Hi Everyone! I wanted to get some advice on a car seat for my son. Right now, we have my 2 yr old daughter in an Evenflo Symphony that we paid $200 for. We love it because it installs in seconds and can easily be moved from car to car. We are now looking for one for my 6 month old son that is just as easy to install and move from car to car, but is less expensive. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Hi Moms, thanks for the input so far. I looked up the Graco Nautilus and it sounds perfect for my daughter and then we'll just move my son into her Evenflo seat. Those of you that recommended it, is it easy to remove and install? The grandparents like to take our daughter sometimes and it would be nice to have another carseat that is easy to move so they can take both kids. The Symphony is great; you just attach to the LATCH system and it clicks into place in literally seconds.
Just to let everyone know, I would never put my child's life at risk just to save a few bucks. I do know that ALL carseats, no matter what the price, must conform to carseat regulations and therefore all are safe, unless installed improperly. I don't necessarily believe that the most expensive is always the best. I research the heck out of everything! I appreciate your concern because unfortunately, there are those parents out there that don't always think of safety. Thanks again for your help!!
Don't skimp on price for a good car seat. He will be in it until it expires and you need a good safe one.
I know that all car seat have pass regulations, but often times they just pass and don't try harder to make things better.
I personally wont ever put any of my kids in Evenflo, Eddie Bauer, Costco, or Safety First. Their plastic feels like a McDonalds happy meal toy. I love Britax because they use high quality plastics, they use foam on the inserts in the frame which absorbs a lot of the shock if in a wreck. Other seats are just lined with foam. European's have higher safety standards than we do. I do love Graco. They are raising their standards to match Europeans. Britax is a snap to put in and has a lot of extra's that make life easier. It is big and kind of bulky, but I'm over it. I was able to find a brand new seat on ebay for $160 so it's possible to find it cheap.
But you are right, they all pass.
**Sorry, I just saw that my post maybe sounds a L. rude and mean. If you took it that way, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it at all!! Car seat's and stroller's are a passion of mine. I used to work at Babies R Us (and will be again soon! YAY!), so I saw all sorts of things go wrong with all brands. Britax just is my favorite.
I'll second Julia's response. When it comes to things like car seats, I'm willing to spend the money and save in other places. Have you considered moving your daughter to a convertible booster and putting your son in her Symphony?
At 2 years old, we moved our son to the Graco Nautilus 3-1 convertible booster that still has the 5 point harness but can adapt to him as he grows (he's almost 4) now.
http://www.gracobaby.com/Catalog/Pages/ProductListingPage...
Target has them on sale for ~$150 currently (at least in our local area).
Good luck!
I would look for the Graco MyRide 65. Its easy to install and it rear faces to 40lbs, and forward faces to 65lbs. It has amazing side impact protection and its only $150. He will likely expire thsi seat so you will get your moneys worth! Most kids can rear face to age 4 in this, and forward face to 6+.
Another great one is the Evenflo Triumph Advance. It will rear face to 35lbs, forward face to 50lbs, and is around $130. It has infinite adjust, so no rethreading the hanress, you just turn the knob on the side. Most kids can rear face to age 2 in this, and forwad face to age 5/6 in it.
I agree with Julia, safety is the most important thing to consider. When looking for a carseat for my then almost 11 month old, I considered several and settled on the Graco Nautilus. Since she was almost 11 months, I thought that was a good match for us. The seat goes up to 65 lbs with the harness and then later converts to a booster to 100 lbs. I figured paying $165 at the time was a great price because it will last until we no longer need a carseat. If you are looking for a carseat now, I do not recommend the Nautilus because it is not rear facing and that is the safest position for your son. I know a lot of people recommend Britax but if that is out of yuor range, there are a lot of other seats available. I think one I had checked out was by Safety First, convertible, and held with the harness up to 60 and then booster up to 80 or something like that. I think it was about $140-150 or so, totally worth it.
Well, i love my britax marathon, and my daughter is really comfy!
I would not compromise on a car seat based on the price. Look at Consumer Reports and buy the safest damn one on the market-- price is no object when it comes to your child's safety. We own two Britax (one for each car, one Roundabout 50 and one Decathlon) and we love them both. Probably love the Roundabout 50 a L. more, because it has a slightly smaller/narrower base.
I did a lot of research when buying my daughter's convertible car seat, and Consumer Reports rated the Evenflo Triumph very highly. I paid $120 for it, and so far so good. Check out their website. This car seat out performed some of the most expensive car seats out there.
