Britax vs all other car seats (Alpha Omega), I don't know what to get

[baby feta]

This is our first baby, due in August and I have poured over this web site a number of hours and thought I was set on one of the Britax's, Wizard, Marathon or Roundabout. I went to BRU to register, the sales girl was extremely helpful and seem to know alot about the products in the store, she herself has three children. I began to ask her about the car seats and she said..
1. that the Alpha Omega was a 3and1 and rates well. She herself has it and is very happy with it.
2. The AO does have a height adjustment.
3. A lot of customers have come back and said the Britax buckles are easily unlatchedably and come to find out Britax sales a safety cover to remedy this problem.
My question is does anyone have any experience with the AO.

Thanks,
Baby Feta

[DebbieJ]

My nephew has an AO and it is HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE when compared to our Marathon. The straps are twisty, is SO hard to adjust the harness, you need a locking clip to install it correctly with a shoulder belt, you cannot easily remove the cover for cleaning....I could go on and on about how much I HATE that seat.

There are some great online deals for the Marathon right now that make it well worth the extra $50 to $75.

~ deb
DS 12/03
And a niece or nephew arriving in early August!

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[Joolsplus2]

That is some massively old info about the Britaxes being easy to unbuckle...they DID have an old style buckle on the RA's about 3 years ago that was a problem, but it's never been an issue with the new style harnesses.

I don't know what it is with BRU employees and the AO...they love it. Must not get paid enough to afford a MA? <snicker>.

Seriously, the top harness slots are SO low that most kids are too tall for the harness at like 2.5-3.5, and at that age, NO WAY are they mature enough for a booster seat. The MA (and cousins) top harness positions are like 3 inches taller than the AO, so it lasts, harnessed and safest, till age 6 or so. The booster on the AO is the pits...it might be "good enough" for people who don't come online to do their research, but for our well-researched babies, we don't want them in a booster that pushes the lapbelt up on the belly and holds the shoulderbelt out off the chest too far. ;)

Julie CPS Tech and mom to 2 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[MamaParis]

Ok I have an Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 (same as the Alpha Omega, by the way) and I also have a Britax, Wizard, 2 Marathons, and a Roundabout.

Seriously there is a HUGE HUGE HUGE difference!!

The Britax seats are FAR FAR FAR easier to install - they are FAR FAR FAR easier to use ... and they have "extras" like the EPS foam to absorb the energy of a crash and little things like velcro to hold the harness to the side while you put the kid in the seat.

The Harness heights on the 3 in 1 are some of the SHORTEST out there - you CANNOT use the top position for the harness - its only for booster mode!

My straps were the "new" untwisty straps - so we never had the twisting problem that plagued that seat in the past - BUT that puzzle buckle isn't fun at all when you have a RF 2 year old in it!!

And the Harness adjuster strap is rather difficult to use - its not like a one-pull and its tight kind of thing like the Britax seats harness adjuster is ... you've gotta really work it to get it to its proper tightness!

OHHH and for the record - the ONLY carseat buckle that my oldest has EVER been able to undo on her own was the EB 3 in 1 seat's buckle!!


Honestly, I wouldn't put too much into what a BRU employee says - they're not trained to KNOW about carseats - they're trained to sell them.

I watched a CPS TECH at our Baton Rouge BRU tell this couple - this INCREDIBLY tall couple (like the woman was AT LEAST 6" taller than me and I'm 5'9"!! And her Husband was EVEN taller than her!) Anyway - I watched this TECH, none the less because our BRU has a tech on hand some days of the week to answer questions and so on - anyways - she told them that they should get the Eddie Bauer seat because it'll last them the longest and it can be used as a booster and "most kids don't want to ride in a carseat until 65 lbs anyway!" UGH! Then she told them some garbage about how ALL britax seats were just recalled for a HUGE safety issue ... and that Cosco seats are rarely recalled ...

OK this was when I had to laugh out loud and roll my eyes and sit on the bench and see what else she had to say.

She also went on about how the EB seats are sooo much more padded and easier to use and so on.

So these people asked her again about the Marathon since they said they think they'll have a tall child that they have been told by everyone to go for the marathon! So she measured the harness heights for them and she measured the TOP slots of the 3 in 1!!!! and tells them .. see - its pretty close - whats an inch? LOL

SOOOO ... they put the 3 in 1 in their cart - which was when me and my carseat-stalker self chimed in ... "ummm ... that top harness slot ISN'T to be used for the harness" ... THAT got both their attentions and so then I went on my sales pitch for the Marathon over the 3 in 1 ... pros and cons and I EVEN took them out to my moms car (she was with me - incredible embarrased, by the way) - where we have the 3 in 1 installed and we had a Wizard installed - BUT same basic thing.

So I let them play with the seats and all.
Needless to say - they were quite thankful and said that they had budgeted for the Marathon but they felt like they HAD to trust the tech as for recs.

ANYWAYS - to make this long post short ...

I'f a Marathon/Roundabout/Wizard etc is inyour budget AND they fit your car well (which I have had NO problem fitting a britax seat in any of the various vehicles they have been in - where as I find that I can't put the 3 in 1 everywhere and get a good fit)
Then get what you want.

The people at BRU also told me when I was registering for my first child that the Graco Travel system was THE way to go .. and that the Peg Perego system I had researched and so on was just overpriced and useless.
So I actually listened to them and it was the WORST purchase I ever made.

So ... I'd go with your own research and so on for this decison - ignore what BRU employees say! :)

[baby feta]

Oh my gosh, thanks for the detailed info.
I'm going to re-register for most likely the Wizard then. The only reasons I'm registering at BRU is because it easy on others. If it was me I would of bought it off the internet somewhere else because the prices are better.
Thanks it so hard being a first time mom and not having the experiences.

Baby Feta

[DebbieJ]

Maybe you could get some family members to go in on a big gift and buy the Wizard for you.

We just did that for my sister. She registered for the MA at BRU, but then my other two sisters and I bought it for her online from Baby Universe. We just ended up telling my sister and she took it off her registry.

~ deb
DS 12/03
And a niece or nephew arriving in early August!

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