Cosco Alpha Omega vs. Britax Roundabout

My husband and I are debating on which car seat is better: the Alpha Omega or the Roundabout. We compared both on the Babies R Us site and read the reviews. Any suggestions from the mommies and/or daddies out there? Money is not an issue; we just want the safest seat for our child (due 11/26, so we have awhile). If neither of these seats are good, any other suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks for the help!

Definitely go with the Roundabout. The Alpha Omega may seem like a good idea in that you can use it as a booster seat when your child is older, HOWEVER, Consumer Reports recently crash-tested this seat and determined that while it is safe to use as a convertible carseat, it is not safe to use in booster mode. I have the Roundabout for my daughter and I love it. It installs easily into your car and is extremely snug if you use a tether strap. The padding is very comfortable AND machine-washable (thank goodness!). It's really a fantastic carseat and I think it is worth every penny. Good luck!

I am also a Roundabout fan. The Alpha/Omega has very twisty straps and can be difficult to install rear facing. It's just not all that it's cracked up to be.

I liked my RA so well, I bought a second one for my husband's truck when I was planning on getting a less expesive seat.

Annie

I returned an Alpha Omega because the straps did not tighten well on my 16 lb, 27" long baby. It was purchased as a second car seat for the in laws. I own a Roundabout, and cannot be more enthusiastic about it. However, I purchased a Fisher Price Safe Embrace to replace the Alpha Omega. The Alpha Omega was much better looking, but I'm so glad I got rid of it.

What do you think of the Fisher Price Safe Embrace? I'm deciding between these 3 car seats also. The Omega would be for my mother to use but I haven't decided yet. I have a FPSE2 but it's still in the box and I just saw it in the store (I ordered mine on-line) and I wasn't impressed with it - little padding and not nice fabric - what do you think of it? Should I just get the Britax advantage or roundabout?

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for all of your input regarding the Alpha Omega seat. DH and I recently went back to the local BRU and took the A/O off of our registry. We looked at the Roundabout again and Evenflo's Medallion V Osh Kosh. We talked to two employees at BRU who are mothers, and both said they liked the Evenflo and that it was just as good as the Roundabout. Anyone have any experience with the Medallion? Good/bad points? I never knew that shopping for car seats would be so difficult!!!!

Thanks for all of your help (again!)

Kelly

I'm quite familiar with the Medallion, though I admit that I've never owned one. I have owned an Ultara and a Horizon, also Evenflo seats.

The Medallion is a fine seat. Installed properly and used right, it will keep your child quite safe. It has that nice cotton-blend Osh Kosh cover.

The down sides are that it has a large base, so it may be difficult to install in your car (and may not - you'll have to try it). It only has two harness slots, and the top one is kind of low, so your child may not fit in it right away (not a problem if you are starting with an infant seat) and may outgrow it well before 40 pounds. Most convertibles have three harness slot positions. The Medallion doesn't really have any of the other special features to recommend it.

In comparison, here are some of the features you get with the Roundabout.

The RA has no-twist straps. No more hassle with trying to keep the straps flat.

The RA has a harness adjuster that works all the time, easily adjusting the harness tighter and looser, even when the seat is installed and the child is in the seat.

The RA meets all US safety standards, but also meets all ECE (European) standards that don't conflict with the US ones.

The RA has eps foam in the head area, which will deform in a crash, unlike just a moulded plastic shell.

The RA tethers rear facing, which gives it quite a bit of added stability, and may help in real world crashes (compared to the ideal situations in crash tests).

The RA comes with a nice pad that is available in a cotton blend fabric. Under the pad is a thick layer of comfort foam that extends all the way from the head area to the knees. Many other convertibles have two pieces of comfort foam, leaving a gap behind the child's lower back, if they have comfort foam at all. Under the comfort foam is the eps foam. Taken together, the seat is quite cushy.

The RA has built in lock off mechanisms if you end up using your seat in an older car (pre-1996) that requires a locking clip.

The RA has three harness slots, from about 10" to about 16", and all are reinforced for forward facing use. In most convertibles, you can only use the top slots when the seat is forward facing.

The RA has a versa tether, which comes from two points at the top of the seat. This also adds some stability.

The RA has some extras, like velcro to keep the harnes out of the way when putting you child in the seat, and a belly pad to protect the child from the buckle, and a nice two-piece harness retainer clip.

The RA also tends to fit quite well in cars. It is at about 90% of the time, from my database (www.carseatdata.org). No seat fits ALL the time, unfortunately, but this one does quite well.

I want to stress again that the Medallion is a fine seat, appears to be comfortable, and crash tests well. Used correctly, it provides a safe ride for a child.

You can probably see, however, that the RA has a number of features that the Medallion doesn't. I would never say that the two seats are about the same. I guess that ARE both convertible carseats, but otherwise....

Some of the differences are about safety features. Like the eps foam, and meeting extra standards in Europe. Some are about ease of use. I find that the RA is more foolproof. It is easier to use it correctly, which may make a big difference, and may not. It depends on who in your family is using the seat, and how detail oriented they are every time you travel.

So only you can decide if the RA is worth the extra cost. But this list should help you see what you'll get from each seat. Both are safe, but they have different features on them.

Do check my database too, and see if there is any information on either of these seats in your car. The best seat in the world isn't so good if it doesn't fit well in your car.

Toby, CPS tech
www.carseatdata.org
tobymcadams@sihope.com

THANK YOU so much for the information!!! I did go to your website and checked for to see if the seat would be a good fit with my car (2000 Grand Prix 4dr.) Unfortunately, there was no information for my model year and either seat. The RA was listed with the '99 model year, so I went with that. There was information for BOTH seats for my husband's '96 Blazer. The RA was listed as a great fit, and that made me SO happy! I liked how you listed the different features for both seats, too. After I read your post, I printed it out and showed it to my husband. It did not take long for him to tell me to change the registry (again!) to the Roundabout. Thanks again for your help and thanks to everyone else who posted!

***ANYONE READING THIS PLEASE GO TO THE WEBSITE LISTED ON THE PREVIOUS POST!!! IT IS VERY USEFUL AND MAY HELP YOU MAKE A FINAL DECISION ON A CAR SEAT!! :)***

I do have a question, though. What is the LATCH thing all about? Is that the same as the three rings located behind my rear seats or is it something else? Thanks..... :)

Hi, it's me again :)

Never mind about the LATCH question. I did some surfing and got the information I needed. If anyone is confused about what LATCH is, go to the following website: www.hsrc.unc.edu/pubinfo/child_universal.htm. The site has an explanation of LATCH and pictures, too. I thought it was helpful.

Definitely go with the Medallion!!!!! I bought a Britax Roundabout and this was HUGE mistake!!! The fire department wouldn't even install it in my car in the rear-facing position. It's just not a stable seat in the rear-facing position because the seat doesn't lock in the reclined position. Yes, the Medallion does have a wide base, BUT if you have a 30/60 split in your back seat, you have to have a wide base to make it work. The Medallion was perfect for us and I highly recommend it, as does our local fire department.