[jules17]

I figured...we have a subscription to CR, but also found the following informative. Do I know with absolute certainty that I should trust these sites/links? No...but I wouldn't just take CR's opinion either.

Child Carseat Safety Features and Buying Guide

Another interesting article: http://www.carseatsite.com/cr.htm


In addition to the fact that Consumer Reports has sometimes given advice and ratings that don't reflect best (safest) practice and that they don't always give enough information for parents to understand their legitimate warnings, there are other reasons to be skeptical of their ratings:

• Crash tests like those done by CR are only useful if the carseat fits your child and vehicle as well as the carseats at CR fit their dummy and test sleds.

• Their ratings circles give no information on how their results were interpreted and they may exaggerate small differences when they normalize their data. So, it is quite possible that a seat rated "Fair" (half black circle) for crash protection is nearly as safe on a crash test sled as one rated "Very Good" (half red circle). We just aren't given enough information.

• Consumer Reports does not reveal any of their data or relate their crash protection ratings to a real-world risk of injury. With no information on their criteria for fit to vehicle or ease of use, we have no idea if their tests will be valid outside the laboratory. In a real crash, with your child, your vehicle and your installation, that model rated "Fair" could well be safer than the "Very Good" one!.

• Their findings are not peer-reviewed. Respectable studies are submitted to industry journals or independent experts to be reviewed before they are published. Consumer Reports does not participate in this process that is very important to reveal potential flaws and errors in methods and data.

• They simply didn't test many of the models that are currently available and only one version of each model they do test. Some versions they did test are already discontinued and the results may not even apply to newer versions.

• Perhaps most importantly, they don't test models in side (some infant seats have recently been tested in their new side impact test), rear or rollover crashes. These types of crashes can be very deadly, and some models may excel in these critical areas that are mostly neglected by Consumer Reports.

• Some models have earned notably different ratings and comments from one review to the next, even though the model is essentially unchanged. The margins of error for their testing and subjective ratings are questionable and the ratings are sometimes inconsistent.

• Each parent may have preferences for "Ease of Use" that may well vary from the opinion and biases of Consumer Reports (or the NHTSA in its ratings). The best way to choose is to evaluate models in person with your own child and vehicle because any particular top-rated model might not seem very easy to you.

[TXTennis]

We have 3 Triumphs and are happy with them.

[prayingmommy]

We have the Britax Marathon and LOVE it. I bought the Britax Roundabout for my parents' cars but I like the Marathon better because it holds up to 65 lbs and the Roundabout only holds up to 40 lbs.

[bbeard72]

Definately get the Britax. We have the roundabout as the Marathon only will fit in larger cars.

[Travelkid]

Britax all the way; they work every penny!

[afentress]

Have to vote for the Britax Marathon. Even though it was pricy, you can feel that it is well made is wide enough that it's comfy for up to 60 pounds which means we don't have to buy another for a very long time!!

One warning. If you have a small car this may not work for you. It's a big car seat.

We have new restrictions in MD so we'll be using the seat for a long time and it's been great.

Angie

[nurse_reedle]

Good suggestions here! A good cheap seat is the Cosco Scenera too. Easy to install and under $40 usually. It is really basic though and goes to 40lbs.

I wanted to send a note too that you should never add padding behind your child or around the straps. When you add stuff like that, the harness can't tighten like it should and those things can compress in a crash, leaving too much room for your child to move.

[DPline]

Originally Posted by nurse_reedle

I wanted to send a note too that you should never add padding behind your child or around the straps. When you add stuff like that, the harness can't tighten like it should and those things can compress in a crash, leaving too much room for your child to move.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Absolutely NOTHING should be added to a car seat that did not come with the seat as the seat was not tested with this added item(s) and can compromise the safety of the seat.

As to the origional topic, I LOVE Britax seats. For ease of use, in my opinion they can't be beat. And has been pointed out by other posters, all seats meet the Federal standards, but it is whether the seat is installed correctly and used correctly every time that makes the difference.

[asauer]

We have the Evenflo Titan which was actually rated best value in consumer reports. I love them- DS is 22lbs and DD is 18.5lbs (17 mos). Both can fit in the back seat of my Honda Fit and seem to be pretty comfortable for both of them. They're also fairly easy to install and take out.

[redru2004]

Another vote for Britax Marathon here! I love this carseat and so does Lucas! As you can see from the picture below, he has NO trouble sleeping in it either!

[MNStarr]

This is my own personal experience but my husband works full time on an ambulance and when it came time to choosing a car seat he INSISTED we get a Britax Marathon. Just from what he had seen during slight car mishaps and full on car accidents this was the one car seat that he said really stood up. In fact I would 90% of the other employess there have their children in the Britax as well. Now I do think ALOT of it is how the seat is installed but he said he has seen first hand how it stands up in accidents and knows how much easier it is for a medic to remove during an accident.

[myguatbabes]

We have 2 Britax car seats and 2 Britax Parkway booster seats for our 4 little guys. Britax is big and bulky, but they are strong and sturdy products. We also like the Alpha Omega which is also rated higher by consumer reports and is 100+ dollars cheaper.

Good luck!!

[avoel]

If your baby is 16 months old and still in the infant carrier please check the height restrictions on it. Even though she is just now 20 lbs, there are very few of those type of seats that safely fit an average 16 month old length wise (most are 26 or 29 inch height limits...there are a few that go a bit higher). If her head is not at least an inch below the top of the seat and if her feet are really hanging over...she needs a bigger seat ASAP.

If she is just now reaching 20 lbs, consider researching the benefits of leaving her rearfacing longer in her new bigger seat.

[nurse_reedle]

Actually, feet hanging over has NOTHING to do with it...only torso height. :-)