Which brand is the best?

Question

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for a car seat for my first baby but I have no idea which of the following brand is the best...

Fisher Price
Mother's choice
Safe & Sound
HiPod

Can someone give me advice?

Answer 1

I've used Graco, Brites, evenflo and one other brand but i can't recall at the moment. I have had no problems with any of them but the one i can't remember the brand for i didn't like the fastenings. Try all the ones you want out at the store to see which one fits your child the best. Also DON'T get a seat that will take them from birth to 10 b/c you'll have to replace it at 6 any ways. (they have experation dates check the back) we used a carrier for the first 5 months then when she/he/he out grew it we used the britex till the next one came along then got a 5 point harness forward facing that can go to 40 lbs then a seatbelt postioning till like 60 lbs. then a booster.

What i have in my car right now

Graco booster where i can remove the back. for my 3 yo
Evenflo - 5 point harness for my that i can use a a belt postioner till he is 4
Graco carrier

the Britex is in the closet till i install it because little bit has reached the height limit on the carrier. and he is only 4 months.

Answer 2

I have found from personal use that Safe and sound works best. I bought a mother's choice car seat for my daughter an by the time she was 5 months old the stabilizer bar was out of shape and made the seat lean to one side. I took it back to shop and got a new one and with in 1 month it was doing the same as the old one. I didn't do anything to make this happen. I have since got a safe and sound car seat and this hasn't happened. It feels much more stable and safe. Also look for one that have a metal stabilizer bar that way the plastic can't bend or buckle. Good luck in your search

Answer 3

The Graco Snugride consistently ranks at the top of the carseat rankings for safety in infant car seats (the one where you can remove the baby in the carrier.) I read a lot of books and did a lot of research of Consumer Reports. The good thing is that the Snugride is also one of the more affordable seats on the market. Babies tend to outgrow the infant seats between 6-12 months. You'll then need to move to the kind that you can have rear-facings, but that stay in the car.

If you want a convertible seat, one that you don't remove from the car, the Britax is good, but so are the Gracos and Evenflos.

You might also want to go to the library and read a book called Baby Bargains, it's a great books that has lots of reviews on all kinds of different products and how to save money when buying them.

Answer 4

I agree that Safe & Sound (by Britax) is reputed to be one of if not the best car seat. We bought the AHR Meridian Retractor which has been rated as excellent in safety tests. It has extra side panels for protection of the baby. It converts from a rear facing infant seat to a forward facing toddler seat. It can be a bit of a pain to adjust once you finally get it in your car, and it is expensive, but you really have to choose safety and quality over price with something like that of course. We also have a Safe & Sound Maxi-Rider for our toddler (we have a 1 year old and a 2 year old) and that is also excellent and we are so happy with that choice. It has a 3 point harness so is very safe and is supposed to last until your toddler outgrows booster seats I think so worth the investment. (All my product info is somewhere in our car so I can't remember all the details!).
Not sure of the website but in Australia we have Choice Magazine which tests and rates baby products - worth a look to find out about it.
Happy car seat hunting!

Answer 5

Mothers Choice Wonder Car Seat

Answer 6

It is not on your list but Britax is a highly rated car seat. This is what we use and we love it. It is a little bit more expensive than the rest of them but to us, it was worth the extra $. We have the infant carrier for our newborn, the toddler seat for our 2 year old and the booster seat for our 6 year old. Never had any problems. But as said above, remember to fill out the warrenty!!!

Answer 7

mothers choice and safe & sound are really good i have had both and had no problems whatsoever. a lot of fisher price products especially the high chairs are really flimsy,

also go into toys r us or target and they have booklets with ratings on each of the seats as to which one is best

Answer 8

I wouldn't go with the Hi-Pod but all of the others are fine. Britax is the company that makes Safe and Sound in case your wondering. I really like the safe and sound seats and mothers choice is a good brand too.

I would buy one from safe and sound that is infant to toddler reversable and then when they are older I would get the Safe and Sound Maxi Rider for a toddler. (i have this one and its fantastic.)

Your nearest baby store will be able to show you the various styles from safe and sound.
this is the website for Britax/safe and sound if you want to have a look first. I think the Platinum AHR or Meridian AHR are the best seats to get for infant to toddler, birth to 18kg.
http://www.britax.com.au/websites/Britax/HomePage.nsf/LUPages/SnS-CONVERTIBLE%20CAR%20SEATS%20-%20BIRTH%20TO%2018KG
best of luck

Answer 9

Whatever brand you do end up getting make sure that you fill out the warranty and send it in so if there are any recalls you are notified of it right away.
We have a Graco car seat and we have been very happy with it. CONGRATS!

Answer 10

Britax is one of the top car seats on the market, but also very costly. We had Graco carseats and were very happy with them. Get the "Latch system" and a 5-point harness.