I need advice on new carseats for 3 yr old and 1.5 yr old

[SFmomto2]

Hi,

I need to get new carseats for my children :

DS is 3yrs old : 30# and 37inches (average/thin build)
DD is 1.5 yrs old : 24# and 30inches (average build)

Other notes :
I drive a 2003 Passat wagon - it has lots of airbags including side curtain.

I was considering the following (but am open to other suggestions): Marathon, Graco Platinum or Radian65.

Radians seem a good choice if we decide to have another baby (3 carseats in the backseat) - but are they as safe as the Marathon?
Graco Platinum seems fine too but again, is the Marathon safer?
How soon to children outgrow the Marathon?

thanks in advance for your help!

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, I'd think the Radian is as safe as the Marathon...they have equal safety features and ease of use (the Marathon is easier to install rearfacing, however). The Cargo is even as safe, I love that seat for the price and features. SF? San Francisco? Have you been down to Lullaby Lane to try out seats there?
Why do you need new seats? Just curious..what seats do you have now?
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[SFmomto2]

I am embarrased to say that we do not have the greatest seats :
In my car, I have an old hand-me-down seat (Evenflo Medallion) from my sister (it's never been in an accident but I should have replaced it LAST year. The other seat is the Graco ComfortSport which we take with us on the plane.
We also have a spare Evenflo seat that is also way too old and is a hand-me-down from sis. This seat resides in my husband's car. He was in an accident 2 weeks ago. He's fine, but it prompted me to replace all our car seats for the safest available.

Thanks for your help! I really appreciate it.

BTW - Yes, I do live in SF, and we saw the all the seats down at Lullaby Lane last weekend, but the kids melted down before we could try them out. I think we'll make another trip down there to see which is the best fit. Thanks for the tip!

[Joolsplus2]

Oh, I had a super deluxe medallion for my first baby...LOVED that seat! Darn low top slots, though (my 2 yo's were too tall for it forward facing...sigh...).

It's so hard to seat shop with toddlers, good luck (maybe a pair of matching Marathons?)

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[SFmomto2]

Hi Julie and everyone else viewing,

I went to Lullaby Lane to check out the seats...

1) Radian - I really liked this seat because it installed very easily in my car. It has a small footprint, so I can easily see someone sitting in between the 2 carseats if needed. BUT the buckle between the legs comes up TOO CLOSE between my son's legs. I just can't see this being very comfortable. THIS ONE'S OFF MY LIST.

2) The Marathon was nice but pretty bulky and although the buckle was a better position, I just felt that in the next year or 2 it would be too uncomfortable (between the legs). It fit my 1.5yr old great. But I found that the :"Cheapie" Graco ComfortSport gives her a bit more room. But the extra cushioning might be great for her. I may get this seat for her. But it does seem to just "take over" the back seat.

3) The Graco Platinum was OK, but again the buckle comes up close between my son's legs. Both my old seats seemed more comfortable in terms of the buckle positioning.

While we were there, we also tried the Regent. Buckle position was great and the seat was roomy but IT IS BIG.....

They also had the Graco ComfortSport - super deluxe model. That was my favorite because of the roomy buckle and the not so large size.
.....but the 5pt harness only goes to 40lbs. I guess that is another option for my DD, but I'm afraid DS will only get a year or so out of it....but it is pretty inexpensive so I could always get that for now, and see what new seats may come out in the future....hmmm

I hate to be so picky but DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS???
thank you !!!!

[Joolsplus2]

The crotch strap moves out on the Radian, do you think an extra inch of space would be enough? I could measure, it might be more than an inch, but my 6 yo dd has no complaints about that at all. If it was in the closest in position, yeah, that's too tight for even my newborn (when I got the seat 9 months ago).
Same with the Cargo, I'm pretty sure it moves out, I'll have to check the manual at www.gracobaby.com to make sure, though.
I'd skip the Comfortsport, because the top slots are abysmally low (maybe a little higher than the Medallion, but not much).
The Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe is 'the same as' the Marathon, but has a few features missing (the most important feature to me is the nice harness, which it has :) ). The Cosco Scenera is my favorite bargain seat (at walmart and target and Babies R Us for the 'deluxe' model, which really sucks eggs for the extra 30 bucks they want for an infant head pad :P )...but I do love that seat for ease of use and installation. Is your 18 mo forward facing or rearfacing? Rearfacing is safest, but 18 months isn't bad for FF, so no point buying a small convertible like the Comfortsport or Scenera at all.

Sorry for the stream of consciousness post, I'll try to get a more coherent answer together later (dog, roomba, baby, blue's clues...you know how it can be, lol)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[mommyto4]

Julie, Do you know when the 50 pound version of the SafeSeat 2 is coming out? It might be a good option for the 3yo and even for the 1.5yo, if FF.

[Joolsplus2]

Oh yeah... Um... soon? lol....I think January?
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[mommyto4]

Darn! I guess that won't work since the seats are needed now. I had hoped it would be a decent choice.

[SFmomto2]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the all the advice!

Julie - Thanks for the info on the Radian. In light of the crotch strap adustability - I love the carseat! I get a great rock-solid installation in my car - but I don't think DS will be happy in it because it sits so low (He can't see out the windows as well). (If I end up getting the Marathon for DD, he might be bummed out since she will be sitting considerable higher than he)

I went to Babies R Us today and saw EVENFLO TRADITIONS and EVENFLO GENERATIONS seats - Any feedback (safety, ease of use,etc) on those (I couldn't find any info in BABY/TODDLER BARGAIN books)?? I like the fact that they have armrests which I think DS will think is cool. But since I didn't have DS with me, I couldn't check the harness height.

Currently, I am thinking the following : Get a Marathon for DD. And get Evenflo or Graco Platinum for DS. Once he gets 1-2yrs older I will get the Radian.

Will the "new" Safeseat (50lb harness) be approx. same size as the current one?? Maybe I'll check out that option. I can wait since I really urgently need to replace ONE seat.

thanks again everyone.

[mommyto4]

Maybe you could just get two Cosco Sceneras for now. They are pretty tall and harness to 40 pounds. There is nothing fancy about them but they are only about $40.00 at Wal Mart and they are very safe seats. For $80.00, it could buy you a little more time to wait for the 50 pound version SafeSeat 2. Just a thought since both kids will fit in them for awhile.

[Joolsplus2]

Big thumps up on the Generations...but do try the harness adjuster out first, it's really weird, with a dial, not a pull strap adjuster.
Even the Graco that only goes to 40 pounds is a nice tall seat with tall top harness slots, if you can find one (they might have been pulled off shelves before the 50pounder comes out)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[SFmomto2]

Thanks Melinda and Julie,

Firstly, Julie you asked if DD is ff and the answer is yes.

Also, I think I will now drag DD and DS to Babies R Us. Since they have the Marathon, Generations and Graco Platinum there and in stock. I have been reading that the Graco Safeseat installs wonderfully. After seeing how that radian installed (rock solid), I realized that my current seats do not install very well. I have a folded up yoga mat to help stop them slipping around and it works pretty well....IS THAT ALLOWABLE ??

Melinda, I will also take a look at the Scenera while I am at Babies R Us - I hope they carry it.

Do you think that my assumption that DS will not be happy in the Radian because it sits so low is valid? I drive a wagon, so we are not sitting as high as an SUV or Minivan to start with.

thanks,
Cara

[Joolsplus2]

You shouldn't put anything under a seat that either makes a bad install better, or a good install worse... ie, if you can't get a great install without the yoga mat, then the mat isn't really making it safer, just giving you the illusion it's safer/tighter. New seats really do install a lot better than old seats, it's quite astounding (man, the effort it took to get my old Evenflo and Century seats in...compared to my Britaxes... night and day...).

I've never really heard of kids complaining from being in lower seats... maybe you can fit him in the middle till he's taller and he can see out the front window ;).

Are you aware of the safety benefits of rearfacing till at least age 2 or longer if the seat allows? Check the link in my siggy if you want more information on that. And, does your car have top tether anchors? That's the second safest way to ride after rearfacing (and most older cars can be retrofitted with them).

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[SFmomto2]

Hi Julie,
Thanks for the heads up on the yoga mats - I'm glad I asked! It's just that the leather seats in my car are very slippery, which makes installation tricky.
I went to BRU again and Lullaby Lane again....

For DS (3yrs, 30#, 37")
Radian is out - crotch strap is going to be too tight - even in the outermost position.
Generations is out - Difficult knob adjust for harnesses (thanks for the tip to check that) + I think the arm rests are flimsy.
I like the Apex 65 - but the headrest seems really flimsy and kind of cheap -- YOUR THOUGHTS ???
Marathon is out - crotch strap will be too tight
SafeGuard seat - I LOVE THIS SEAT !!! BUT IT IS WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!!

We were going to settle on the Eddie Bauer high back booster (I dragged my husband car seat shopping today to get his opinion). But from searching the forums tonight, is it true that the harness position is lower than the Graco Platinum ???

For DD (1.5 yrs, 30",23#)

Probably the Marathon..

But considering on waiting for the Graco SafeSeat2 (she's fine in her ComfortSport for awhile) - is there really going to be a 50# harness model coming out??

Thanks so much for your advice,
I hope you had a great holiday weekend!

Cara

[Joolsplus2]

The Apex is fine, as long as you have headrests in your car... yeah, it is flimsy, it won't prevent whiplash injury without the vehicle support/headrest behind it...but it's roomy and installs well.
Eddie Bauer is really crapola, just skip it, no growing room :P
About tight crotch straps... usually the answer is to loosen the harness when you take the kid out, and tighten it when you put them back.. it's rare for kids to complain about them if you do it that way. (Not trying to convince you, just clarifying for others who might be freaking out to hear about short crotch straps and depths :) ). Try a Regent? Decathlon? Did you like the Platinum Cargo? The Zephyr model seems quite a bit roomier than the other models, from what I've seen, I'm not sure how or why, but it looks great.

Still hoping January for the Safeseat2 to 50 pounds... but your kids are not heavy, the 40 pound model might well be just perfect (for instance, my light kiddo was 33 pounds when she was 4.5 and had to go forward in her Marathon, and 40 pounds 18 months later when she got too tall for it... the extra 25 pound weight limit didn't do anything for her...she was your 3 yo's size when I put her rearfacing in a Marathon, lol).

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[SFmomto2]

Hi Julie,

Happy New Year!
I finally made a decision on the carseats :
1) Decathlon for DD (20months, 25lbs)
2) Evenflo Generations for DS (3yrs, 31 lbs)

I think the Decathlon is great! I'm not totally sold on the Generations but I could not find another seat (booster combo) that I liked better. I'm going to try it out and if I (or DS) don't like it I can return it to BRU.

Thank you for all your help!

I do have an install question for you. I can get a very solid install for both the seats using the seat belt (have not tried the latch yet). The seats do not move along the belt path after 1-2 good tugs, BUT if I continue to pull the seat back and forth (maybe 7-8 times) the seat eventually becomes kind of loose. I have leather seats so I think this may be why this happens???

thanks,
Cara

[Joolsplus2]

Cool! What car do you have, again (I don't have time to re-read, lol), i might know a trick to keep them tight.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[Joolsplus2]

2003 Passat... why not just use the LATCH?

put all your weight in the seat and pull up really hard on the shoulderbelt to make the lapbelt super tight, then pull the shoulderbelt all the way out from the side of the car, sloowwwly, to make it retract tightly and lock. Also, use the lockoff on the britax on the seatbelt.
It might be the leather, yeah, but don't be afraid to break your seats by putting your knee in them and cranking down the seatbelt...also don't forget to top tether!

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[SFmomto2]

Thanks Julie,

I'll try the latch. I was just too excited about getting the new seats and trying them out!
We went for a ride today. DD seems very happy in the Decathlon - she was really enjoying the "view".
DS was not as happy. The Generations sits lower than his old Evenflo Medallion. He said he likes his old seat better. I'll try it out for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.

I'll try the re-install with latch tonight. I am using the top tethers. Thanks for the reminder though.

I'll report back later,
thanks so much for all your help!
Cara

[SFmomto2]

OK -
I never installed using the latch, but I did jam my knee (with all my weight) into the back of the seat. That worked very well. The carsets are now very solid. Every once in awhile a give them another tightening.

DD loves her Decathlon. I am very happy with that choice!

DS likes his seat, especially the armrests. The fact that he is sitting low does not seem to bother him. He will NOT try the decathlon as he views it as a "baby seat". There are a couple of things that I am not happy with 1) the overall quality - Britax is so much more solid. 2) The crotch strap is still a bit of a problem. He complains about it. 3) I thought the Generations would offer him a bit more support when he fell asleep, but his head is always rolling forward.

I wish he would try the Decathlon - but he refuses...

Oh well!

Thanks for your help Julie!

[Joolsplus2]

I've been having computer issues...

Yeah, no seats are 'quite' as nice as a Britax.. have you tried the reclined setting on the generations to see if that prevents head-flop?

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx