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Nurseries and Baby Gear
Convertible Car seat that really does it all?
I've researched and researched convertible car seats. It looked like the Safety 1st Alpha and Omega was the best bet because it:
-rear faces from infancy and on
-forward faces for toddlers
-turns into a high back/seatbelt positioning booster seat until the child can sit in the regular seat of the car
However, I ran across several articles about how the IIHS cannot recommend it as a safe booster option because it was tested to poorly position the seatbelt, and therefore wasn't a safe choice.
Im wondering if any of you have one and have noticed this being a problem. I haven't been able to find a comparable seat that does everything the A&O does so I'm bummed about having to pick a different one. Since they are pricey and I may have to buy a separate car seat to bridge gaps in baby's weight/height depending on their requirements.... and with my luck, we'll finally pick one then realize it doesn't fit in our car!!
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Re: Convertible Car seat that really does it all?
Check out the forums on car-seat.org. Those ladies have an abundance of information to share. From what I remember, not many carseats that are made to do it all, do all of it well. Take the Graco Nautilus (we have this seat for DS1). We love it in harness mode HOWEVER it is known to not fit all kids well in booster mode. I'm fully prepared to purchase a different high back booster when the time comes because of this.
Also take in account expirations dates for the seat you're looking at if you plan on it taking you through the duration of your child needing a seat. Most carseats expire around 5 years - I'm unsure if all-in-ones have a longer life or not but if you start using an all-in-one before your child turns 1 and it expires in 5 years (not from the date you start using it but from the manufacture date) that may not take your child past harness mode into high back booster mode. DS1 turned 4 in April and is still harnessed because he is not ready (maturity - will not sit correctly in his seat with just the seatbelt 100% of the time) to be in a belt positioning booster. Had I purchased a carseat when he moved from the infant bucket to a convertible, that carseat would be expired at this point for him.
Good luck!
It really is a horrible booster seat and I strongly recommend avoiding it. Here is a link with more info. Since you shouldn't use it for a booster there's really no point in buying it to use as just a convertible. There are so many other seats out there that are much, much better. This CPS tech forum post also has a great list of reasons the A&O is a bad choice.
I know the all-in-ones sound good in theory, but they're rarely the last seat you'll need to buy. They're often outgrown early so you still end up needing to buy another seat and it actually ends up costing you more in the long run. You're better off buying a great convertible seat now and a great booster later when you need it.
med-free birth x2, breastfeeding, baby wearing SAHM
My BFP Chart
The Alpha Omega is a horrible seat. Your kid will never make it to booster mode.
Check out the Diono Radian RXT
Emily 8.8.08
Madeline 1.2.11
William 8.5.12
One million times agree!!!! Your child absolutely will not make it to booster in this. I had it, it takes up more room rf than almost any other car seat out there. I wish they'd stop making it. Just to give you an example, the top harness height on an AOE is 14.5" in the 40lb version and 16" in the 50lb version (dd4 had the 40lb and outgrew the harness before 3 and was too young and too light to use the booster).
The Radian is 17.5", but it allows for the harness to be below the shoulders forward facing. It is outgrown when the top of the ears is higher than the shell (same as in booster mode). Don't count on using it as a booster, your child would have to weight a minimum of 50 lbs (my 6yo is only 42 - she is too tall to use a Radian). By the time you would outgrow the Radian, you could get something like a Graco Turbobooster low back for $20. This is one of the good options for a longer lasting seats, especially for ERF and extended harnessing, with a 10 year expiry.
Don't worry too much about expiry, most convertibles last at least 7 years. The only car seat that had a 5 year expiry was the Peg Perego infant seat.
ETA: If price and fit for a newborn is a concern, look into the Graco MyRide. I would look into a Graco Nautilus or Britax Frontier after that (after at least age two).