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car seat advice needed - UPDATE post # 69 - Page 3

post #41 of 70
10/27/06 at 9:49am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the elite car seats link, beanma, those dimensions are helpful. It says the Radian is 17" ... I just measured the RA in my car and at the widest point of the base it looks to be about 15". It is currently a VERY tight squeeze to get the two backless boosters buckled on either side of it. So I'm just not sure.

hottmama, the Apex was definitely a contender until I learned about the seat height requirement. I think the seat backs MIGHT be about high enough in my car for the time being, however we are also looking for a seat to go in DH's car, which is a Subaru Outback Sport, and the seat backs are ridiculously low. I don't even like to ride in the back in his car because I feel it is not very safe for an adult. The Apex really does not seem like a good choice for his car.

PatchyMama, I have a 95 Saturn SL2. I did get the Regent installed in my car--however, not very securely, and I couldn't install the backless boosters next to it. As it is with the Roundabout you can JUST barely buckle them in and close the doors--they are really wedged in tight when I have all three kids back there.
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post #42 of 70
10/27/06 at 10:49am
You need to meausre at the widest point of the carseat, the Britax seats are 19" across at the bottom, while the Radian measures the widest in the back at about 16". The bottom is about 13" IIRC. It fits great in narrow spots. Do you have a Target near you? If you order from Target you can always take it back to any Target store and then you don't have to ship it back.
post #43 of 70
10/27/06 at 1:07pm
ah, yeah i only have 2 seats back there (regent and marathon)... I have just enough room between the two to put the cup holder in the middle of the seat down, LOL.
post #44 of 70
10/27/06 at 1:28pm
Thread Starter 
I wonder if the Roundabouts have gotten bigger in size? The manufacture date on mine is November 2000. I took it all the way out of the car, turned it over, and measured the widest point of the base. It was honestly only 15". I just looked on the elitecarseats site and I see where they are saying the RA is 18" at the widest point. So I don't know if they are measuring differently--or if the one I have really is smaller than the ones currently being sold. :

Thanks for the tip about buying the Radian from Target. That would certainly be a lot more convenient in the case of a return. Get this, neither the Recaro nor the Regent fit in my car in their boxes. I'll have to get DH to take them to the FedEx ground dropoff in his Outback...probably in separate trips!:
post #45 of 70
10/27/06 at 1:44pm
No, the base is only 15", but it widens from there. The widest part of the Britax seats I believe are where baby puts their bottom, it's 19". Mine is DOM 2001 and it's the same size as the new ones. So if you only had 15" of space, you'd have 4" of seat hanging over somewhere.
post #46 of 70
10/27/06 at 1:47pm
Thread Starter 
But a wider overhang is easier to deal with than a wider base, in terms of leaving the outboard seatbelt buckles fairly accessible, kwim? If the Radian's 19" width is down flat across the bench seat, then I don't think the outboard seat buckles will be accessible to the outboard passengers. There's only about 12" between the two outboard passenger buckles. But because of the way the RA base is shaped, they're still accessible.
post #47 of 70
10/27/06 at 11:17pm
I have been battling with what to do on this issue as well. We really, really need to replace dd's seat asap. We are constantly fighting with the straps and tangling. I have been looking at the Britax Parkway. She's five and meets the height and weight requirements. Ds has the same seat that she currently has and I am not entirely comfortable with it from a safety standpoint anymore. He is three. What I am wondering is, based on his age, should he not be placed into a Britax Parkway even though he meets the height and weight requirements? I hadn't thought of his age as being a factor until I read this thread. I hope you don't mind me asking this here.
post #48 of 70
10/27/06 at 11:30pm
I would definately not put a 3 year old in a seat belt only booster... britax or not
post #49 of 70
10/27/06 at 11:43pm
Is there any place to find out the crash safety ratings of seats? I can't seem to find that anywhere. I have found ease of use ratings, but that is not what I want to know. I can work around things if I have to make sure things are safe.

Is 5 okay for the Parkway? We really can't afford to buy dd a carseat now and have to replace it again in a year or two. I have no idea what to do about ds's seat. It's not that old, less than six months, but I can't find any darn crash ratings on seats. I did find some that did mention some Britax seats and issues with them too. I am so confused. : I am scared to even drive anywhere until I have this figured out.
post #50 of 70
10/28/06 at 1:15am
I think 5 in a parkway is ok as long as they are capable of sitting in it properly and the belt stays in position. My dd (who is 5) just doesnt do well in a seatbelt booster because she is constantly wiggling and moving around and was never seated in it properly.

This site has a ton of info, including a 5 question test to help determine if your child is ok in the booster http://carseat.org/
post #51 of 70
10/28/06 at 1:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by PatchyMama View Post
I think 5 in a parkway is ok as long as they are capable of sitting in it properly and the belt stays in position. My dd (who is 5) just doesnt do well in a seatbelt booster because she is constantly wiggling and moving around and was never seated in it properly.

This site has a ton of info, including a 5 question test to help determine if your child is ok in the booster http://carseat.org/
Thanks! So, while everyone else in the house has been in bed for hours, I have spent hours looking things up. Dh is gonna freak out when I tell him that I think we need to get TWO Regents. I don't think dd should be in a booster now either. She's not even 40 lbs. yet and at the rate she's going, she may not even be that until she's atleast six. She has a friend that has a Husky, I think, and I am sure it won't be a problem for her to have a seat that is like that.

Two things that made me feel like an a$$ this week were having no explanation for all the pots and pans with teflon on them and having crappy carseats. Mind you, I didn't realize that any of the above were crappy when they were purchased, but now it's time to do something about them. Today we bought a SS cookware set, now I need to explain all this info to dh so I can get new seats for the kids. This is gonna be a lot of money, but I know it's worth it if anything ever happens.
post #52 of 70
10/28/06 at 1:34am
I would love to see that too. My head is spinning. It's between Cosco Apex, Recaro Young Style, or a Parkway.

I'd love to be able to look up safety ratings.
post #53 of 70
10/28/06 at 1:42am
We got Regents for my daughters. I explained that children who get five point restraint are lucky because their mothers research the issue and have the money to buy the best possible car seats available. I showed pix from http://www.car-seat.org of big kids in Regents. I encouraged the girls to pick out their own covers. They are very comfortable in the seats and they are quite happy with them. I did look into getting a Recaro, and that's definitely the way to go once the kids won't fit into Regents anymore.

Plus, you can probably sell the Regent to friends who trust you. I sold my Marathons for $125 each, which helped pay for the Regents. Britax has great resale value. I could have sold them for more, as soon as I posted on the local ap group, I had multiple offers with backups.
post #54 of 70
10/28/06 at 11:03am
There are no safety ratings b/c all carseats have to pass the same testing, so all are considered 'equally' safe. Of course some seats have better safety features, but that doesn't really play into the testing, it just helps them pass if that makes any sense. Like the Regent is so safe b/c it harnesses for so long, the longer a child is harnessed, the safer they are. Other Britax seats are so safe b/c some have side impact protection and they can be tethered rfing which is just another safety feature.

Cosco Apex-nice seat for what it does and price, but you HAVE to have headrests in your vehicle or captain's chairs to use it long.

Recaro-NICE seat, but only goes to 40#, does make a good booster.

Parkway-Good booster, but not reccomended for anyone under 4 or those children who just aren't good at sitting still.
post #55 of 70
10/28/06 at 4:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by wednesday View Post
How exactly does that work in a sedan? Is the tether anchor in the back deck, or in the trunk??? I'm confused about where it actually goes and how it works. :

It doesn't matter if you don't know where it will be, they will, and that's what matters.

DH worked 5 years at a Saturn service department, his guys installed lots of tether anchors.
post #56 of 70
10/28/06 at 6:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thepeach80 View Post
Cosco Apex-nice seat for what it does and price, but you HAVE to have headrests in your vehicle or captain's chairs to use it long.
Can you explain this to me? I have a minivan with headrests but I'm curious as to why you must have headrests.
post #57 of 70
10/28/06 at 6:42pm
The seat itself is not strong enough to support the head in the even of a crash, so it needs the vehicle's headrest behind it for support.
post #58 of 70
10/29/06 at 9:55am
Thread Starter 
I looked at the display and the box for a Cosco Apex at Babies R Us and I was surprised that this issue with the seat-back is not made clear somehow before the purchase is made. I'm assuming the user manual states somewhere that the Apex is not to be used with a lower-backed seat, but how many parents actually read that thoroughly? And why should it be a secret until after you've purchased the product and taken it home? I'm really aggravated that this product which is intended to be a safety device can be so easily and innocently mis-used so as not to provide the safety it is supposed to. Makes me really not want to buy anything made by Cosco. Who knows what else they are skimping on?
post #59 of 70
10/29/06 at 10:14am
That rule also applies to the Intera and I thought the new Cubb, but someone told me that one is actually o.k. I haven't checked it out yet though.
post #60 of 70
10/29/06 at 11:51am
I was reading some online posts on car seats (for toddlers-preschoolers) from mothers who have done their research and learned of new car seats (besides Britax) on the market that are very highly rated and have newer features.

Safeguard Go
Looks like a simple booster, except it has a 5-pt-harness up to 60 lbs!!!
And it is lightweight, folds and comes with a carrying case! (I thought it was a bit too flimsy. Not sure if my daughter would feel comfy in it as it has zero back support, just whatever the seat is.)
http://www.safeguardseat.com/go/index.htm

Gogo Kids Carseat traveler (wheel your big Britax car seat instead of carrying it) $89
http://www.theportablebaby.com/gogokidz.html?

Safeguard Carseat (similar to Britax Marathon) 22-65lbs - 5-pt-harness up to 65lbs! (I've seen this thing in the store. It's a mother! It's almost as big as my Husky and way heavier too. Similarly priced also (over $200).
http://www.safeguardseat.com/child/features.htm

Compass B500LP - folding booster car seat
http://www.compassbaby.com/product_B500.html

Recaro Young Sport car seat - 18-40lbs 5pt-harness, then a booster up to 80lbs. It very padded, looks comfy and has side-impact protection
http://tinyurl.com/fubjj

Radian - folds, fits children up to 65lbs in 5-pt-harness (Sunshine Kids products)
http://tinyurl.com/y3c295
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