Alpha Omega Elite Convertible

vansgirl68

Does anyone have this?  What do you like? what don't you like?  We have been going back and forth on a convertible seat and can't make up our minds on which one will work best for us.

LittleApple

 I have one (from my early babysitting days) and it is awful.  The install is terrible, the straps twist and it has a very short shell.  The height and weigh limits are limited so you will be buying a new seat way before you think you will.

There are better options out there.  I would look at the Graco MyRide 65 or First Years True Fit. 

SuperCuteBenz

Stay away. I agree with Apple. You can get way better seats for your money. Oh, and the AOE was rated one of the Top 10 Worst Booster seats. It is also made by Dorel, which is notorious for recalls.

Check out: www.carseatblog.com. You can see a list of recommended seats and reviews.

Lotzodotz

Just so I am not giving you feed back on the wrong seat, you are talking about Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite Convertible, right?  

I have it and I think it's fine.  I am kind of surprised that other's feel so negatively towards it.  I have had no trouble installing it and I don't have any issues with straps twisting.  The pp that has it from her old babysitting days maybe has an older version?  If we are all talking about the same seat, the weight limit is 100 pounds, so the concern about your LO out growing it is not a problem.  Also the short shell is surprising to me too, since it's adjustable.  My DD is only 2 so I have not used it as a booster seat yet, maybe there are issues I am unaware of when using it as a booster.  So far, it's fine.  I am going to get another one when my new baby outgrows her infant seat.  

The only issue I have with convertible seats in general is that in my old Civic, we had to have the seat in the middle or else the front seat had to be up too far to comfortable drive.  It wasn't a problem before because we only had one LO.  We have a mini van now, so hopefully we will have more space for the extended rear facing.  

SuperCuteBenz

Lotzodotz:

Just so I am not giving you feed back on the wrong seat, you are talking about Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite Convertible, right?  

I have it and I think it's fine.  I am kind of surprised that other's feel so negatively towards it.  I have had no trouble installing it and I don't have any issues with straps twisting.  The pp that has it from her old babysitting days maybe has an older version?  If we are all talking about the same seat, the weight limit is 100 pounds, so the concern about your LO out growing it is not a problem.  Also the short shell is surprising to me too, since it's adjustable.  My DD is only 2 so I have not used it as a booster seat yet, maybe there are issues I am unaware of when using it as a booster.  So far, it's fine.  I am going to get another one when my new baby outgrows her infant seat.  

The only issue I have with convertible seats in general is that in my old Civic, we had to have the seat in the middle or else the front seat had to be up too far to comfortable drive.  It wasn't a problem before because we only had one LO.  We have a mini van now, so hopefully we will have more space for the extended rear facing.  

Not true. The 100lb label on that seat is a joke.

Some AOE seats have a 40lbs harness and the newest have a 50lb harness. However, most kids will outgrown the harness before they are physically ready. My friend has the old version, and both her boys outgrew the seat before the age of 3! Obviously, it it not safe to put a 3 year old in an unharnessed booster. Not to mention it is one of the worst rated boosters.

The newest version is slightly better. However, there are still better seats for your money. 

gimmietimmies

The install is terrible, the straps twist and it has a very short shell. The height and weigh limits are limited so you will be buying a new seat way before you think you will.

This, exactly. I've had two - when I bought the original back in 2002, there weren't as many options in my price range then. I thought stupidly that the things that didn't work well on it when I purchased it again (dumb, should have bought the Radian then) would be "fixed", but they weren't and from what I see of it in stores and read on car-seat.org and other car seat tech sites, they are saying the issues still exist.

Yes, it is rated for 100 lbs, but you'll likely not be able to use it as a booster. For example, K is 3yrs old (just) and 40" 35lbs. She can't sit in her AOE harness, her shoulders are above the highest harness slot - they are supposed to be at or below forward facing. She is too heavy in this seat for extended rear facing and too light for use as a booster (which I would never unharness a 3 yo anyway).

In booster mode, it is too small for E (5 yo), at 46", but she is still in the weight at 44 lbs. When she sits in it the top of her ear is higher than the shell, making it too small for use as a booster. Additionally, the belt path does not put the shoulder strap portion in the right position. It should be across the chest and land between the top of the shoulder (couple of finger in from the sleeve seam) and next to (but not on) the base of the neck. I used the seat as a booster for my neice and it would come out of the plastic positioner (not her fault, this is a design issue) and either come across her neck or slide off her shoulder.

And yes, the seat belts do twist a lot, the webbing/straps that they are using are still the same ones from way back. They seem to be okay for about a year, and then they start curling up on themselves.

Also, on the installation issue, after trying out other seats for installation, I see now how much of a pain this seat is to install properly (in LATCH mode). The LATCH connectors in the car (or in this case, my van) are narrower than the width of the seat. So when you go to tighten it, it makes it difficult tightening it because of the angle of the LATCH clips (both ff and rf). It really almost takes two people to get the tight fit the car seat techs are looking for. I have better success with the seat belt (and top tether ff) getting a good install. Oh, and because of the angle of the LATCH clips, uninstalling it is harder than installing it (my neighbor thinks it's funny...the contortions and cursing).

Here's what the tech recommended for our tall girls (and our car, width is an issue). I am getting K a Radian 65 (80 in US). She still has growing room in this seat (this is the one I didn't spend the extra $50 on, sigh). S is getting near to the end of her Snugride 35 (height wise, at 28 1/2", 22lbs 6 mo), she is also getting the same as K. E is a giant fidgeter, and is coming back out of her booster (since it's not fitting right, she purposely slides out and wraps the seat belt around her neck)....and going into a Britax Frontier - harnessed)...she has a lot of growing room in there.

What the other posters mean about getting good value for $$ is getting a seat that will really last you as long as possible (a convertible - rf/ff combo) and then graduating to a full size booster much later on. Take a look at the torso height parameters (listed usually) for the seat as well as the weight limit, especially if your LO is on the tall side, it will save you from having to buy a second seat (or you could get the Frontier much later, good from approx age 2...but if you do ext rf, then when they reach that limit for your seat).

Like pp's said, try carseatblog.com, car-seat.org, this site to see recommendations by car, and here is the link for the Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite Convertible as being not recommended. Notice that 7 of these are the same seat, marketed under different names. The 4 that aren't Dorel/AOE are the 2 Evenflo, the Combi and the Harmony. And ditto pp car seat recommendation, with the Radian and I'll throw in Britax (any ff/rf) as well.

Sorry about novel!!

christine_marie

This is the seat we have and after hearing all the reveiws I would return it if I could. It's not installed in my car yet, but I already threw out the box.