carseat advice? -- forgive me!

[kristen1978]

Okay, let me apologise in advance. I'm sure that this information is out there somewhere, but I can't seem to find it at the moment. I'm interested in finding a second car seat. Grandparents already bought one Britax Boulevard. Other grandparents sent check to purchase a second one for other car. Found that placing child in seat and retrieving child will certainly be a nightmare in second car with the huge convertible seat, as it is a small 2-door. Soooooo, we're considering getting an infant seat. I know this sounds funny, but infant seats just don't seem to be as safe to me as a convertible, kwim? The convertible is fastened to the car, whereas -- correct me here -- aren't most infant "buckets" attached to a base, which is attached to the car? Don't they attach via plastic clips? Didn't lots of them come off the bases during that original Consumer Reports (the one conducted at 70mph or whatever)? If I misunderstand, please correct me.

So, what is everyone's favorite infant seat, in terms of safety? Any better for a small car?

[ThreeBeans]

The consumer reports thing was bogus. Don't worry about it.

Infant seats are every bit as safe as convertibles when used properly.


If you plan to be stuck with this car for a while, go with an infant seat you'll get a lot of use out of...

The Graco SafeSeat 1 will get you to 30 lbs/32 inches (a year and over for most babies).

[alegna]

Infant seats are actually a (small) step safer than convertibles.

It is unlikely that your newborn will fit properly in a boulevard. The lowest strap setting is very high for most newborns.

-Angela

[Stace]

Ditto what Angela said. The infant seats are designed to snuggle wee ones. The convertibles, though they *say* you can use them with babies as small as 5 pounds, really aren't designed for itty bitty babies.

You can really get a lot of use out of a good infant seat. We didn't move our son to a convertible until he was 8 months old. And when he was really small, or fell asleep in the car, being able to just snap the bucket onto his stroller was a blessing. Wish I could still do that....he gets angry at me now when I have multiple stops to make and have to take him out of his seat and then put him back in multiple times!

[angie3096]

My favorite infant seat in terms of safety is the Britax Companion, because it has an anti-rebound bar. Also I trust the company, because they will recall at the slightest suggestion of a problem with the seat. Other companies won't. Also because they test their seats in side impact and rollover collisions, which is not required.
However, my disclaimer is that I am purchasing a Graco SafeSeat1 for my own baby, because a rebounding seat doesn't bother me THAT much, Graco doesn't have the awful reputation that Dorel does, and because Companions are pretty short and I want one that will last a while. If I had the small car issue, though, I would go with a Companion. They are more compact and would fit better in a teeny backseat.
Ditto to what everybody else said about consumer reports being a bunch of ignoramuses that don't know how to install a seat or run a crash test. Also ditto that a newborn will not fit in a Boulevard (unless it's a VERY big newborn). The safest option is to use an infant seat at first and switch to a convertible when the baby is older. HTH.

[Brilliantmama]

yeah, go with the companion, save the rest of the $ until little one outgrows the infant seat and you NEED another convertible.

[kristen1978]

Thank you soooo much, ladies! I had just gottent to the end of my rope with all of the choices and options available. Not sleeping for the last couple of weeks has resulted in EVERYTHING seeming impossible, including decing on which seat to use . Sounds like the Companion is a great choice!