Car Seat Question

[TirzhaZ]

I hope it's okay to post this here. I couldn't find the carseat sub-forum....is there even one?

DD is outgrowing her bucket so I went carseat shopping today. As much as I would love to get her a Britax, it just isn't in the budget right now. So, I bought a Cosco Alpha Omega Elite 3-in-1 carseat. Does anyone else have this? Does anyone know where I can find the full ratings one this seat? Anyone have thoughts regarding this particular seat? It wasn't cheap, and I know usually the more expensive an item is, the better it is, but I don't want to remove any of the tags or throw the box away until I know for sure this was worth spending lots of dough on. I like that I can use it until DD is 100 lbs, but I want to make sure it is above the minimal safety standards.

TIA!

[triscuitsmom]

Someone with more car seat experience will likely weigh in... but usually the only things 3 in 1 seats are great for for most children is a rear facing seat. They only forward face to 40 pounds I think, which is way to early for a booster for most (all?) children for optimal safety (and even in terms of base minimums most kids will hit that before they can safely be in a booster... which means you'll have to buy another convertible afterwords).

I am pretty sure it isn't great as a booster either, but I'm not completely positive on that. I am relatively sure that with the fact it will be outgrown by height and not weight you won't get anywhere close to 100 pounds though.

I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news... I'm in Canada, and we have a lot fewer seats here so hopefully someone in the US (since I'm assuming that's where you are) will weigh in with some better options for you.

*hugs*

[WhaleinGaloshes]

I agree with triscuit. The fact that they fit children up to 100lbs is somewhat misleading as you can only use the 5 point harness up to 40 pounds.

If you can, I highly recommend exchanging it for a seat that harnesses longer. There are several options including the Britax and Radian seats.

[LilyGrace]

I'd return it and buy a Fisher Price Safe Voyage if you want a Britax without the $$$ (goes to 55lbs harnessed). You will need to buy a seperate booster, but I honestly feel that is a better deal - the shell boosters make it very difficult to adjust the seatbelt to the right height with limited slots that don't always hold the belt securely. Having it threaded through the headrest seems to be a much better option.

[triscuitsmom]

Oh and I wanted to add that the Family Safety board (where car seat resources/question are located) is here http://www.mothering.com/discussions...play.php?f=422

HTH

[s_kristina]

My average size neice outgrew the harness on that seat by age 3. Even when she was big enough for the booster part of it sil could see how bad a job it did as a booster and got a turbo booster for dn. We had a bucket seat that both dd and ds used and they outgrew it well before a year of age. I'm skipping the hassle of a bucket this time. We now have our 21 month old ds in a Cosco Scenera. It only harnesses to 40lbs ff, but harnesses to 35 lbs rf which is important for my big kids. It also has pretty high harness slots for a car seat that harnesses to 40lbs. When we bought the Scenera it was with full knowledge that we would be buying another harness seat for ds later on, but we couldn't afford a Britax then. Considering the price you have already paid I would check in to the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe. It is made by Britax for Fisher Price and appears to have the same shell as the Marathon which means it has the very high harness slots. It is rated to 55lbs rather then the Britax's 65lbs, but many techs think that is more accurate for the height of the harness straps. I just found that seat for $129.99 online http://www.specialtybaby.com/fiprsavodeco2.html

[annettemarie]

Moving to family safety

[ThreeBeans]

To be blunt, that seat is a waste of plastic, fabric, harness material and your money.

Return it. You CAN'T use it to '100 lbs'. It only harness to technically 40, although the straps are so low it's a rare child who will actually make it to 40 before outgrowing it by height. It then supposedly converts to a belt positioning booster to 100 lbs, but the fact of the matter is that the shell is too small for any child who is anywhere NEAR 100 lbs, plus, it makes a crappy booster as it is.

If you tell your budget, I can make some suggestions

[lil_stinkyfeet]

Originally Posted by ThreeBeans

To be blunt, that seat is a waste of plastic, fabric, harness material and your money.

Return it. You CAN'T use it to '100 lbs'. It only harness to technically 40, although the straps are so low it's a rare child who will actually make it to 40 before outgrowing it by height. It then supposedly converts to a belt positioning booster to 100 lbs, but the fact of the matter is that the shell is too small for any child who is anywhere NEAR 100 lbs, plus, it makes a crappy booster as it is.

If you tell your budget, I can make some suggestions

[angie3096]

Ditto to what everyone else said! Take it back. If you would like a cheap Cosco convertible that only harnesses to 40 pounds, get yourself a Cosco Scenera for $40. If you can afford to spend $140 on a seat, get something with a higher harness weight limit and harness height. The 3 in 1 harness will be outgrown before you know it. For that price, you should get something that will harness your child past the age of two and a half. When it IS booster time (age 4 at the ABSOLUTE earliest) you don't want THIS booster. It has funny belt guides that don't keep the belt snug against your child. And in the event of a crash, that's not safe. The 3 in 1 is a waste of money!!!!

[alegna]

Originally Posted by ThreeBeans

To be blunt, that seat is a waste of plastic, fabric, harness material and your money.

Return it. You CAN'T use it to '100 lbs'. It only harness to technically 40, although the straps are so low it's a rare child who will actually make it to 40 before outgrowing it by height. It then supposedly converts to a belt positioning booster to 100 lbs, but the fact of the matter is that the shell is too small for any child who is anywhere NEAR 100 lbs, plus, it makes a crappy booster as it is.

If you tell your budget, I can make some suggestions

:

-Angela

[alegna]

Okay- a quick google shows that most places the seat you bought is going for around $200. For just $30 more you can get a marathon that will keep your child safer for longer.

A quick google showed this site:
http://www.bestbuybaby.com/britmar20.html

that has a number of pretty girly patterns on sale for $229 and free shipping.

-Angela

[tankgirlhi]

Originally Posted by LilyGrace

I'd return it and buy a Fisher Price Safe Voyage if you want a Britax without the $$$ (goes to 55lbs harnessed). You will need to buy a seperate booster, but I honestly feel that is a better deal - the shell boosters make it very difficult to adjust the seatbelt to the right height with limited slots that don't always hold the belt securely. Having it threaded through the headrest seems to be a much better option.

I was going to say the same thing. I wish I knew about these when my SIL was looking and couldn't afford a Britax.

[mimid]

If it works in your car, Target has the Radian for 199.98 with free shipping. You do pay sales tax. Elite Car Seats has $8 shipping but no sales tax so that might be a better deal.

[Brilliantmama]

nak, but i am lusting after this marathon http://www.albeebaby.com/br20macocars14.html and the price (free shipping too!)

[skaterbabs]

To be specific, the issues with the 3-in-1 seats are:
*Very low harness slots, most kids will outgrow this seat by height long before they are ready for a booster.

*The top harness slot is ONLY for use in booster mode, and that is NOT clearly marked, so many people will mistakenly use it, putting their kids in serious danger

*As a booster, they don't do the job well. Many models have closed belts guides, and all models hold the shoulder belt too far away from the child's body to be effective.

*The advertising for this seat is misleading at best. While the expiration date for it has increased over the years, the quality of the seat itself has not. In addition, it's very overpriced for what it is.

*The seat shell is short enough that even if your child is petite enough to make it to 4 years AND 40 pounds before outgrowing the harness, it will be outgrown and a taller booster needed before the 5 Step Test is passed.