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Where to find reviews & safety ratings

MrsJRobMrsJRob member
in Nurseries and Baby Gear

I am researching carseats among many other things. I've heard from family that Britax was the safest seat, however I want proof. I've heard snugride and keyfit were also top contenders. Where can I get proof? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate other mom's advice, but I want scientific facts that have been updated. My cousin saying that Britax was #1 when her 2 y/o was born is not good enough for me... When I google safest carseat, I get more "mommy reviews".

Is Consumer reports good enough? Or are there other sites and studies? I also have the latest Baby Bargains book

Price isn't a huge concern, I just want my baby to be SAFE!

Looking for infant bucket seats for a mini SUV (Chevy Equinox)

Thanks in advance!

TTC since 5/1/12
Mc 7/10/12 @ 5w2d
BFP 8/11/12 EDD 4/16/13 DH's Bday!
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Re: Where to find reviews & safety ratings

  • thismplsgirlthismplsgirl member
    CarSeat.org is a great resource for safety information and everything car seat related.
    All car seats are approved and safety tested in crash tests. Your car and the installation of a specific seat is what will determine which seat will be safest in your situation and the techs on carseat.org can easily help you.
    Hadley 3.2011 | Ali 7.2013 | Jack 1.2016
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  • cast920cast920 member
    imagethismplsgirl:
    CarSeat.org is a great resource for safety information and everything car seat related.
    All car seats are approved and safety tested in crash tests. Your car and the installation of a specific seat is what will determine which seat will be safest in your situation and the techs on carseat.org can easily help you.


    Car seat .org with a dash in between "car" and "seat" is the forums. Bump mobile doesn't display some punctuation. It's a great resource and helped me find a convertible seat for my car.
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  • gimmietimmiesgimmietimmies member

    Ditto car-seat.org. And The Car Seat Lady. And most definitely not CR. They do not disclose the testing methods they use and you would have absolutely no proof that they pass the federal NHSTA standards. There method of comparison is wonky too. One seat they give a good buy rating to is crap for longevity of use, so it's not really a good buy, kwim?

    You won't find a legit source to find what the "safest" seat is. They can only publish a pass/fail to the federal standards and can't publish what the max tolerance on that seat is (ie to what the speed/force etc the fail tolerance of the seat is). Here's the NHSTA Testing Results.

    My advice, ask what seat is going to install well in your car and will fit your child. If you ERF, there are seats that are better suited. If you want to harness longer, there are seats that work better than others. I think you'll get the answers you're looking for on car-seat.org.

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  • gimmietimmiesgimmietimmies member

    Here, this may help off the Car Seat Lady's FB page. The Equinox is not a small car by any means and would fit any of these seats, but this will help on sizing. Oh, and they are infant car seats, you can drop the bucket.

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  • GirlWithTheMostCakeGirlWithTheMostCake member

    There is no "proof". There aren't crash stats on seats when they are actually in use in consumers cars, so it's not something that can be followed. All you can do is read user reviews and car seat tech's opinions. Techs undergo training and then continuing education. Many take their certification VERY seriously and though it's just an opinion, their opinion is based on their experience and knowledge of how things works. However, that's basically as good as it is going to get.

     I can tell you that the SnugRide is DEFINITELY not a great seat. In the US, car seat companies choose a price that mass consumers are comfortable paying and then build their seat around that price. It's sad, but true. You aren't getting the best possible seat when it is built on a price. Sure, it will pass all the minimum safety tests for approval and may be the best in it's price point, but you can do better sometimes. I also don't think Britax's infant seat is anything to rave about. They have been big in the convertible and toddler business for a long time. When they sold their company it became a numbers game. It's just about how much money they can bring it and how fast they can do it to sell the company again. I think their original products are GREAT, but the newer ones in my opinion they skimp on and ride on their name. From my research I loved the Orbit seat, but for the Orbit system. My next favorites are the Cybex Aton, Chicco Keyfit and from what I have seen I like the Maxi Cosi Prezi but I'm interested to see more reviews over time on it.

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