Infant Car Seats - Lake Orion, MI

I like (and own 4 of) the Apex 65...it has a higher internal harness weight (5 pt goes to 65 lbs) and then converts to a belt positioning booster. Only draw back...seriously big seat...so, if you end up with 2 of these seats in the back seat, no one can sit between them. We have 2 in two vehicles... But my 4 1/2 year old and my 2 year old (35 lb BIG BOY) are both in them...

Well, first you need to remeber the law, she has to be in a 5 point harness seat until 4 and 40 lbs and babies have to be in rear facing seats until 1 year old and then go into a regular forward facing seat...then after 4 and 40 they can go to a seatbelt positioning booster then a regular booster til 4ft 9in. Hope this helps!

She still needs a car seat. Booster seats are 4 years and 40 lbs.

I have an Eddie Bauer (I think it is made by Costco). It was about $265. It goes up to 100 lbs. My 4 year old is 43 lbs and still fits in the 5 point harness.

Hi D.,

A few great car seats are these -

The Graco Nautilus - Uses a 5 point harness to the weight of 65 lbs. Only forward facing, and I've seen some solid reviews about it so far. Then converts to a high back booster, and then regular seat booster. All in one carseat. (I plan to get one for my son when he outgrows his Evenflo Triumph Deluxe)

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8112222

The Cosco Scenera - Uses a 5 point harness to the weight of 40 lbs but can rear face until 35 lbs. Solidly built and great reviews (and the price is "oh so right")

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8054497

Good luck with your decision!

We bought the Graco Nautilus, it's about 150 at walmart and goes up to 65lbs with the internal harness, and 100lbs as a belt positioning booster. I totaled my van with all three kids in it a few weeks back and the Nautilus held up great (of couse we replaced it with another one)

Oh and if you're big on name brands. The Nautilus is designed by Britax...the whos who in carseats.

Hi D.,
Good for you for wanting to keep your daughter in a 5-point harness as long as possible! That's wonderful that you're so concerned about her safety. At your daughter's age/size she definitely should still be harnessed. Most kids don't have the maturity to sit correctly in a belt-positioning booster until 5 or 6!
Someone already mentioned the Graco Nautilus, a forward-facing only seat, that harnesses to 65 lbs, then can be a high-back and low-back booster. I actually own one of these for my 5-year-old daughter and we both love it! She is on the second-from-the-top harness slots at 5 years, 38 lbs, and 43 inches tall. The only thing I'm not sure of is how easy the cover is to wash, we haven't taken ours off yet. This could very well be the last seat your daughter needs!
There is also a seat called the Britax Frontier that is more expensive than the Nautilus; it is also forward-facing only, and kids need to be at least 2 years old, 25 lbs, and 30 inches to use it. It harnesses to 80 lbs, and then is a booster. It's a lot more expensive than the Nautilus, as it costs ~$279.
Personally I would pick a Nautilus, unless for some reason your child doesn't like it or it doesn't meet your specific needs--it's reasonably priced (~$150 and it could be the last seat you buy for your daughter), and I've found it really easy to install in several different vehicles!
Good luck with your search.

My husband and I recently purchased a graco convertible car seat for our daughter that can be used up to 100lbs. Basically you keep your child in the 5 point harness until they get too tall and then there's the plastic portions on the sides to use with your regular seat belt. We have found graco to be a great brand, and since the covers can come off they're really easy to clean. (We got ours at babies r us). Hope this helps.

Hi D..

We recently moved our boy to a convertible seat too. We chose the Evenflo Triumph. It seems big, but is padded a bit extra for side impact protection and is really simple to move from car to car. It also got a very good rating from Consumer Reports. Good Luck to you!

Hello D. - I've had my daughter in her Britax Marathon since she was about 6 months old she loves it. It is a bit pricier than some of the others. I purchased hers from Babycenter.com w/the free shipping. It Converts from rear-facing infant seat (5-35 lbs.) to front-facing toddler seat (22-65 lbs.) Some of the other features are that it Offers higher forward-facing harnessed weight capacity
5-point padded safety harness; front adjustment; tangle-free webbing
Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS) gently cushions your child's neck and chest to reduce forward head movement
One-hand rear- and forward-facing recline
Roomy seat design; comfort foam cushioning
EPS energy-absorbing foam for enhanced protection
Patented Versa-Tethers secure the seat in both rear- and front-facing positions
Premium push-button LATCH connectors for quick, simple, and tight installation
Removable, washable soft padding

buy a britax...

spend the money on a new one.. or even better get a used one.

they are often posted on craigslist.org.

we have 2 britax seats for our 2 kids - they really are a superior carseat. the straps dont twist and the kids seem very comfortable.

We just did the same thing! I did a lot of research and finally chose the Graco Natilus 3-in-1. I am normally a Britax girl, however their carseat/booster combinations were SO HUGE! The Graco Natilus got good reviews, it is a little smaller than the Britax and will still work from now until forever! You can use the 5-point harness until she is 65 pounds, then it can become a high-back-booster and finally a regular booster. Thus, it will work until she is 100 lbs. In addition, the cup holder is right on the armrest, instead of on the side. My toddler LOVES this feature! Overally, we are pleased with it! Good luck!

if you can afford a britax regent, go for it. I have the regent for my preschooler and it is a beast, but I know she is safer in there than in a booster. My friend is a CPS tech and she recommends the britax, but if you need to save some cash the APEX is what she suggests. Above all, do not buy a used car seat. You don't know what kind of damage may have been done to the seat and if you are concerned about safety, you should make sure the seat has not been in any previous accidents - there is no guarantee of that if you buy a used one. I believe it is actually illegal to sell used seats, but people do it anyway.

Do yourself a favor and talk to a CPS tech before buying a seat and have it installed by a CPS tech. I know that there are car seat clinics held at fire stations, babies r us or you can have it done by appointment at their offices, usually run out of an extension program office (Like the Michigan State University Extension office in Howell.) Also remember that all the recommended minimums for age and weight are just that, MINIMUMS. The longer you can keep a child rear facing and in a 5 point harness, the safer they will be! Another thing people often to not know is that the kids are not supposed to wear winter coats in their seats because it allows too much slack in the harness and with the force of an impact can cause the coat to compress and the child can slip out of the harness.

Be safe!
J.

We have the Brtiax Marathon and Roundabout and we love both of them.

We purchased the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 car seat for our daughter. This is a great carseat for toodlers all the way through until they reach 100 lbs. This carseat is forward facing only. This carseat transitions from a five-point harness (until 65 lbs.) to Highback booster seat to a backless booster seat. We bought ours at Babies "R" US for 149.99. Yes this is expensive but this carseat will last until they are no longer required to be in a carseat.

I own 3 of the Evenflo Triumph Advance Deluxe (see link) http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3028985
I buy doubles of everything one for us, one for parents. We have purchased at least 6 other carseats trying to find one that would not be outgrown. This was our last stop and we love it. It is extremely comparable to the Britax for half the cost. I wish I had bought it for my infant the first time around. The great thing is you can rip off the cover without much ado to wash it (my son gets carsick too) and it still looks fabulous after a wash. The adjust ments are also extremely easy, you pull up on the top of the harness as they grow to make more room. It goes to the bigger weight and height and when they outgrow the 5-point harness you can use a lap belt. I just bought my 3rd one last week because my 9 month old outgrew the harness heights on our graco comfortsport that we had originally bought for our first son. I like the amount of padding in it and also that it wraps around them and is rated for side impacts as well. there is also recline that is easy to access and lots of extra padding that removes if your kids are bigger but is there for infants. You can also buy the non deluxe version for a little cheaper. My son LOVES this seat and the 9 month old is liking his new one as well. It is taller and bulkier but well worth it if it does it's job in a crash and keeps them comfortable. It is advertised on sale at BRU and TRU right now for $20 off making it $139 and I also used the 10% card from the front of the flyer and they took off another $15. I plan on purchasing another one with my 9 month olds b-day money if he gets enough so gma and gpa have 2 as well.
Keep them 5 point harness as long as you can- I have seen way too many videos of children wearing lap belts or sitting on those stupid booster seats and my child will never be in that sit. They ought to be illegal.
Good luck!C.

Hi D.,
The law says that a child is to stay in a car seat until they are 4 years old, and 40 lbs. At that point they move to a booster until they're 8. So, the 5 point harness is fine for now, although you'll have to buy another one for the baby. When she reaches 40 lbs, you'll have to worry about a booster. But for now, she's fine where she is.

God Bless,
G.

We have and LOVE the Britax Regent Madison (Madison is just the pink/flower seat cover for my super girly almost three-year-old who weighs about 40-45 pounds and is around three feet tall already). I was afraid of the whole booster seat issue (no tethers or anchors), and then with the new law and size of my daughter... of our months of research, this is where we ended up. Bought ours brand-new on Ebay for two-something. That was the cheapest place we could find it, plus free shipping. Oh, and they're made in the USA!!! Five point harness system, too. I just washed the cover and straps (so easy) because my daughter puked all over her side of the car. You'll love this car seat!!!

D.,

My husband, an automotive engineer, works for a company that tests seatbelts/carseats, etc. and was told the Britax carseats always perform better than any other seat.

They're easy to install and very comfortable for the kids. We just moved our two children out of their Britax Wizard into booster seats last week. We had to wait because our daughter, now 6 1/2 years old & 38 lbs. was too tiny to make the transition to a booster (our 4yr old son is 47lbs.) We still have to remind them to sit up straight because they're not used to the freedom yet.

If you're interested in a used but in good condition seat just let me know.

We just got a Britax Frontier for our 30 lb. son for the same reason. You can use it with the 5-point harness until they're 80 lb., and it also converts to a booster seat later. The Britax Regent also can be used with the 5-point harness until 80 lb. Go to Amazon's website and check them out--they have lots of info on the seats. I did alot of research before we bought ours--they ARE pretty expensive but it really seemed to be the safest seat out there.

Its a little pricey, but worth it.. Get the Britax Boulevard. She can stay in it until she is 65 pounds and it has the side protection as well. We have 2 of them, one in each vehicle for my daughter. Britax is rated the safest (last time I checked).
Good Luck choosing :)

We bought the Graco Nautilus. It runs about $150.00 and I've seen them at Meijer & WalMart. It is only forward-facing but the harness will hold a child up to 65 lbs. We tried the booster with our 3 year old because she was the right weight and height but she figured out how to get out of the seatbelt. She is about 39 in tall and we are only on the second notch of the strap height, meaning we have 2 more to go before she will be too tall for the harness.

The cover comes off easily for washing although there are a lot of little stretchy loops and hooks to do. We had to wash ours 3 times in one week not that long ago and it was easy to put back together!

Good luck :)

I, too, like Britax, but because money is tight right now, we just chose the new Graco Nautilus. My older son had a Marathon, which the baby now uses in one of our cars (rear facing), but he had to stop using it at 45 lbs (even though it says 65) because the straps wouldn't fit around his winter coat. We got the Nautilus for our second car. It's the last car seat we'll ever have to buy for him and so far seems to be great. At first I was concerned with having him front facing already, since he still seems like a baby...my older son was 8 pounds heavier at this age and walking, etc to make him seem older, but I know the baby's old enough and heavy enough.

I must say that at only 30 pounds, no, I would not put her in a booster seat using the seat belt. We just did it so early with my 5 year old (he was 3 1/2) because he really is a big boy, off the charts for both height and weight, and we couldn't afford another big seat.

The Britax Regent is the one I researched and had perfect reviews for safety. It has a 5 point harness. The only disadvantage is that it is big but I guess when you think about it it is for bigger kids so has to be if they are to be comfy. My son LOVES his seat and he will be turning 5 in a few days. I still have many years of use left out of it so I think it it well worth the money.

Check out http://www.albeebaby.com. They have a great range of carseats (and other baby/kid stuff) and their prices are good too!

Hope this helps!