With the current regulations and recommendations for car seat safety, some children are in a car seat or booster until eight years of age. This is a big change over the past 30 years or so – many of us were brought home from the hospital in our mother’s arms. I don’t doubt the wisdom of these safety regulations, but they certainly make car seat decisions challenging.
My daughter is four and on her third car seat, mainly because we needed to hand the size down to her brother along the way. It would be terrific if we could continue to pass the car seats down, but they might expire first. In some ways, this is good. I actually dislike the first Graco car seat/stroller combo we purchased because it is bulkier than other models and a challenge to fit into shopping carts and tuck in the middle of two bigger kid car seats in a pinch. Maybe it will expire before we can pass it on to a third baby?
Our second car seat was a different model initially I dragged my poor husband to the dreaded Babies R Us, having looked at some safety information ahead of time. We were overwhelmed by the choices, options, and definitely the prices. Should we get one that converts, or has the lowest cost, or the highest safety rating? We ultimately compromised with a mid grade seat and were flabbergasted when the styrofoam got a crack from simple daily use after a very short period of time. We returned it and my frustrated husband had us buy a Britax. It’s pricey, but it sits baby higher, looks much more comfortable than the previous seat, and has outstanding safety ratings.
Our next step in car seats will be a booster. I would like to go into the store ready to purchase, having made the decision before I arrive. Allreviews.com offers links and information about all kinds of topics, including Car Seat Reviews. They have sections with editor reviews, as well as links to user reviews. The article on Best Convertible Car Seats might have saved me from our car seat debacle. I will certainly visit before my next car seat purchase.
Anyone have a car seat they would absolutely recommend? A seat they would encourage people to steer away from?
Disclosure: I agreed to share informational links to this website in exchange for product to review. The opinions expressed are my own.
here is the thing… ALL car seats are bound by the federal regulations for safety. There is no such thing as a good one and a bad one… Your experience with the cheaper one was probably just a fluke… I’ve had the cheapos and the expensive ones.. personally, I preferred the cheaper ones because they were smaller… we recently “upgraded” to a booster seat… I say that in quotations because it’s really a downgrade… Downgrade you ask? yes, downgrade because although we gain tons of room in the back seat, we loose the protection a 5 point restraint gives… I’m not happy about the change… I would prefer to keep the 5 point restraint in my car but, my son says he feels squished! He’s onyl 5 so, I doubt he is squished since he is no where near the weight limit… I have a cosco booster and he seems to like it.. It was only $5.00 on sale around christmas last year… we bought 2 of them one for my son and one for my daughter when she is older…
I’m sure you’ve seen my saga on this. I’m almost embarrassed to admit how many car seats we have purchased … Infant Seat, Convertible Seat, 2 Forward Facing 5 pts that converted to Boosters, 1 High Back booster, 2 low boosters, and 2 Extended Harnessing 5-pts. That’s NINE. I have ONE kid! Granted, one booster was for extra kids in my car – and we have always had seating in both vehicles.
Regardless, my FAVORITE was the Britax Regent. If I had another child, I would certainly look at the Frontier – it’s extended harnessing and a booster. That said, I know the Regent is ginormous and there is no way you’re fitting 3 across unless you are driving a Semi! I’m not sure the measurements of the Frontier, however.
And then there’s the money side of it. The Britax seats are the better part of $300. That’s a lot of money – but safety is imperative too.
We kept Natalie in her 5 pt. harness until she was 7. She was nearing the height limit and maturity-wise, I felt was able to handle a booster. She was able to “fit” a booster (seat belt hit her right) for some time … but she was constantly slumping, slouching, etc. and I worried about the “what if we were in an accident at the wrong time while she ISN’T strapped properly” – the 5pt. gave me that peace of mind.
All of that to say – I don’t think you can go wrong with the Graco Turbo Boosters. The high back version is a great belt positioner and the kids are comfortable. As they are older (like mine, now), you can just use the bottom portion and it keeps that lap belt snug across the hips rather than their organs.
Oh, and just another plug for a seat that I really like — but never owned … the Graco Nautilus. Extended Harnessing + Booster for MUCH less than the Britax varieties!