Car Seats for Toddlers
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
- Choosing a carseat for an 11-month-old
- Car seat for big 2 1/2 year old?
- Car seats for 40-60 lb. Kids
- More Advice about Carseats
Choosing a carseat for an 11-month-old
Dec 2006
I am getting ready to buy a new car seat for my 11 month old. I keep hearing about Britex and while doing the research I can not figure out why they are $100 or $150 better than the other ones that seem to fit my needs and have so many of the features that people keep raving about. (E.G. The harness is controlled by a roll switch, baby can be left rear facing in a RECLINED position for up to 30lbs Very important to me)When I have questioned people I know that have these car seats the overwhelming response I get is that everyone likes them and there is an assumption that because they are more expensive they MUST be best. But when I look at consumer reports and AAP reccomendations, they speak well of Gracco and Evenflo.....ANy one have any REAL reason I should spend the extra money? OR experiences with the less expensive ones that bear sharing? Good or bad? Also one friend of mine said her Britex isn't convertible? Are there some that go from this stage to booster seat that I'm unaware of??? HELP! Thanks in Advance. Shelly
Hi there, we've been using a Britax Roundabout with our *big* 7 1/2 month-old since she was born. I did all the research too and decided to get the expensive seat after 1) figuring that we'd have a big kid, and it wasn't worth getting the carrier seat only to replace it a quarter of the way to two years old, and 2) more important: recommendations from two extremely safety-minded cousins, one of whom is an ER doctor and sees lots of car accident victims. Here's why I think people like them better, besides their excellent rating -- my conclusion after our girl sat in similarly-rated 5-40 lb rear-to-front convertible seats made by Cosco and Graco when visiting grandparents. The Britax is shaped so that your kid sits securely, no matter how little they may be. It's narrower at the place where your kids waist/hips end up when they grow, so when their shoulders are narrow, there's less room to wiggle. We never even really needed to put rolled towels in there. I know you're shopping for an 11-month-old, not a newborn, but that's what I've noticed with our daughter. You might want to look at a Marathon or something even bigger that will grow with your kid. I think that Rockridge Kids would let you sit your kid down in their display models so you could see which one to get. happy britax purchaser
I have often wondered the same thing about the Britax carseats. They are very expensive, and the price isn't backed up by the consumer reports crash tests. We got the Evenflo, which is always ranked higher than or the same as the Britax, and costs less than 1/3 of the price. When I asked around, I found that people assumed that because Britax was more expensive, it had to be the ''best'' or that people got the Britax because everyone else had it. In any case, we've loved our Evenflo so much that we got a second one for our second child. It can be used rear- facing and reclines- in fact, we used this carseat for each of our children from birth, and we were able to keep our taller / heavier than average children rear facing until 14 or 15 months. Happy Carseat Owner for $70
One of the main reasons I bought Britax after going through a few carseats was comfort for my daughter on long car rides. She used to complain that her bottom was hurting on longer car trips. When I took a look under the carseat cover, I realized there was minimal padding and she was pretty much sitting on hard plastic and then there are also parts where the plastic is shaped so that there are like holes (kind of hard to explain). I looked everywhere and all carseats were the same. Britax was the only one I found that had a layer of padding and also used styrofoam to fill those holes so that it was an even surface. I also find that the straps for the britax tend to get tangled up less frequently. Finally, I feel that the covers look better longer and hold up to spills and cleaning a little better. I don't know if that justifies $100 more, but for me it did. I am very happy with my Britax carseats Liz
We thought the same thing -- can the Britax really be THAT much better than the others? -- but we bought the Britax Boulevard after test-installing the less expensive seats in our car. All cars are different, but at least in our station wagon it was much easier to install properly than the others were. So we paid for ease of use and a good tight fit -- the best safety features you can have. (We also got a great price online, at Amazon I think, on a discontinued fabric.)
By the way, a convertible seat is one that can be installed rear-facing and forward facing; it has nothing to do with booster seats. Our Britax is the larger size and can accommodate taller and heavier kids than most convertible seats, so we will use it in place of a booster for years to come, another economy. Nicole R.
Probably not exactly the advice you are looking for but I did a lot of research on the Britax. One of the tools I used was Epinions.com. Consumers like you and I post opinions of products they buy. I was seriously considering a Evenflo Triumph as a second carseat. I already had a used Britax Roundabout that I really liked. As with many products I sort by highest rating and then lowest. Many people had similar concerns in the lowest category. They said that it was very hard to adjust the straps and entire seat needed to come out. I knew that would be an issue for me so decided to continue w/ the Britax (which I still love). I bought two used Britax, one was stolen w/ my car. Thus, had to buy second new one. One thing I considered is that I can probably recoup some (maybe nearly 1/2) of the cost if I sell the seat later Jennifer
We have both a Britax Marathon and an Evenflo Titan. The Britax was a very generous gift, we bought the Titan because the Britax is way too huge to be practical for traveling--something we do with our daughter several times a year.
Here are my opinions about the pros and cons:
Britax: Seems to be a very comfortable ride--much more comfortable than the Evenflo. My 18-month-old almost never falls asleep in the Evenflo. She does still fall asleep in the Britax. She's also less likely to fight getting into it. However, even though it is FAA-approved (most five-point harness carseats are), it's far too big and unweildy to travel with if you plan to use the car seat in an airplane. We bought the Evenflo so we wouldn't have to muscle it through any more airports or onto any more planes.
Evenflo: It's a manageable size to travel with, but overall if I were looking for a second carseat again, I'd try to find another brand. Biggest con--the straps are actually one long strap that connects underneath the seat, which means that every time our daughter gets out of her car seat she pulls one strap longer than the other and thus it has to be readjusted every time she gets into the car. The sides also seem to get uneven as we ride, so sometimes when I take her out she's in a bit sideways, obviously being pinned down on one side. Before I bought this carseat, I wouldn't have given this design feature a second thought, but it turns out it's a really bad idea. The posture in the seat also looks pretty uncomfortable. I hope this helps Pam
We have two Britax Marathons and they seem very comfortable and safe for our big boys. One reason I got them was because our boys are tall, and they go to the largest height for a convertible seat. I did notice that Britax came out with a Fisher Price car seat this year that is more reasonably priced, the Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible Car Seat. They have it on Babycenter for $144, plus free shipping. Maybe this would be a good compromise anon
Car seat for big 2 1/2 year old?
March 2006
My son is just a couple of pounds from outgrowing his Britax Roundabout. I don't think he is ready for a booster seat. Also I would like to keep him in a 5 pt. harness for another couple of years. We travel a lot and the bulk of the Britax Marathon just seems overwhelming. Has anyone tried the Radian Car seat from Sunshine Kids? It looks like it will meet all our needs, but I've read that it is very difficult to install using seatbelts. (Latch seems to work great.) I'd appreciate your comments or suggestions for other alternatives.
Try the Cosco (not Costco) Summit. Available at Rockridge Kids for about $60? I can't remember. But, it's got the five-point harness for now and can be removed when he's more responsible - about age 4? (Depends on the kid, I guess.) Ask for Christian. He's the best and he'll even install it for you! -Love RR Kids for Carseats!
We use the Ride Ryte booster and Kid Y Harness (http://www.safetyangel.com/products.shtml) GN
car seats for 40-60 lb. Kids
From: Wendy (8/98)
We just went thru the ordeal of purchasing a forward-facing car seat for our daughter (now 1 year), so maybe some of what I learned might be useful...
Britax is considered one of THE best carseats on the market; they are new to the US (only been available for a year or two), but have been in the European market for quite a few years. They are designed to meet/exceed European standards (re: height/weight), which are actually 'higher' than US standards... kids are expected to be in REAR-FACING carseats until at least 30 lbs, instead of 20, and in some sort of carseat/booster seat until 5 years of age (instead of 4 yrs/40 inches). Or, so I've been told, but by multiple sources, so I'm comfortable that it is reasonably accurate.
I looked at many carseats, and kept coming back to the Britax... it's a bit more pricey, but seemed WELL worth it. They make a booster-seat for kids that are bigger (both height and weight) that seemed MUCH more comfortable and well-made (and easier to install) that some of the others I saw (Century, Evenflo) -- but, since that wasn't what I was looking for, I didn't pursue this style, so unfortunately, I can't recall the model name. If you have the time, I would take a trip to Lullaby Lane, out near SFO (San Bruno Ave) -- their staff is very well-informed, and are ALWAYS happy to spent time talking to you about the various carseats (as well as other items they carry). If you've done some prelim research, it helps; otherwise, you can expect to spend at least an hour, probably more, learning about the various models. But, it is well worth it!
Anyway, hope this helps! Happy shopping....
From: Charlotte (9/98)
The Britax Roundabout is available at the new Berkeley Baby store in Berkeley for $189. I like the store and the owner a lot.
My kids (5 years and 7 years) are both in Diono Radian. The seats are narrow enough that I can sit between them in the back seat when needed. We have them using the 5 point harness, and they are able to buckle themselves in and out now. The weight limit goes up to 100 lbs, but my daughter is only 45 lbs, so we won't will hit the limit before she's 8 and doesn't need a car seat at all. We bought these once they outgrew the baby bucket seats, and had them rear facing at first and turned them around at 2.5 years.
Note- these seats have steel frames and are heavy! However, as the kids were bigger and could walk on their own, I've rarely taken the seats out of the car, except to remove the cover and wash them. They were more expensive than the plastic seats, but I love them because they were narrow (you could fit 3 of these in a back seat if needed) and extremely durable. I decided on these also based on high praise from my friends with older kids who used them from infant to 8 years old on their kids.
I use the Graco Slim fit 3 in 1 convertible car seat. I like it and daughter likes it just fine. I have heard good things about the graco extend 2 fit as well.
I can only imagine how you are getting a 16 month old toddler into an infant car seat! Wow! We had the same chicco car seat. They are only supposed to be used until the baby is 30" tall maximum. Then you switch to a rear facing convertible car seat. They stay rear facing until at least 2 years old or at most 40" tall. My daughter is 2 yrs 3 months and 37" tall and I had to turn her front facing, her legs simply did not fit rear facing anymore. But the Graco slim fit we are using is working fine front facing as well.
Hi!
now it is increasingly recommended to keep children rear facing as long as possible.
So taking that into account I maid my research for my now 2 years all so I will recommend that you search the ones that can be rear facing until 50 lb like
Cybex Sirona S
NUNA exec (this is the one I bought)
Graco Extend2fit (they have different models)
Britax One4life
Diono (I can't remember the model)
I don't know if other brands have also can be rear facing until 50 lbs but this are the ones I like a few months ago
We liked our Clek Fllo. Used it for over 6 years through two kids. Our kids are average sized and were able to rear face comfortably until they were over 5 years old. Then our younger child forward faced in that seat for another year and a half and went straight to high back booster just before age 7.
We loved the extended rear facing and that the seat was extremely narrow so we could get 3 seats across when needed. We were also pleased that the seat got us to booster age.
We have the Nuna Rava and I really love it. Every time I need to install it, or adjust it because my son has grown, it's so easy. One of the reasons it is supposed to be safer is because car seats are frequently installed incorrectly, and this one is just so comparatively easy. I had to take it out and install it multiple times recently when we moved a bunch of stuff, and I was so happy to have such an easy car seat. The fabric is really plush and comfy, and also machine washable, which is really helpful when your kid has pee accidents in the car after they're out of diapers. The smaller Clek was the other model we almost got, because it's supposed to be really safe, and it's not washable. My neighbor had it, and hers was covered in melted crayon, and that sealed the deal for me. The Nuna Rava fits rear facing until about 5 years old, which our pediatrician recommended. It is also a smaller model to fit in smaller cars (we have a Prius and the front passenger isn't totally squished with rear-facing), though I don't think it fits 3 across in most cars (there are other models that do that). It doesn't do anything fancy like rotate, but it has these little slots you can put the straps in on the sides to keep them from getting lost under your kid when they're getting in. You can also change the angle of the seat back.
There was definitely a phase our son went through when he didn't want to get in the car seat, and it can be really stressful for the parents, but it's totally normal boundary pushing for toddler kids. Our son is 3 now, and all I have to do is suggest that he looks like he needs help getting in, and he switches into "I want to do it myself!" and gets in himself. Janet Lansbury has some episodes on her podcast that talks about getting your kid into their car seat. I find her advice so helpful in general, and her carseat advice helped us through the phase of strong resistance to getting into the car seat. https://www.janetlansbury.com/?s=car+seat
I recommend the inexpensive Cosco car seats. They are FAA approved, lightweight and easy to switch between cars and to use for air travel. All car seats must meet strict safety requirements so no need to buy a lounger! My kid loved hers.
We absolutely loved the Nuna Rava--it's a tank of a carseat but easy to install, to clean, and reclines back a bit which was amazing for our son who would take naps in the car up until about age 4. Nicely padded and he didn't complain. Our son has always been very tall for his age and he stayed in this seat just about until he turned 5.
We also have the Diono Radian and other bonuses are: it is narrow enough to fit on an airplane seat (we used it on a trip to france) and yes, it’s heavy, but it has backpack straps. I’m a very small adult (4’11” and 105 lbs) and I manage it just fine in airports. One of the highest if not the highest ratings for safety. Pricey but worth it if you can swing it.