Convertible car seats -- need advice

[MediumBrownDog]

My 5 1/2 month old son has outgrown his infant car seat ("the bucket") as he is 20 lbs and his feet are hanging over the edge. I am now looking at the NTSB guidelines, and evidently he has to remain rear facing until he is 1 year old, even though he is 20lbs, so we will have to purchase a 'convertible' car seat which faces rear for the next six months, and then can be flipped around to face forward.

Does anyone have a particular favorite brand or model of these things? Or a horror story to warn agains a particular one? Also, do you have a preference on whether it has a 5 point restraint harness or the bar that comes down over their heads and locks into place? I've seen both, and it looks like the bar would be easier, but it's hard to tell from pictures.

Thanks guys! :bounce:

[detroitguy]

1. We were pretty happy...

...with our Cosco Eddie Bauer Alpha Omega 3 seat. One caveat, though. Consumer Reports warned that the model we bought (and it may have been improved by then) was really better used as a "2-in-1." In other words they suggested not using it as a booster seat (the third stage).

They were right. It was not a good booster. I ended up buying a new booster when my son was ready for that. But we got plenty of use out of the seat anyway and it worked really well as a rear-facing and front-facing car seat. It was comfy - that is, if our son's ability to fall asleep in it is any indication.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

6. I have an Alpha Omega also.

It's a pretty good seat. It will hold up to 35 lbs in the reverse position. A lot of seats only can take up to 22 lbs in the reverse position. It's recommended that a child stay seated in the reverse position until they are at least one year old. Our son exceeded this weight at 5 months, which is the reason why we purchased the seat. He still uses the seat now, but it the forward position. He is currently 27 months old. You can use it as a forward facing car seat up to 40 lbs.

I've heard something about this seat not being so good as a booster. I'm not sure why it's not a good booster. Could you explain why it's not a good booster? It will be a while still before our son will need a booster seat anyhow, but I'm curious about what he should be using for a seat when that time comes.

[detroitguy]

7. In our case...

...the seat belt just did not come to the right spot on our son when we used it as a booster. And it was not adjustable enough to make it work. I am pretty sure that was the problem Consumer Reports warned about. Very likely, the problem was not all that dangerous --probably more of a comfort issue. But, in any event, I bought a Graco booster and that has worked well. And I figured that, after 3 years of use, I got my money's worth put of the first seat.

[LeftyMom]

9. The guides tend to snag the shoulder belt

so it doesn't sit snug to the body. Also the shoulder belt positioner and the shell itself don't adjust that high, so your child almost certainly will outgrow it as a booster before it's time so switch to a seatbelt alone. This is just as well, because the manufacturer's instructions say the seat should only be used for six years, at which point you'll need to buy a different booster anyhow.

It's a decent seat for convertible use, except that like all cosco seats the top harness slots are really to low.

[wildeyed]

2. We bought the Britax, which was pricey,

but I don't regret it. It is good for infants and younger kids, it seems comfy for the kidlet, and the safety standards in the UK (where it is manufactured) are higher than the US. Also, it is designed well for parental use. My son is doing the terrible two thing right now, so getting him strapped into the seat while he is stiff as a board and screaming is difficult. But with the Britax, I can lengthen the straps with one hand while I use the other to try to keep him pinned. Once I get the clips done , it is relatively easy to shorten them again for safety. Maybe all seats do this, I don't know. But it is a good design.

[Debbi801]

4. I second the Britax...

Firstly, they rear-face until 33 pounds and rear facing is much safer for your child. Secondly, the Marathon and Wizard go up to 65 pounds so you can keep them in a 5-point harness much longer (most only go up to 40 pounds in a 5-point harness). Consumer Reports always rates them very highly. The car seat cover selection Britax has is great!! They also make a model called the Roundabout, but that model only goes up to 40 pounds.

As the above poster mentioned, they add a lot of "fluff" things that make getting the kidlet in and out of the car seat as easy as possible.

Britax car seats include energy absorbing foam insulation on all of their car seats.

You can generally find a much better deals online than you could at Babies R Us. Do a search on Froogle. Just stay away from BabyAge. We've had a lot of problems with them not shipping things.

HTH!
Debbi

[Pithlet]

5. We have a Britax too

I really liked our Fisher Price one we had, also. FP doens't make careseats anymore, and it's too bad. The model we had beat out all others, even the priciest ones, in safety tests. It was also much less expensive.

[Sabriel]

14. I liked the Roundabout, but the Marathon is not good, IMO

We have real problems getting it tight, and it seems like the belt slips after we tighten it, leaving a little slack which I don't like. And this after the belt recall, too.

Love the Britax quality and test results, but the Marathon worries me.

[trotsky]

3. Stay away from Graco.

They're extremely right-wing.

Stick with the 5-point harness, it's safer. Cosco makes a really nice model, or at least they did a few years ago, called the Alpha Omega - "the only car seat you'll ever need." It's true, our daughter started off in it, and now she's 3-1/2 and still in it.

[Book Lover]

15. Oh no!

We have a (donated) highchair of theirs and we bought their playpen/changing table/little-infant-sleeping-shelf product when BL jr was born... I liked the quality, but I'm glad I know this now...

[rbnyc]

16. So sad!

I have loads of their stuff. :grr:

[LeftyMom]

8. 5 point only! (I've got links for you)

The overhead shield pose an unacceptable risk of head injuries for smaller children and are easier to escape for older ones. http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/fivepointshield.aspx

If it fits in your car, I'd go with a Marathon, which should fit until your child is six or so, at which point you can more to a inexpensive booster. However, the best people to ask are at the parentsplace.com carseat board or at car-seat.org both of which have helped me pick out my son's seat (a Britax Husky, which we love) so I would ask them for advice. Most of the regular posters there are CPS (child passenger safety) tecnicians or instructors, so they know thier stuff.

BTW, it's best to keep your child rear facing as long as he's able to do so within the guidelines of the seat. http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx explains why. (As an aside, most of the kids in the gallery there are the children of CPS techs at that site and almost all of them are in Marathons or Wizards which use the same shell. I think that says all you need to know about that seat.)

PS Feet hanging over the shell don't mean the infant seat is outgrown, now will they mean a child in a convertible seat should be moved forward facing. The determining factors are weight (and at 20 lbs he isn't too heavy yet for any, although he's at the limit for most of them) and height. If his head is within one inch of the top of the shell (not the fabric cover, which should extend beyond that a ways) then he's too tall for the infant seat. The seat may also have a height limit expressed in inches, for example the ever-popular Graco Sungride has a height limit of 26".

No matter what seat you choose, be sure to have it inspected by a CPS Tech, because 9/10 seats are used incorrectly and it's vital to make sure your child's isn't one of them. You can find one here http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/childps/Contacts/index.cfm or here or here http://www.safekids.org/

I'd stay away from Cosco seats because the straps twist up, the instructions are bad (the Alpha Omega has got to be the most freqently misused seat in the universe) and thier ristory of recalls is awful. My first choices would be Britax, Combi, Graco and Evenflo, in that order based on the quality of thier seats and thier ease of use.

[trotsky]

10. Ugh, the straps!

Yeah I would have to agree with that. Most of our seats have been Cosco, and the straps have always been an issue. If they don't twist outright, they bunch up and turn into a rope. Plus when you are strapping kids with their bulky winter items on, it can be really tough to even locate the strap. But that aspect is probably common to most seats.

[LeftyMom]

11. The Cosco seats are the worst though, when it comes to the straps

We had Cosco Touriva and we found that it helps if you keep them really clean, wash them with a bit of really mild soap (dish soap or shampoo) and hang them to dry. (Do not expose tehm to heat, it will weaken them and make them more likely to fail in an accident.) If they won't lay flat after that have Cosco send replacements (they should do so for free) because twisted straps won't distribute the force of an accident properly and are a danger.

Other manufacturers use a thicker webbing that doesn't twist as much so they generally don't get ropey like the Cosco seats do unless they get nasty dirty. However, any twisting is a bad idea so it's important to make sure your webbing is straight all through the seat.

Also, it isn't a good idea to use thick compressible materials under carseat straps because they create an ejection risk in an accident. Thin jackets (such as the Land's End Squall and similar designs with a fleece lining and a waterproof outer) are okay but bulkier jackets aren't really safe for use in the car. One thing you can if the heavy coats are non-negotiable is to is strap the child in and then put thier jacket on backward over the top of the straps. Another is to keep a throw blanket or two (we like the fleece ones) in the car to keep warm until the heater kicks in.

[MediumBrownDog]

12. Thank you so much!

What great links! I can't thank you enough for that post! I now feel much more informed about my choices re 5 point restraint v. overhead shield.

Yes, I was given the ever-popular Graco Snugride for a shower present. My son is almost 28 inches, so it's time for a new one on that criterion alone!

I went to BabiesRUs today to put my hands on all of the seats, and I must say that I was impressed by the Britax, although I'm not certain that my small, two-door vehicle can accommodate it (and we're not in a financial position to buy a new car). If not, I liked the Evenflo Triumph 5 too -- while it only goes to 40lbs, it will fit my car without a doubt.

[MediumBrownDog]

13. Thanks to everyone for the responses!

I feel much better about my choices now -- leave it to DU'ers to be on the ball about such things! Also, I'd like to say how much I love this group! What a great addition to DU! :D