Carseat Recommendations?

patchen30 · January 2013

My DS is still in an infant car seat and we need to buy a convertible. My mom has my nephew's old Safety 1st Alpha Omega carseat and wants to give it to me. It was probably purchased in 2006/7 or something like that. She has the instruction manual, it's in great shape, has good reviews, has never been recalled, etc.

I'm really overwhelmed with all the car seat choices out there...I just want the safest one! The one my mom has makes me nervous b/c it's several years old...have there been any important advances in car seat safety since then?

Also, what's with the HUGE price range - you can pay anywhere from $75 to $400. The one my mom has is retailing for less than $100 which makes me nervous too (I know that's probably silly, expensive doesn't always = quality...)

ellewoodsSC · January 2013

Manufacture date of 2006 is probably close to expiring as most seats have an expiration date of 6-7 years. There should be a stamp or sticker near the base of the seat with that information.

A lot of people here have the Britax seats and you can get them much cheaper than MSRP on Amazon or AlbeeBaby.

CMonkey515 · January 2013

We have the Safety first air protect 65. I love it. It was around $180 I believe. I definitely wouldn't use a car seat as old as the one your mom is offering. Car seats expire. I think it's something like 6 years after the manufacturing date. The car seat your mom has is probably not good anymore. Also, all cars seats have to meet the minimum crash safety standards. The cheaper ones are just as safe as most expensive ones, but don't have the bells and whistles.

stardust317 · January 2013

We bought a 50 dollar cosco sceneca that DD loves to ride in. She never seems uncomfortable.

It probably doesn't have the bells and whistles as some of the more expensive ones, but it works for us.

cantalopes24 · January 2013

We have several different seats (grandparents, SIL all have their own seats). We have a Cosco from Walmart that was like $40 and it's great. We also have a Safety First Air 65, Evenflo Triumphs and a Recaro. The Recaro was the most expensive. The Evenflos are the easiest to use/most convenient and IMO the nicest but I don't feel like any of them are really safer than any of the others. MH has a small backseat so the Cosco fits better because it isn't as bulky. I like the Evenflos because you don't have to take them apart to adjust the strap height and there is a knob on the side to adjust the tightness which is super easy to use.

kagl08 · January 2013

We have 2 Graco MyRide 65's and we love them! The kiddos are super comfy and my 2.5yr old is still RFing with plenty of room. We bought both at Target for $110 on sale. I highly recommend buying a new seat. I will buy/use nearly anything used except car seats. It's not worth the risk.

As for safety being higher based on priced, that's absolutely untrue. All car seats have to meet a minimum safest standard. After that the price is raised based on convenience, added features, padding, and even sometimes you are paying more just for a name (among other added features). We also have a Costco Scerena. That $35 seat is just as safe as our $110 MyRides, which are just as safe as the $300+ Britax seats.

Chunstad · January 2013

I posted this thread a couple of weeks ago

https://community.thebump.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/70872473.aspx

What I did to help narrow things down was to look at reviews on Amazon, narrow features down to what was important to me, then look at them in person. For instance, it was important that the weight go up high, comfort, easy LATCH, and the slider shoulder harnesses so I didn't have to rethread. I narrowed it down to the top four Britax models and Evenflo's Symphony model. I went to BRU and purchased the Evenflo. The sales associate talked me into that one. Also the way I purchased it, it was cheaper than buying on Amazon.

At the end of the day, although it sucks, you have to do your homework and see it in person. Also, it might help for you to try it in your car as well. BTW, I found Britaxes website helpful. Good luck!

ETA: You'll see this if you click on the link, but the reason I had to buy one was because I didn't know that carseats expire.

Elsa1984 · January 2013

I had a Graco MyRide we used as a spare because it was highly recommended to us. I hated that stupid thing. The LATCH wasn't long enough to fit in several family members newer vehicles. The thing was huge. The LATCH hooks are hooks instead of the easy release hook and button system. Gator hated it. I sold it after using sparingly for four months, only to notice stitching on it was coming undone and the stuffing was exposed. I contacted Graco and they said they would send a new piece out, only to get the wrong piece after explaining in detail which piece I needed. They resent a new one but informed me that next time I can just use two rolled up receiving blankets instead of the headrest piece. Ummm...maybe your products shouldn't fall apart after hardly using it for a few months and I won't have to contact your company. Bad customer service. The crotch strap was in a weird spot that I almost pinched her legs while buckling each time. And when she was 19lb, the harness wouldn't tighten enough for the "finger rule" when it comes to snugness against the baby's body. That being said, I had the Preston model and there are a few different model versions for the MyRide 65. Another model may be different, but the quality wasnt good enough and dealing with the company and their "solution" after it was falling apart after a few months was a total turn off for me. I did complain about to on my FB to have a friend tell me she had a MyRide and after a year of use, the crotch buckle area came right off while her son was strapped in it. Her husband took the cover off and the main plastic area of the carseat had fallen apart.

I have a Cosco in our truck, and she likes that carseat. It's the only one that will really fit good back there and they are cheaper car seats. I also used them for my nanny kids and don't have any complaints about them except they are not as padded in the fabric.

We now have another Britax. We had an infant seat and stroller through them and I really like the quick release LATCH hooks and the quality. For Christmas, we ordered her a Britax Pavilion 70GS. They are regular 340 dollars and on sale on diapers.com for 254 dollars with free two day shipping. I have contacted Britax previously for different things or questions and their customer service is awesome. A friend of mine borrowed my MyRide because it was highly recommended to her and she hated it but she thought spending a ton on a car seat was crazy. She now has a Britax Advocate....the most expensive Britax carseat and loves it.

Elsa1984 · January 2013

kagl08:
As for safety being higher based on priced, that's absolutely untrue. All car seats have to meet a minimum safest standard. After that the price is raised based on convenience, added features, padding, and even sometimes you are paying more just for a name among other added features. We also have a Costco Scerena. That 35 seat is just as safe as our 110 MyRides, which are just as safe as the 300 Britax seats.nbsp;nbsp;

I agree with this. They all pass the minimum safety standards and everything else after that is just bells and whistles. Even though I got my Cosco for under 50, and my Britax for around 250, if I couldn't afford the Britax...I would have no problem getting another Cosco. We have never had the harness straps twist, I can easily get the cover on and off for washing, it fits nicely in our truck, it is narrow so it isn't taking up a ton of space, it is light, and even though you have to rethread the straps when adjusting as she gets taller...it is really easy and the straps get nice and snug against her body.

We went with the Britax as her main seat due to the extra padding in the seat since we take long driving trips. The harness doesn't have to be rethreaded...you just pull up and down and it adjusts for height. It reclines while RF. Instead of hooks for the LATCH, you just slide it against the hook spot and it clicks...you can adjust each side of the car seat LATCH straps individually....and to release you just push the button and it releases....no trying to shove your hand between the seats and trying to get the hooks undone. And the Britax harness is easy to tighten when it is RF because you just pull up on the strap in the front of the car seat. A lot of car seats you have to pull at a certain angle so you have to unLATCH the carseat, adjust, and then reLATCH.

But like I mentioned, I have no complaints about the under 50 Cosco. I used them for four nanny kids for several years and never got frustrated with adjusting/LATCH/washing the covers with them, never had any fall apart, and could fit three across in the back seat.

kagl08 · January 2013

Elsa1984:
I had a Graco MyRide we used as a spare because it was highly recommended to us. I hated that stupid thing. The LATCH wasn't long enough to fit in several family members newer vehicles. The thing was huge. The LATCH hooks are hooks instead of the easy release hook and button system. Gator hated it. I sold it after using sparingly for four months, only to notice stitching on it was coming undone and the stuffing was exposed. I contacted Graco and they said they would send a new piece out, only to get the wrong piece after explaining in detail which piece I needed. They resent a new one but informed me that next time I can just use two rolled up receiving blankets instead of the headrest piece. Ummm...maybe your products shouldn't fall apart after hardly using it for a few months and I won't have to contact your company. Bad customer service. The crotch strap was in a weird spot that I almost pinched her legs while buckling each time. And when she was 19lb, the harness wouldn't tighten enough for the "finger rule" when it comes to snugness against the baby's body. That being said, I had the Preston model and there are a few different model versions for the MyRide 65. Another model may be different, but the quality wasnt good enough and dealing with the company and their "solution" after it was falling apart after a few months was a total turn off for me.

We never had issues with our MyRides, we have the Preston also. The crotch strap is adjustable and fits my 27lb DS just fine. I've also never had a problem with straps tightening enough. That's so weird! I've always loved the quality of our seats, and that after having a few different seats before this one.

I do agree though that the LATCH could be better. I have a 2012 Acadia and the LATCH size fits just fine with plenty of room to spare.

OP, I'd suggest going to BRUs and looking at different seats. Try them in your car and see which one fits best in YOUR car. Then search for the cheapest price online.

ebp913 · January 2013

They all pass the same safety tests. Figure out what features are important to you and go from there. For me, I wanted a no rethread harness, plush seat, high rear facing weight and height limit and easy to use harness and buckle. I got the Peg Perego convertible for a steal and I love it. You need to see what fits in your car though before you get too set on a certain seat.

Since you are pregnant you should also strongly consider what will fit in your car with the infant seat. Part of the reason I chose the Peg is because it's relatively narrow and I can fit our infant seat next to it in the car. That was imperative for me! I also really wanted the no rethread harness because I figured that potentially either child could be riding in the seat and I wanted to be able to adjust the strap height easily. Car-seat.org is AWESOME also. Tons of great advice. Also look on the Nurseries and Baby Gear board, there are several very knowledgeable car seat ladies - penguingirl is one of them.

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