NCDR: another carseat thread

freezorburn

Getting ready for another trip to the states and looking to buy a convertible carseat that we can leave with the grandparents. Since this is something we would probably only use maybe 1-2x a year, we were thinking it needs to be easy to install, and a sliding harness would be nice, rather than one that needs to be re-threaded. What other features should we be thinking about? Anyone have good/bad experience with particular models? Would appreciate hearing about your experiences! Thanks

bumpuser9353653

The safety first alpha omega elite has a sliding harness and was pretty easy to install. And it won't break the bank, which is nice since you'll only use it a couple times a year.

nanabanana06

Alpha Omega Elite would be a good option. It does have a really small seat though. So for RF it isn't too great for bigger babies. For a no thread harness your going to have to look at pricier options. Since it's not standard for budget seats. I do see the Graco MySize on sale at BRU for 150$ and with a 20% off coupon you could drop that down to be a budget seat. That would be a good option for both RF and FF since it has some wonderful features. Really though, for an occasional seat you don't have to get fancy. I'd focus more on ease of install than anything since Grandma and Grandpa will probably install it first.

mc0113

nanaosaki06 said:

Alpha Omega Elite would be a good option. It does have a really small seat though. So for RF it isn't too great for bigger babies. For a no thread harness your going to have to look at pricier options. Since it's not standard for budget seats. I do see the Graco MySize on sale at BRU for 150$ and with a 20% off coupon you could drop that down to be a budget seat. That would be a good option for both RF and FF since it has some wonderful features. Really though, for an occasional seat you don't have to get fancy. I'd focus more on ease of install than anything since Grandma and Grandpa will probably install it first.

And Graco is offering a $25 rebate on all car seats right now too!
https://www.gracobaby.com/pages/rebate-2014.aspx

freezorburn

Thanks for the recs! it's nice to be able to narrow down the field a bit. I'm thinking that we might be willing to pay extra for a no thread harness, just because I would hate to have to make that adjustment in an airport parking lot in the middle of a Maine winter, if we happen to be home for the holidays. Since we don't know how much DS will grow in between visits, or how the carseat will fit him when we arrive.

dogperson11

Lurker here, but the Alpha Omega Elite isn't as great as it sounds. You'd be better off with a Graco MySize70 or MyRide. Here's a link as to why the Alpha isn't great:

https://csftl.org/the-alpha-omega-why-its-neither-the-first-nor-the-last-nor-the-elite-car-seat/

Here's a link to recommended seats:

https://csftl.org/recommended-seats/

kmc84

Ditto pp! The AOE is not all is cracked up to be! Those Graco seats are SO much easier to use and the MySize will last a very long time!

Rrrrrachel

I was gonna say that's literally the first time I've heard anyone recommend the aoe. The graco my size etc are nice seats. We have a headwise just waiting for when we give up the bucket.

kmc84

The Nextfit is stupidly easy to install!

freezorburn

This is super-helpful, everyone. I'm thinking I can give a short list to the grandparents and they can maybe go to a store to see what will fit their car.

Does anyone have experience with the Evenflo Triumph LX Platinum or Symphony? The Triumph looks like it has a lot of the same features as the Graco Mysize 65 but is even less expensive.

@StrawberryDreams219 Sorry, I should have mentioned DS's age and size for people on mobile. He's 2YO and currently about 23 lbs and about 32" tall, so he outgrew his Keyfit 30 earlier this year. It was a great seat for us and lasted a long time, since he is at the bottom of the growth curve! Anyway, we are very much looking for a toddler seat.

kmc84

Review for Symphony DLX:
https://csftl.org/evenflo-symphony-dlx/

@freezorburn‌ I highly recommend joining Car Seats for the Littles on FB. If you post with your child's stats, seat needs, what car it'll be going in, they can help you pick the perfect seat. It's an amazing resource!

flummadiddle85

freezorburn said:

This is super-helpful, everyone. I'm thinking I can give a short list to the grandparents and they can maybe go to a store to see what will fit their car.

Does anyone have experience with the Evenflo Triumph LX Platinum or Symphony? The Triumph looks like it has a lot of the same features as the Graco Mysize 65 but is even less expensive.

@StrawberryDreams219 Sorry, I should have mentioned DS's age and size for people on mobile. He's 2YO and currently about 23 lbs and about 32" tall, so he outgrew his Keyfit 30 earlier this year. It was a great seat for us and lasted a long time, since he is at the bottom of the growth curve! Anyway, we are very much looking for a toddler seat.

We got the Evenflo Triumph after returning the Graco due to issues tightening the harness, keeping it even, and just overall difficulty being able to get DS into the seat without some giant struggle on our part. I like the Triumph, you just pull up or down on the straps, so it's no rethread. When you loosen or tighten them, it's done evenly, which was a huge issue with the Graco we were having. Also, to tighten it, you just turn a knob on the side, which may be easier for Grandparents. But, to get it tight enough, the last couple clicks are kinda tough. Again, we have a far easier time with that than the Graco though. The downside would be that it's a bit bulkier, but we have a minivan, and it's installed in the captain's chair, so it's nbd for us. The height limit is less than the Graco too, but I'm hoping with a 10% kid in height that this won't be an issue. The install was easy enough, but I needed a couple pool noodles for the correct angle, and there's no leveler on the side. It's just a line you have to make level with the ground. The police officer said it's not as big of a deal with a toddler having it at a more upright angle. I don't know how much I believe that, but I still made sure it was at the angle it said.

flummadiddle85

Also, the machine washable cover was a plus when DS puked all over his seat on the 3rd day of owning it. The non removable harness straps made it more difficult to clean tho....

kmc84

The radian is useless as a booster because it has a 50 pound minimum and the belt guide does not adjust, so when the harness is outgrown, so is the booster mode.

The 4ever actually does all it claims to do, and is fairly compact.

https://csftl.org/graco-4ever-all-in-one-car-seat-review/

The nextfit lasts a very long time, and boosters are cheep, so I wouldn't stress too much about buying a booster down the road.

Rrrrrachel

Csftl is a great group and they help tons of people. That being said I always go there first when I need to practice my million eye rolls.