Question for Julie

[jillraeann]

Julie, I am confused...looking for our next car seat after our snugride. I checked both Consumer Reports and National Highway Safety Assoc. there seems to be some varying data on the results
We are trying to decide between the Britax MA and the Evenflo Triumph. The TRiumph was not rated very well with th National Highway but with CR it was rated fairly high. Any thoughts or feedback from you would be great! Our little one is going to be 12 months in about a week and a little over weighs 19 LBS. She is on the shorter side. Thank you!
Jill

[Joolsplus2]

NHTSA only rates 'ease of use'...and yeah, the Triumph is harder to use than the Britaxes, because it has a very odd harness adjustment mechanism, more recline angles to add confusion, and I hear you need a screwdriver to take the plate off the back to get the cover off to wash it (no tools for the Britaxes...). Consumer Reports testing procedures are hidden...we really don't know if half a red circle is a little worse or a lot worse than one red circle...not to mention, they can't detect some other seats' failures that NHTSA CAN find (the Cosco Alpha Omega and Summit flat out fail without a top tether, yet CR recommends the Summit without reservation? scary!).

So, your best bet is to be *here* :) Not just me, but all the moms here are on top of their stuff and know why they like or hate about seats. Some DO like the Triumph...it's perfectly safe, relatively easy to install, comfy...I don't like it, because it's not very good for rearfacing a long time, and rearfacing is safEST... but that's my biggest complaint (well, I can't install it in the center of a late nineties Accord, I HAD to install it in the window seat, so I'm a little peeved at it, lol). Britaxes just have more safety and ease of use features, and of course the Marathon/Boulevard/Decathlon last several years longer than any other seat... you pay twice as much, but get to use it twice as long, not to mention the cuter covers, easier to wash, rearfacing tether, built in lockoffs, much better LATCH connectors, more head-protective EPS foam, and better quality harness straps.

The *main* thing about making a carseat safe is that it fits your vehicle and your child BEST... and you can't really judge what will work best for YOU until you see it...plunk your kiddo in it, play with the harness, try to install it in your car... If there's any chance the harness will be loose or the fit in the car will be bad or you won't use it right on any given trip, then it's not the safest seat for you, no matter what the crash tests or ease of use tests say.

Soooo...read up and down and see what issues people are having with various seats (try not to let the rearfacing tethering and funky lockoff issues for rearfacing scare you from the Britaxes...they are kind of a thorn in my side lately :P ), and see what you think appeals to you.

:)

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