don't own a car, so we only used it when we rent vehicles. I probably installed the darned thing 20+ times, and cursed every time trying to get it tight enough so that it wouldn't move. Now that it's a booster, it isn't attached to the car, so it's easy, just toss the seat in and go.

I don't think the Britax are really worth the extra money, but that's just my opinion. :)

Z

I had to get my son a convertible car seat when he was only 6 months old. He was 30" and much too long for his infant seat. Convertible seats can face both rear and forward facing.

We have the Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite carseat. I don't really care that much for it though. I find it doesn't recline back far enough so my little guy sits forward some it. If I was gonna go back and buy a carseat again I would look at getting a Britax carseat. Yes they are more money, but your child can use them for years. And any other children that you may have as long as its still in good working condition. So really when you look at the price that way it doesn't seem like that big a deal. But of course their are other great brands out there as well. Just do your research before you buy :)

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Originally Posted by dol09

If I was gonna go back and buy a carseat again I would look at getting a Britax carseat. Yes they are more money, but your child can use them for years. And any other children that you may have as long as its still in good working condition. So really when you look at the price that way it doesn't seem like that big a deal.

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I don't think you'd be able to go through two kids on one car seat. They all have expiration dates; Britax ones have a longer life than some do, but it's still only about six years. Here in NS, kids have to be in a booster until they're nine years old, so the same seat could never cover even one kid for the whole time they need to be in it.

Z

We have a Graco MyRide 65 and really like it. It's easy to install and has a 40lb rear facing limit. I have seen it on sale at TRU. We also have an Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 and much prefer the Graco. The Graco is easier to tighten, looks much more comfortable and was much easier to install.
Check out www.car-seat.org. There is a tonne of information. If you have any questions, you can ask in one of the forums on the site and you'll get lots of help.

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Originally Posted by sarajen

Check out www.car-seat.org. There is a tonne of information. If you have any questions, you can ask in one of the forums on the site and you'll get lots of help.

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This is an interesting site, but is it Canadian? I took a look but couldn't quickly find the answer.

American car seat standards are not nearly as stringent as Canadian ones; if the site is a US site, the answers may not be accurate for Canada.

Z

My understanding is that in Canada car seats should not be used for more than 5 years. It has to do with our extreme temperatures. The freezing and heat all take it's toll on it.

I've never been a stellar fan of 3-1 car seats. I find that by the time they need it as a booster, it's showing it's wear or breaking. Not to mention that booster seats (without the back) aren't expensive. Look for a car seat that you can adjust the straps from the front. There is nothing worse than having to take the darn car seat out every time they wear a different coat (winter coat vs spring coat vs no coat, ect...). Also look for a company that sells "spare parts". Things like the clips can break. They are easy to replace but only if you can find a spare one. I don't know that the company really matters. If it has everything you need and it's on sale, then go for it.

thanks everyone - great info! :)

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Originally Posted by Zonny

This is an interesting site, but is it Canadian? I took a look but couldn't quickly find the answer.

American car seat standards are not nearly as stringent as Canadian ones; if the site is a US site, the answers may not be accurate for Canada.

Z

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There is a Canadian section. Under the first Safety Topic there is a sub-forum. Any time I've asked a question I've received answers from car seat technicians that work in Canada.

i bought the britax marathon for my 3 year old when he was 1 and recently bought the britax frontier, put my 3 year old in the frontier and my now 1 year old in the marathon. i love them, they are very easy to install, they adjust from the front and if you compare the amount of impact absorbing foam(the white hard foam under the cushioning) it is much thicker than most other car seats. i did alot of research before buying and heard the best things about these car seats. all car seats that are currently being sold in canada brand new have to meet very strict standards so they are all *safe*. BUT i think that if i bought a different car seat to save money and one of my sons were injured in a car accident i would always wonder if they wouldnt have been if id have bought the better (more expensive) car seat. i just want to be sure i am doing everything i can.

http://www.britax.ca/car-seats/marathon

http://www.britax.ca/car-seats/frontier

My children refused to sit in a "baby seat" after they were 6 - and prefer the backless boosters.

any more ideas on the car seat debate

i have been looking at the sunshine..anyone has that one? thoughts? I like the fact that it can fold up when not in use

quite helpful. thanks for the post.
here is a link i found may be useful choosing right car seat:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/saf...t/choose.shtml

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Originally Posted by nurserebecca

any more ideas on the car seat debate

i have been looking at the sunshine..anyone has that one? thoughts? I like the fact that it can fold up when not in use

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I do have the Sunshine Kids Radian - it's worked well for us. But my situation is quite different in that I have triplets and I need car seats that can fit 3 across (we have an SUV). Luckily my kids are quite skinny so the Radian works well. I was told that Britax is roomier but there is no way I can fit 3 across. My friend's daughter, who is a little on the chubby side, could not fit into the Radian.

Love: The seats are easy to wipe and are cool for extended drive (no sweaty backs). We got the Premier Sport, I think (gray coloured cover)
Hate: When rear facing (there was a period when my kids were too long for the infant car seat but underweight to be front facing), it leans back far i.e. pushing up to the front seat passengers. My husband who is 6'3" could not drive the car until 2 of the 3 were turned around.

I have the First Years True Fit Aurora for my little guy, and really like it. It doesn't convert to a booster, though. My husband has an Alpha Omega car seat in his car, and it seems to be almost too upright to be comfortable.