Help with front-facing car seat

[rcoltman]

HI!!!!

I've read the recommendations for car seats and it seams like Britax is the number one seat. BUT, we need to buy 2 of them and I am trying to find something as safe but cheaper.

My son is now 13 months old and still riding in his Graco SafeSeat (i think that's the name, the one that goes up to 30 lbs).

So I need your help in finding his next seat, one he can use when he's more than 30lbs, but not as expensive as the Britax.

COSTCO has the Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite on sale right now for $125. Is that a good seat? Can't find much about it.


THANK YOU in advance for your help!
Roberta

[AnnieW625]

The general consensus of many people here is that rear facing is safest till at least two and a lot of people rear face until their children have outgrown the rear facing limit of the seat. I moved my daughter around at 12 mos. old two years ago, and we were never in an accident, but there are videos and such on the web of accidents involving children ffing in their carseats.

Try the Evenflo Triumph Advance, which depending on the model is between $110 to $150 on AlbeeBaby.com. The premier model supposedly has the best LATCH connectors. The Alpha Omega Elite is generally panned here because it's really overkill and you won't get the full use out of it because I think it has inadequate harnesses before it goes to a booster. Even the NTSB doesn't like it much, and the Baby Bargains book gave it an F. If you need to keep it under $100 then the Safety First Avenue available at Kmart, and Sears seems to be a popular choice. Besides the Omega Elite also stay away from the Graco Comfort Sport.

Evenflo Triumph Advance,
http://www.albeebaby.com/evenflo-triumph-advance-dlx-durango.html
http://www.albeebaby.com/evenflo-triumph-advance-lx-convertible-car-seat-ashburn.html
http://www.albeebaby.com/evenflo-triumph-advance-premier-convertible-car-seat-charleston.html

Safety First Avenue:
http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_10104_024W163016110001P?keyword=safety+fir st+avenue

You might also want to check out the The First Years True Fit, it's more than the Evenflo and Safety First seats, but people really like it here.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10226644

[lorinick]

Check out the EFTA as Mentioned in pp and The First Years True Fit also check out the RA50 Britax retail price 199. it's a great seat from Britax. Another one would be the Graco MYRide50.

Not sure what your price range is. But if you really want a Britax seat and can spend 200.00 you can find a great deal on MA.

I would skip the seat you mentioned the Safety First. It's okay not the best.

[bubbaray]

You need a seat that is both RFg and FFg -- called a convertible seat. Your son is too young for a FFg only seat. The AAP now recommends RFg to the limits of the seat. My DD#2 is 2.5 and still happily RFg in her MA.

[GraceH]

what are your current stats? bigger child who is close to 30lbs now, I might go MyRide65 for the weight limit... average child who has 3 months or so to go, I might go EFTA, TruFit, RA50... peanut or skinny leggy little that may have 6 months or more (my DS is still in his SS1 at 20months), I may hold off for a bit on the actual purchase, while seeing the actual outgrowth age (there seem to be more high-weight seats hitting the market, give them time to be properly reviewed in use, plus, newer date of man., etc.)...

[rcoltman]

THANKS ALL, you were of great help!

So it seams like the best thing to do is keep my son in his current seat until he reaches 30lbs, then probably get the Evenflo Triumph (a friend of mine has it for her twins and highly recommends it). This will buy me some time since my son is about 25 lbs now.

THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

[Piglet]

THANKS ALL, you were of great help!

So it seams like the best thing to do is keep my son in his current seat until he reaches 30lbs, then probably get the Evenflo Triumph (a friend of mine has it for her twins and highly recommends it). This will buy me some time since my son is about 25 lbs now.

THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

Where is his head relative to the seat back? My DD outgrew the Safeseat long before she was 30lbs - she is 29.8 lbs at 2+ but outgrew the SS at 14 months by height. You need at least 1" of clearance above his head. When his head hits 1" from the top you need a convertible seat!

[lorinick]

THANKS ALL, you were of great help!

So it seams like the best thing to do is keep my son in his current seat until he reaches 30lbs, then probably get the Evenflo Triumph (a friend of mine has it for her twins and highly recommends it). This will buy me some time since my son is about 25 lbs now.

THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

Most kids don't get to 30lb in a boucket seat. Usually hit the height first. There needs to be one inch of shell above your childs head. So make sure you take note to that seat is usually outgrown around 18-20mt.

[bubbaray]

If you want a Triumph, get the Triumph Advance (not the other model) and just use it RFg until he reaches the max of that seat.

The TA isn't a bad seat, but it wouldn't be my first choice. What about a TrueFit?

[rcoltman]

So based on all the replies above I was pretty much decided to get the Evenflo Triumph Advance.....until I read on that main thread from this web site that this seat is NOT one of the recommended ones. here's what it says:
Why is it less recommended?
Top harness slots are low, meaning children outgrow this seat very early
Seat shell is very short, meaning children outgrow it rear facing very early and also outgrow it forward facing quite early even if they don't reach the weight limit of the top slots.
Memory harness can be very confusing (but some people love it!).
Some people hate the harness adjustment on this seat (some people love it!).
It is very wide and very heavy.
It only rear faces to 30 pounds, which is inadequate. However the very short seat shell means most kids won't even make it to 30 pounds.

So for you all that have this seat, is the height of the seat a real issue OR is it only for the non-Advance models (what is the difference betweent the Triumph and the TA?).

And one more issue, this is kind of a new one...I am 4 months pregnant, so now this seat has to fit in my Mazda 6 ALONG WITH the infant car seat that will be installed for the new baby......will it fit? The quote above says that this seat is "very wide".

I am starting to think about the Britax Roundabout....not too much of a difference in price and great reviews.

Help! :)

Thanks again!

[vonfirmath]

I believe the Alpha Omega Elite sold by Cosco is the one that has a 50 pound Forward Facing limit. If so, then yes, its a decent seat -- for rear-facing and forward-facing. It STILL doesn't make a good booster so expect to have to pay for a different booster in the future.

Every seat out there has passed the same safety considerations. Some are easier to install in a wider variety of vehicles (I think this is a primary reason Britax convertibles get so many recommendations. It's certainly the primary reason we chose the Marathon and the Roundabout50). Some have twisty straps, etc. But finding the seat that fits your child, your car, and your budget and you can install properly every time is the primary thing to consider.

The descriptions you say seem to reflect the "Evenflow Triumph" NOT the "Evenflow Triumph Advance" -- which I have not heard any complaints of being outgrown early, etc. The EFTA (Evenflow Triumph ADvance) DOES go to 35 pounds rear-facing, etc. The big complaints I hear about the EFTA are 1) The red tabs poking and hurting their kid (not every kid, of course) and 2) the adjuster knobs getting stuck in the seat so being hard to turn (this is a part of trying the car out in your car, I think, to see if it fits for you). Personally, I don't like memory harnesses, but others love them So that's a personal preference thing. This was the number 1 "affordable" (For people who did not want to spend the extra for a Britax) recommendation for a convertible before the Truefit and all the other options came out in the past 2 years.

But yes, this is a wider seat. I'm not familiar with the Mazda 6 -- will you need 3 seats in the back or just two? Because I believe two can be placed outboard on either side so wideness should not be an issue. Be aware that once a child is older (which your current child should be old enough), a rear-facing seat can be placed at a more upright angle (up to 35 degrees on a TrueFit and 30 degrees on other convertibles) and won't take up as much space front to back.

[rcoltman]

quick questions/aswers:

- what is "memory harnesses"?
- "will you need 3 seats in the back or just two?" Just two.

Let me read some more about the TrueFit.

THANKS AGAIN!

[AnnieW625]

So based on all the replies above I was pretty much decided to get the Evenflo Triumph Advance.....until I read on that main thread from this web site that this seat is NOT one of the recommended ones. here's what it says:
Why is it less recommended?
Top harness slots are low, meaning children outgrow this seat very early
Seat shell is very short, meaning children outgrow it rear facing very early and also outgrow it forward facing quite early even if they don't reach the weight limit of the top slots.
Memory harness can be very confusing (but some people love it!).
Some people hate the harness adjustment on this seat (some people love it!).
It is very wide and very heavy.
It only rear faces to 30 pounds, which is inadequate. However the very short seat shell means most kids won't even make it to 30 pounds.

So for you all that have this seat, is the height of the seat a real issue OR is it only for the non-Advance models (what is the difference betweent the Triumph and the TA?).

And one more issue, this is kind of a new one...I am 4 months pregnant, so now this seat has to fit in my Mazda 6 ALONG WITH the infant car seat that will be installed for the new baby......will it fit? The quote above says that this seat is "very wide".

I am starting to think about the Britax Roundabout....not too much of a difference in price and great reviews.

Help! :)

Thanks again!

Not exactly who posted that information, but it's not 100% accurate because even the base Evenflo Triumph Advance (the seat has only been out since late 2007/early 2008 IIRC) the DLX rear faces from 5 to 35lbs; the prior Triumph 5 may have only had a RFing limit of 30lbs (which is the seat that I had) and yes it did have a shorter shell so most kids wouldn't make it RFing until 3 in the seat, but the Triumph Advance's shell is very similar in size to the Britax Marathon/Roundabout 50, and the The First Years True Fit. Evenflo discontinued the Triumph 5 in late 2007. I personally loved my Triumph 5 and if I need to replace the seat in the future because it has expired I'll definitely look at the EFTA closer. This link has all of the specifics about the seat. http://www.evenflo.com/product.aspx?id=21&pfid=186

I think you would do fine with EFTA and the Safe Seat in the back of a Mazda 6, but I would definitely do some comparing of seats in your car before deciding on a seat. However I think that you should be able to fit two EFTAs once your new baby has outgrown the seat.

Memory harness on the EFTA has to do with the tension knobs, and once you get used it it's really cool. When you first put your baby in the seat you'll adjust as tight as you can for the baby in the seat using the tension knobs. Then when you take the baby out you push the tension knobs in the opposite direction which releases them, but then when you put the baby back in you just twist the tension knob until it stops which is pretty close to the original setting that you set the knob at when you first put the baby in the seat. It sounds confusing at first, but take your baby with you to the store and try it out with him in the seat. Either you'll like or you won't but don't get frusterated with it.

Good luck, and congrats on your new pregnancy!

[lorinick]

I think at this time it's hard to find a TF. It is being redesigned and will cost more than the current retail price at 189. It is also a wide seat. I would really look at the new RA50 which rf till 35lb and is a much narrower seat than the TF and EFTA. The RA50 is a great seat as long as you have latch since the RA50 dosn't have lock offs.

Make sure you take note to where your child's head is in your Safe Seat. There needs to be one inch of shell above his head.

[vonfirmath]

I think at this time it's hard to find a TF. It is being redesigned and will cost more than the current retail price at 189. It is also a wide seat. I would really look at the new RA50 which rf till 35lb and is a much narrower seat than the TF and EFTA. The RA50 is a great seat as long as you have latch since the RA50 dosn't have lock offs.

Make sure you take note to where your child's head is in your Safe Seat. There needs to be one inch of shell above his head.

The RA50 is a great seat even without LATCH (which we don't have) because the lock offs don't matter if your seatbelts lock (which even our 2001 Pontiac Grand Am does)

However, even the RA50 is a relatively "wide" seat. The only really narrow convertibles are Radians and Cocorros. Sometimes other seats work well in combination for a good 3-across because they make puzzle together well (the wide part on one seat hits another seat in a narrower spot, or "over" the side, etc.)

The new TF is already out -- it is called the TF Signature Series and includes a Rebound Energy Management bar. Yes, these are more expensive, the original TrueFits are also out there still though. The big advantage of the bar (from what I understand) is that it prevents the harness adjuster button from getting buried in back seats when rear-facing. It also apparently serves like the rear-facing tethers that Radians and Britaxes allow, but no other US seat.

[rcoltman]

You girls are awesome, thank you for all your help, really!

I have a game plan: go to the local BRU store and try the EFTA and RA50 with my son and in my car (hoping they have these 2 seats and let me take them outside). Only then I'll know what works in my car. The BRU price is probably not the best, so once the decision is made I'll look for the best deal.

Another thing I'll be looking for: fabrics that are not too hot. We live in FL and all fabrics I see online seem SOOOOO hot! My poor son would melt! :)

My son's head is about 2" from the top of his SafeSeat (I actually used a tape measure just to be sure :), so I feel like I need to buy his next seat pretty soon.


Thanks again!

[rcoltman]

Oh, and one more question: after my son outgrows this seat, what is next, a booster? And do any of these seats turn into "the next seat thing"? I would be great if I could buy one seat now and never have to worry about another one FOR THIS CHILD again!

[AnnieW625]

Oh, and one more question: after my son outgrows this seat, what is next, a booster? And do any of these seats turn into "the next seat thing"? I would be great if I could buy one seat now and never have to worry about another one FOR THIS CHILD again!

You know I almost put that in my prior message but didn't want to confuse you! Since your kids will be 18 or so months apart and if you can keep the baby in the Safeseat until 18 mos. that means that your DS will be 3 when kid 2 is ready for the convertable seat and then DS will be ready for something like a Britax Frontier or Graco Natulus or if at that time you still want to keep him RFing the Radian XT/65/80 rear faces to 40lbs and then once he's 40lbs decide on whether to keep him in the harnessed Radian or get another belted high back booster at that time. That should get you through the next 6 years of your life:)

Graco Nautilus:
http://www.gracobaby.com/Search%20Results/Pages/Search.aspx?search=Nautilus#/1402

Britax Frontier:
http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/frontier/fabric-options

Sunshine Kids Radian (this seat is also narrow and you can fit two of them in a car at once, but they are rumored to be a pain to install and do take out a fair amount of room Rfing so be sure to check them out before buying if possible):
http://www.skjp.com/products/97556/Car_Seats

[niccig]

I would be great if I could buy one seat now and never have to worry about another one FOR THIS CHILD again!

Give up on the one seat only needed. Some states have a 8 years old or 4' 9" rule before children can ride in a seatbelt. And for some children, they are still too small to ride just in the seat belt at age 8 or 4' 9". My DS will be one of those. Most car seats and boosters have a 6 year expiration date, after that date, the manufacturer will not guarantee the seat will work. And depending on the size of your child, you could go thorugh seats quickly or slowly - it all depends on the child's growth. I doubt you can buy one seat NOW that will definitely know will keep you child safely restrained until they're big enough for just the seat belt.

Keep your child in a child restraint ( car seat or booster as appropriate) until they are big enough to be safe in just a seat belt. That might be 8 years, it might be 10, it might be 12. And yes, you will need more than one car seat. Buy the best seat for DC now at 13 months, and don't worry about what will be the best seat when he is 8 years old. For now, you child needs to stay RF - it is FIVE times safer. So buy a convertible, one with high harness slots and weight limit so you can use it as long as possible. Others have suggested the TrueFit, RA 50 etc. Once your child is too big for these, he might be ready for a booster, or he may need to be harnessed longer - it's too hard to predict what will happen. Do not buy a forward facing seat like that Nautilus or the Frontier...they will not keep a 13 month old as safe as a rear-facing convertible seat will.

[vonfirmath]

You know I almost put that in my prior message but didn't want to confuse you! Since your kids will be 18 or so months apart and if you can keep the baby in the Safeseat until 18 mos. that means that your DS will be 3 when kid 2 is ready for the convertable seat and then DS will be ready for something like a Britax Frontier or Graco Natulus or if at that time you still want to keep him RFing the Radian XT/65/80 rear faces to 40lbs and then once he's 40lbs decide on whether to keep him in the harnessed Radian or get another belted high back booster at that time. That should get you through the next 6 years of your life:)


If you want the Radian to rear-face beyond 40 pounds (in the United States) be sure you buy a seat with a date of manufacture 9/01/08 or beyond. The ones with DOMs before that did not have their rear-facing limits changed. Also note, they will not have the 40 pounds RFing on their labels or the box the Radian comes in. They do have it listed this way on the Sunshine Kids website now though.

Neither the Roundabout 50 nor the EFTA change into anything other than a rear facing and forward facing seat. The Alpha Omega does change into a booster, but the booster does not fit kids right so you need to buy another seat anyway.

The only seats that make decent boosters that I know of are Forward facing only seats (Frontier, Nautilus, maybe the Apex). And by the time your kids are ready for a booster (3-6 years?), there will be other choices out there, etc. I'd focus on what you need now and leave the booster decision for later.

In general, in seats as in other items, the booster seats that are designed to do only one thing do that one thing much better than the jack of all trades.

[arivecchi]

Oh, and one more question: after my son outgrows this seat, what is next, a booster? And do any of these seats turn into "the next seat thing"? I would be great if I could buy one seat now and never have to worry about another one FOR THIS CHILD again!
I agree with PP. Buy the best convertible seat for your DC now and figure out what he will need in the future when the need actually arises.

[rcoltman]

Once again, thank you all, you are amazing! I know I can always count on this board to get the answers I need!

So, once again, my conclusion is to NOT WORRY about the next seat after the convertible and cross that bridge when I get there!

Hoping to go to BRU this weekend to try out the seats. I'll let everyone knows what happens.

Thanks again!
Roberta

DS 05/08
D? 12/09

I love my P3 and Baby Jogger Performance strollers.

[niccig]

Hoping to go to BRU this weekend to try out the seats. I'll let everyone knows what happens.



Have fun car seat shopping. Post back if you have any questions...someone will surely be around to help...but maybe start a new post...this one is getting long, and we may not check it.

[vonfirmath]

I disagree. This thread is not that long at all. I, at least, will keep coming and its good to have all the information together rather than have to come up with it all again.

[GraceH]

Once again, thank you all, you are amazing! I know I can always count on this board to get the answers I need!

So, once again, my conclusion is to NOT WORRY about the next seat after the convertible and cross that bridge when I get there!

Hoping to go to BRU this weekend to try out the seats. I'll let everyone knows what happens.

Thanks again!
Roberta

DS 05/08
D? 12/09

I love my P3 and Baby Jogger Performance strollers.


FYI -- Target is currently clearancing many of their car seats, so you may want to take a look there too -- off the top of my head, I think I saw the Evenflo Triumph Advance (in brown/mint?) for about $98 there...

[rcoltman]

FYI -- Target is currently clearancing many of their car seats, so you may want to take a look there too -- off the top of my head, I think I saw the Evenflo Triumph Advance (in brown/mint?) for about $98 there...


So I went to BRU and the decision is made: Triumph Advance!
I put it and the RoundAbout50 side by side and compared dimensions, weight, etc, and also sat my son in them to check. Both have the exact same height so the whole story about kids outgrowing the TA by height too soon is not true!

Oh, and I think that my son liked the TA better too! He had a huge smile on his face when I sat him on it and not so big when he sat on the RA50 (might have been the COW PRINT of the RA50 that made it! :)

Now on to find the best deal on the TA and the price difference out there is not that big (Albee Baby barely has these seats). I checked my local Target and did not see the deals that GraceH mentioned above. I'll check again. If anyone knows of a deal on the TA please let me know.

THANKS AGAIN, you all rock!:jammin:

[niccig]

So I went to BRU and the decision is made: Triumph Advance!
I put it and the RoundAbout50 side by side and compared dimensions, weight, etc, and also sat my son in them to check. Both have the exact same height so the whole story about kids outgrowing the TA by height too soon is not true!


There are TWO different Triumph Advances - the old ones, that I don't think are made anymore, have a 40 lb limit and they were outgrown sooner. So when you read people talking about that, they are referring to the OLD model.

The new model has a 50lb weight limit and higher top slots...and that's the model you saw at BRUS.

Glad you liked it..I haven't seen any sales on it, but someone else might.

[AnnieW625]

That's a bummer that Albee is out of stock on the seats, you might want to call and see if they are getting new seats in. I also have the current BRUS mailer that has a coupon for 15% off one baby item, plus 15% off car seats that is good until Aug. 13th so send me a message and let me know if you would like me to send it to you.

I also checked a couple of sites for you,
Wal Mart (I believe this is the LX model)
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10745680

Amazon,
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=evenflo+triumph+advance&x=13&y=16

Target,
http://www.target.com/gp/search/177-5517088-4406831?field-keywords=Evenflo+Triumph&url=index%3Dtarget%26search-alias%3Dtgt-index&ref=sr_bx_1_1&x=17&y=10

[lorinick]

The RA50 is a great seat even without LATCH (which we don't have) because the lock offs don't matter if your seatbelts lock (which even our 2001 Pontiac Grand Am does)

However, even the RA50 is a relatively "wide" seat. The only really narrow convertibles are Radians and Cocorros. Sometimes other seats work well in combination for a good 3-across because they make puzzle together well (the wide part on one seat hits another seat in a narrower spot, or "over" the side, etc.)

The new TF is already out -- it is called the TF Signature Series and includes a Rebound Energy Management bar. Yes, these are more expensive, the original TrueFits are also out there still though. The big advantage of the bar (from what I understand) is that it prevents the harness adjuster button from getting buried in back seats when rear-facing. It also apparently serves like the rear-facing tethers that Radians and Britaxes allow, but no other US seat.

I think the RA50 is a great choice but others may not think so if they don't have latch. I know it can still be insatalled using the seatbelt. But could be a turnoff to some. It would be for me if I was thiinking of getting that seat and I didn't have latch.

I think the Britax BV and MA are narrow seats comparing them to the Graco MYride and TF and EFTA. I know the Radian is narrow but has issues with rf room.

I wasn't aware the new seat from TF was out yet have not seen it and the TF in BRU has been out of stock for months.

[rcoltman]

Annie, Thank you SO VERY MUCH for doing all the price search for me, I really appreciate it, really!

I checked again and Albee does have one pattern of the TA for $120, but I don't love the colors and for less than $5 I could get the color I want from other places you mentioned.

The best deal would be with Amazon.com, but next to the product name it says "...by Evenflo (Jan 15, 2008)". it looks like the MFG date, in which case the seat is old. Is that right?

The next best would be BRU with your coupon. Is this coupon store/area-specific? Our BRU (Jacksonville, FL) had a 15% off coupon on car seats that expired on Saturday.

LORI: I'm going with the TA because we need to buy 2 seats (one for each car) and the total price difference adds up to a lot of $! Both cars have latches.

[GraceH]

Now on to find the best deal on the TA and the price difference out there is not that big (Albee Baby barely has these seats). I checked my local Target and did not see the deals that GraceH mentioned above. I'll check again. If anyone knows of a deal on the TA please let me know.


Hmmm, in Chicagoland, most Targets are still clearancing them... if you happen to be driving by a different Target, I would quick stop in.

[AnnieW625]

Annie, Thank you SO VERY MUCH for doing all the price search for me, I really appreciate it, really!

I checked again and Albee does have one pattern of the TA for $120, but I don't love the colors and for less than $5 I could get the color I want from other places you mentioned.

The best deal would be with Amazon.com, but next to the product name it says "...by Evenflo (Jan 15, 2008)". it looks like the MFG date, in which case the seat is old. Is that right?

The next best would be BRU with your coupon. Is this coupon store/area-specific? Our BRU (Jacksonville, FL) had a 15% off coupon on car seats that expired on Saturday.

LORI: I'm going with the TA because we need to buy 2 seats (one for each car) and the total price difference adds up to a lot of $! Both cars have latches.

Amazon always put the first release date of a product on their webpage I believe. I highly doubt that you'll be getting a seat that is that old though. I guess you could always inquire with Amazon before ordering. I only ordered online from Albee and like I said I got a seat that was on sale (probably pattern being discontinued) and it was less than a month old.

I don't know if the BRUS coupon I got was regional or not, but this is the second or third week of carseats being 15% off, and they are good through Aug. 13 so I'd rather send it to you if you think you can use it. Also BRU offers multiples discounts if you buy two of the same item. You might want to call your local store and check.

[rcoltman]

Done! Ordered the TA from Amazon last night, and, Annie, you are right, the date next to the product name is the first release date of the product.

THANKS AGAIN to all of you for your great help, that's why I love this message board and come back here every time I need help.

Have a great day!
Roberta