Best Car Seat for Safety

[**guest**]

I'm looking for the newest reports of car seat safety. Especially interested in car seats with side impact protection.
I do prefer the 5 pt harness for as long as I can get it. Ds will soon be outgrowing his Britax Roundabout and so I am thinking of the Britax Star Riser.

But I would really love it if anyone who has access to Consumer Reports (website or mags) to see if they can find a RECENT (as in autumn or winter) rating.

Feel free to either pm me or post some options here.
Again, I'm mostly interested in car seats with Side Impact Protection.

Thanks!
Liz

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by lizc

I'm looking for the newest reports of car seat safety. Especially interested in car seats with side impact protection.
I do prefer the 5 pt harness for as long as I can get it. Ds will soon be outgrowing his Britax Roundabout and so I am thinking of the Britax Star Riser.

But I would really love it if anyone who has access to Consumer Reports (website or mags) to see if they can find a RECENT (as in autumn or winter) rating.

Feel free to either pm me or post some options here.
Again, I'm mostly interested in car seats with Side Impact Protection.

Thanks!
Liz

First of all I would take CR's ratings with a pinch of salt. One of their top rated seats is the Evenflo Titan which is the most awful car seat. I would go do a search on the Parenting Issues board, there is tons of info for you there to get started.

If you want a higher weight harnessed seat then I would look into the Britax Marathon, Decathlon, Boulevard, all harness to 65 lbs, but most children outgrow them well before they hit 65 lbs, usually between 5 and 7 years old depending on their height and body proportions. Then there is the Britax Regent and FF harnessed seat rated to 80 lbs. This generally sees kids through until they fit the car seat belts, but it not you can get a cheap low back booster to see them through. The Regent is a big seat though so if space is tight it might be an issue, also it cannot be used on airplanes.

Of the non Britax seats, check out the Alpha Elite Apex by Cosco, it is a harnessed seat to 65 lbs and then can be used as a booster to 100 lbs. The major drawback with this seat is it can't be used in cars with low seat backs because the child's ears must be below the top of the car's (own) seat back. It retails for around $130 and BRU carries them. Then there is the Radian ($199), a new 65 lb seat with what appears to be high harness slots (higher than the Britax 65 lb seats). It is a very narrow seat so fits in tight places. It also folds for air travel. Finally there is the SafeGuard, also rated to 65 lbs, very tall back and harness slots but pricey at $429.

You mentioned the Starriser/Comfy but it is a belt positioning booster and it doesn't have much in the way of side impact protection. It is Britax's oldest booster still on the market and really has been superceded in technology and ease of use by the Parkway which as test side impact protection.

[Metasequoia]

My Dd1 has a Britax Husky, what has recently been renamed the Britak Regent, which we will be buying for Dd2 this week. The seats are so solid & safe. They are 5 pt harnessed until 80 lbs & the height accommodation is fairly tall as well.

I have a friend who is a car seat safety technician, she is VERY passionate & up to date with everything out there - she personally installed my children's seats which put me at ease . I know you can find her over in the December DDC & she'd love to answer your questions. Her username is either CPSmom or MinnieMouse-something - I suggest posting a quick hello to her over there, you'll be glad you did .

[JamesMama]

I just got a Boulevard for my DS, when the car seat tech at the police department installed it he said it looked like one of the safest car seats he'd ever installed. The sheer weight of this thing blew his mind.

[**guest**]

Ds's father has the Britax Husky in his car but it really is massive. If I end up getting a nanny position that requires me to have two car seats, I think the Husky would be way too big.
Ack, I just don't know. Money is a big issue too. I don't even have ANY extra money so I don't know how I'd even be able to buy a new car seat. I'm thinking that my next car seat really can't cost more than $100.

So, I need the absolute safest harness car seat that $100 can buy.
My son has sensory issues so I don't think he'd do well with the Wizard. I think he'd freak out with something so close to his head like that.

Anyhoo, keep those opinions coming. I'd like to know what you recommend and why. I'm not sure why someone didn't like CR ratings but I think I really would feel better knowing my car seat was tested for crash safety.

Ok, carry on.

[lasciate]

All seats on the market are tested for crash safety - they aren't allowed to sold otherwise.

Part of the reason Consumer Reports isn't the best source of info is that they use these seats once and rate them on ease of use above all else. Issues like twisty straps only show up after multiple uses, so CR is no help with that.

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by lizc

So, I need the absolute safest harness car seat that $100 can buy.
My son has sensory issues so I don't think he'd do well with the Wizard. I think he'd freak out with something so close to his head like that.

Anyhoo, keep those opinions coming. I'd like to know what you recommend and why. I'm not sure why someone didn't like CR ratings but I think I really would feel better knowing my car seat was tested for crash safety.

How much does your DS weigh; how tall is he and what is his sitting torso height, bottom to shoulder? If you tell me these measurements it is much easier to come up with some recommendations within your price range. But basically if you want a harnessed seat for $100 your options are limited to 40 lb harnessed boosters. I would consider the Graco Cargo (Platinum or Ultra *NOT TREASURED - REAR ADJUSTER*), Evenflo Chase, Traditions, Generations or Bolero (Walmart only). I would steer clear of all Cosco harnessed boosters, that includes Eddie Bauer and Safety 1st because they have low harness slots. The only Cosco worth looking at is the Alpha Elite Apex which is the one rated to 65 lbs as I stated in my post above. The above suggestions except the Alpha Elite will only work if your DS is under 40 lbs. If not then the car seats I gave you in my above post are your only options if you wish to keep him harnessed.


All car seats are tested for safety and all have to pass the same tests, so you can be sure that if they are used correctly they will be safe. The point is some are easier to use, ie Britax.

Consumer Reports has sometimes given advice and ratings that don't reflect best (safest) practice and that they don't always give enough information for parents to understand their legitimate warnings, there are other reasons to be skeptical of their ratings:


Crash tests like those done by CR are only useful if the carseat fits your child and vehicle as well as the carseats at CR fit their dummy and test sleds.
Their ratings circles give no information on how their results were interpreted and they may exaggerate small differences when they normalize their data. So, it is quite possible that a seat rated "Fair" (half black circle) for crash protection is nearly as safe on a crash test sled as one rated "Very Good" (half red circle). We just aren't given enough information.
Consumer Reports does not relate their crash protection ratings to a real-world risk of injury. With no information on their criteria for fit to vehicle or ease of use, we have no idea if their tests will be valid outside the laboratory. In a real crash, with your child, your vehicle and your installation, that model rated "Fair" could well be safer than the "Very Good" one!.
They simply didn't test many of the models that are currently available and only one version of each model they do test. Some versions they did test are already discontinued and the results may not even apply to newer versions.
Perhaps most importantly, they don't test any models in side, rear or rollover crashes. These types of crashes can be very deadly, and some models may excel in these critical areas that are mostly neglected by Consumer Reports.
Some models have earned notably different ratings and comments from one review to the next, even though the model is essentially unchanged. The margins of error for their testing and subjective ratings are questionable and the ratings are sometimes inconsistent.
Each parent may have preferences for "Ease of Use" that may well vary from the opinion and biases of Consumer Reports (or the NHTSA in its ratings). The best way to choose is to evaluate models in person with your own child and vehicle because any particular top-rated model might not seem very easy to you.

http://www.car-safety.org/guide.html

[**guest**]

Ds is about 39" tall and weighs approx 33lbs. He was too squirmy for measuring but it seems that his torso measurement is 23". That could be wrong though...he just wouldn't sit still.

I already HAVE a car seat that only goes to 40 lbs. I need something that goes to 65 or 100 lbs.
If I have to pay more than $100, I will. Or rather, I'll try to beg someone for the money.

Hope that helps!

[**guest**]

Thanks for that link. I'm thinking the Britax Boulevard may be best for our needs.
I'll do a little more research though.

[jenaniah]

Your DS is the exact same weight and height as WE have her in the Graco Platinum CarGos in 2 cars and they are GREAT! She has PLENTY of room to grow height wise and since she's only 33ish pounds she won't outgrow the weight for a long time (the 5 yr old I nanny outgrew the weight at almost 5) The harness height says 43" but that of course depends on the torso length of the child. I haven't measured her torso but she does have a long torso and stil has at least 3" before she even reaches the top slot, in fact she can technically be in the second slot but prefers the top slot for comfort.

ETA - the 5 yr old I nanny has outgrown the weight by 10 pounds now (HUGE growth spurt...he gained 7 pounds the month he truned 5) but I put him in the harness (while the car was parked) to see about the harness height...he is 44ish" and still has room to grow in the top slot.

ETA again - I found a site that has the Radian for $170 and free shipping http://www.specialtybaby.com/sukiracarseg.html The Radian is harnessed to 65 pounds and has the same height restrictions as a Britax harnessed to the same weight (49")

[Mirzam]

Originally Posted by lizc

Ds is about 39" tall and weighs approx 33lbs. He was too squirmy for measuring but it seems that his torso measurement is 23". That could be wrong though...he just wouldn't sit still.

I already HAVE a car seat that only goes to 40 lbs. I need something that goes to 65 or 100 lbs.
If I have to pay more than $100, I will. Or rather, I'll try to beg someone for the money.

Hope that helps!

At your DS's size you will have plenty of time in one of the Britax's but you are going to have to pay way more than $100 as you are well aware. The only advantage of getting a combo seat over what you already have is they will have slightly higher top harness slots than the Roundabout (except any of the Cosco ones they won't so are a total waste of money).

PS: You measure his torso by sitting him against a wall and marking where the tops of his shoulders are then let him move away and measure from the ground up. With a result of 23" I am sure you must have measured to the top of his head, as that's an awfully long torso for a little guy!

[thepeach80]

If you don't have headrests and the Apex is out, I would look into the Radian. It says it has side protection, but obviously not like the BV. AJ is 32# and 36" if you want to see pics of him in the BV. We went back and forth between this and the Radian and went w/ the Britax (though it's $100 more!). He has about a 16" torso, so really long for his age.

[**guest**]

Turns out I'm not going to have ANY money for a carseat (or anything else) so I guess that's the end of that.

Thanks,
Liz