Help with leaving infant car seat and picking Convertible car seat

[mtrattner]

Hi!
Well it seems that everyone absolutely adores the Britax seats. Marathon seems to be the favorite.
I mentioned this to DH and he can't understand why we would spend so much money. He thinks that the Evenflo got a great review from Consumer Reports so we should go with that. Any advice?
Also I have a Ford Explorer which does not have latch in the middle seat. Only on the side seats. Is it safer to install the convertible seat with latch on the side or is it safer to use the seat belt in the middle?
I am absolutely dreading this and just wish DD could stay in car carrier forever!
All advice and help is so very appreciated. Thanks!!
:) Melanie

[golfgirl12_27]

Well, the Evenflo seat was rated highly- but it has a lower weight limit. It only goes to 40 pounds whereas the MA goes to 65. Also- there's a great deal on a MA right now at babyage.com that makes it about $190- so not a whole lot more than the Evenflo considering you can use it longer.

Does your middle seatback pull down into an armrest? If so, it's not safe to put a car seat there at all. DD's infant seat was on the passenger side with LATCH and her MA will be there too (on Tues. when it arrives!!!!) because our seat has the pull down armrest in the back center. Hopefully Julie will reply to this with her wealth of knowledge on the seatbelt vs. LATCH debate.

[Wife_and_mommy]

The Britax will be easier to clean as the Evenflo needs to unscrewed to clean the cover. It will be a lot easier to install with the belts. And you will be able to use it a lot longer. Most kids that outgrow their 40-lb convertibles aren't mature enough to sit in a booster. Not to mention you'll get to pick a really cute cover. :P

As far as the LATCH vs. belt issue, they're equally safe so use whichever will get you the better install.


Elizabeth

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_gold_12m.gif[/img][/url]

http://lilypie.com/days/060228/3/21/1/-5/.png

[DebbieJ]

Clarification on the arm rest issue: You CAN install a seat there. Check your manuals of both your car and your car seat; if it says you can't, then you can't. But if it says nothing, you CAN install your seat there.

We had our infant seat and our Marathon in the middle of our Honda CR-V, which has an armrest.

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

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/user_files/10029.gif

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/candle.gif

[kellyotn]

With carseats, DH doesn't argue with me. :-) But, with other things (strollers anyone?) I just ask him "Would YOU buy the cheapo drill/lawnmower/mountain bike or do you spend the money for the one that you like and that'll last?" ;-)

NOT saying that the Evenflo (or any other less expensive seat) isn't safe - they are perfectly safe if used correctly. But, the MA will last LOTS longer height and weight-wise, along with being a well-made generally easy to use seat. Not to mention the cute covers!

It'll last until the child is 5 or 6. Divide the $198 by 5 or 6 and it doesn't seem so bad per year! :-) (A 40 pound seat may only make it until the child is 3.) Plus unlike a drill/lawnmower/mountain bike, you use a car seat every darn day, multiple times. Get the one you like to contend with!! :-) If that's the Evenflo, great! If one car is used a lot more, get a more expensive seat for that car and a $40 Cosco Touriva/Scenera/Regal Ride for the other. (Less padded, not flashy, but well-regarded inexpensive seat).

And, for me, I like knowing that I don't have another car seat decision to make for several years. A friend had the Evenflo and she loved it. But, it started getting tight in the shoulders for her son when he was only 1.5 (despite the fact that its a really really wide-looking seat, and he wasn't a huge kid). By the time he was 2, it *had* to be passed down to the new baby because it just was getting too hard to wrestle him into it and he looked so cramped. So, she had to buy him something bigger (a Marathon). :-)

[Blue Jeans Mama]

There is a VERY good post bellow that talks about the MAJOR difference it makes to go to the store and try installing the seats yourself.

I suggest going to BRU and trying the seats.

To me the most important part is that YOU KNOW how to use the seat the RIGHT way. That you get a good install in your car and taht it fits your car.

Take DH with you and try everything out and see how it works. THEN show him the cheap prices you can get over the internet for the same seats.

If all this fails and he still doesn;t want the same seat you want. I SAY buy what you want anyways LOL he'll get over it LOL

Good Luck and HAPPY shopping

Cathy

[mtrattner]

For installing, we don't have an armrest in our Explorer center. But it seems with the infant seat in the center, only using the seat belt it gets out of whack at least once a week. So I have to redo the base. I guess I was just wondering if I would have the same problems with the convertible seat? So if I get a better install with the latch and hardly have to redo it then should I go for the side seat with latch? Or is it not worth it?

I think DH and I are just really confused by the next level or car seats. The snugride was just the obvious answer for an infant seat so we are confused by all the different parts of a convertible seat. I am definitely leaning towards the marathon. Although we have to get it at Babies r Us because we have a lot of money in gift certificates there so I am sad that I can't pick a better cover. Oh well. I will pass on some of this info about the Marathon lasting longer to DH and I am sure he will be willing to go for it since neither of us enjoying shopping for carseats more than we need to. :) Plus we will probably want a seat for his car and he can pick that one. :)

:) Melanie

[kellyotn]

I'd buy diapers & other stuff at BRU and still order online. Gift certs don't expire do they? Britaxes especially are SO much cheaper online - no taxes either! Then at some places you can use eBates and get even more back in a refund.... (babyage pays out, babyuniverse seems to be iffy.)

My 2 cents! I'm all about good deals though. ha ha.

Definitely go to BRU to play with them in person. (Just don't put 100% stock in the sales people - some are good, but I've heard horror stories!!) Show DH how much higher the top slots are and how much higher the seat back is for the MA. In addition to knowing there is a 25 pound difference, its pretty convincing. ;-)

[MamaParis]

Ditto!!

Save the gift cards for diapers and wipes and other necessities!!

BRU has good prices on big boxes of diapers and wipes BUT they are WAYY WAAAY overpriced on carseats!!

I paid like $190 or $185 total for my newest marathon i got and if I had gotten it at BRU it would have been close to $275!!! Almost a $100 difference!!!

Seriously! save the gift cards!

As for an evenflo seat vs the Marathon ... IMO they're in two different leagues of seats! My neighbor has the Evenflo Triumph - its an ok seat - but her 2 year old is almost too tall for it! Its got a REALLY REALLY short seatback on it! She couldn't leave her RF as long as possible because of the short seatback and lower weight limits. And she's about to HAVE to buy a new taller carseat to accomodate her DD!! So she pretty much has spent on the two carseats what she would have spend on a Marathon that would have lasted her the whole time!!

My suggestion is to just get the Marathon and order it on-line for cheap! And save the BRU gift cards for later on!

[mamaAnn]

PLEASE take DH to a BRU and try installing/adjusting the Evenflo and the Marathon on their "try it out" seat and he will understand!!!!!!!

I cannot stress what a huge difference there is in ease of installation and adjustment between the Triumph, Alpha Omega, Eddie Bauer and MA. The MA is 10x easier than the others to install and get TIGHT enough IMO.

I was also leaning towards the others in Consumer Reports to save some money since they are all safe. BUT...someone said here-the safest one is the one you can use PROPERLY. This is 100% correct! I could not get the others as tightly installed as the MA and the seat is nicer with the rubber strap guides to help prevent twisting-which I always have issues with.

So-YES-there is a difference!
And tell him you'll have the seat for years-literally! And won't have to buy another until she's about 6 yrs old (depending on size of course)-so that will save money!

[randomkid]

I agree with getting a good deal on the internet, but be sure you are going to use your giftcards within a limited time. I think it is after two years that a monthly service fee is deducted from the cards, and they lose value fast. We were given a $100.00 gift card by our church and when I used it, there was only $66.00 value left on it. Our church apparently buys several at a time and saves them to give out when needed. They weren't aware of the service charge. I think I used about $40.00 of it, then a month later, there was nothing left on it! If you have more money in cards than you think you could use to buy other necessities, I would go for the carseat so you don't lose your giftcards. Just read the back and it should tell you what the terms are. If not, there should be an 800 number that you can call. Hopefully, this is all wrong and they have changed the terms.