Considering buying ds a new seat,could use advice.

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

I'm considering buying ds a new seat. Right now he's in dd's old one and while it's still "functional" it is past its date and the front straps are so bunched and scrunched I can't get them straight no matter what I do . Add to that the fact that I do a LOT of interstate driving every day and I want ds to be safe.

I've been considering a britax for a long time but recently have been noticing a large number of recalls for them so I'm wondering if something from evenflo or graco would be better for us. Our minivan was made in 1997 so it's not LATCH equipped. Ds is 2, rides foreward facing and weighs about 26 pounds. I'll be using a portion of the tax return for this purchase so price really isn't much of a concern. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much folks.

[Joolsplus2]

Recalls, to me, says the company cares . Cosco does all they can to avoid them, while Britax has them before the government forces them to and any kid gets hurt.

That said, I'd go with a Marathon. The built in lockoff will act like a tether (if you can't get anchors installed, which you probably can, but I know time is always an issue when we have kids!), it hasn't had a recall in years (the bugs are worked out), it's comfy, it's easy to use, and it'll more than likely fit till he's at least 5 and ready for a good booster seat. They are on sale for a week starting 2/24 (Britax authorized sale at all stores, not sure what the prices will be, but probably pretty good).

The Radian is also a great seat, if that $139 sale on the RN 80 is still on (in someone else's post), I'm pretty sure it'll fit in your car and it performs well without a top tether too.

The Graco Nautilus is a new choice that's only at Walmart so far, it's a really nice combo seat, but I can't vouch for it's performance without a top tether (the MA and RN are excellent, this will be safe, but may not be as safe as the others in terms of head excursion).