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Curious1
Member
08-31-2002
| Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 12:26 pm
We need help! We are trying to find out what the safest car seat out there is (want side impact protection). I'm having a hard time sifting through the "reports" and distinguishing between what is actually the safest car seat and what is just marketed as "safe" by the manufacturer...any help would be appreciated!
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 2:02 pm
This doesn't answer your question but I think it is also important to mention how important it is to follow the instructions and use the car seats correctly. I am astonished and appalled at how carelessly or poorly some people use them when it is their child's life that is at stake.
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Spygirl
Board Administrator
04-23-2001
| Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 9:07 pm
Curious, after reading all the reviews in early 2007, we opted for the Britax Bouvelard...but we have to warn you - it is HUGE. We loved it so much, we bought two (one for each car) - LOL. Who knows what is out there now as my research is a bit dated, but we love it and have had no problems at all.
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Curious1
Member
08-31-2002
| Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 10:30 pm
Spy...thank you for your suggestion, we have been looking at the Britax models but can't decide between the boulevard, marathon, and roundabout. We saw the roundabout in the store but it looks like a tiny baby would just flop around in it since it doesn't have any of the extra "padding". Yet the marathon looks like an older baby would feel cramped with the side impact "head rest" thingy (do you know what I'm talking about). I did read some reviews on the marathon that said their child didn't like having his view restrained...have you had a problem with this as your son has gotten older? Jimmer...you are so correct about how important it is to install these correctly...and sometimes that can be a challenge figuring out how to get it just right. We plan to take our car seat to the fire department to have them check it out, they do this for free and it's a great way to double check that you have gotten it right! Thanks.
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Eeyoreslament
Member
07-20-2003
| Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 11:02 pm
I just saw this topic, and was coming in here to say the same thing about the fire department. My friend up here recently had a baby (well, his wife had the baby), and there was advertising about the fire department check. He thought he'd try installing it himself before going, just to see if he did it correctly, and it turns out he DIDN'T! Sure makes you think! I recommend it to EVERYONE now.
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Christy358
Member
07-10-2007
| Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 11:13 pm
I love this use of the Fire Dept. They sit and wait for an event they do not want to happen. This is so positive.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Saturday, November 08, 2008 - 11:28 pm
CHP and some of the larger insurance companies do it here. They have a weekend twice a year, big event where they show you how to install them correctly, food/drinks, and help low income families get car seats. But you can also stop by the chp or one of those insurance co's anytime (I went by the chp office when I started babysitting my nephew.)
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Tess
Member
04-13-2001
| Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 1:40 am
Curious, I belong to Consumer Reports online and the car seat which got their highest rating was the Chicco Key Fit Infant Car Seat. It not only performed well in all the safety tests, but it also score highest for ease of use and fit to vehicle. It got the highest score of 88 out of 100. The Britax also passed the crash tests but did not score as high in "ease of use" as the Chicco Key Fit. It also shows to be $40 more expensive as the Chicco. The Chicco is the only baby seat which scored an excellent in both categories. If you are looking at convertible seats (stroller to car seat), here is the link in Consumer Reports for those comparisons. convertible car seats
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Curious1
Member
08-31-2002
| Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 10:23 am
Tess - thanks so much for the info, I went to the link but it requires a login name and password...I guess you must need a subscription? Thanks to everyone else also, I think it's great that the fire and police dept's offer this service and I hope more people use it! Any other feedback or links to articles would be greatly appreciated! tia
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Curious1
Member
08-31-2002
| Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 10:36 am
Also, we are looking for a car seat that goes from forward facing to rear facing (convertible) so we don't have to buy an infant one now and then another in a year. If anyone happens to see data on that type of seat I would love to hear it! (maybe I should subscribe to consumer reports i guess...) I know like Spy said that Britax is often rated well, but I would also be interested in other brands if the quality is good...
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 11:23 am
Britax has the rep of being the best. Personally i think they are overrated. They do some of their testing in Europe (IIRC, they are made in Britain) and I forget the specifics, but somehow the testing is skewed... Something about the speed limit there vs here. At any rate, the good about the Britax is that the material they use is as soft as you can get. It makes you want to melt and wish they made carseats for adults. And the covers wash up brand new. The buckles are good in that they are tricky for babies or toddlers to open but easy for adults. But seriously, graco makes a great carseat for a lot cheaper. As long as the carseat is properly installed, and a recent make, then it will be just as safe as the most expensive one (like a Britax). I love Graco (carseats and other gear). They have a new feature where you can easily take off the carseat cover to wash it. That was always the death of me. Taking it off was bad enough, but you had to take off the straps and then figure out how to put them back in and on correctly was a headache. But this new Graco one is easy... Most carseats have this feature, but I think it is a must have, so make sure to look for it: easily adjustable straps. So when you go from a thin to a thick outfit (say a heavy jacket) you can just push a button and pull a strap to make the other straps looser or tighter. That way you can get as custom fit everytime you strap the baby in...
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Spygirl
Board Administrator
04-23-2001
| Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 2:04 pm
Curious - I had forgotten that we didn't use the Britax when he was an infant - we had the Chicco Key Fit that Tess referenced. It went in and out of the Chicco stroller and was great! Unfortunately, we moved out of it very quickly since Brayden was so long, and that contributed to why we purchased the large Britax. It started out as rear facing and now he is forward facing...and despite being in the 90+ percentile for height, he is no where near too big for it at 20 months old.
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Tess
Member
04-13-2001
| Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 2:20 pm
Curious, I'm sorry about the Consumer Reports page. It was quite informative and rated several different types of car seats, not just brands. Perhaps the library would carry issues. Spy, we had the opposite problem with Sarah. She wasn't even on the charts when she came and she was still not 20 pounds at 12 months old but we turned her around anyway because she hated facing backwards. At 12 years old, she still is small and light enough to be in a booster seat but I wouldn't do that to her. She hated still being in it in 1st and 2nd grade. She's back off the American growth chart but at least she makes the Korean one....barely.
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Spygirl
Board Administrator
04-23-2001
| Sunday, November 09, 2008 - 8:21 pm
She's such a tiny little thing!! Her Korean genes are so different from Brayden's German genes. I had a sorority sister in college who was so tiny and she ended up marrying a guy as tall as my husband - only he weighed about 75 pounds more than DH! They were true opposites and so cute 
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, November 10, 2008 - 6:35 am
Anyone know what the "rules" or requirements are when a child goes from a carseat to a booster? Or does it vary from state to state? I do know that turning the carseat from backwards to frontwards is more on the height of the child than the age and weight. Once the baby's legs get longer than the carseat bottom, then it is time to flip the seat. Even if the baby is not a year old. Something about the legs/feet not being protected if there is an accident...
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Brenda1966
Member
07-03-2002
| Monday, November 10, 2008 - 8:12 pm
The rules about carseat to booster are both about what state you're in and the size of the child and the specs on the seat. DD went from the 5 point harness in her booster to using the plain old seat belt in her booster even though by her weight she could still use the 5 pt -- it was more a social thing. Her peers were not still in a 5 pt. Some of her peers don't even sit in a booster, which is shocking to me because they are not really tall enough for just a belt, but I don't think the state law forces them into a booster here. Count me as another big Graco fan. I find they have good products for a very fair price. Ease of use is very important to me. Also remember to make sure a carseat fits right in your car, especially if you have a compact car like I do. I think babies r us will let you take their sample car seats outside and try to install them in your car.
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