The "safest" carseat? - Page 2

[sarajane]

Oh, that makes sense.

Well, I guess I shouldn't worry about it. They were just expensive seats but very much worth it anyway. We love them. She is heavy for her age though so I think she will get too heavy for it before she gets too tall for it. Strange cuz she is so skinny! Just dense I guess.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by sarajane

I hope that isn't true. We just bought two new Britax seat and my DD is 32 pounds and I told my hubby they would last to 65 pounds based off of what the weight limit of the seat is. He won't be too happy if it doesn't. He was trusting me on this purchase. He is happy with the seats now. DD is rear facing at the moment but I think he was counting on not having to buy her anything else for a long long time.

Why do the shoulders have to be below the top harness height? I thought that if the straps fit around them snugly they were good. What is the reasoning behind this I wonder? Anybody know? Thanks!

I can't imagine a child making it to 65lbs in a marathon sized seat. They would have to be very short and stocky. Dd is skinny, but she's outgrowing her blvd right now and weighs 37lbs.

-Angela

[claddaghmom]

DD is in a cosco scenera right now for 1) money reasons 2) she tolerates it and 3) it fits in our current car w/o worry or fuss.

I would like to do a Britax Marathon, although I have fears that she will outgrow it. $$$ makes it impossible for now. *sigh*

If I could toss money around I would go for the Radian 85. (And isn't it FAA approved too??)

But I think by the time we straighten out finances and buy a new car, I will just want to import a Swedish carseat.

[alegna]

Originally Posted by claddaghmom

DD is in a cosco scenera right now for 1) money reasons 2) she tolerates it and 3) it fits in our current car w/o worry or fuss.

I would like to do a Britax Marathon, although I have fears that she will outgrow it. $$$ makes it impossible for now. *sigh*

If I could toss money around I would go for the Radian 85. (And isn't it FAA approved too??)

But I think by the time we straighten out finances and buy a new car, I will just want to import a Swedish carseat.

The radian 85 won't last most kids any longer than the 65. The Truefit will actually last kids longer in nearly all cases. (higher strap heights)

Almost all seats are FAA approved

-Angela

[chickabiddy]

Radian80, not Radian85, though it really doesn't matter because kids won't make it to either 80# or 85#.

And since we're sharing, my long-torsoed daughter outgrew Britax convertibles at 42" and 42#.

[sarajane]

Yikes. I hope that doesn't happen. But, I guess I could try to sell it if she outgrows it fast.

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by sarajane

Yikes. I hope that doesn't happen. But, I guess I could try to sell it if she outgrows it fast.

I'm not trying to be a brat or a broken record, but most kids outgrow the Marathon by about 50#.

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by chickabiddy

I'm not trying to be a brat or a broken record, but most kids outgrow the Marathon by about 50#.

Yes, I have to agree. DD outgrew the Marathon at 30 pounds and not quite 3 years old. But, she's very tall and has a long torso. Most kids make it to at least 4. Still, there are other seats that last longer since they have higher top slots

[chickabiddy]

My daughter was 5.5, but she's little, and at 5.5 she was 42" and 42#.

[goodheartedmama]

Well, the safest carseat is one you can use correctly every time. For us, we move seats a lot, so I like britax convertibles the best. I would love a radian or a truefit, but the difficulty in installing them compared to a britax turns me off. Otherwise, it's all about the features you want the most. If you're not going to move seats a lot, I would go for a radian or true fit.

[KayleeZoo]

How do you rate/gauge the safety of a carseat?

Since all seats sold in the US have to pass FMVSS testing, I narrow it down by looking at the company's track record- how do they handle recalls? Do they test beyond what is required? Are they innovative- do they try to keep up with changing demands and new technology? Based on how they've handled recalls/seats they knew were dangerous, we won't use seats made by Dorel or Evenflo. I used to buy Britax exclusively. Now we have a mixture of Britax, Recaro, Baby Trend, Sunshine Kids (2 Radian XTs that I absolutely LOVE! and a Monterey that is my favorite booster of all time) and a True Fit (that I'm very happy with).

[THBVsMommy]

I measured, measured again, then had DH measure for a final conclusion, and DS has a little less than half an inch before he reaches the top harness. However, that's still a little too close for much comfort, so we're going to buy him a new seat anyways.

I've narrowed it down to the Britax Frontier & the Graco Nautilus. If I'm going to be spending a lot of money on a new seat, I'm very interested in the harnessed seats that can be switched to boosters when the time comes.

So, my question is, if you were left with these two choices for a seat, which one would you pick and why?

For what it's worth, my son is 3 years old, 45 lbs, and 41 in tall. I don't know if that makes a difference or not.. just basically to give you a general picture that he's tall and husky.

[loveandgarbage]

i REALLY wish car seat companies made it clearer that the strap height is the most important measurement to pay attention to in determining what seat to buy and how much use you'll get out of it. we also bought a marathon thinking ds1 would be in there until he was 4+. oh well!

[claddaghmom]

Originally Posted by alegna

The radian 85 won't last most kids any longer than the 65. The Truefit will actually last kids longer in nearly all cases. (higher strap heights)

Almost all seats are FAA approved

-Angela

huh what am I thinking of that's so special about it?

maybe i am thinking of the true fit?

something?



Well anyways thanks for the heads up!

[chickabiddy]

Originally Posted by THBVsMommy

I measured, measured again, then had DH measure for a final conclusion, and DS has a little less than half an inch before he reaches the top harness. However, that's still a little too close for much comfort, so we're going to buy him a new seat anyways.

I've narrowed it down to the Britax Frontier & the Graco Nautilus. If I'm going to be spending a lot of money on a new seat, I'm very interested in the harnessed seats that can be switched to boosters when the time comes.

The Frontier makes a better booster -- but boosters are less expensive than harnessed seats, so you could probably buy a Nautilus plus a good booster for the cost of the Frontier.

The biggest issue that I see with the Nautilus is the crotch. Some kids, especially bigger kids, and especially boys (ahem) seem to find the crotch strap uncomfortable. My daughter, who isn't especially skinny, had no problem with it. I know some kids much smaller than her who DID find it uncomfortable. I'd try your son in the seat. If it's comfortable for him, then it's a perfectly fine seat and up to you which one to get. If he finds the crotch strap too confining, then of course the Frontier would be a better choice.

[DahliaRW]

We have a nautilus and have had no issues with it at all. My ds rode in it as a booster for 2 car rides and it worked well for him and fit him well (at 4years and 40lbs). No issues with the crotch strap, and he is a boy.

For me, I couldn't justfiy the extra cost of the frontier, and I got a steal on the nautilus (something like $117 shipped).

[KayleeZoo]

If you won't be able to buy a dedicated booster once he outgrows the harness of the Nauti, I'd go with the Frontier. The Nautilus is a great seat- we had to return ours because my 4yo DS (who is in the 39% for height and weight) kept complaining about the crotch buckle- it was underneath him and "pulled" on his little boy parts. We, like lots of other people, had terrible problems with head slump when he slept on a long trip- he kept waking up with his neck bent forward and was miserable. But I know people who absolutely love theirs. The Frontier has more shoulder width and definately more crotch depth, if those things are an issue for you. The Nauti is WAY easier to install, IME. And kids absolutely love the cupholders and little cubby boxes in the Nauti

[chickabiddy]

The crotch stuff just doesn't make sense to me (and please don't read that out of context!). My daughter is 7yo and 50# and not skinny and she has plenty of room. I've seen kids much younger and smaller that don't. It really depends on body build, I guess, but it's not something as easily measured as shoulder height or poundage.

[alegna]

The whole frontier/nautilus seems to largely be personal preference and body-type.

My dad just got a frontier for his car for dd, I'll be interested to see how I like it (and what she thinks of it...)

-Angela

[TinyMama]

We love our Nautlius, but it does have 2 problems for our large 2yo(35#,36"):

1. Her shoulders are a little too wide for the seat (I'm hoping as she gets taller it will be less of a problem--she's only 26mo).
2. The headrest presses her head forward a bit, making her slump when sleeping. We use a U-shaped travel pillow when she sleeps in it.

However, for the money and the ease of install, it was the best seat for us.