Car seat model years

[09Mom]

Are car seats like cars where model years usually come out around the same time each year, and if so when is that?

[Joolsplus2]

Nope, they roll out on a continual basis. Usually paying full price for a seat means it's brand new, but sometimes screamin' deals (such as at www.albeebaby.com) at a store with extremely high inventory turnover can get you a brand new seat. And sometimes paying full price at a small store with no turnover can get you a seat that's pushing two years old. Mostly it's possible to check the box for the newest Date Of Manufacture before you buy it, or call an online store to ask if they can guarantee you the newest one possible. Seats have a lifespan of 6-9 years before they 'expire' and must be destroyed, so getting the newest one can be important for a big seat or if you plan to use it for more children later.
Are there any particular seats you're considering? Maybe we can give you the scoop on them :)

[09Mom]

Thank you so much Julie!

DD will be 1 in a couple of weeks. She is in 3rd percentile for weight and 60th for height, but who knows if that's the curve she'll stay on. We'd like to keep DD RF as long as possible. We need 3 car seats for '99 BMW 3 series. '08 Saturn Aura and 99 Buick Century (nanny car). The preference is to have her in the middle seat. We were thinking of getting same car seat for BMW and nanny car and maybe a more comfortable one for DH's car.

Here are some of the ones we are looking at.
http://www.diapers.com/Product/ProductDetail.aspx?productId=16951

http://www.albeebaby.com/britax-diplomat-convertible-car-seat-huntington.html

http://www.albeebaby.com/britax-roundabout-convertible-car-seat-in-bellamy.html

We were thinking the Diplomat looked better than Roundabout for just $10 more.

Any help and recommendations is much appreciated! We would like to keep each seat <200.

[Joolsplus2]

Ah well, you saw my opinion of the Diplomat ;). That's not a bad price for a Roundabout, and one small, light, travel seat may be really handy for you (the RA is lighter than the DP).
Maybe two Marathons and a Roundabout? Or possibly look into the Sunshine Kids Radian, because it will last longer than all those and folds for portability. But it can be harder to install than the Britaxes. First Years True Fit Premier is also an awesome choice (but hard to find cheaper like that).

[09Mom]

We do travel by plane a few times a year and I didn't think about that. We had a little bit of change in plans because we went to BRU to see if the RA and MA would fit in my car and we found an open box RA50 that we ended up getting for 136 after tax. So now we are thinking the RA50 for my car, MA for DHs car and I know from your post you didn't think they Diplomat was worth the $ but DD would outgrow a DM and RA at the same time, so would you go RA or DP for nanny's car? Do you think keeping the open box RA50 is a good idea? I'm hoping DD will use for 2-3 years then it will go to DC2.

[Joolsplus2]

Great bargain on the RA50! If you're really planning a second kiddo pretty soon, then maybe the RA isn't too bad of a deal for a less-used/travel seat. And a Marathon or second RA50 for your DH's car (they are really about the same, the RA50 has not-as-nice LATCH, but a nicer harness adjuster than the MA, but they are otherwise about the same).

:)