Car Seat Tips

UPDATE! 9/9/07 I installed this seat in the Passat center with seatbelt. See review body.

UPDATE! 3/24/07 I installed this seat in the Xterra center with lapbelt. See review body.

This car seat was recommended to me because of it’s stellar safety ratings and I was SOLD on it when I read that Britax follows the safety standard of Europe and not the US because the US standards are far lower.

In looking at the store and comparing all of the seats (even trying them out in their demo car so that we could see the fit and ease of use. We found a feature of the Britax that we couldn’t live without. It uses the LATCH for rear facing positions as well as forward. WOW! This means that when you attach the seat, using the rear LATCH and the anchor (or seat belt) that the car seat, no matter how hard you try, isn’t going anywhere!

This seat is really big! That’s good for older kids that use it. My daughter is just 17 months old and weighs in at almost 35 lbs! I bought this for her because she was outgrowing her Britax Roundabout by her height.

This seat almost swallows her up its so big! There needs to be some type of removable cushion that you can place on the side of their head. When she falls asleep her head kinks to the side.

This seat however is not approved for use on an airplane. its to wide for the seats. Personally its to large and heavy to carry around through an airport anyway.

Let me start by saying we had an extremely fussy 4-month old. She absolutely hated being in the car - she screamed from the minute she goes in her infant seat until you take her out. You would think she would fall asleep during a 40 minute drive - nope, not a wink.

As a mother of 2 boys, a daycare provider, a future pediatrician, a car accident victim and a mom still building her family, I have to be able to TRUST whatever my kids, my future kids, and my daycare kids sit in!

No name brand loyalty here! I am not one of those people that keep up with the Jones, and have to have the best, despite the big price tag! My feet do not adorn Prada, my finger does not tote Tiffany, and my wallet is not held by Coach!

Key Features
Car Seat Type:Convertible
Seating Direction:Rear / Forward Facing
Stay-in Car Base:No Detachable Base
Restraint System:5-Point Safety Harness
Adjustable Harness Height:Adjustable Harness Height
Adjustable Recline Positions:Adjustable Recline Positions

Other Features
Weight Limit:5 - 65 lbs.
Height Limit:Up to 49 In.
Carry handle:No Carry Handle
Head Protection:No Headrest
Additional Features:Latch System • Central Harness Length Adjustment

Miscellaneous
:38957020

Details

The New Marathon has the following features: Isofit Flexible Buckle System for LATCH is a new method of installing a child seat without using the vehicle seat belt. A simpler installation means a more consistent and therefore safer installation. Isofit clicks into place for a secure hold, until you release it with a squeeze of the red trigger.

My daughter was about 4 months old when I developed a crick in my neck and a torn rotator cuff from constant turning around at red lights to put the pacifier in her mouth so she would stop crying. (Ok, so I exaggerated, it only FELT like a crick in the neck and a torn rotator cuff.) The pacifier didn’t work. After a few weeks of the incessant crying, I just thought “let her cry herself to sleep”. Well, that didn’t work either and I needed to carry a bottle of Advil Liqui-Gels in the car just to get to the store!!! (That part IS NOT an exaggeration). And then it hit me… DING DING DING… maybe she’s just not comfortable in that Evenflo Embrace Travel System Infant Carrier?!?!?!

We purchased 2 of these car seats for my 3 1/2 year old daughter who is 38″ tall and weighs 34 pounds. The seats are for her grandparent’s cars. Our daughter has been very happy riding around in her 2 Britax Roundabouts we have in each of our cars. I have been very hesitant to put her in a booster at all, much preferring the 5 point safety of her Britax. However, she was nearing the 40″ height limit on her Britax, and the top of her head was over the back of her car seat. I researched purchasing a larger seat to keep her in 5 point. Few choices were available, they were very expensive (Britax Husky $240.00) and her pediatrician said she was tall enough and weighed enough to graduate into a booster.

Shortly after our oldest turned one it was time to purchase her a convertible car seat. I did some research and headed down to our local baby store where I was a given a song and dance about the $200 Britax car seat. The sales woman looked shocked as I corrected the errors in her sales pitch and proceeded to buy the exact seat that I wanted, an Evenflo Triumph.

Key Features
Car Seat Type:Convertible
Seating Direction:Rear / Forward Facing
Stay-in Car Base:No Detachable Base
Adjustable Recline Positions:Adjustable Recline Positions

Other Features
Weight Limit:Up to 39.68 lbs.

Miscellaneous
:35849147

Details

This car seat has the flexibility of being both rear and forward facing. It’s a great choice if you don’t need an infant carrier that connects to a pushchair travel system.