Friday, May 21, 2010
Convertable Car Seats?
I was just looking at a few of these online. I know we don't need one right now, but we will need to get one in the next 4-5 months probably. I was just wondering what kind of forward facing carseats ya'll liked & if anyone wanted to give me their opinion on one. The one I found that I like the look of it, is the "Britax Marathon Car Seat - Crocodile" print. I thought a lighter color would be better b/c we DO live in the desert! Only thing is, it's $279.99 & I get 20% off coupons from Babiesrus all the time. But, is a forward facing seat worth that much money? What is the best brand to get? Just wondering!
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Wow I never realized they are so expensive. I have an unasked for tip though. Keep him rear facing as long as possible. I know a seat is easier but so many moms move their kids up before they are suppose to and it can be really bad in a car accident. I'm sorry, it's the firefighter's wife in me and I hear all their tips.
ReplyDeleteEven though my first baby is due in four months, I've looked into convertible car seats. From everything I've read, Britax is THE best brand of seats. A friend of mine on facebook asked your same question the other day...every person who commented recommended the Britax brand (Marathon specifically). Apparently, they are the absolute best. I think that's what we'll be purchasing when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteI have never used a britax car seat and I know some people absolutely rave about them, but I am a Graco girl. Of all the baby products I have used, there have been many other brands I have not been happy with, but Graco has made me happy almost every time. :-)
ReplyDeleteI got the graco nautilus for my oldest son when he needed a new seat and loved it so much I got another one for my daughter to use (when we get our van since it doesn't currently fit in our car with 3 carseats). Other people that I know have seen the seats and got them for their kids, too. It is so easy to use, easy to adjust, easy to tighten straps, feels secure, and the kids seem comfortable in them. They look cool, too, which is nice. :-) I also really like that Caiden can be in the 5 point harness until 65 lbs, which will probably he a while, or that we can use it just as a booster when he is ready for that.
And I have to agree with Mrs. Classic. Everyone at the sheriff's department my husband used to work for told us it is so much safer to keep them rear-facing for as long as possible, or at least up to 2 years if their rear facing carseats allow. That is one downside to the nautilus, it is only forward facing, but if Jarrett's infant seat has a higher weight limit, you should be fine if you decide to keep him rear facing longer. :-)
I usually dont have a problem with keeping my kids rear facing past 1 year of age because it takes them FOREVER to reach 20 pounds. Besides, they don't know the difference until you make the change, so it doesn't really bother them. Ellee would probably still be rear facing if Cole wasn't in the picture, but again, the carseats didn't fit in the back seat of our car with her seat backwards.
Ok, sorry if that comment was too long for you. Just trying to share what has worked for me! Good luck as you make your carseat decisions!!
We're hoping to have a child soon and we've been looking into all of the safety issues. I read somewhere that your child should not be placed in a forward facing car seat until they are 20lbs AND one year old because the muscles in their neck are not strong enough yet to withstand the unfortunate event of a car crash.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, a lot of convertible car seats can be placed rearward facing and forward facing.
Sorry I can't be of more help, but good luck!!
Convertible car seats are designed to be rear facing until baby is at least one year old. With my son, he outgrew the infant carseat at 7 months so we moved him into a rear facing convertible car seats. Most state laws require baby to be rear facing up to one year.
ReplyDeleteI've read nothing but awesome reviews and safety reviews of the Britax. From my research, the Evenflo Triumph DLX was a close second so that's what we went with. I love it. The belts are so easy to adjust - just turn a knob. I plan on getting one for Taryn.
And they are worth the money. Cayson is 3 and still in his. It's good until he's 50 lbs so it has gotten a lot of use.
From all my research..Britax is one of the best! Just an FYI, rumor has it they're releasing new ones in July that have great weight/height limits and an increased "shelf" life of 6 years instead of 7. Best part is the price is staying the same! That being said, if you can wait to buy..I would. You'll either score a good deal on one of the "older" models or for the same price get an even better seat!
ReplyDeleteI didn't really spend very much on ours and it's been going strong for a long time now. They get so crummy/spit-up-y and you end up being glad you didn't spend so much. Really, any car seat is safe, I would think... some are more like thrones than car seats which is why they cost so much! Ours wasn't the top of the line but he seems to like it. We got a black one- and we live in Arizona 8 months out of the year. It seems to be fine really, since it's cloth. I heard a trick is to bring a little squirt bottle to spray down the hot metal parts before you put the baby in it. I was always too lazy to try it. lol! You could also get a window shade and then the color won't matter so much. Then again they get torn down too.. haha I could go on forever :p
ReplyDeleteThe brand we have is cosco, we got it at Babies-r-us. Good luck finding the one you will love!
Bonnie, we bought the Britax Marathon and it was worth every penny. We used it rear facing until Trey was about 16 months and then turned it around. He was about 4 years old when he grew out of it.
ReplyDeleteWe may still have the seat in our garage in Atlanta. I am headed back there on Sunday and I will check. If I have it then you can have it, just pay the shipping to get it to Vegas. I will check back with you on Sunday or Monday.
Hey Bonnie! From my research it came down to the Britax and the Graco MyRide. We ended up going with the Graco since we have to have two car seats (I drop the baby off and hubby picks him up). The Graco allows him to be rear-facing longer than any others I found which is supposed to be safest and works up until 65 pounds so we should be set for good with the one car seat. Our baby started hating the infant seat early so he has been in this new one since four months old and loves it. We got ours at Target.
ReplyDeleteWow I thought I would be alone in my rear facing advice! One more tip. Make sure the straps are tight on them and don't twist anywhere. With all the nanny work I use to do I would see so many kids throw fits when they were properly seatbelted in because they felt like it was too tight. If you do it right from the beginning they won't ever feel that way.
ReplyDeleteActually, it is now recommended that they be rear facing up to 2 years of age.
ReplyDeleteWe have two Britax Marathons, one for my car and one for DH's. I happened upon an amazing deal and snapped them up.
I've heard great things about the Nautilus and MyRide (Graco) as well.
I have to disagree with the person who said any carseat is the same. Carseats are just like cars - they have safety ratings. Your child's life could possibly depend on the quality AND the installation of the seat, so I don't think this is the place to scrimp. That said, you don't have to buy the $260 seat. There are other models, cheaper, with good ratings. Just do your research. Please, please, please don't just go to the store and buy whatever b/c of the price. Each carseat is NOT the same.
http://www.carseat.org/ is a great resource.
For convertible options, the Cosco Juvenile line is probably one of the best as recommended on car seat reviews, where editors compared them to Britax - good with strict safety tests, as well as Graco options - which tend to be more over fashion and style.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for choosing Cosco is because of its versatility and ease of use, as well as snug fit with many car types. Other advantage was price and availability.
I actually have the Britax Marathon and will buy another one for daughter #2. It is the safest seat on the market....I did research for weeks. I love it! Look for sales. i got one on albeebaby.com for around $250 and free shipping.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time commenting on your blog... so hi!
ReplyDeleteWe do no have kids yet, but have been trying for almost 2 years so i have done plenty of research into car seats! Britax car seats are definitely the safest car seats on the market. Originally i loved that you could extend rear facing in it because at the time there weren't many other car seats on the market that rear faced to an extended weight (at least in Canada where i am). Now there are a plethora of car seats with higher weight limits but a lot of them (like the Safety 1st Air for example) are made from a cheaper frame and thats why they are so much cheaper. The extra $ is definitely worth it for the quality of seat you will be getting.
If you have any doubts about extended rear facing please watch this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8
I love all of this advice! While I don't have kids yet... I will someday soon hopefully and ofetn times I feel so overwhelmed with all of the baby *stuff*! Carseats are something that are very important so its great to read all of this!
ReplyDeleteI agree with rear facing and the parents of the one year old that I nanny for switched her right at a year. I understand the reasoning that the kids get antsy and want to see more and not be facing the rear. However, I also believe that if you never face them frontwards they won't necc. know the difference. So, if it seems the best idea is to keep them rear facing for as long as possible!
This is Danielle and I have the Britax Marathon carseat and LOVE it!
ReplyDelete