The Car Seat Thread [Archive] - Page 3

ThreeYell

06-19-2006, 08:51 AM

Sevilla - I got my mom to buy the Cosco Scenara so we wouldn't have to travel with our Marathon when we go see them. It is very light which was nice when we flew with it once but other than that, I don't like it. In fact, I don't like it so much that I went back to bringing my Marathon everywhere.

It is easy enough to install rear-facing if you have LATCH. I wasn't comfortable with the seatbelt installation but I do think that once you get used to the Britax with the tether for RF, nothing else will feel totally secure. I also don't like the straps. They twist easily and somehow one side gets looser than the other. I've had to rethread the straps several times to get them even again. The seat is inexpensive and it can be used safely if you're really, really careful about it. I don't trust anyone but myself to be that careful so I don't like to use the Scenara.

kindermom

06-19-2006, 10:16 AM

Sevilla - We have the Evenflo Triumph DLX (about $130). It gets good ratings for safety but not as great ratings for ease of use (i.e., through Baby Bargains). Once I got mine installed in the car, it is EASY to use, I think. Actually, the only challenging aspect of the car seat is adjusting the shoulder straps. it took about 15 minutes to get the straps right. I figure I will have to spend about 15 minutes every month or so readjusting the straps.

Pluses for the Evenflo Triumph DLX
+ Easy to install if you have LATCH
+ Cost
+ Feel of the seat (great padding)

Minuses for the Evenflo Triumph DLX
- Adjusting the straps is a pain (but it is not done frequently)

HTH. FWIW, I have aginzed over which seat to buy and ended up that this is the seat we will be buying for all 3 cars.

LexyLou

06-19-2006, 04:07 PM

We have the Marathon in Ashley Floral which is kind of a velour feel. It's been 90+ degrees and humid and humidity and velour don't mix well.

Are there any marathon covers which are less sweaty that you recommend? I can't tell from the pics online.

Also, I see the homemade covers on Ebay but their like $100!:eek: Are there any other places to look for them?

TIA!

emschwar

06-19-2006, 04:43 PM

Bliss

06-19-2006, 09:27 PM

We recently installed the britax decathalon for our 6 month old DS. He is in this seat 6 days a week in my SUV, and the Graco comfortsport 1 day a week in DHs car. In the britax, he hardly ever sleeps, and when he does his head slumps way forward. He seems way more comfortable in the comfortsport, and his head does not slump in that one at all and he sleeps comfortably in it.
Could it be the recline on the Britax? I am wondering if I should stick a towel or something under there to try and add to the recline so he doesnt slump forward. I am hoping that this britax was not a waste of $$$, we already had to take out the HUGS (couldnt get a tight enough fit w. them on the straps), and the padding for infants (made the seat too tight for DH), and move up the crotch strap to the biggest setting.

magdesilver

06-20-2006, 06:53 AM

Bliss, I'd guess it isn't reclined enough. It needs to be 45 degrees for a younger baby (but can be less if baby prefers to be more upright- sounds like yours doesn't!). You don't need to reinstall though. The decathlon should be tethered in rearfacing position to something that is bolted down in behind it (like one of the front seats underneath). By tightening those tethers, you can increase the recline of the seat easily. Tethering rearfacing is ONLY allowable on Britax seats and you can find more info in your manual about it.

LexyLou

06-20-2006, 07:11 AM

I think the only 100% cotton (least sweaty) cover is the new blues, or whatever it's called. The plain blue one. The flag one is less sweaty too. I don't think it's 100% cotton, but it's a lightweight fabric. Noah still sweats in his seat, but not as bad as he would with velour.

Gah, I love my Marathon but seriously, what's up with the polyester material? Obviously it's made in the UK where it doesn't get hot and humid. :D

I think I found someone on ebay who will make a custom cover for around $70. Still a lot but I'm a sucker.

2002BeachBride

06-20-2006, 07:31 AM

emschwar

06-20-2006, 07:39 AM

Hi Ladies!

We have the marathon in one car and have decided we need a seat in DH's car too...I am considereing getting another Marathon but wanted to know if ant one you have chosen a different seat as your 'second' seat...we would only use it when driving around on the weekends...

TIA:D :D
We originally got the Triumph for DH's car. I dispised that seat. It was a pain in the butt to use, and it didn't fit Noah right. I returned it and we got a Roundabout for him. Much better. We were able to get it during a mega-sale, before britax made all the online stores sell the seats at the same price, so it only cost us about $10 more than the triumph.

2002BeachBride

06-20-2006, 10:00 AM

Thanks:)

The more research I do the more I think we'll end up with another Britax...
so now I'm wondering roundabout or marathon?

probably Marathon since DD is not small:confused:

Aletheia

06-20-2006, 11:55 AM

Hi Ladies! Emschwar, thanks so much for setting up this thread.

My mom just bought us the New Blues Britax Marathon, and I have two concerns I'm hoping some of you can help alleviate:

1) Will it be too big for my Subaru Impreza hatchback? It has four doors.

2) Will I regret not having an infant car seat for an infant? I'm planning on slinging and not strolling for the first 6 months or so (as long as Frijole agrees, that is), but how badly will I wish I had a portable seat that baby can nap in from car to shopping center, say? Advice?

Thanks!

emschwar

06-20-2006, 12:29 PM

Aletheia- check out www.carseatdata.org It'll show if people have gotten the marathon in an impreza before.

If it were my choice, I'd get the infant seat. If you've got the funds, it's not a bad purchase. They're relatively inexpensive (at least when compared to the britax convertibles). Even if you're slinging most of the time, there will most likely be some point when your babe falls asleep in the car seat and you don't want to wake them. Also, for newborns, the infant seats are safer than the convertibles. (The convertibles aren't unsafe, it's just that the infant seats are safer.)

LexyLou

06-20-2006, 02:32 PM

Alethia-My DD HATED her infant car seat so we switched her in to the Marathon at 4 months old. She loved the Marathon and it stopped the screaming in the car but even at 4 months old she seemed so teeny tiny in the marathon. I know she was safe but even though Britax says it can be used from birth I just don't think I would feel comfortable putting my DC in it that early.

You can get a base model Snugride for around $100. Like Emschwar said if your child likes the infant seat it's also a lifesaver for going out to eat, shopping, etc, when they are sleeping.

EJH

06-20-2006, 02:52 PM

I'm in the same boat as Lexy -- DD despised, despised her infant seat. We moved her into the Marathon at 2 months old because it was becoming impossible to take her anywhere. She was so happy when we moved her, we haven't had an issue in the car since. I don't know if it's that she didn't like being so enclosed or if she didn't like the angle that seat held her in, but wow.

If we were to have a second child we would immediately put them into the Marathon and skip the snug ride all together.

It was definitely convenient to have the infant seat in terms of being able to just pop her in and out of the car, but in the long run I wish we'd just done the Britax.

Those are my thoughts!

Erin

MMHinCA

06-20-2006, 04:24 PM

Our DD hates her infant seat and we have been discussing moving her to her Britax Marathon. I have also been debating whether we should exchange the Marathon for the Decathlon... Does anyone have any thoughts on the Marathon vs. the Decathlon?

magdesilver

06-20-2006, 06:00 PM

LexyLou

06-20-2006, 06:04 PM

This has been discussed at length a few pages back. The marathon, decathlon, and boulevard are all built on the same shell (marathon shell). The decathlon has an infant insert and an adjustable crotch strap. The boulevard has true side impact protection wings, and an infinitely adjustable shoulder harness (no rethreading necessary!). The marathon is the basic model. All rearface to 33 lbs. and FF to 65 lbs. harnessed. I have the marathon and like it but if I were to go back today I would get the boulevard for the harness adjuster and side impact protection.

I was just looking online though and noticed that the Boulevards and Decathlons are all starting to be discounted but the MArathons are still full price...I wonder why.

The only thing that I hate about my Marathon is how twisted the straps get. I've heard the Roundabout doesn't have that issue.

EJH

06-20-2006, 08:10 PM

We let DD choose between the Decathalon and the Marathon. Put her in the Decath thinking she'd be cozy, she immediately fussed because she felt smooshed, put her in the Marathon and we got a smile. Sold!

mommydearest

06-20-2006, 08:27 PM

2) Will I regret not having an infant car seat for an infant? I'm planning on slinging and not strolling for the first 6 months or so (as long as Frijole agrees, that is), but how badly will I wish I had a portable seat that baby can nap in from car to shopping center, say? Advice?

Thanks!

You might see if a friend has one you can borrow for the first couple weeks. Some hospitals are fussy about letting you take the baby home unless it is an infant seat.

magdesilver

06-20-2006, 08:35 PM

Lexy, my straps don't twist at all. Are you good about sticking them to the velcro as you take them off each time? I find that makes it much easier to buckle DD in, because I don't have to dig under her for the straps.

Also, on the decathlon, the infant insert can be removed, then it is more roomy like the Marathon. It's just for very young infants to help it fit that the insert is used. :)

Kelly's Girl

06-20-2006, 08:41 PM

Are you good about sticking them to the velcro as you take them off each time? I find that makes it much easier to buckle DD in, because I don't have to dig under her for the straps.

OMG. Is that what the velcro is for? I am SUCH A MORON. I had no idea! :rolleyes: Again, thanks to Mag for decoding the mysterious baby gear.

emschwar

06-20-2006, 08:44 PM

I'm such a geek - when I first saw the marathon, I was so freaking excited about the velcro for the straps! You have no idea how cool I thought that was.

Of course the downside is that all the handmade sweaters my mom makes Noah get all fuzzy on the arms from sticking to the velcro. :( Still haven't solved that problem...

LexyLou

06-20-2006, 09:01 PM

I do *usually* use the velcro tabs but DD is still so small that I have to manually pull out a lot of extra strap to get it to reach the velcro....Maybe I just need to be more consistent with it.

karen

06-21-2006, 12:34 AM

Anyone else have problems with the straps in Britax carseats? I'm having issues with our Decathlon.

We have a roundabout, decathlon, marathon, and a wizard (now called the boulevard) so I'm comparing the strap issue with the other Britax carseats. We love the roundabout, marathon, and wizard but I HATE the decathlon. We have a very difficult time with straps and we usually have to pull really hard to tighten the straps and it never feels tight enough. We had a 4 month old in the seat and it didn't feel right because the straps always felt loose. We could never get the straps to tighten pass a certain point. Even with my 35+ lbs DS in the seat, the straps still feel like they need to be on tighter. Did anyone else have this issue with Britax carseats?

I wish we never bought the decathlon and just stuck to the other Britax seats because it gave us so much trouble. We started DS #2 in a decathlon but had to switch him to the Wizard after 2-3 weeks of use.

karen

06-21-2006, 12:36 AM

We use the velcro in the Britax carseats all the time. It is really useful and helps keep the straps in place when take the kids in/out of the carseat.

magdesilver

06-21-2006, 07:04 AM

Lexy, actually you are supposed to loosen the straps each time you remove baby and then tighten them when you put baby in. This ensures a perfect fit every time, taking various clothes and seasons into account, if that makes sense. Also even if you don't I don't find that loosening them makes a big difference since they loosen from the shoulders, but the velcro is at a fixed point from the bottom- it is pulled tight to stick to the velcro on my Marathon no matter how loose I make the straps up top. Does that make sense?

Karen,
As long as the straps are snug at the shoulders, they can be *less tight* or even somewhat loose feeling on the chest. They should be brastrap snug on their shoulders though. Also at least with my Marathon (I know you aren't having problems with yours but it might work with the decathlon) you have to pull it a few times (a few short tugs) to tighten it properly...it isn't like one long pull does it. That is how the tightening adjuster is designed to tighten.

SiValleySteph

06-21-2006, 09:24 AM

Jaycee

06-21-2006, 10:23 AM

I have a question which is a little off topic since it doesn't necessarily have to do with car seats, just car safety.

Is it ok for an infant to ride in a convertable car with the top down ? DH is buying a convertable and I'm not sure I feel safe about her riding in it.

magdesilver

06-21-2006, 10:56 AM

I think it would be safe if she was properly restrained in a properly installed child safety seat.

Aletheia

06-21-2006, 09:21 PM

Thanks, ladies, for all the responses. Whoever had the point that some hospitals are particular about it being an infant carseat, thanks-- I would have never thought of that. I'll ask my midwife next week. That'll be a deal maker.

If I don't need to get one, I won't right off. If the frijole doesn't like the Britax, we'll deal with that when we get to that point!

Thanks for the advice.

emschwar

06-22-2006, 06:16 AM

Aletheia - really, your hospital shouldn't give you a hard time for not having an infant seat (that doesn't mean they won't though). As long as your babe is over 5 lbs, s/he can ride in the britax. If they have an issue with it, pull out the manual! (It's attached to the seat :))

LexyLou

06-22-2006, 08:56 AM

Velcro - the velcro on my roundabout and on the straps doesn't meet. It just doesn't. I don't know if it's defective or what. On my marathon, we use the velcro most of the time - the straps just stick there when you push them to the side so it just works without trying!

This is the issue I have with my Marathon. They just don't truly meet. If I really loosen up the straps I can get it to meet but it's tight.

I do loosen up the straps and tighten everytime I put DD in but unless I REALLY loosen up the straps I can't get the velcro to meet. It's weird.

amygrrl

06-23-2006, 12:59 PM

my SUV has the latch system, but only on the side seats and not in the middle. is it safer to install our convertible car seat in the middle using the lap belt or on the side with the latch system?

thanks!

BooeyJ2

06-23-2006, 01:25 PM

I personally would install in the middle with a lap belt. It would be a higher risk (IMO) to have a baby on the outboards in case you were to get in an accident and get hit on the side where your baby is. Just my opinion though :)

dana b

06-23-2006, 01:36 PM

the middle is safer. using latch isn't safer than a seat belt, just easier to install.

amygrrl

06-23-2006, 02:52 PM

great! that's what i thought, but i wasn't sure!

thanks

amygrrl

06-23-2006, 11:22 PM

we are just putting in our new britax boulevard and i have a few questions (yup we're gonna have it checked at the local CHP, but since we may want to take it in and out, thought i should know these things..)

- how can you tell if the carseat is at the proper angle? there's no built in leveler like on the graco snuggleride and it's really not clear in the manual. we have an acura mdx which has seats that slope towards the backrest slightly so do we have to adjust for this?

- tethering... do you teather rear-facing? i'm hearing mixed things when looking online. some say you can tether, but need to do it to something besides the built in tether in the back of the car. others say you can only tether to something built to tether and therefor you can't tether rearfacing since rearfacing would require tethering towards the front of the car instead of the rear where the tether latch is located.

thanks!

scarlett

06-24-2006, 05:04 AM

Can you use the two inside latch points to install the car seat in the middle? Our car only has 4 latch points, and that's what we did.

emschwar

06-24-2006, 06:38 AM

BTB

06-24-2006, 07:33 AM

We have two Boulevards and love them. Nice choice. :)

DH is the installation wizard at our house - he does such a good job, he's been asked by the car-seat check techs for tips - so I'm afraid I'm no help with the first question (can ask him later though, when he wakes up). :rolleyes:

With the second question, it's obvious getting in the car that it is possible to tether the Boulevard rear-facing, and this is what we did since every reliable source I checked recommended it. There are actually two LATCH attachments for tethers in most cars, the one above the seatback and another underneath the front row of seats. At 14 months DD is still rearfacing and her seat is tethered to the floor beneath the front seat. This might preclude a mid-back installation, not sure about that since it wasn't possible with our make and model anyway.

Good luck!

magdesilver

06-24-2006, 08:44 AM

-For a convertible seat you can recline it up to 45 degrees. If it's for a younger infant you want the full 45 degree recline, if not you can put it more upright.

-Only Britax seats (which you have) can be tethered rearfacing. You should tether them since it adds a safety measure. You attach the tethers using the d-ring to a metal part that is attached to the floor of your vehicle and non-moving. Examples of this are under one of the front seats, to the track or seat belt stalk.

First, without worrying about the recline, get the tightest install you can using the belt (center) or LATCH (outboard). The center is the safest position for the seat but most center installations must be done with the seat belt. THEN, use the tethers to recline the seat back to an appropriate angle (up to 45 degrees) for your child. The tethers can be pulled taught and it is okay if the seat back is touching the front driver or passenger seats. Hope that makes sense!

karen

06-24-2006, 09:51 AM

magdesilver, thanks! the decathlon just seem to work very differently from the other britax seats we have. the beats are so much easier to tighten in the other seats. i just hate using the decathlon so we put it in the car that we use the least but we'll have to start using it when my 3 y/o gets too heavy for the roundabout.

amygrrl

06-24-2006, 11:26 AM

thanks! that totally makes sense! so you can tether under one of the front seats even if you've got the carseat in the middle? does the tether running to one side or another to go under the seats matter or does the tether have to go straight in front of the seat?

magdesilver

06-24-2006, 01:48 PM

My seat is in the middle (Marathon) and both tethers run under the front passenger seat with no problem. They are attached to the seat track underneath the seat on the side closest to the middle of the car so there is no problem with a passenger sitting next to the carseat on that side.

Marisa

06-24-2006, 05:09 PM

Have any of you bought replacement covers for Britax car seats? Where did you find the best deal?

Joey's cover DESPERATELY needs to be washed, but we're in and out of the car so much that I hesitate to take the cover off the seat if I can't put another one right on.

emschwar

06-24-2006, 05:13 PM

Marisa - we bought an extra cover for our marathon through britax. BRU sells them too now (they didn't then). We haven't used ours a lot, but it was excellent back in the days of blowouts - especially blowouts that required 2 trips through the washer to get out.

{b}

06-24-2006, 05:20 PM

How the heck do you decide what car seat/system to use? There's just too many choices!

I'm due in Sept. and live in a cold-weather climate. I'll be going back to work, and baby will need to travel at least two days a week to my MILs in my car, and get picked up by DH a few hours later in his car. Do we get one bucket seat and two bases? Those are only good up until 4 months, though, right? So we'll need 2 more pricey seats at that point. It makes more sense to me to get one bucket seat for my car for the infant stage, and a convertible that can last much longer, like a Britax Marathon or something, for DH's car. Then, buy another convertible after baby's outgrown the bucket. Is that what most working, 2-car families do? Although, in the end, that's the same thing as buying one bucket now and two convertibles down the road, since the extra base is pretty cheap. AUGH! How does anyone decide what to pick?

amygrrl

06-24-2006, 08:59 PM

the carseat arrived and we installed it but it crotch buckle thingy is SUPER tight on dd's crotch and she's only 3 months old. i'm super worried about when she gets bigger. does anyone have this carseat and how did the crotch buckle thingy work when your kid got older. it seems there's just not enough room between the back of the seat and the buckle and the buckle isn't adjustable. does your kid just sit on the buckle?

magdesilver

06-25-2006, 06:40 AM

Amy,
The boulevard straps are made so that they go over the legs, not the hips. That is why the buckle seems short. Use the belly pad (or take it off if you think it might help, either way is fine safety-wise). As long as it isn't bothering your baby it is okay.

EJM

06-25-2006, 08:35 AM

amygrrl: My 8 month old fits fine, and she used to have very thick thighs. My baby is losing some of the baby fat :( . I think she fits better in the seat as she has gotten older. We've been using it since month 5 or 6. She seems to sit up straighter in the seat now. To get the best fit, I do have to really loosen the straps and retighten them each time she is going back in the seat. I put her in the seat, loosen the straps, put the straps over her shoulders, tighten a little, push her bottom back make sure she is sitting as far back as possible, then tighten again. The crotch belt is the last thing I hook.

phart

06-25-2006, 12:40 PM

Marisa~~I put ours in the dryer with no problems at all. Wash it and throw it in overnight:)

LexyLou

06-25-2006, 03:17 PM

hmmm, I need to look again about tethering our rear facing Marathon in our 4Runner. We tried it but it didn't seem to work. Maybe I need to try it again or find a car seat tech to look at it again.

Marisa

06-25-2006, 03:43 PM

Thanks guys -- I think we're in for the night so I'll try going out now to take off the cover to wash... Hopefully phart is right and we won't be stuck at home in the rain tomorrow waiting for it to dry... :)

phart

06-25-2006, 05:11 PM

Please do not doubt me:cool:

Or the other 2 ladies (you know them) that I got the idea from:)

dbers

06-25-2006, 07:35 PM

I tried a search, so I hope I'm not repeating anything here... I posted this recently on the bbb board, but realized I might find some great information/suggestions here!

Here's my situation. We live in NYC and do not own a car. I do occasionally need to take db in a taxi, though not often. We sometimes rent cars, and are signing up for a zipcar service to make quick trips around and out of the city.

DB is 10 months old - about 27.5 inches, and just under 20 lbs. We (prematurely) gave away our snugride because she hated it - and were given a HUGE Britax Marathon as a gift.

Now that we don't have the snap-n-go plus carseat, I will obviously avoid taking taxis, but I do want to be able to rent a car now and then. If I'm alone, the problem is obvious as the Britax is so big, and even if DH is with me, he had back surgery and cannot lift anything. There is also the issue of installing it, by myself, with db there.

I am thinking of returning the Britax and purchasing something else. A few options I've considered are:

1. Buying the Cosco Scenera (lighter)
2. Buying the new Graco Infact SafeSeat Step 1 - which has a weight limit of 30 lbs, and height 32" - keeping db rear-facing, and using it as long as possible. There would be the added benefit of being able to use the snap-n-go for getting to the vehicle. (DH is reluctant to buy another infant carseat that may not last so long)
3. Keeping the Britax and purchasing a carrying bag, or set of wheels like the gogo.
4. Buying the Sit-n-Stroll.

Any thoughts/opinions/other options?
TIA :)
Diane

mommydearest

06-26-2006, 07:31 AM

My nephew preferes his Scenera to the bigger/plusher/much more expensive carseats, which frustrated my SIL, but since he's a stubborn kid who fussed the whole ride, and it is a safe seat, she let him win on this one. It is REALLY light, which is also nice if you have to fly with it, or put it up in a closet.

So, you might get the Scenera. A Sit and Stroll is pretty heavy and a SafeSeat won't last that long, and is expensive.

meggers

06-26-2006, 12:11 PM

dbers--You have about 4.5" of growing room before she would grow out of the SafeSeat. The SafeSeat is very easy and quick to install with the base. I really like it, however I don't know that it would be worth the money for you at this point since your dd is already 10 months old. I think we spent $129 on our SafeSeat at BRU.

Marisa

06-26-2006, 12:25 PM

I will never again doubt the phart. :D

Jane&Andy

07-03-2006, 01:18 PM

DS doesn't need it yet but before too long we're going to need to purchase a convertible car seat. I plan to go with a Britax since I've heard such things about them, but I'm not sure which model. I know the Roundabout has the lower weight limit but what I'm unsure about is - are the extra features of the Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon worth the extra money?

I know I can test them out for fit at BRU but when I'm just at this research stage I can't help but worry about the bigger car seats fitting in my car - a Honda CRV.

emschwar

07-03-2006, 01:20 PM

Jane - we have a roundabout and a marathon. We recently switched Noah to the marathon because it fits a much taller child. Noah was getting too tall to rear-face in the roundabout, but still has at least 2 or 3 inches until we have to turn him FF in the marathon.

I don't know much about the boulevard or decathlon.

LexyLou

07-03-2006, 03:28 PM

I know there are websites that show which cars hold which carseat but are there any websites that show which cars have tethers for rear facing carseats?

We can't find them in our 2004 4Runner.

malala

07-03-2006, 04:07 PM

Jane&Andy: If you look at post #376, you'll find a description and review on the Britax carseats, done by magdesilver
Just an FYI, if BRU doesn't carry the print you like/want, you should check out www.specialtybaby.com
They have every single design, and some on them are on sale, and they have free shipping.
I bought my infant car seat and stroller from them, and was very happy.
HTH

dana b

07-03-2006, 04:08 PM

lexy ours didn't come with one either. a car seat tech installed it, it's something that ties around the base of the front passenger seat. i wonder if this is something that a majority of cars come with? we had a rental yukon before and i *think* it had one that was part of the car, unless i hooked it to the wrong spot.

magdesilver

07-03-2006, 04:15 PM

Lexie, most cars DONT have rearfacing tether anchors. Because, only britax seats allow tethering in RF position. You can tether the tether straps so any metal piece that is bolted down to the floor of the car. For example, the seat belt stalk, the track for the seat, etc. I have my seat tethered to the track under the passenger front seat. Does that make sense?

Jane&Andy

07-03-2006, 05:36 PM

thanks malala, that post helped. :)

malala

07-04-2006, 09:33 AM

I'm getting ready to buy my DD's Britax carseat, and I have a question.
I love the "cowmooflauge" design on the Marathon, but for safety reasons, we're gonna go with the Boulevard.
Since I've read here that the M and B have the same structure, could I get away with buying the M's cover that I like, and put it on the B?
TIA

JRPAGV

07-04-2006, 09:43 AM

magdesilver

07-04-2006, 10:38 AM

jrpagv- I am assuming that malala prefers the blvd. because it has the features of the marathon, but in addition has true side impact protection, an added safety feature that the Marathon doesn't have.

malala- You might want to ask that question over on the baby bargains carseat forum. I'm not sure it would fit over the tsip wings, but I bet there is someone on that board who has tried it and can tell you for sure!

LexyLou

07-04-2006, 10:49 AM

Thanks Magdesilver. That does make sense. I'm going to check it out this week and see what I can tether it too.

malala

07-04-2006, 11:08 AM

JRPAGV: magdesilver is right, that's what I meant.

Thank you magdesilver for answering my question!

JRPAGV

07-04-2006, 09:24 PM

BooeyJ2

07-05-2006, 12:07 AM

Just read this on another board I visit and thought I would share:

PSA- Britax Roundabout for $109 at Target

Just saw this today at Target...

There were 2 Britax Roundabouts: "Lazy Days Gray" 2006 model on clearance. I'm assuming all the other Targets should have them at this price as well.

I hope this helps someone out there, it's such a great deal!

emschwar

07-05-2006, 06:26 AM

Thanks, ladies! We took DS to BRU this afternoon to test out the Britax car seats. He started griping when we put him in the Boulevard because the head support "wings" were annoying him, I think. So we came home and ordered the Britax Marathon in the Florida State University print from Target.com.

I do have one question about the Marathon... I know it can stay rear-facing up to 33 pounds, but do we HAVE to leave it rear-facing up to 33 pounds or can we turn it around if needed after DS is one and at least 20 pounds? I know it's safer to leave him rear-facing as long as possible, and we'll probably do that. I was just curious if it's okay to turn that particular seat around earlier than 33 pounds. I know nothing about convertible seats. TIA!
Yes, you can turn the car seat around anytime after your child is one year old AND weighs 20 lbs. BUT it's SOOOOOO much safer to keep them RFing as long as possible. (There's links to info and crash test videos on the first page.) You can keep them RFing for a long time in the Marathon. Noah's 26 months and 28 lbs and still RFing in his marathon.

Kanga

07-05-2006, 07:24 AM

Is one infant seat safer than others, or are they pretty much the same? Also what is the difference between the snugride and the safeseat? Is one more user friendly than the other or is one safer? TIA

magdesilver

07-05-2006, 10:05 AM

kanga, the snugride infant seat goes to 22 lbs. and 29 inches, while the safeseat goes to 30 lbs. (not sure of the inches but it's higher). So it can be used longer.

meggers

07-05-2006, 11:51 AM

kanga, the snugride infant seat goes to 22 lbs. and 29 inches, while the safeseat goes to 30 lbs. (not sure of the inches but it's higher). So it can be used longer.

The SafeSeat goes to 32".

tgal

07-05-2006, 02:14 PM

PSA- Britax Roundabout for $109 at Target

Just saw this today at Target...

There were 2 Britax Roundabouts: "Lazy Days Gray" 2006 model on clearance. I'm assuming all the other Targets should have them at this price as well.

I hope this helps someone out there, it's such a great deal!

Thanks for the fyi, ours didn't have them, but they did have snug ride bases for $28. Not sure if that is a good deal since we have a different brand.

Pookie

07-05-2006, 10:22 PM

I was wanting to get some recs for a convertable/ booster seat for my almost 16 month DS. (He's 22 pounds and has always been in a lower percentile.) We have the Britax Roundabout for our car, but we're wanting to get one for my mom's car. I'm looking for something not as expensive as Britax, but still with good ratings. I looked at some of the Cosco and Evenflo seats, but they just didn't look as "sturdy." I know they're suppose to meet all the safety standards the same. It doesn't have to be a convertible since DS wouldn't need to face backwards again, but some of the seats I saw started around 22 pound and above. Any good recs?

BooeyJ2

07-05-2006, 10:32 PM

We also have a Roundabout and our "extra" seat (which is taken in/out of our car, my sisters and my FIL's at least 3 times a week) is the Graco ComfortSport.....

http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/04/74/06/06/0004740606878_215X215.jpg

We got ours from Target, but they also have it at Walmart for $79.82....
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3985232

Doesn't look like they carry the one we got (picture above) at Target anymore, but they do have it in another color...
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-3/qid=1152160204/ref=sr_1_3/601-2622599-9112129?%5Fencoding=UTF8&asin=B0002D1FMC

FWIW - I posted in the carseat thread that someone on another board had said that there were 2006 Roundabouts on clearance for $109 at Target right now. Not sure if anyone has gotten one, but just thought I would pass the word. You could always call Target and see if they have any.

daisysue62

07-06-2006, 08:16 AM

sem426

07-06-2006, 08:32 AM

Booey have you ever brought the comfortsport on a plane? we are probably getting that seat as "extra" seat as well, but i want to make sure it's a good airplane seat as well.

TIA!

BooeyJ2

07-06-2006, 09:49 AM

Thanks for the fyi, ours didn't have them, but they did have snug ride bases for $28. Not sure if that is a good deal since we have a different brand.

Some other gals posted this on the other site I go on:

The Escondido store has sold out and the one in Encinitas isn't offering the sale. They said each store has different pricing on some stuff. Don't know about the O'side Target.

We had that happen too! If you take the item number & the skew # to the customer service counter they can look to find stores that have it in stock. Then you just have to call around until you find a store with it in stock & at the clearence price!! Thy will hold it for you at the front of the store for 24hrs!!

Good luck.

BooeyJ2

07-06-2006, 09:51 AM

Booey have you ever brought the comfortsport on a plane? we are probably getting that seat as "extra" seat as well, but i want to make sure it's a good airplane seat as well.

TIA!

Sorry, we haven't. DD is going on her first plane right on 8/1, but we didn't buy her a seat (would have been an extra $600 - ouch).

I'm sure the seat would be fine though. It's a great seat for the price :)

Jenn

07-06-2006, 10:06 AM

DD #2 will be outgrowing the Snugride seat soon and moving into the Evenflo Triumph that is currently DD #1's seat. So, my question is what do I put DD #1 into? She is 2.5 yo and 33 lbs, probably around 36 inches. I don't want one that she will outgrow at 40 lbs, like the Triumph. I need something that will last and grow with her.
Any recommendations? TIA!

Mommy2ml

07-06-2006, 10:35 AM

I like the Safety First Vantage Point myself. It was highly rated by Consumer reports. It is a FF 5-pt harness seat that converts to belt positioning booster as well. That is what we have DD in right now in DH's car, we have an Eddie Bauer Summit in my mom's car, has the same features but also has a recline, and I have a different one by Evenflo that does the same stuff in my car... but I like the Vantage the best so far :)

emschwar

07-06-2006, 10:38 AM

Dh and I have had to install our Britax Marathon a few times this week (long distance driving in larger vehicle and a flat tire) and we had some trouble. How much wiggle room is ok, or does the carseat need to not move at all? We went to a carseat technician a few weeks ago and found out our lock offs were broken which explained why we were having such difficulties. I called Britax and they sent me one replacement lock off which works so I'm calling to have them send me another one since they apparently didn't understand both sides weren't working. Does anyone have any tips for installing this particular carseat? We don't get a lot of help at the carseat place since they don't see a lot of Britax carseats and aren't as familiar with them.

Oh, dd is rear facing and neither of our vehicles have LATCH :)
I was told by a tech that one inch of seat movement is ok. And by one inch, I mean when you put your whole body into trying to move the seat, it shouldn't move more than 1 inch. Less movement is better though! I find it helps if I either sit in the seat while I'm tightening the straps (hard to do rearfacing) or, for RFing, I stand behind the seat and lean my weight against it while I tighten the straps.

magdesilver

07-06-2006, 10:56 AM

daisysue, first off you don't HAVE to use the lockoffs on your britax seat. Depending on your car and the angle of your seatbelt, the lockoffs are not very easy to use. If you have a newer car (mine is a 2002) the seatbelts lock on their own so the lockoffs are not really necessary unless you are using a shoulder belt to install the seat. For rearfacing, do not worry about recline at all. I actually put both feet on the seat and squat on it, if that makes sense, to get all my weight on it, then tighten the belt all the way and work very hard to get it installed (no pool noodle or anything on the seat). It should be rock solid that way, but not reclined enough. Then, using the tethers (britax provides for tethering in RF position), install and tighten those until the seat is reclined to the appropriate angle for your baby. 45 degrees is the max and recommended for infants, but it can be more upright if you want. Hope this helps. I cannot really even move my seats an inch, they are very tight. And I had to tighten it more after I got it installed, the tech didn't get it tight enough for me!

KiKi'sMommy

07-06-2006, 10:12 PM

Depending on how tall your DD is, the Britax Boulevard goes up to 65 pounds forward facing.

2002BeachBride

07-08-2006, 06:56 AM

Has anyone ordered from travelingtikes.com? Happy with it?

Thanks!:D

Jen

tgal

07-08-2006, 09:15 AM

The Escondido store has sold out and the one in Encinitas isn't offering the sale. They said each store has different pricing on some stuff. Don't know about the O'side Target.

Thanks Booey! I sent all my girls on the run to check Northern Virginia stores. So far a total of 9 stores and no luck! If one of us finds one it is definitely worth the chase. I have family in IN and a friend is headed for Dallas, so those are our next attempt. Crazy, but I need two, as does another friend! Thanks again!

mrstim

07-08-2006, 05:57 PM

PSA- Britax Roundabout for $109 at Target

Just saw this today at Target...

There were 2 Britax Roundabouts: "Lazy Days Gray" 2006 model on clearance. I'm assuming all the other Targets should have them at this price as well.

I hope this helps someone out there, it's such a great deal!

I stumbled upon the LAST one at our local Target today! I walked right by it, went back to look at the socks above, and about had a coronary when I saw that Britax box! Thanks for the PSA - I saw it here but thought there was no-way I'd be that lucky to find one! :D

tgoody03

07-09-2006, 03:43 PM

Hi - I'm not sure if this has been covered yet, but I have read through many many pages and haven't found it. So I would appreciate any thoughts on this question!

I'm due Sept 5 and have registered for both the Britax Decathalon (similiar to Marathon and Roundabout but a few more features) and the Graco Snugride. The Snugride goes from car to stroller without having to take DD out of one and put into the other. The Decathalon is made for infant - toddler stages, 5 lbs - 65 lbs.

Do you find the snugride or similiar type infant-only carseats to be lifesavers when the baby is a newborn or do you think it's just one more thing to buy? I thought moms liked having the ability to move baby from car to stroller in one swoop, rather than having to unhook the carseat, put in stroller, and possibly wake baby up if sleeping. However, I'm confused because I have had people ask me why I need two carseats (as I mentioned above, I really thought it was a big help to have the infant carrier/carseat and then obviously you have to move to the bigger seat as she grows). Some people have told me it's not worth the money to buy the infant carrier and some have told me infants grow out of them so fast that I probably won't be taking DD many places when she can use it anyway.

Any thoughts? Please help! Thanks!

emschwar

07-09-2006, 03:58 PM

tgoody - we only used our infant carrier for 4 months. At the same time, I wouldn't have done without it. It was great.

Also, it's important to remember that infant seats are safer for infants. Convertible seats are still safe, but the infant seats are safer for the itty bitties.

Pookie

07-09-2006, 04:30 PM

tgoody I'd agree the carrier is worth it for the safety sake in the beginning. I had a "smaller" baby so we used it until he was 6 months old. However, I'm not a fan of carriers in general. My DS got a flat spot on one side of his head. I think it has alot to do with spending lots of time in the carrier, despite the fact that I was a tummy time fanatic. I do plan on using the carrier for #2, but it will be just for a carseat. When we go somewhere I'll either put #2 in the Snugli or stroller (full-recline.)

Jane&Andy

07-09-2006, 05:03 PM

tgoody - its definitely worth it. Like emschwar said, its safer for infants. My DS is almost 4 months old and still has a ways to go before outgrowing it. I have a stroller with full recline so I rarely use it with the stroller but whenever I'm running short errands (like Target, grocery store, etc) I leave him the carrier and stick it in the shopping cart. When he gets older and can sit up it'll be easier to do without it. You could always use a sling instead but at least with my DS he has to be in just the right mood to tolerate the sling.

amygrrl

07-09-2006, 05:41 PM

carrier/ infant seat - just a reminder that your kid might be like mine and HATE the infant car seat. if that's the case, or you decide not to get one, you can survive without it. we used the infant seat/ carrier until dd was 12 wks old and i could no longer stand the constant screaming. i did take her into a store in the carrier exactly twice and found it to be VERY heavy and cumbersome. because she hated the seat and i wouldn't want her hanging out in the carrier/ carseat for excessive amounts of time anyway due to the previously mentioned flat head issues, we just have always slinged her when going anywhere and i've found that to be super easy. we have a hotsling that you just throw over your shoulder... no straps or anything. she loves it and it keeps her from crying! but really, one baby may hate the sling another love it and same is true with the infant car seat... and you won't know your baby's preferences until they get here. what you're bound to hear from mother's of baby's who loved the infant car seats is that they couldn't live without them and from mother's who kids didn't take to the infant seats you're bound to hear that it's not a must have.

Jane&Andy

07-09-2006, 05:49 PM

i did take her into a store in the carrier exactly twice and found it to be VERY heavy and cumbersome

ITA with this. I HATE carrying it around. But once its in the cart its fine.

Mommy2ml

07-10-2006, 09:48 AM

We tried it without an infant carrier/seat at first, we took Mackie home in a regular rear facing convertible seat... It was horrible! It did not recline enough, she was flopping all over the place and the starps could not tighten enough to be safe withotu the clips being right at her neck!

We did only use the infant seat for around 4 months or so, but we could not have driven around with that kind of a hazzard without risking her life each time. If you don;t want to take the seat out of the car, you can always leave it in the car connected, but it is shaped and designed for young babies that need support and the clips and clasps are all scaled down so they fit in the right places.

I found it especially helpful during winter! You cannot relaibly fasten the belts around a snwsuit or coat, but they do have carrier covers that you can use. We would fasten her into her seat, then lay a small fleece blankie on her, then zip the carrier cover up and she was good to go even on the coldest days (using a hat as well of course ;)) She was protected from the elements the whoel time while out of the house and the carrier cover can then be unzipped while in a store, without disturbing the baby if sleeping or content.

Anyway, we're using ours from day one this time and looking forward to it :)

emschwar

07-10-2006, 10:40 AM

I found it especially helpful during winter! You cannot relaibly fasten the belts around a snwsuit or coat, but they do have carrier covers that you can use. We would fasten her into her seat, then lay a small fleece blankie on her, then zip the carrier cover up and she was good to go even on the coldest days (using a hat as well of course ;)) She was protected from the elements the whoel time while out of the house and the carrier cover can then be unzipped while in a store, without disturbing the baby if sleeping or content.
A quick note about carrier covers - there are 2 kinds on the market. One, which is the safe one to use, just goes over the carrier. Another one (the Bundle Me is one of them but there may be others) goes under the baby, and then over the car seat. This kind is not safe to use, as the fleece under the baby could get compressed during an accident and lead to loose straps. You should NEVER put anything between your baby and the car seat for this very reason. (This is the same reason why you can't use a bulky snowsuit or coat.)

ETA - Assuming this is the cover I think it is, this:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000DZUCDC.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS260_.jpg
is the kind of cover you want. This is the kiddopotamus cozyup (there may be other brands that work the same). It's one piece of fabric with elastic around the edges that fits over the top of the carrier (sort of like a shower cap).

Mommy2ml

07-10-2006, 10:48 AM

Thanks for the reminder... I have both kinds from my DD.

One note... the nano bag seems to be an exception. It has openings for the straps in back and is completely uppadded in the seatbelt section at the back - nothing to compress, velcro to hold it in place... don't recall where, but at one point I had an article/writing on it from the NHSTA (sp?) website on them - more expensive but safer if you need something warmer than the cover-onlies :) **** keep in mind though, that that is from 4 years ago and things might have changed, so look for yourself or if in doubt don't get it!*****. I only used the bundle me in the stroller when she got older/bigger in the toddler size.

charissa

07-10-2006, 10:55 AM

infant carriers - I find it very helpful to have the carrier and the snap in stroller thing... I didn't want to interrupt DS during his nice nap during a car ride or anything, so it is really easy to just snap in the car or snap onto the car seat stroller frame. But I am getting anxious to use my maclaren stroller, so DS also has a way to go before he grows out of the infant car seat as well. For now, its pretty darn convenient for us.

emschwar

07-10-2006, 11:02 AM

Good to know about the nano bag. I'm hoping our next baby (whenever that is) will be in the infant seat during winter just so we don't have to deal with coats!

Mommy2ml

07-10-2006, 11:27 AM

yeah, I hated being so secluded though... Mackie was a January baby, so I had to stay in most of the time cause it was so cold... Logan will be a few months old when that really cold weather starts to hit though, so still in the infant seat, but well vaxed and with a better developed immune system to face it with :)

emschwar

07-10-2006, 11:32 AM

Well, ideally, we're hoping for an october baby, or around then. So by the time it gets really nasty, s/he'll be able to face it.

lil_nance

07-10-2006, 01:35 PM

My dad has a 2006 Toyota Tacoma that he will let us borrow when we visit in Sept. I believe it's childseat compatible. He's going to try to scan the manual and send it but does anyone know where I can find the manual online. I tried the Toyota site but it's difficult to navigate. DS will be 13mo and in a convertible seat. I want to keep him rearfacing.

scarlett

07-10-2006, 05:13 PM

Can you use the two inside latch points to install the car seat in the middle? Our car only has 4 latch points, and that's what we did. Check your car's manual. Some LATCH points are ok to do this with, with others, it's not safe. This is from a few pages back, but I just saw this reply to my question and wanted to follow-up. I checked my car's owner's manual and it didn't specifically say not to do this. I can't think of any reason why this would not be safe. Is it just because the LATCH points might be at a different distance apart? How does that affect the seat's movement?

emschwar

07-10-2006, 05:17 PM

I'm not exactly sure why you can't do it in some cars, I just know some car manuals say not to. If it doesn't say not to, it should be ok. Get the seat inspected just to be sure.

magdesilver

07-10-2006, 05:49 PM

The reason why you can't in some cars is that the LATCH connectors are too far apart in most cars for a center installation. They have to be a standard # of inches apart, and in some cars using the side ones to install in the center makes them a different width than was safety tested, so it is not tested as safe.

Mommy2ml

07-11-2006, 07:47 AM

I don't have LATCH on our cars, but my mom's car has it and we found it necessary to install DD's seat on the side instead of the middle. She's FF and I wanted to use the top tether as well as the lower tethers and it felt most secure sideboard. I think you should also go by how secure the seat feels when installed. It should not move an inch or more in any direction or it is not safe, no matter if installed by seatbelt or latch.

HTH

Bernie & Matt

07-12-2006, 03:15 PM

Ok, I think I understand my reading correctly, but I'm always up for a second opinion. DS is 25 months, weighs 27 pounds and I can't remember how tall he is, but on the short side of average. He's in an Evenflo Triumph right now, which I know lasts until he's 40 pounds.

DD is 4 months and we just got back from her WBV. Come to find out she's 26 in and has outgrown her infant seat (I kinda suspected based on the straps, but was still surprised since DS didn't do this until 6-7 months).

Rather than by another convertible like the Triumph, I'd rather buy the next seat for DS to move into. I know he's not big enough for a booster seat, but from my reading, it seems like we could get him a combo seat that is FF 5pt now and could carry him through until he's much older/bigger/taller. KS just passed a law saying kids must be in boosters until age 7 and 4ft 9in. or something like that (sorry, can't remember the specifics).

Can I put DS in a combo seat at this point? Is there one you ladies recommend for a smaller sized car (Hyundai Elantra)?

magdesilver

07-12-2006, 05:40 PM

Bernie, are you using your DS's infant seat? Because the newer infant seats go to 22lbs and 29 inches. Even if you are using a 26inch/20lb carseat, does she still have at least 1 inch of hard shell above her head? If so, she is still fine in the infant seat. The height is negotiable so long as their is an inch of hard shell above their heads. Once they hit 20 lbs. though, they have to move out.

My favorite high limit carseat would be something like a britax Marathon/decathlon/boulevard, which harness to 65 lbs. At that point, all you'd need was a cheaper booster (it woul probably last your son until around 5 years old) and you could move your dd into the marathon. Another option since you have the triumph is the Britax Regent which is FF only but harnesses until 80 lbs! If you want a combo seat, I've heard pretty good things about the safety first intera.

daisysue62

07-13-2006, 09:35 AM

DD and I were in a car accident on Tuesday and our carseat needs to be replaced. DD is 11 months old and was rear facing in her Britax Marathon and is fine. We were hit from behind and hit the car ahead of us. Our car was towed since it wasn't drivable and the passenger rear door wouldn't open which is the door next to the carseat so I'm pretty sure that means our carseat did it's job and probably needs to be disposed of. I have a new carseat courtesy of the insurance company (bought the same one!) but need to know how to dispose of the old one. I'm afraid that if we put it in the trash someone might take it and think it's perfectly safe when it's not. Visibly it looks fine. Is there a way to destroy it? Should I write in Sharpie on it that it was involved in an accident? Has anyone else disposed of a carseat???

BethIrish

07-13-2006, 09:46 AM

[daisysue62 I'd write on it with a sharpie "DO NOT USE, INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT." I think I'd also cut the straps out - that would render it completely useless to anyone!

emschwar

07-13-2006, 10:14 AM

Daisysue - I'm glad you both are ok! To render the car seat useless, get out your hammer, sledgehammer if you've got one, and bash it to pieces. No one can use it then. (Seriously, this is what the car seat techs on the Baby Bargains Board recommend.)

But if you're getting a new marathon, save the cover so you have a spare!

Monty

07-17-2006, 05:41 AM

subscribing :)

tgoody03

07-18-2006, 04:25 PM

emschwar, pookie, jane&andy, mommy2ml, amygrll - This is a little late, but thank you so much for your opinions and thoughts on the infant carrier question I posted. I do appreciate all your help and thoughts. I've decided to go ahead and keep the infant carrier and give it a try with my little girl when she arrives. Seems to make sense and be the safest option for newborns. I'll switch to the convertible Britax when she out grows the infant carrier. Thanks again girls!

mommydearest

07-20-2006, 11:37 AM

Jennifer Garner and Violet Anne, 7 1/2 months, arriving at Logan Airport in Boston by private plane on Tuesday evening. Jennifer and Violet had been in Arizona the past few days while shooting The Kingdom, but came home to visit Ben Affleck.

However, the attempt to leave the airport did not go as smoothly as everyone originally anticipated. According to the Boston Herald, Jen and Violet got into the SUV waiting to take them to Cambridge only to find that there was no carseat installed. Jen was apparently "adamant" that one be found, and "took the baby in the terminal and didn’t come out until someone returned with a seat...When the guy did come back with one, it took him about 20 minutes to figure out how to secure it. She wasn’t happy.”

The rest of the article is at http://www.constantchatter.com/showpost.php?p=870641&postcount=1033

magdesilver

07-20-2006, 01:44 PM

Jen should have brought her own carseat with her, then there wouldn't have been a problem!

sophonisba9

07-24-2006, 09:15 AM

I need to reserve a rental car for my cousin's wedding, but have no idea how big a car I need to reserve. DS will be in the convertible car seat, a britax bouvelvard by then. I'm assuming it won't fit in a compact car, not to mention baby gear and the suitcases of 3 adults. How do I go about finding out what the car seat will fit into?

Mommy2ml

07-24-2006, 09:37 AM

you cna try the car seat database I think it's on the nshta website... I will try to find it... it has info on the fits of different seats in different cars. You're right though, I likely would not go for something smaller than a standard sized car... an dmaybe get one of those coupons through AAA or your car insurance for a free upgrade?

Wanted to add... if Jennifer Garner is so picky, why wasn't her DD in a car seat on the plane?

curlywig

07-25-2006, 11:23 AM

Quick question for y'all....

We have a Roundabout and I noticed this morning that somehow the lockoffs came open! I have re-secured the seat and the lockoff FURTHEST from the buckle is secure, but I can't get the one to lock that is next to the buckle. The manual doesn't mention this lockoff, it only states to make sure to secure the one furthest from the buckle.

Is this right? Even with that one lockoff open, the seat is VERY secure.

emschwar

07-25-2006, 11:32 AM

curlywig - are you installing with LATCH, or seatbelt? With LATCH, I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to use the lockoffs. Have you tried getting a second person to help with the second lockoff? When we used the seatbelt to install, I found that I had to have someone else push on the seat while I crammed the lockoff closed.

curlywig

07-25-2006, 11:47 AM

That would have been helpful info huh? ;) We are using the seatbelt to secure it. It feels like the plastic is bending a bit, so I'm scared to force it. Why do they make them plastic? C'mon!

magdesilver

07-25-2006, 11:48 AM

curlywig- it's not uncommon for the lockoffs (seatbelt install) to not work because some seatbelts are at weird angles so they don't fit into the lockoffs right. It's still perfectly safe if the seat is tight to not use the lockoffs at all. I don't use them with my MA because the way my seatbelts hit them they keep popping open on both sides no matter what I did. As long as the seat is secure the lockoffs are not necessary, they are just an extra and for if you have an older car with non-locking belts (like way older, my car is 6 years old and the belts all lock on their own).

curlywig

07-25-2006, 11:55 AM

Thanks emschwar and magdesilver! I appreciate your fast responses!

jordan

07-27-2006, 10:45 AM

Anyone have or have seen the Britax Hampton Print (Blue or Lavendar with Stripes)...

Is it blue or lavendar?? I can't find it in a store anywhere.

http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/B000AKPE8S.01-AWPGRT0FUEEOB._AA250_SCLZZZZZZZ_V62358088_.jpg

froggie

07-29-2006, 07:59 PM

My DS is six months old and getting too big for his infant carseat.

We bought Marathon about a month ago for our main car and are really pleased with the car seat.

We sometimes use our second car to pick up or drop off DS to daycare and have been using our infant car seat. We are thinking about getting a second convertible seat since we will need two convertible car seats at one point anyway and since DS is reaching the infant car seat limit. However I am having a hard time deciding which car seat to get. I like Marathon, but I don't want to spend too much money on the second car seat that will be lightly used and mostly used on local roads. But then again, it's safety issue, so I don't want to buy too cheap ones that may not be as safe as others.

So here are our criteria.
1. decently safe
2. not too expensive
3. would be nice if it's easy to carry around since we will likely use this when we travel by plane
4. have higher height/weight limit as Marathon?

Am I asking too much? I know I probably have to comprise in some degree. But I'd like to know what you, smart moms chose and why. Thanks bunch! :)

BTB

07-29-2006, 08:08 PM

I think BB highly recommended the Graco ComfortSport and the Evenflo Triumph as great convertible seats.

You can ease your mind that any seat you buy is safe enough. If you're buying in the US, your seat meets national standards. Some seats do perform better than others in crash tests, though. BB (the book or the online boards) can give you that info (I sound like a salesperson for the book, but I'm actually just a fan.) :)

To answer your direct question, we initially bought an Evenflo Triumph for our second car, but then returned it in favor of another Britax Boulevard. We'd gotten spoiled by the extra features, and I hated the idea of "hoping" if we crashed, we'd crash in the other car for the TISP feature (the Boulevard supposedly fares better in side crashes than other convertible seats - according to Britax's own data, the gov't doesn't yet test car seats in side crashes so there's no objective perspective on that).

BooeyJ2

07-29-2006, 08:32 PM

Our extra seat is the Graco ComforSport and it's great (our main seat is a Britax Roundabout).

Both seats are great :)

NYN

07-30-2006, 06:34 AM

we got the Evenflo Triumph for our second car. baby bargains recommended it as one of the "best" of the cheaper car seats. it cost us $60 and we could only find it at Buy Buy Baby. Target has a similar one (called something similar i mean) but it doesn't have the safety rating.

we took it w/ us on our vacation too.

magdesilver

07-30-2006, 07:17 AM

We had the cosco scenara as our second seat. Highly recommended on the baby bargains website by the CPS techs over there, extremely light (like 8 lbs. or something?), not difficult to install, and DD was happy in it. Plus it has the highest rearfacing limit of any carseat (2 lbs. more than britax! It goes to 35 lbs. rearfacing). It is about $40 at both Target and Walmart. I ended up not keeping it (passed it on to a friend) becuase we really don't have much need for another carseat- DH never has DD in his car (2 door coupe), and for travelling we got the gogo kidz attachment for our Marathon. But, we were very happy with the scenara when we thought we needed another seat.

jbemommy

07-30-2006, 08:31 AM

We have the Evenflo Triumph for both cars (gasp, no britax!). We've been very pleased. However, it is certainly not light for taking with you on a plane! We finally resorted to one of those little wheeled metal things that we bungee it onto for the airport, makes it much easier to handle.

mommydearest

07-30-2006, 08:35 AM

We will probably get a Cosco Scenera also. It is very highly recommended on the baby bargains message board by the CPS techs. Also, my nephew (3 years old) had a more expensive car seat-Safety First Intera--but when my SIL bought the Scenera for use while he was on her Tumblebus, he strongly prefered it to the point that it now the one in her car, and the Intera is on the bus. She had always hated the Intera anyway, so she wasn't sad.

If you get a Scenera, the only one that is recommended is the one WITHOUT the over the head bar. The overhead shield is considered dangerous. Only use the one that has just straps.

mimieliza

07-30-2006, 10:26 AM

I'm considering the Britax Companion infant seat - does anyone have this one? What do you think about it?

Thanks!

tunibell

07-30-2006, 01:47 PM

mimieliza - We've got the Britax Companion infant seat, and I love it. It wasn't the most cost-effective choice (it only goes up to 22 lbs and 29 inches, so you'll need a new seat in the not-so-distant future), but it was Consumer Report's top pick for infant safety, and that sealed the deal for us. We also have the Preview stroller, which works with the infant seat until your child is old enough for the stroller alone (around 6 mo).

MidwesternGal

07-30-2006, 07:36 PM

So we got our car seat today. A Graco Infant Snugride. I drive a 1999 3-door SC2 Saturn. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to get a bigger vehilce for a while.

It was extremely difficult to get the base in. Once in, we tightened the belt (pulled it out all the way and then retracted the shoulder belt to make sure that it was locked) and used the locking clip that was provided.

However, the seat still wiggled a bit. Granted, my car has curved seats in the back. Curved almost like a bucket seat. Is that why it was wiggly? Obviously, it won't sit flat on that kind of seat. Or did we do something wrong?

Any insight would be great!

Thanks!!

aligirl

07-30-2006, 07:43 PM

Take your carseat to a fire station / police station and have them check it for you. You can go to this website to find a place near you that can inspect it. http://www.seatcheck.org/

emschwar

07-30-2006, 07:46 PM

Get it inspected. Always, always, always get it inspected.

FTR, up to 1 inch of wiggle is allowed, but less is always better. And it's always better to get it inspected, because there could be other things you didn't know you did wrong. I installed our infant car seat, following the directions, and thought I had it right, and when I went to get it inspected, it was totally wrong.

ETA - you also want to put all of your weight on the seat when you tighten the belt. That will help get a more secure installation.

emschwar

07-30-2006, 07:49 PM

We got a triumph for our second seat and hated it so much we returned it and got another britax.

froggie

07-30-2006, 08:32 PM

Thanks everyone for recommending a car seat for the second car.
I will look into Triumph and Scenera and Comfortsport. Scenera sounds very tempting, especially the price. :)

jengen

08-01-2006, 07:28 AM

I know there has been a lot of discussion on the Marathon vs Roundabout, but what about those of you who have big babies? What would you recommend? DS is currently 7.5 months old and is about 29 inches and 21 lbs. He has always been in the 90-95% for height and weight since birth. Not to say he won't even out, but I'm so indecisive about which way to go for a car seat and need to make this decision NOW since he's at the height limit for our snugride. Won't he be ready for a booster seat by the time he grows out of a roundabout? He is the type of kid that likes to see everything around him and doesn't like to be strapped in and I'm sure I'll be moving to a booster as soon as I can with him.

emschwar

08-01-2006, 08:06 AM

jengen - kids aren't ready for boosters until they're ~4 years old. I'd get the marathon. There's a good shot your son will hit 40 lbs before he's 4, and the marathon is good to 65 lbs. Plus, even if he's 4 when he hits 40 lbs, it's safest to keep him in the 5 point harness as long as you can. He'll learn that being strapped in in the car isn't an option, and he'll still be able to see fine from a 5 point harness.

Mommy2ml

08-01-2006, 08:14 AM

My friend's DD was in a booster at 3... it is the height and weight, not age at that point... 40lbs at least and whatever height for the belt positioning booster you decide on. Their Peds told them to go ahead with it... while ours told us to definitely wait till our DD is closer to 40lbs. She's 3.5 and not even 30lbs yet, so she might not be in the booster till shes 5 or 6 or older even. I know I was not past 40 pounds till I was around 7 or 8, maybe older.... If they had the same laws then as they do now, I would have been riding around in a car seat till I was in the 3rd or 4th grade LOL

emschwar

08-01-2006, 08:17 AM

Technically it's height and weight, but there's an age component too. While legally you can move your child to a booster as soon as they're 40 lbs, not all 40 lb kids are ready for a booster. The child also needs to be able to sit still in the seat, not try to escape, and keep the seat belt on properly the entire time. That's a lot to ask of some 3 year olds.

Also, regardless of height/weight/age, a 5 point harness is MUCH safer than a booster.

magdesilver

08-01-2006, 11:32 AM

I echo what Emily says. The rounabout is a good seat, but for the price per year difference, the Marathon is a MUCH better buy. You will get at least 2 more years of use out of the marathon. With the roundabout, many kids hit the height or weight limits around 3 years old and then you have to make the decision if they are ready for a booster- and most kids, even those who are 40 lbs. at that point, are not ready behaviorally for a booster. Better to pay the extra $75 now, and keep your child in the 5 pt. harness until 4-5 years old (or longer!), when they are truly ready for a seatbelt booster- at that point you won't need a fancy one either, because they will be truly ready for it!

Mommy2ml

08-01-2006, 12:34 PM

Keep in mind, that there are many boosters out there that have the 5-pt option... We use those right now. DD uses the 5-pt, then when she;s ready for it, we'll remove the harnesses and it's a sturdy belt positioning booster. If height is an issue, that could be a way to go as well. DD is still under 3ft tall, but has a long body with short legs... so the height is in the torso, making her head peak over the top of regular convertible seat. In the FF seat with the 5-pt and the booster options, she has a good several inches.

I am in no way suggesting putting a child not ready for a booster in a booster, just that there's always a chance that even if your kid is below the height and weight max they could still outgrow a convertible carseat quicker than you think. Mackie will likely be in a 5-pt till she's 5 at least LOL

jordan

08-01-2006, 01:36 PM

I just got the Britax Decathlon for DS. They have the Odyssey print on Closeout and it was $219.99. It's a nice grey with blue.

albuquerque

08-02-2006, 04:49 PM

I'm trying to find *any* information about Chicco convertible seats, and about Chicco seats in general. We live in Greece--where people ride down the highway with their toddlers standing in their laps in the passenger's side front seat, hands on the dashboard--where it's acceptable to have never put your child into a carseat and always hold him/her instead because "she was afraid"--where there are only two convertible car seats for sale: Britax (not sure what the model is, but it isn't the Decathlon, Roundabout, or any other model I've heard discussed here or on other American sites), and the Chicco. DH doesn't want to spend the money on the Britax, and the Chicco is about half the price. But I can't find any information about Chicco....

Help?

jordan

08-02-2006, 06:22 PM

We have the Chicco Infant Car Seat and I LOVE it!!! We just got th Britax Decathlon b/c I couldn't find the Chicco Convertable anywhere. The infant car seat is wonderful though.

smiles33

08-04-2006, 05:45 PM

I hope someone here can answer this--would it make sense to buy my Britax carseats now while they're on close-out even though DD is only 3 months old and we have a Graco Safeseat (which means she should be in it until she's 32" or 30 pounds)? How early is too early? I remember reading somewhere about 5 year expiration dates....

TIA!

emschwar

08-04-2006, 05:53 PM

Britax seats have a 6 year life (from date of manufacture). It's your call though. Is saving the money worth it to you not to have the extra year of life? Or would you rather spend a little more and have the maximum life on the seat? I guess it would depend on how close together you're planning on having your kids.

smiles33

08-04-2006, 05:57 PM

Thanks for the quick reply, emschwar! I have to buy 3 Britax seats, as MIL and DH each watch DD 1 day/week and I drive her to daycare 3 days a week (and DH hates driving my car). Thus, I thought if I could get at least 1 of them on sale, it will save me some money. But I didn't even think about future DC, so I guess I'll wait until the last possible moment to buy them.

malala

08-04-2006, 06:34 PM

emschwar

08-04-2006, 06:47 PM

I just got my convertible car seat on the mail (ordered from specialtybaby.com), and of course DH is out of town.
I'd like to install it a.s.a.p. because I think DD might have reached the height limit on our Snugride, but I'm completely useless when it comes to this kind of thing.
Is there any place/company that installs car seats for you?
TIA
There's links on the first page for installation/seat check places.

smiles33 - when you're ready to buy, go to the baby bargains board website (link on first page) and ask there. There's some serious bargain gurus there! They'll hunt you down a good price!

malala

08-04-2006, 06:53 PM

emschwar: Thank you for the quick answer. I do have the info on places for inspection around me, are you saying they install as well? Thanks

magdesilver

08-04-2006, 06:59 PM

malala, yes they will install for you properly. Also make sure you pay attention and ask questions because you want to learn how to do it properly too. If you got a britax, make sure they tether it RF (details in the manual!). If a tech is not very familiar with britax they might not know that they can, because those are the only seats that can be tethered in RF position.
FYI, if your baby has at least 1" of hard shell above their head in the infant seat, they can still use it even if they are above the stated height limits. The weight limit is a hard and fast rule, though.

emschwar

08-04-2006, 07:01 PM

malala - also keep in mind that most places have a waiting list of a month or more. Most don't do installations/inspections daily. Around here there's one day a month we can get seats inspected, and the spaces fill up fast.

malala

08-04-2006, 07:34 PM

Thank you magdesilver and emschwar:)

Now I'm worried, because when we had the Snugride inspected we lived in a different state, and we didn't even have to make an appointment. And now we live in a way smaller city in a not so "popular" state.
Although I think we still have at least an inch of hard shell over DD's head (I'll have to check that tomorrow), so I might be able to make the appointment for when DH gets back home.
Thank you again for your help!

Jane&Andy

08-06-2006, 04:49 PM

Where are Britax carseats on closeout?

smiles33

08-06-2006, 04:59 PM

Jane & Andy--Albee Baby has Decathlons and Marathons in certain prints on sale. The Decathalon in Odyssey is only $219 (instead of $285), the Marathon in Zebra print for $218, and others as well (and free Ground shipping!).

Go here:

http://www.specialtybaby.com/britax.html

Jane&Andy

08-06-2006, 05:02 PM

thanks! :D

kindermom

08-06-2006, 06:17 PM

Another Non-Britax Mom here. I have the Triumph DLX ($130 at Target) and really like it. The padding is great. The straps are easy to adjust and it was really easy to install. Unfortunately it is about 16 pounds or so.

We need to buy 2 more for my DH's and babysitter's cars. I will be getting another Triumph DLX for DH's and the Titan (a CR best buy) for our sitter's. FWIW, the Triumph has side impact portection according to Consumer Reports.

doubleR

08-07-2006, 08:35 AM

we had a britax decathlon in our car that we purchased in May, through babycenter.com. last week, on our vacation, as we got into the car to head home (a 4 hour trip), the push button harness adjuster broke :eek: the whole thing totally came out as my husband was putting our DS into his seat.

our car had sat for 3 days in extreme heat, so we're thinking that maybe that had something to do with it? although, obviously it shouldn't...

we were able to *kind of* push the button back in and we got home safely, thank god - I was a nervous wreck the entire ride.

SO... I called babycenter, they're going to refund my money as soon as I send them a 6 inch in diameter piece of fabric from the middle - so they know I didn't donate the defected seat or sell it, etc. which is great. my problem is, I had to run out and buy a new car seat immediately and pay full price. when we purchased the decathlon back in May, it was before DS had grown out of his snugride, I had time to do research, know that the decathlon was the seat I wanted, look for sales, etc. well, this time I had to pay full price for my seat and I'm SO mad to see that other fabrics are on closeout - even the one we had, the tribecca, is still on sale and would have been much cheaper than the $284 I just got stuck paying.

I'm going to call babycenter again and see if there is anything at all they can do for me. I'm almost tempted to buy a 3rd seat online at closeout price :rolleyes: and return the full priced seat I just got at BRU when that one arrives.

any suggestions? if nothing else, it felt good to vent ;) thanks!

Mommy2ml

08-07-2006, 09:41 AM

Try contacting Britax... they might be able to replace the seat for free? Or send coupons or both?

magdesilver

08-07-2006, 11:10 AM

I'd contact britax as well. Their customer service is usually very helpful about these things. I think it is a defect. We've left our car out in the heat for multiple days a few times (like parked at the airport while we travelled without our britax, it stayed in the car in 100+ heat) with no problems or issues.

tgal

08-08-2006, 02:13 PM

Just curious if anyone opted for this seat. Dh just bought it for his mom and tried to install it. He said that the latch didn't hold the seat as well as did the seatbelt install method. I am wondering if anyone else had this issue.

kindermom

08-08-2006, 04:50 PM

I do not have the Titan yet but am interested to hear other replies about it. It is a consumer reports best buy and their top rated convertible seat.

Sandie78

08-08-2006, 05:07 PM

I have the Titan. We like it because the seat is squishy. I wanted something that DS could be comfortable in. I don't use the Latch system because our car doesn't have it.

jjohm

08-09-2006, 08:59 AM

is there a place that i can find info on the difference btn boulevard, marathon, and roundabout?

we'll probably also get a triumph for DHs car and Titan for IL's.

malala

08-09-2006, 09:16 AM

jjohm: look for post #376, there's a detailed review given by magdesilver

cc8

08-09-2006, 10:21 AM

When are folks turning their car seats forward facing?

Mommy2ml

08-09-2006, 10:50 AM

We turned ours around when DD was about 15 or 16 mo. The min is 20lbs AND 1 year old. My DD is little so we kept her till she was a bit past 20lbs and that fell out to around 16mo or so.

emschwar

08-09-2006, 10:53 AM

When are folks turning their car seats forward facing?

The longer you stay rear-facing, the better. RFing is MUCH safer than riding Forward facing. As long as your child is below the RFing weight and height limits for the seat, staying RFing as long as possible is the best choice.

Noah is 27 months old and 29 lbs and he's still RFing :)

jarocha

08-09-2006, 11:56 AM

Can't find much about Infant Car Seats. I am a bit confuse about which one to choose.

I got a Graco SnugRide for my shower but my mom & sister want me to return it for a Peg Perego Prima Viaggio. They think that the SnugRide car seat is not as durable as the Peg Perego one.

Also, is each car seats only compatible with their matching stroller? I just want to confirm that I can't use the Graco SnugRide with my Pliko P3 Freestyle Stroller. I thought I read that the P3 stroller has an adapter strap that allows you to use most other name brand car seats with it. But when I went to BRUS they told me its not true.

Does anyone else have a new 2006 Peg Perego Prima Viaggio SIP Infant car seat?

Mommy2ml

08-09-2006, 11:59 AM

The snugride has been in the top 3 of Consumer Reports pics for several years now. We still have ours from DD and it lasted quite well. We will be using the same one for DS when the time comes. I never went for the Peg myself, so I really could not tell you about them. HTH! :)

magdesilver

08-09-2006, 12:26 PM

The snugride is a great carseat and from most reviews, people like it better than the PP carseat, as it is roomier. I'd say you are fine to stick with the snugride.
The snugride is compatible with the P3 and fits in fine, you can use the included strap to make it more secure but without it it is still plenty secure. :)

malala

08-09-2006, 01:35 PM

Another happy owner of the Snugride. And we have a Pilko P3, and the Snugride fits perfectly with or without the strap.
When I was deciding on what to buy, I asked that same question at BRU, and they also told me they weren't compatible. And then came here, and lots of people told me they had the Snugride + Pilko P3.
BRU's employees don't know much about anything IMO:rolleyes:

Taurus

08-09-2006, 04:31 PM

Does anyone know how the look/feel of the pattern/fabric of the Marathon Portland (currently on closeout I believe) compares to the look/feel of the Decathlon Cappucino that is only available at BRU? TIA!

tunibell

08-09-2006, 04:46 PM

I was planning to buy this model, because of the side impact protection...but I can't help but notice that many stores that stock the Roundabout, Marathon, Decathalon, etc. do not carry the Boulevard. Wondering if anyone has any insight into why this is so?

kmack

08-09-2006, 06:53 PM

When are folks turning their car seats forward facing?

someone in the july05 mommies thread gave me this link as to why it is safer to keep them rear-facing as long as possible:

Car Seat Safety (http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx)

DD just turned 1 and is right at the weight limit (20 lbs) and after seeing that crash-test with a forward facing seat i just had ours installed rear facing. we have the britax marathon which is good rear-facing until 33 lbs.

does anyone have a britax marathon and a nissan altima??
a state trooper helped me install it and we could not get it clipped properly in the center back seat - the little nubs on the seat belt were preventing the side clips from closing. just wondering if anyone else had this problem?? we ended up putting it on the passenger side.

kmack

08-09-2006, 07:11 PM

forgot to subscribe, and one more question...

was there a separate thread out there about car seats for your second car? i remember reading about some relatively cheap ones ($50 - 80), maybe by graco and i can't remember what everyone was recommending...

froggie

08-09-2006, 08:29 PM

Kmack

I asked the question about second car seat about a week ago. I think a lot of people recommended Cosco scenera. Some people also recommended Graco comfortsport. I ordered cosco scenera yesterday and it was $50.

kmack

08-10-2006, 04:40 AM

great - thanks!

ion

08-10-2006, 03:30 PM

Does anyone else have a new 2006 Peg Perego Prima Viaggio SIP Infant car seat?

I have the PP SIP and honestly my opinion of it isn't that great because my DS hates the carseat. I don't think he would be better off in a Snugride though. :( With that said I love how secure it fits into the Pliko P3 stroller. It's nice how the harness height can be changed so easily (no rethreading).

I feel like it's a lot bigger than other carseats (it is heavier for certain). I also feel like it's more upright which might be part of the reason he hates it. DS gets hot in it, but I have friends with Snugrides and they say their children get hot and sweaty too.

Really I think any of them will work great. Just depends if the extra $$ for SIP is what you want. I think that's the major difference. If I had it to do over again I would probably have not spend the extra money on the PP.

malala

08-10-2006, 03:46 PM

I just wanted to come by to thank emschwar and magdesilver for your advice. I wouldn't have thought of asking the inspector to install the car seat.
I went to the Police Dept today and had the car seat installed. I'm very happy with it!

jarocha

08-10-2006, 05:52 PM

Thanks everyone for your feedback. I think I will just keep the Snugride.

mel7dog

08-16-2006, 02:32 PM

jeninef

08-16-2006, 06:30 PM

I'm starting to look at convertible seats, as DS is growing fast. I know we want a Britax and at least a Marathon, but I am confused about the other choices of the Boulevard and Decathlon. It looks like they have side impact, but what are the other differences, advantages? Do I really need all that, or is a plain Marathon fine? Thanks :)

I actually just looked up some similiar information myself the other day...if you look at post #376 in this thread, there is some description of the differences/advantages of all. I just bought a Marathon myself off of Albee Baby for a great deal! I think it was a closeout fabric...Britax's are price controlled, so they are rarely on deep discount unless the fabric is discontinued, I believe. HTH!

mel7dog

08-16-2006, 08:28 PM

Thanks Jenine! I tired to search here, but no luck!

Taurus

08-16-2006, 09:06 PM

Mel, I've "seen" you around in various threads. Your new avatar is so cute! Wanted to recommend the Baby Bargains book message boards. There are a ton of posts about your question. See the first thread in the Car Seat Forum, a sticky called Car Seat 101. The second post in that thread reviews the main differences between the Britax seats. There are several other threads deveoted to this question as well if you look back a few pages. HTH!

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=13

tgal

08-17-2006, 07:52 AM

Thanks for the references to other Britax reviews, but if anyone here drives a midsized sedan, does the boulevard fit in the back seat?

lml41981

08-17-2006, 08:22 AM

I'm starting to look at convertible seats, as DS is growing fast. I know we want a Britax and at least a Marathon, but I am confused about the other choices of the Boulevard and Decathlon. It looks like they have side impact, but what are the other differences, advantages? Do I really need all that, or is a plain Marathon fine? Thanks :)
mel7dog, we got the Boulevard and couldn't be happier. Only one of our cars has side impact airbags, and it isn't the one DD rides in, unfortunately. So, for us, the TSIP was very important (we drive a lot). I think the main difference between the Boulevard and the Decathalon is that the straps on the Boulevard never need rethreading...which is really nice. One thing that bugs me about the Boulevard is that the crotch snap is really low and cannot be raised to a higher position.

summer girl

08-17-2006, 08:38 AM

Does anybody have a problem fitting thier carseats in backward properly and still having enough room in the front seat? Both my husband and I are tall and in order to have our DS carseat backward, my seat had to be moved all the way up which put my knees in the dashboard. We do have a smaller car, a saturn but we had the same problem in my friends SUV.

allyray231

08-17-2006, 08:46 AM

summer have you tried putting the seat in the middle?

mel7dog

08-17-2006, 09:08 AM

Thanks fot he link! :D

summer girl

08-17-2006, 09:14 AM

I was able to put my DD in the middle when she was a newborn because of this problem, but now that I have two kids my DS won't fit in the middle. My DD has a Recaro young sport and DS is in a Graco comfort sport convertable carseat. He is now 12 m.o. and facing forward because it is just not comfortable riding with your knees in the dashboard. I am concerned about his safety and would leave him backwards if the carseat would fit better. Is that selfish? Should I just bare the uncomfortable ride for myself?

Mommy2ml

08-17-2006, 09:21 AM

Here's a question... DD is in a FF/booster with the 5-pt harness. She is on the passenger side of the back seat in both cars. New baby is coming at the end of Sept and we need to install the infant seat base in both cars. When we brough the seat and base home from the storage room we'd had it in it seemed a tight fit in the back seat. I am not sure if it would fit in the center (which would be ideal) and we may have to install it on the driver's side.

Question is, is it terrible to try to get it to it in the center just for the sake of convenience even if the 2 seats are right up against each other? Or is it better to have 1 seat on each side with their own space? I know the center is safest, but if the seat does not fit correctly because of DD's seat, is it really safer there or where it would fit completely well?

allyray231

08-19-2006, 09:49 AM

Locks

So I went to have my son's carseat inspected. He is 14 months, 22 lbs. I wanted to turn it FF, but of course they recommended to keep it RF. I was willing to do it until they tried to reinstall it and they found that the locks on the side of my Marathon for the lab belt didn't work right. Anyone else have this issue?

kmack

08-19-2006, 09:57 AM

allray yes that happened to us too! i posted a few pages back. the locks on the side did not work when we tried to install it RF in the center b/c my car (nissan altima) has these little plastic nubs on the seat belts that got in the way of the clip. we were able to put it on the passenger side RF though. what kind of car do you have? does it have LATCH?

allyray231

08-19-2006, 10:01 AM

It doesn't seem to be an issue with the placement-we acutally took the seat out to see what the problem was. The lock offs are not "clicking" almost like they placement is messed up

snoopy30

08-19-2006, 10:05 AM

summer girl-I have no real room either in my front passenger seat. We've had that problem w/ the Graco SnugRide and the Marathon he's in now. And I'm in a 4-Runner which one would think would have enough room :rolleyes:

We couldn't put a car seat in the middle b/c my back seat splits in the middle so you can't get the seat belt (no LATCH system in my car) tight enough.

It's not usually a problem since it's usually just me and DS but I will be getting a bigger car sometime in the next year.

magdesilver

08-19-2006, 11:38 AM

allyray, the lock offs on the britax are not necessary. Your car (unless it's quite old) has a locking seatbelt. Many seatbelts do not fit into the lockoffs because of the angle of the belt. It is perfectly okay and safe not to use them as long as the seat is tightly installed.

mommy2ml- Actually if you want to keep one side open, I would put your DD in the center and the infant seat on the side. The "rule" is to put the LEAST protected child in the MOST protected spot. Your DD being FF is less protected in a crash then your newborn in his RF infant seat. So, the safest for your 2 would be to put your older DD FF in the center and your DS on one of the sides (statistically both outboard sides are equally safe). As long as you can get a tight install in both seats it doesn't matter how close they are to each other, though it might be difficult to install the 2nd seat once the 1st seat is in just because the belt will be harder to lock in such a tight space. But it's still safe if they are close as long as both move less than 1" at the belt path.

summergirl Yes extended RF is really that much safer than FF if your child is within the RF limits of their seat. I would try to put him in the middle if he will fit, if not maybe switch so he is RF behind the passenger seat that does not get used as much? Other options might be a more narrow seat so you could keep him in the middle. Will the recaro fit in the middle since I'm assuming your older DD is FF? That is the safest position for her if you are able to turn your DS back to RF (again, the rule is least protected child in the most protected position). Also he can be quite upright in RF position, the 45 degree angle is really for younger babies. As upright as he wants, he can be RF.

kemorr

08-20-2006, 11:39 AM

I picked up my Primo Viaggio 2006 SIP infant car seat yesterday and have been playing around with it today. No baby yet - due in November.

In the instruction manual, it states that "Newborn infants should be properly reclined. If the seat reclines too much, your baby can be ejected from the seat.... If too upright, it can cause breathing problems."

BUT, I can't find any information/instruction/way to (etc) change the recline of the seat.

Admittedly I haven't yet installed the base in the car and the seat on the base in the car. But, when attached to my stroller, the seat seems really upright, more than I am used to seeing other seats attached to other people's strollers.

So, my question is: Can you change the recline of an infant seat when attached to the base and/or when attached to the stroller and if yes, HOW?

I have the car seat attached to a Bugaboo, not a Peg Perego stroller, if that is important.

Thanks for your help!!

magdesilver

08-20-2006, 11:44 AM

kemoor, don't have the pp seat but all infant seats I've seen have a "foot" in the base that comes out/in to adjust the recline. For an infant you want it to be 45 degrees. Depending on the angle of your car seat as well, some seats install easier with a piece of pool noodle or rolled up blanket in the crease of the seat. Either way, before your baby arrives, I'd recommend having the seat inspected by a CPS tech who can not only make sure the seat is installed properly and at the correct recline, but show you how to do so which is very important!

emschwar

08-20-2006, 11:45 AM

kemorr - first, make sure you get your seat inspected. A seat inspector will tell you the proper angle, and make sure it's installed correctly. Usually, the correct angle is 45 degrees.

I don't think having the seat more upright in the stroller is a problem. With the stroller, you'll be right there watching the baby, whereas in the car, you can't watch them the whole time they're in there, so you can't always notice right away if there's a problem.

kemorr

08-20-2006, 11:57 AM

Thanks for the speedy replies! I will definitely get the seat inspected, but my type A personality wants to solve all problems immediately!

Mag - is the foot in the base the knob that turns? It says up/down on the knob, so that is probably what you are referring to.

Em - Good to know that the recline isn't such an issue in the stroller. However, I think