Infant/Toddler Car seats

[atruefriend]

Has anyone seen any worthwhile deals on a front-facing car seat. I have a rear facing infant seat and it's time to switch to a front-facing one.

Pls advise.

Thank you!

[BeeEss]

go to pricegrabber.com and check for britax boulevard as thats the best front facing carseat...

i see some designs in that from 278 onwards...

[lerlerler]

How old is your child? THat's the FIRST question? Age, height and weight.

It really matters...

Does your car have latch? Do you have (or expect) other children? Is your family TALL? Will you move the seat often?

All these come into play. Sometimes a cheap seat won't last you long enough and a pricey Britax will last you a lot longer AND annoy you less... and sometimes a cheap seat is fine (the COSCO SCENERA often fits the bill quite well). There are a lot of variables

You realize that the child should stay rear facing as long as possible, right?
ONE is a minimum..
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx

I

[StarNova]

Amazon has the Britax roundabout on sale, ranges from 159 to 199 (same car seat, different color covers)

All colors
http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Roundabout-Convertible-Seat-Onyx/dp/B000F1OAE6?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1203864800&sr=8-1

Bridgeport at 159
http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Roundabout-Convertible-Car-Seat/dp/B001E5CE22/ref=pd_bbs_sr_8?ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1229732962&sr=8-8

Britax Marathon (a little nicer but you pay for it) ranges in price from 199 to 249


If you are looking for a little cheaper, I would recommend the Evenflo triumph. Good reviews at $105

http://www.amazon.com/Evenflo-Triumph-Advance-Convertible-Seat/dp/B000YZD0QM/ref=pd_ts_zbs_ba_166835011_3?pf_rd_p=305196201&pf_rd_s=right-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=166835011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0FM4QD9MP56T78B86VPX

[atruefriend]

Thanks so much for all the feedback (particularly StarNova). This has been very helpful. My child just passed one year mark and is 24 lbs. I'd no idea as to what to look for until I got all of your advise. Thx.

I'm leaning towards the Britax Marathon. I found some great reviews for it, couldn't find any negatives (barring the price), is very trendy looking, and has been ranked highest among safety standards.

It's a mid-ranked between the boulevard and the roundabout in terms of price and looks, and I don't think I'll regret buying it.

Thx agn, everyone.

[mistyrusty]

Ok I am going to just Copy & paste what my Carseat tech friend has sent all of us at one time or another... I can get her to help you pick out a good seat if you would like as well...

PLEASE Read what she wrote it is VERY important....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


What is extended rear-facing? It’s rear-facing a child in the carseat past the legal minimum of one year and 20 pounds.

Why is it better than the legal limit? Isn’t the legal limit safe? After all, it wouldn’t be a law otherwise! It’s just flat out safer to go beyond. The legal limit was put in effect over ten years ago. The only change we’ve been able to make to the law in that time is changing the wording from “one year or 20 pounds” to “one year and 20 pounds”. It took years of lobbying senators to even accomplish that and even then, not all states have done so. The 20 pound rule is there for one reason only. At the time the law was made, carseats in the US could not rear-face past 20 pounds. The seats just didn’t exist at that time. Now we have seats that do far better and we’re working hard to get the law to reflect the newer developments.

Why is extended rear-facing so important? It’s a simple matter of safety and development. Children have underdeveloped spinal columns. The bones don’t even begin to fuse until about two-three years old. They also have overly large heads in proportion to their bodies.

Look at an adult. Their heads don’t seem too big and are quite proportional. They “fit”. Now look at a baby… 2 weeks, 6 months, even 18 months. Their heads are MUCH larger in comparison.

Crash forces are incredibly strong, even in minor or low speed crashes. Adults get sore necks and whiplash when their heads are thrust violently forward during a crash. Babies, with much larger heads and much weaker spinal columns, suffer far worse damage at much lower speeds. Their spinal cord can literally snap due to the force. This can cause paralyzation, either partial or full, or death.

Here are two heartbreaking stories of surviving internal decapitation (where the spinal cord breaks).
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4144421a10.html

Joel's story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8gU9zzCGA8


So how does rear-facing help? In a rear-facing carseat, the seat absorbs most of the crash forces. When forward facing, the child absorbs the forces. A rear-facing carseat will cradle a child’s body. It protects the spine, neck, and head. A rear-facing carseat will keep a child in a straight line pre-crash position that provides the utmost in protection. All passengers would be safer rear-facing, however there aren’t seats for adults yet!

The worst part of a crash is the initial jarring force that pushes occupants towards the point of impact. After all, the car is stopping very abruptly, but the passengers inside are still traveling at the same speed as when the car was hit! By rear-facing, the child is pushed into the carseat during the highest of crash forces, making the seat take the brunt of damage and leaving the child safe.

What about long legs? Isn’t it dangerous to have them touch the back of the seat? No, not at all! During the crash, everything moves towards the point of impact. A child’s legs will move towards their body and be cushioned. If something were to happen and a child’s leg did break while rear-facing (more than likely due to some projectiles in the car), a broken leg is fixable. A broken leg can be set and a cast put on. It’s bothersome, but it can be healed. Necks are not so forgiving. A broken neck can’t be fixed.

So how long should my child rear-face? Until the limits of the convertible seat are reached. It is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Child Passenger Safety Technicians, engineers, doctors, and safety-minded nations across the globe.

Rear-facing carseats are outgrown when one of two things happens. A child must not exceed the weight limit of the seat. Convertibles now will rear-face to 30, 33, or 35 pounds depending on the model and when it was manufactured. Always check your carseat manual for instructions on installation and use, including weight limits. If you can’t find your manual, the carseat will have a sticker listing the weight limits. The 30 and 33 pound models are on the way out. Many affordable seats now will rear-face to 35 pounds and other seats are being tested with even higher limits (40 pounds currently), hopefully to be released within the next few years.

The other limit for outgrowing a rear-facing carseat is height. Height limits are flexible. Children all carry height differently, so an average height is chosen as the limit. The best thing to look for is torso height. A child outgrows his or her rear-facing carseat when there is less than one inch of hard plastic shell above his or her head.



Sweden has the lowest rate of vehicle related child mortality. They routinely rear-face to four or five years old. They have worked hard to develop seats that will hold up to 55 pounds rear-facing and most people use them.

Alternately, in the United States, car crashes are the number one killer of children. Riding in the car is the most dangerous thing our kids do, and most of them do it nearly every day. It’s our job to keep them as safe as we can with the technology available. A child is 5 times safer riding rear-facing than forward facing if under the age of 3.

I strongly suggest you thoroughly read these websites. They explain far better than I could the benefits of rear-facing. Feel free to ask anything you feel needs more clarification.

http://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats.html

http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html


This is THE BEST page for extended rear-facing. Read it. It’s worth a few minutes of your time.
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx


This is a Swedish video. I think it illustrates the difference quite well.
http://blip.tv/file/872531

And here are some youtube videos to watch for more information.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psmUWg7QrC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI



This is important information to know even though our kids are mostly past the weights where they could rear-face. Many of you have or are planning to someday have more children. Even if you’re done with kids, it’s still important information.

[elle7715]

The Marathon is a great seat, we have one for grandma's car. If you're going to buy a Britax go with a Marathon or a Boulevard unless you have a really, really small car. The Diplomat and Roundabout are nice but they are mini versions of the Marathon and Boulevard and will be outgrown much sooner. The Evenflo Triumph Advance is also really nice and in a BRU mailing I just got they had a $20 off coupon. It isn't as nice as a Britax but it will fit them just as long and is very comfy. Keep in mind though, it is WIDE and will take up a good chunk of the backseat.
What I found (unfortunately from experience) is too look for seats that will fit them the longest. My daughter was too tall for a ComfortSport when she was only 21 pounds! Such a waste of money.
Rearfacing is so much safer and it's easier on young kids too. No head bobbing when they fall asleep! My kids are lightweights so my daughter was rearfacing until she was 3.5 and my son is still rearfacing at 22 months.

[IForgotIt]

Target has a huge sale in the baby department in January. I got some great 75% off deals last year.