New Child Car Seat

I wouldn't waste your time on CR for carseats. They don't release their testing methods and tend to not recommend the best carseats.

Anyway, a list of good ones is The Britax Marathon or Boulevard (rearface to 35 lbs. and forward to 65), the Alpha Omega (if you go this route, make sure you get the one that harnesses to 50 lbs, there is an older version that only goes to 40 lbs. and has very short top harness slots...will only last you until about 2 1/2 years old) the Evenflo Triumph Advance (rearface to 35 lbs. and forward to 50) and Graco just came out with a brand new one called the MyRide65 that rearfaces to 40 lbs! and then forward faces to 65 lbs. It is a wonderful seat and will allow your little boy to rearface until at least 2 years old as per the new recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Oh, and the First Years True Fit is another really good one. It will rearface to 35 lbs. and forward face to I think 65 lbs. All new carseats will rearface until at least 35 lbs. There is a reason for this...b/c it is literally 5x safer to keep them rearfacing to at LEAST 2 years old.

I recommend Great Beginnings in Gaithersburg. The staff is incredibly knowledgeable and they won't try to sell you the most expensive products, only the product(s) that will accommodate both your needs. I wish I could think of the saleman who helped me...he was extremely helpful.

Yoou can get CR at the library. Also, I recommend Buy Buy Baby and Great Beginnings if you want decent sales help with seats.

When choosing one for my son I spent weeks researching and asking others for their opinions. We went with Cosco's Alpha Omega. My son was 7 months at the time that we decided to get him the new one - he always hated the infant carrier!

I chose the Alpha Omega because I have used it with other children in the past (I'm a nanny), the reports and reviews on it were high. It is rear facing up to 35 lbs (important since its now recommended to keep children rear facing much past the 1st bday) and the harness goes up to 50 lbs. Then it is a booster seat to 100 lbs. We will never need another car seat! Best of all, my son, who just turned 1 May 16th, LOVES his car seat and has plenty of room to stay rear facing for a while longer.