[bobandjess99]

Okay, so i admit, I'm not "into" carseats..i do the minimum my state requires, and that's it.

:
But, after a fair amount of badgering , much of it here,

I have been looking into getting a "better" carseat for next baby.
I was looking at the highly-recommended Britax line....BUT the marathon says it only goes up to 30 lbs RF....same with the roundabout
The Decathalon only goes up to 33 lbs RF.....

That might not seem like a big difference, but, as some of you might remember, i ended up turning dd FF at about 9 months, because she was 31 pounds (my seat had a limit of 30) and at the height limit, with her head being at the top of the seat...
So, assuming i *might* have another GI-NORMOUS child, i was looking into seats that have higher limits....

It really doesn't seem like the Britax line has what i need...except maybe the Decathalon....are their other options I'm not seeing? I do NOT do "buckets".

One that i looked at......the Alpha Omega, goes up to 35 pounds RF.....Perhaps i should consider that one? I've heard people dis it...but if it is the only one with a higher limit..??..

If you had reason to believe your child would hit 30-32 pounds before 1 year, which seat would you choose?
Or would you just resign yourself to turning then FF slightly before or right at 1 year?

 

[Throkmorton]

The Cosco Scenera has a 35lb limit too. It is what i bought for DD after DS hit 34lbs at a year, and i was afraid she would too (but she is comparatively a peanut). It kicks butt over at Alpha Omega which i hate beyond words, as it is a difficult seat to use.

I think the 30lb limit on the Britax is a typo. I believe they are all 33lbs now, as of 2005. The Roundabout used to have a 30lb limit.

 

[Shaunam]

Was your dd also tall, or just chunky? Chunky kids will probably get the most use out of the cosco scenera since it rf to 35 lbs and also has a pretty high back. Not as high as the britax marathon, but still higher than most other convertibles that only got to 40 lbs. My DS has a torso of about 15 inches and he still has about 1-2 inches of shell above his head in the scenera. He's 33 inches tall, but has a long torso and short legs. So more proportional kids might get to about 36" before they reach the rf'ing height limit in that seat.

Next best weight limit is the britax seats. The weight limit of the marathon we just sold was 33 lbs, same as the blvd and dc seats. Where are you reading that it's only 30 lbs? I'm pretty sure it used to be 30 lbs years ago, but now it's 33 lbs. If your child is tall, or has a long torso, they will get the most use out of this seat rf'ing since it has the highest back. There is some confusion about where the child's head can reach before you have to turn them. You'll have to call britax and see.

If I was really concerned about it, I'd take a wait and see approach. I'd start with a britax blvd or dc since they have the infant inserts and can be used comfortably from birth, then if my 11 month old hit 33 lbs, I'd see if he still fit height-wise into the scenera and use that until 35 lbs. The scenera is only like $40 and that's worth the extra money, IMO. Then once he hit 35 lbs, I'd put him back in the britax ff'ing, because it goes to 65 lbs instead of 40.

 

[bobandjess99]

See..thats the whole thing...dh will say "its only $50, why not just get the Scenera and use it the whole time, since it will fit longer"

Getting 2 carseats is not an option..I'll be able to get ONE, and it'll have to work the whole time....and when there ARE options like the scenera, all dh sees is an extra $200 for a decathalon, whereas the Scenera is "good enough" for only $50.

Why is the alpha omega so hated, if I may ask?
I looked at it at the store, and it seems fine....??...

 

[thepeach80]

The AO just isn't worth the $ when you can get the same seat in the Scenera. It makes a lousy booster and since seats expire in 6 yrs, you won't use that part anyways b/c you'll need a regular booster. The straps on my AO twist way more than my Scenera and it's not any more plush or anything, just more $. The Scenera is Evan's main seat right now and it's working fine. Now, if you have a child that is going to hit 40# before age 4, you'll either want a seat now that harnesses past that or my favorite idea is to get the Scenera now ($45) and then a Britax Regent later (age 2 or 3 depending on how big your child is) for $240 or so if you can find it on sale. You're still spending just as much $ there as one Britax 65# seat, but you have the option to now harness till 80# and some kids never need a booster after that seat.

 

[Throkmorton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobandjess99 Why is the alpha omega so hated, if I may ask? I looked at it at the store, and it seems fine....??...

it makes a lousy booster
I find the harness difficult to tighten
The harness slots are fairly low, lots of kids outgrow them at age 2.
The shell is low, so even if you can make it work as a booster it will not, by any stretch of the imagination actually hold your child until 8/80lbs (which is becoming law all over the place)

Now, the Marathon will fit kid until age 5 or 6, at which age they are mature enough to go into a simple $15 backless booster. That works out to $39 per year or 10.4 cents per day. A small price to pay to keep a kid safe, right?

While the Scenera will work rear-facing for a bit longer, you may run into the problem of having to buy seat after seat. We started with the Touriva for DS, and have had to buy seat after seat for him as he outgrows them. Due to poor purchasing, he has had 5 car seats, and he is only 4. For the money I have spent, I could have just purchased a Marathon fron the start, paid less and had a comfortable, durable *cow print* seat.
(yes, i am just giving you ways to convince your husband.)

You could also look at the new Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe which is a Marathon shell with fewer options, like the rear-facing tether and HUGS. It has a 55lb weight limit which is ok, because most kids outgrow the MA by height. It is $159-$179 online

 

[Mackenzie]

What is wrong with the Alpha Omega? That is the one that I have for DS2

 

[mommy2zander]

Here's the Britax Boulevard, which sits rear-facing until 33 pounds, forward until 65 & has the side impact protection, on clearance: http://www.specialtybaby.com/br20bococars2.html

 

[Shaunam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobandjess99 See..thats the whole thing...dh will say "its only $50, why not just get the Scenera and use it the whole time, since it will fit longer" Getting 2 carseats is not an option..I'll be able to get ONE, and it'll have to work the whole time....and when there ARE options like the scenera, all dh sees is an extra $200 for a decathalon, whereas the Scenera is "good enough" for only $50. Why is the alpha omega so hated, if I may ask? I looked at it at the store, and it seems fine....??...

Well, in that case, I'd get the scenera now, and a britax regent when the scenera is outgrown. If your second dc follows the same path size-wise, you'll likely need a higher-weight harnessed seat anyways. When all is said and done, you'll have only spent about $300 (less if you find a good deal on the regent, we bought ours for $200) on seats and that should last you until your dc is ready for a seatbelt or a $20 backless booster.

Lots of people don't have much luck with the AO because the highest harness level setting is really low and kids tend to outgrow the harness by 3 or so, when they are still way too young to be in a booster. And then it makes a crappy booster. My sister just got one and she likes it because it's easy to use compared to the last seat she had (evenflo I think), but her DD is only a year and still rf'ing. She hasn't realized that the seat will most likely not take her through till her DD is out of a seat entirely. Her DD is in the 75% for height so I know she's only going to get a little more use out of it. When her DD does outgrow it, I'm going to try and convince her to get a regent too. I will throw a hissy fit if she tries to use as a booter before my neice is 4! The poor woman has dealt with like 5 seat seats already! I know it would be tempting....

 

[khaoskat]

Graco has come out with a new "pumpkin"/infant carrier seat. The only disadvantage is that it only goes to 30 pounds.....and it is a bit pricey...

http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/pro...B&CategoryID=1

 

[alegna]

I'd go with the boulevard.

-Angela