carseat experts, please look here

[eclipse]

how safe is this type of carseat?

http://www.onestepahead.com/product/...13766/118.html

we're still trying to figure out the carseat situation for when our baby is born in october in order to fit three in the back. my 4yo exceeds the height weight limit for this, but my 2yo doesn't. my main concern is safety though, and I won't use it unless it's safe. soooo. . .what do you think?

[minimunklemama]

I looked at that a while ago and as it's not faa approved I figured i wasn't going to risk it.IMO it's just not worth it.Hubby and I were actually having a bit of a debate tonight about getting our daughter a new seat and i said i would rather take money out of our savings and get her one with good reveiws,but that's just me and i am very anal so I mean it must be okay as i think i saw it in one step ahead(i might be wrong!)but it's something you need to feel comfortable with
HTH,

[alegna]

Doesn't look safe enough for a 2 year old to me. Maybe a 4 or 5 year old. BUT, I plan to have my dd still rear-facing at 2.

-Angela

[eclipse]

well, my 2yo is a really big 2yo - by the time she's four, she will likely be above the height/weight restrictions like ds is. fwiw, i'd have her rear facing too, but she got heavier than what was approved for rear facing for her carseat.

[Sisyphus]

Hi Jeri!

I use this thing when we travel, so I don't have to bring Dominic's huge booster seat. I wouldn't use it as an everyday carseat replacement. I used it with D when we took him to Amsterdam a few years ago. He was 26 months and about the same size that Rhi is now. It was easier for us to use that because we didn't rent a car, we were using taxi's on a daily basis. I do leave this at my mom's house for "just in case" emergencies when she might need to pick up D from school or something like that. If she were driving either of the kids around on a daily basis, I would get a regular car seat.

It's not FAA approved for use *on aircraft*... that's the only thing the FAA cares about. FWIW, the US Britax seats aren't approved for use on foreign aircraft... so, go figure, air travel is a totally different ballgame from car travel.

Anyways, I like it for travel - we are taking it with us to Italy next week - but only because I hate lugging that huge freaking booster around. We do bring K's Britax on flights... just easier to have him strapped in. Like I said, I wouldn't use this as a replacement for a good car seat.

Lo

[eclipse]

that's what i was wondering, Lo - about replacing a regular carseat. we're really struggling to find a combo that will fit all three kids in the back of an escort. the baby bucket will *barely* fit between the two that we have, and then it's without the base (just strapped into the car with the belt) and will be impossible to remove with the baby inside without a whole heap of trouble. And, while I'm not one to carry a baby around in a bucket all day, it's easier to get them situated when you're not leaning the baby in across another carseat and wrangling them under the belt that holds the seat in :LOL. While it would be a pain, it *will* work, but I know I can't fit a convertible carseat back there once the baby outgrows the bucket - which will be around 4 months, judging by my other kids. i guess i just need to head to the store with a measuring tape and buy the narrowest one i can find for Rhiannon!

[eclipse]

btw Lo, I didn't know you were going to Italy! have fun!

[MinnieMouse]

I am guessing that the 4yo is in a booster and the 2yo in a forward facing seat right now???

All things being equal I would put the 4yo in the center (if you have a lap/shoulder belt there) and the baby and 2yo outboard... but the 4yo would have a difficult time buckling and unbuckling with a seat installed next to him.

So therefore I would place the two year old in the center, and your other two children outboard...although the 4yo will still have some buckling issues. It will be MUCH easier to get the infant seat in and out AND since the center is the "safest" position your ffing 2yo needs it more than the rearfacing infant (rear facing seats are much safer outboard in side impact crashes..which is why the center is the "safest" than forward facing seats).

Would that work??

[eclipse]

we only have a lap belt in the center, so ds will have to be outboard. 2yo is currently in a forward facing 5pt harness that can later convert to a belt positioning booster. i haven't tried the instalation with her in the middle yet - that's my next plan of attack!

[bobica]

We use it for traveling too, but it's really not all that comfortable IMO.

[Throkmorton]

http://www.carseatdata.org/TNG.html really explains it all. I wouldn't use it for an everyday thing. I can see it being perfect for travel though
What seats do you currently have? You may need to buy something narrower. For example, the Cosco Touriva/Regalride/Scenera/Safety 1st Comfort Ride are a full inch narrower than the smallest bucket with the handle. That can be a pain, though.
What booster do you have? What combination seat? You might be able to squish a 3rd seat if you have Graco seats, as both the Turbobooster and the Graco Cargo are only 16" wide. But if you have the Cosco booster, that is several inches wider and would make fitting a 3rd child difficult.