carseat recommendations anyone?

[ashleybrook]

well, all the ones my dh and i have looked at have been so hard that the baby's tailbone is likely to be bruised! yuck! does anybody have any good recommendations on a carseat that's comfortable...and of course safe :)

my dh really wants the bucket type for the newborn stage...so what do you have that you like? 

ashley

[ComplexOphelia]

Chicco Keyfit 30.  We loved it for DS - it went down to 4 lb, which was important since we brought him home from the NICU weighing 5, but I pray that's not an issue for you!  It goes all the way up to 30 lb, though, and is really, really easy to install and use correctly, making it very safe.  The "bucket" is heavy, but we never really used it for carrying him further than into or out of the car on cold days, since we use slings/wraps for holding babes.  All the parts are removable and machine washable, too, which is awesome!  I'm so glad to have it - and that it won't be expired, so that I can use it again for this babe.

[Twinklefae]

Top recommended infant car seats are :

Safety First OnBoard

Chicco Keyfit

Graco Snugride 35 or 22 (but if you get the 22 then make sure you get front adjust - much easier to use!)

The only one I would avoid at all costs is the Evenflo Seats - the require the handle to be down and an inch and a half of clearance between the handle and the seat, so they don't fit in most cars.

As for comfort... well, that's what car seats are like.  I promise it won't bruise your baby.  They have to be safe though, and big fluffy covers generally aren't safe.

I would check out car-seat.org for more info and to find a tech in your area who can teach you to install the seat yourself and help with any other questions you have.

[Twinklefae]

Serial posting - the straps are not washable on ANY car seat and if they've been submerged in water you should order a new set.  They are wipe down only.  They need to stretch in a collision to help cushion the child and they can't do that after they've gotten soaked.

[LSUtwinMama]

Another vote for Chicco Keyfit, excellent seat. 2 Seats fit great in our Prius and were super easy to install/level. We were in a pretty serious rear end collision (someone hit us  from behind and totaled our Prius) DH and I were both bruised from our seatbelts and burned from the airbags, the girls never even woke up.

[understars]

We just bought a Britax Boulevard, that was our choice and we are happy with it.

Edited by understars - 11/19/10 at 5:00pm

[Twinklefae]

Originally Posted by understars 

We just bought a Britax Boulevard. It's really good quality and it has great safety ratings. I have quite a few friends who use the Britax seats and love them!

Unfortunately the Britax convertible aren't great seats for newborns.  The newer seats have an optional infant insert you can buy separately, which makes it fit for large to huge babies.  Small and average babies are not going to reach the bottom slots, which must be even with or below the child's shoulders while rf'ing.

Also, there is no such thing as 'safety ratings'.  It's a pass or fail test and all seats on the market pass or they wouldn't be sold.

Britax is not very impressive to most techs these days.

If you decide to go with a convertible from birth I would recommend:

The First Years/Learning Curve True Fit

The Graco MyRide

The Cosco Scenera

[understars]

Sorry if my terminology is off but I just googled child car seat safety ratings and click on links for consumer reports and safety test done with different brands so that's the term I used. Again, sorry if it is incorrect. Side note: I noticed you live in Canada, ICBC uses "safety ratings" to rank car seats, it is not just about pass or not pass but how well they protected the child in crash tests. I'm not sure what the NS insurance companies do but that is what I got from my local company.

I know the convertibles aren't great for infants but I was more just referencing the brand. Britax does make infant bucket car seats. And as a brand, I like Britax.

From the reports that I read, Britax is a good, safe company and I also like to go with products that I can get personal recommendations on. I've talked to a couple moms who are disenchanted with Graco as a brand and I would never trust a Cosco brand anything.

So I guess in the end it is all about the brand and type of car seat you feel most comfortable with.

[LSUtwinMama]

Originally Posted by understars 

Sorry if my terminology is off but I just googled child car seat safety ratings and click on links for consumer reports and safety test done with different brands so that's the term I used. Again, sorry if it is incorrect. Side note: I noticed you live in Canada, ICBC uses "safety ratings" to rank car seats, it is not just about pass or not pass but how well they protected the child in crash tests. I'm not sure what the NS insurance companies do but that is what I got from my local company.

I know the convertibles aren't great for infants but I was more just referencing the brand. Britax does make infant bucket car seats. And as a brand, I like Britax.

From the reports that I read, Britax is a good, safe company and I also like to go with products that I can get personal recommendations on. I've talked to a couple moms who are disenchanted with Graco as a brand and I would never trust a Cosco brand anything.

So I guess in the end it is all about the brand and type of car seat you feel most comfortable with.

Britax just had a recall of infant carseats, just FYI- http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11031.html

[understars]

Originally Posted by LSUtwinMama 

Britax just had a recall of infant carseats, just FYI- http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11031.html

Yes, I am aware of that but so many other brands have regular recalls too and I feel comfortable with my choice. I did the research, I went out and talked to people and I even consulted my local insurance company, so feel that the car seat I bought is safe. However, seeing as everyone on this board is against Britax, I retract my original recommendation. Go with what you want and leave me alone.

[sweeteleanor]

I think Britax is fine.  :-)  However I need skinny seats for our Outback that will now have three seats in it so we are going with the Keyfit and then the Radian.  Both DD and the babe will get them.

http://www.amazon.com/Radian-Car-Seat-Travel-Bag/dp/B002U2M1JY/ref=sr_1_6?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1290222041&sr=1-6

Edited by sweeteleanor - 11/19/10 at 7:00pm

[greenmama66]

I am going to get the Chicco Keyfit 30, last time around I had a Maxi- Cosi.

[debra_lea]

I had the Graco Infant Snugride which my first 2 used, but looks like I will need a new one for this little one.  I've learned that car seats "expire", and are only recommended 5 years after manufactured.  I am looking at the Graco 35 and the Chicco Keyfit.  I prefer the Keyfit, but given that we have had big babies in the past, I'm wondering if we would be better off with the Graco 35.

[spatulagirl]

I recommend the Chicco keyFit 30 as well.

My older two are now in booster seats but my 2 year old is in a Britax Marathon and we love it. I would recommend using a bucket for those first few months though. It is safer and a better fit.

[Twinklefae]

Just to clarify - no reputable safety comparisons are done.  Period.  That is true in both Canada and the US.  Transport Canada and NHTSA both have a pass or fail standard for seats.  Anyone else is trying to sell you something.  Having searched around at ICBC, all I can find are ease of use ratings.  While an easy to use seat CAN increase safety, it is by no means the only important thing.  The safest seat is one that fits your child, fits your car, fits your budget and will be correctly used EVERY time your child rides in the car.

For those who don't see sigs, or don't know what the letters mean, I am a Children's Restraint System Technician.  I am certified through St. John's Ambulance to know what I am talking about.

Britax is a fine company, about the same as all the other companies and charges twice the price.  There is nothing wrong with Cosco seats.  Graco as a company has been doing really well lately, so I'm not sure why people would feel disillusioned with them.

Car seats do expire, usually it's 6 years from the date of manufacture printed on the seat.  For Peg Perego infant seats it's 5 years.  Some convertibles (like the True Fit and the Radian) it's 7-8 years.  For other seat it varies by component.  Read your manual and it will tell you.

ETA:  And Britax's infant seat is a great thing if you have a huge car/minivan.  The base is so large it is incompatible with many, many cars as 80% of the base must be on the seat of the vehicle.

[carriebft]

We are a britax loving family- my kids have all used the "little" britax 40 roundabouts until they were well over 4 (we seem to grow shorter/skinny kids in this house!) But we did try the bigger britax seats as infants with our first because everyone had told me the 40s wouldn't last long. What we found was that the britax belt slots were too high for our infant girl, despite her being almost 8 pounds. I suppose the infant insert could help this issue, but wanted to put our experience out there.

We have a graco safe seat for the new babe. We got an awesome deal and our other bucket was destroyed in a basement flood. Twinklefae- is this a good seat?

So our configuration will be infant in safe seat, 3 yr old and 4.5 yr old in roundabout 40s and 6 yr old in high back booster. Though the middle guy might go high back right at 5 or a month or so before if he hits the 40 lb mark or somehow shoots up and his shoulders go above the top strap....neither are an issue as of right now.

Edited by carriebft - 11/20/10 at 12:13pm

[LSUtwinMama]

Thank you for your feedback on car seats, Twinklefae. I found it very informative.

Do you (or anyone else for that matter) have some feedback on best seating arrangement for 3 kids in a van?

My twins will be 23 months old when #3 arrives. Currently they sit in the 2 chairs in the second row in my Toyota Sienna, rear facing. That arrangement works great for now because each girl has her own chair, but with baby brother on the way... where do we stick him?  Do I move one twin to the rear? Put the baby in the rear?

[pixiekisses]

Gentle reminder here, please keep personal matters out of this thread, if you want to further discuss your private differing opinions, do it in a PM or feel free to contact staff for help if that's needed.

But keep this thread to car seats only, and be nice and polite. :)

[spatulagirl]

Have you tried the Radian yet? I bought one for my now 6-year-old when I had to fit three car seats across one row in our old car. I fit great with the latch but I can't get a good fit with it using a belt in our newer car (Honda Odyssey). It kept sliding around and just wasn't safe but I couldn't get it to fit the bucket seat at all. I would like to use it for one of our other kids if I can but can't figure out how to make it fit better. Right now it is in the RV for our 2-year-old.

[3xMama]

Just to throw this in-I have the Safety First bucket seat. Its a fine seat but the actual crotch buckle itself drove me batty with DS. You have to overlay the crotch buckle plates before clicking them into the crotch buckle itself and hold them together while inserting them into the buckle. I found this is to be rather difficult to do esp if I was at an angle to the carseat or if I needed to adjust where the plates were on the strap to correctly fit into the buckle. I switched to a convertible seat as soon as it warmed up enough basically because that buckle bothered me so much! (I hope that makes sense, it was hard to say, esp over the internet and without being able to show you what I'm talking about!)

Otherwise, it was a fine seat and did its job well.

And, I really love my Scenera and the price tag on it is fabulous!