I'm shopping around for an additional carseat for our other car for our 1 year old. Right now we have the new Safety First one with the "air flow" pads on either side of the head area. I like it okay, but am wondering what other moms would reccomend. I know Britax is supposed to be one of the best and it is an option, but if I can save money and still get all the safety needs met I'd rather not pay so much. I drive a smaller SUV and my husband drives a sedan, so if it's not huge that is also a good thing. What do you think? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Thanks for all the suggestions! I ended up ordering a Britax online. I know the extra money will be worth it now since so many people love them. FYI- to the one poster, yes, I still have my daughter rear facing as safety is a huge concern to me, thus why I'm taking the time to research carseats and I do know that the pads next to the head are there for side impact, that is why I purchased that seat in the first place, I just couldn't think exactly what to call them when describing. Thanks so much for all the help!
I recently got a Britax Boulevard for my son (got the 2009 on clearance at a GREAT price) and I love it. Their safety ratings have won me over - and my husband loves how much easier they are to move from car to car. We had a Graco that we gave away because the straps were never quite right and it was a HUGE pain to move from one car to another. I am a Britax believer.
hands down, britax boulevard. i was unfortunate enough to see it perform in an 80mph interstate rollover - both my boys were in boulevards, both walked away literally without a scratch. i immediately spent $600 on 2 new boulevards.
You have the Safety 1st Complete Air and it will rear face to 40lbs, I hope you are using it rear facing and using it to its full potential.... otherwise you are kind of wasting a good seat if you have your 1yr old forward facing in that seat. And they aren't 'air flow' pads, the yare air protect pads that are for side impact protection in a car crash.
Please, if you are using this seat forward facing for a 1yr old, google EXTENDED REAR FACING and JOELS JOURNEY for more information on why your child should be rear facing still!
As for a lower priced seat in a second car, the Britax Roundabout 50 will rear face to 35lbs, forward face to50lbs, and is $160 at Target, its an excellent seat, easy to install, and will last a long time for your child.
The Britax Frontier suggested below is not appropriate for your child, the child mus be at least 2yrs old, 23lbs to use that seat because its forward facing only and thats the requirements on that seat.
A few others are First years trueFit, Evenflo Triumph Advance (will work best in a smaller car).
We have a britax that will take her to 65lbs foreward facing and 33 lbs rear-facing. She has been in it for over 2 years now so we are really getting our moneys worth.
Also, you need to still have your little one rear-facing until at least age 2 (longer if possible) per the AAP recommendations so take your little ones current weight into consideration when looking at a good convertible seat. My 27 month old is still rear-facing in her Britax and she is in the 95th percentile for height and she's perfectly comfy riding rear-facing.
First Years True Fit! I have 2 of them and this is THE seat I recommend! It has good side protection, easily adjustable shoulder height, up to 65 lbs harnessed, and cheaper than Britax. This is the easiest carseat to install rear facing (I've done it with ~5 different models!). I have both my daughters 1.5 and 3yrs old in these seats. I've used them both FFing and RFing but they are both currently in my car RFing (because they like it and the safety factor). They fit good in my Nissan Murano.
I have a Graco Nautilus for the 3 yr old in our other car, and it is a great seat, but that is FFing only for older than your baby.
Love the Britax Marathon! We bought ours on Targets website and found a 15% off coupon online with free shipping :)
We use the Graco Nautilus, but it is only forward facing. We love ours.
I know it is costly, yet I don't think anything compares to the Britax Marathon. It is worth the money in comfort and ease of buckling. No twisted straps and easy to loosen and tighten. We used ours for three years so when you break it down, the cost is not huge.
Learning Curve First Years True Fit is by far my favorite. I ordered mine from Wal-Mart's website and got it shipped site to store and saved a ton of money.
http://www.albeebaby.com/sa1stap65bos.html
I love the apex 65
it is a lower price and keeps the kids in the harness until 65lbs. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!
I can't remember how big a one-year-old typically is but if your child is at least 25 lbs. and 30 inches you could get a Britax Frontier and never have to buy another car seat again. It converts to a booster and goes up to 120 lbs. and 65 inches. We also love, love, love the Britax Marathon...it goes up to 65 lbs. and 49 inches, and you can remain rear facing in it (you can't in the frontier). These are both fairly big and heavy but that's what I'd want in a car seat. Diapers.com often has them for 20% off and free shipping.
Graco - Nautilus 3-in-1 Multi-Use Car Seat, Matrix Bravo. I love this seat! If I could only convince my husband to let me get another so that both of our girls could be in it!
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Graco-Nautilus-3in1-Car-Bravo/8...
Two great websites for recommendations for car seats:
http://babyproducts.about.com/od/carseats/tp/topconvcarse...
http://carseatnanny.blogspot.com/
I have the Graco MyRide 65. LOVE it. We plan to get another one for my second baby.
