Car seat shopping

We are moving from the infant carrier to a forward facing car seat. I really can't justify spending $250 on one. Anyone have a strong opinion as to which ones are really good or worth the $$$?

We went for a middle of the road priced seat... Evenflo Triumph DXL. It got great reviews on car seat safety sites, and it's more affordable. Ours goes from 5-25 lbs rear-facing and up to 50 lbs forward facing. It has extra infant support pillows that are removable, a cup holder, the padding is removable for washing, the harness is fully adjustable with a tightening knob, and it has 2 strap positions so you can adjust as your child grows.

Also, just because you move up in car seats doesn't mean you need to switch to forward facing. 1 year and 20 lbs is the minimum, but the AAP recommends to keep them rear-facing for as long as possible. Here is a link to more info about why extended rear-facing is best: http://www.carsafety4kids.com/rearfacing.html

Some sites I used to decide on a seat:
http://www.car-safety.org/
http://www.aap.org/family/carseatguide.htm
http://www.carseat.org/

Check out babybargains.com. There are a lot of great reviews and information on all baby products. I think the top ranked carseat is the Radian 60. I am also researching convertable carseats and am leaning towards the Evenflo that the pp suggested. I also like to read the reviews on babiesrus.com.

Okay, with my 5-year old I went through a graco, cosco, and the evenflow truimph! They are cheaper, but not worth the money. With my next child I went for a Britax Roundabout! I LOVE IT!!! He is now almost 3, and the carseat is still in GREAT condition. I would strongly recomend a Britax. They are so easy to install and use. Hope this helps...

I say go for the best one, you cant put a price on your childs life, its worth the money for the safety of your child. We have a britix and it goes up to 80lbs.

I have the Saftey 1st-Summit booster seat, purchased at wal-mart. Its not a very expensive seat and not the cheapest. The main reason I purchased it was it goes up to 100 lbs. So then your not stuck buying another seat after those that only go to 40-50lbs. Plus it has the 5-point harness and the seat reclines a little which is really nice when traveling and your child falls asleep.

I read a few of the responses and my opinion is this: No, you can't put a price on your child's life, but you also can't pass inspection to be sold at a store without being of some worth... Car seats have to pass inspection or they'll be recalled. I don't think it matters how much money you spend. I spent about $20 on my 6 yr old's booster and about $50 on a Cosco seat from wal-mart for my soon to be 1 yr old's rear to front facing car seat. It only goes to 40 lbs, but That will take him into a booster with will then cost about $20 and still haven't spent as much as some of the higher end that go to 80 lbs. I think my daughter (6 yr old) will be old enough to sit in a belt before she reaches 80 lbs anyway...
Your decision. If you have the money, you can justify it with safety; but if you don't have the money, you can assure yourself that the higher end are a luxury.

I hate to say it, but the Britax that are over $200 are really great. I have one for my 2nd, but had a different one for my 1st. I can't tell you how much better it is. I wish I would have spent the money the 1st time around.

We change cars (mine & my husbands) every once in a while and the Britax is so much easier to install with the anchor system and the straps never get turned around or tangled.

I couldn't believe I spent that much on anything, but you will use it for a long time, so that may help spending the money.

I used to be a nanny and the family I worked for had two of the Cosco ones...they are about to go through their 3rd child using them and they are still in pretty good condition! They are a little dirty from two little girls using them, but what car seat wouldn't be? :) They are super easy to install and use and we just bought one (we plan to get two) for our daughter...you can use them rear-facing from 5-22 lbs. and then forward facing until 40 lbs. They are only about $48.

my son purchased a britax carseat that goes up to 80# and his 3 yr old is still very comfortable in it.

Hi Donna,
I work for a plaintiff's law firm that handles a lot of car seat cases. The car seat you buy for your child is one of your most important investments you will make in my opinion. I know that a good one is expensive, but I've seen the results of buying a cheap car seat and I'm sure you don't want that for your child. I recently bought a Britax brand car seat for my great nephew. Maybe family members can chip in if you can't afford it.
Bonnie

we have the evenflo triumph advance dlx. it was about $150. i was agonizing over the same issues as you. i ended up choosing this one because of a review i read about someone being in an accident with it and how it did its job and protected their baby from any harm. i will say it is big and comfy and lasts until 50lbs. a down side is that every once in awhile the straps may twist once (it seems to only happen to my husband though :0) and i think that is when he loosens it completely to take my son out of the seat. other then those moments of trying to untwist (which is really annoying and sometimes has me wondering if i should have paid for the britax with untwistable straps) we have been very happy. the question i guess is whether you would pay $100 to never have to untwist the straps.

I also have a big gap between my children. 4 1/2 years between the first and second, and 5 1/2 years between the second and third. I loved the car seat I had sor my second and was thrilled tht they not only still made it but that it was still getting pretty good reviews. We bought the Evenflo Triumph and love it all over again. It looks so comfortable that I would like to travel in it! LOL! It was very reasonably priced too.
http://www.evenflo.com/Homepage/ProductList/tabid/203/navid/1/Default.aspx?productid=a7ac6d27-d708-4379-8a87-471f7f815146

I too had a hard time dropping down the $$ for a car seat, but hey its your kids life right, and they are worth it. I got a Britax and absolutely love it, its really good for long trips too, we took a 2 day road trip and my daughter was comfortable the whole time. Check out shopzilla.com and it will find the cheapest site to buy at, and most times you can find free shipping. Good luck.

The Evenflo Triumph line is great--they are rated second to the Britax and about half the price.

We bought all of ours from walmart. We only paid 60.00 at the time.(i think the price went up to 79.00), but our carseat goes up to 100 lbs. for both our boys. We also bought our infant daughters carseat from there too. Personally, i think 250.00 is way too much to spend on anything for a child who's just going to outgrow it anyway.

The tan and black or pink flowery and black ones that are sold at Wal Mart made by cosco (The actual name has slipped my mind) have excellent crash test ratings and are only about $45. I bought one of these for my son after doing a lot of research.

Evenflo Triumph is reasonably priced and got great reviews.

I've heard that more expensive usually means you are paying more just for the name, look, and padding, not for better safety. I would look for one that is JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association) Certified. Beyond that, the most important thing is that it fits in your car and is installed properly.

See if a Children's Orchard near you has any for sale. They are usually gently used and are a good price.