Convertible car seat question?

Question

I'm currently in the market for a convertible car seat for my children. My oldest currently has a Triumph convertible seat by Evenflo. So far so good, it's been a pretty decent seat, and it seems to be comfortable.
My baby is getting ready for a convertible seat, the infant seat is getting small, and I want to get my oldest a new one as well. I would like to know which seat do you currently own, and what your experience has been with it so far. There are way to many in the market and it's difficult to just choose one, if I could I would get all the ones I like, but that would be unnecessary spending :o)
Thanks for your advice!!!

Answer 1

Remember these rules:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money! If its easy to use, you're more likely to use it correctly.
2)Children should stay rear facing AS LNOG AS POSSIBLE!!!! The 20lbs/1 year rule is outdated and provides a bare minimum for turning kids forward facing. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration both recommend keeping kids rear facing as long as possible, up to the limits of their seat, preferably until at least 2 years of age. For good reason: A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 4 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age. A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone. In other countries, rear facing 2 - 3 - 4 year olds is standard, they understand that its safer. Here, we turn them as soon as we get to, seeing it as a right of passage thing or something. Ridiculous. Most convertible seats have a 30lbs rear facing limit, Cosco/Dorel/Safety1st/Eddie Bauer seats rear face to 35lbs, Britax rear faces to 33lbs.
3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can't sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs. My son just turned 3, and is in the 95th% for height and weight - 40" tall and weighs 41lbs. He outgrew the 40lbs seats shortly after his 2nd birthday. It was a total waste of money. He now has a Britax Marathon, which goes to 65lbs, and will be able to fit it for some time yet. If I'd have bought it when he was born, I could have had one car seat this whole time instead of the 3 I wasted money on. They are more expensive for many reasons, this is one.

So...knowing all that, here's some about specific seats. Please don't get a Graco Comfort Sport. Car seat techs call it the 'crappysport'. LOL Its a crappy seat that won't last your child very long b/c it has a really short shell. The straps twist all the time, and if they're twisted they won't support your child in a wreck properly. They're hard to install. There's nothing good about these seats except perhaps they're cheap sometimes. Ditto the Safety1st 3-in-1/Cosco Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in1 seats. These are all the same company - same seat, just different covers. They stink. Hard to install, b/c of narrow belt paths. Ever tried to wash a skinny cup by hand? Now imagine that skinny cup with pointy edges. That's what putting your hand through these to install them is like. AND they have too short a shell to really go to 40lbs. And they do not make good boosters. Also, most kids have to use boosters until they're at least 8 years old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, so no matter what they say it is NOT the last seat you'll ever need to buy.

The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different variances of luxury additions, with the Marathon being the cheapest base model) can be found for regular price of $269, and on sale at Albee Baby online for $209-$219. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. I can get it into 4 different vehicles in under 2 minutes. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats (all car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture) lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. $150 version at Babies R Us has padding similar to Britax seats, top slots of 17", harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. $120 Walmart version just has little less plush padding. Wide open belt path, easy to install, though it doesn't have built in lockoffs. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It's one of only 2 seats that does this (The Britax Boulevard is the other, I believE), and it has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. No more tugging straps to tighten them either. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. As a major bonus, it can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode. Awesome for kids who still sleep in the car. I LOVE THIS SEAT! LOL My son, who is too big for every other car seat at Walmart has the same amount of room in this as the Britax Marathon. Already having the original Triumph, you know it had great features, so there's no need to actually get rid of it, but just be prepared: the seat shell is so short and the harness slots so low, that most kids outgrow it by height long before they are ready for a booster. Many kids don't even make it to 3 years old in this seat! That's why the Advance is SOOOO much better!

The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible seat is great, it is made by Britax, without all the frills. It's the same shell as a Marathon, but for less than half the price. $130 at Albee Baby online with free shipping, or at their eBay name, babysurplus. Rear faces to 33lbs, forward to 55lbs. Easy to use, fits in most cars.

These are the best you can buy that will give you the most bang for your buck. As a single parent I'm always watching the budget - I have no money to speak of, and these are what I would buy. (My son has a marathon and is soon getting a Britax Regent). They will last the longest. I only wish someone would've told me all this before I had him, I coulda saved some money for the extra seats I started out with!

All seats in the US must meet the same safety criteria to sell, so technically they all are safe, however, if its hard to install, then it won't be used correctly and that makes it unsafe. Also, they only must meet the guidelines, some seats barely pass, some exceed them. Britax exceeds the guidelines and is easy to use.

Answer 2

I found that the convertible car seat worked well for my first but my second and third were to small at birth for the convertible seat ( the straps were above their shoulders at the lowest setting ) my forth baby out grew the infant seat between 4-6 months. . If you baby is long enough than you don't need an infant seat I used a sling, snuggle carrier or stroller when shopping ( I hate going to the mall because I see so many people with travel systems that the baby stays in the whole time even propping up bottles in the car seat ). It is not recommended to buy a used seat since you don't know the history of the seat ( was is in an accident ?) you can't always see damage from an accident.

Answer 3

My daughter has a Britax Boulevard in my car and a Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe in her daddy's car. They are both great seats but the Britax is definitely my fave because of all the nice additions--headwings, built-in lockoffs, rear-facing tehter, adjuster knobs, no rethread harness, plush cover, EPS and comfort foam.

Is your oldest in an Evenflo Triumph or Evenflo Triumph Advance? You could get your oldest a Triumph Advance and pass down their seat to the baby if you didn't want to have to buy 2 new seats. Also, if your oldest is forward-facing, maybe get them a Britax Regent?

Answer 4

I own the Triumph and have it in Grandma's car, but I much prefer the Britax Marathon. It holds up to 65lbs, is crash tested at 65mph (federal standard is only 35mph), and unlike the triumph everything on the Marathon is machine washable, so I throw the straps, cover etc into the wash and let them drip dry. I can also replace the cover any time I want.
Oh and Britax expires in 6 years, not 5 like Evenflo.
Every friend I have has a Britax Marathon. We all love them.

Answer 5

We used a Britax Roundabout and loved it. Britax has a couple of newer convertible models that go beyond 40 lbs., so I'd suggest looking at those. They're a little pricier than some others, but you can usually find a reasonable deal if you shop around online.

http://www.britaxusa.com/

Answer 6

I have 4 year old twins and they just moved up to booster seats last week! But they were in Britax Roundabouts and I loved them! They were easy to install, was comfortable for my girls on long car rides, goes up to 40lbs and 40", and easy to clean!

Answer 7

We have 2 Britax Marathons for our daughter and love them. They are pricy up front, but well worth it in the long run. They should last until she is truly ready for a booster.

Answer 8

We have an Eddie Bauer "Adjustable Highback Booster". It is very comfortable, has 2 cup holders (or you can put snacks in one) and is good from 22 pounds all the way up to 100 pounds & from 34" to 57" in height. We went straight from the infant seat to this booster and we will never have to buy another seat for her. It will last till she no longer needs a seat.
It has a detachable headrest (velcro-she is too short for it yet, we will use it when she is ready), it also has arm rests and you can completely detach the back to make it just a booster seat when they no longer need a "full" car seat. It was around $120.00 BUT if you consider we NEVER have to "upgrade" to the next seat up in the long run it was cheaper than buying in stages. Hope this helps!