Does anyone have an Alpha Omega Elite car seat? Good or bad?

Question

My son is 6 months old but over 20 lbs... this is the seat I'm considering buying next since he has outgrown his infant seat. Help!

Answer 1

I bought this seat for our youngest child. We love it. The one we have is the pink/brown style from Babies R Us. My favorite feature is the adjustable insert that raises up as the child grows. This is very handy since other car seats we've been through (10 so far for 3 kids!) require you to remove it from the car in order to adjust the belt length. This feature alone proved helpful when we went to winter jackets and back, requiring multiple adjustments sometimes within a few days.

The only two carseats that rate better are the (more expensive) Britax Roundabout and the (cheaper) Evenflo Triumph. I figure any of the top three must be a good buy. Check them out at Babies R Us or Target.

Answer 2

I have two Alpha Omega car seats. Both my son and daughter use them and they are great. It works well not only as an infant seat rear facing but all the way up to toddler seating and forward facing. Good luck with your wonderful new bundle of joy.

Answer 3

I haven't had one personally, but the one thing I wanted to say was this:it's marketed as the only seat you'll need, but that is definitely not true. The harness heights (the slots at the shoulders) aren't high enough, so most kids will outgrow the seat by height long before they outgrow the seat by weight, and most likely you will need to purchase a different seat. Not all seats have the same harness heights.

My son had an Evenflo Triumph and I love it, especially for the price. It was one of the first convertible seats in lower price ranges to come out with EPS (energy absorbing foam) like the expensive seats. The harness is adjusted using knobs, rather than pulling a dang strap and it was SO much easier! Especially rear facing (rf) where those straps tend to get smooshed up against the vehicle's seat back. Britax Marathon is a great choice, b/c you will get more use out of it than the Elite b/c the harness slots are higher, as is the rf and front facing (ff) weight limits. Read the Elite description carefully, the harness on it only goes to 40lbs, and then you have to take the harness out and use it as a belt positioning booster. Kids should be kept in 5 point harnesses as long as possible (says the American Academy of Pediatrics and other child safety experts), and car seat makers are starting to acknowledge this by making harnesses with higher weight limits (like Safety1st Apex 65 harnesses to 65lbs., Britax Regent harnesses to 80lbs.). So just don't get stuck on it being' the only seat you'll ever need.'

The AAP also says kids should be kept rf AS LONG AS POSSIBLE not just to 20lbs./12months, but up to the height/weight limits of their seat. So a seat with a higher rf limit is better, the best for that is actually the cheapest, Cosco Scenera, $40 at Walmart & Target. RF to 35lbs., ff to 40lbs. Britax Marathon rf to 33lbs and ff to 65lbs. and have awesome features like built-in lock offs (no more sucky locking clips) and very plush padding (no more sagging heads when sleeping). Or, Get a Fisher Price Safe Voyage convertible car seat, made by Britax, similar to the Marathon for a MUCH cheaper price! see http://www.specialtybaby.com/fiprsavodeco2.html

Here's a link to a review on epinions: http://www.epinions.com/kifm-review-4CD3-1A526AB9-3A3FE6A5-prod4

Here's a link to opinions on it from CPSTs (child passenger safety technicians:
http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=15594&highlight=alpha+omega No one seems to think very highly of it.

Another important point is that since car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture (dom) the seat will actually need to be trashed before your child is old enough to use it as a booster!

Answer 4

Ive never heard of it - is it a real expensive one? From doing a lot of reserach, websites, consumer reports, boards like this, always heard the the Britax's were rated high, along with Evenflo Triumphs for safety and use. Plus Evenflo Triumphs are more economical.