How do you choose a car seat for a 1 year old?

[Anonymous]

I'm completely overwhelmed by all of the options. My son will be turning one in a few weeks and will be ready to move up to the forward facing seat (he is already over 25lbs). I wanted something that is good quality and relatively easy to install. The ideal seat would be able to be moved from the car easily for out-of-town travel, but I would be willing to get a lighter "travel" seat if that made the most sense.

We currently have a Graco Infant safeseat.

[Anonymous]

We have two cars, so we have two seats. We have the Britax Marathon for the van. We don't take that one out for travel because it is much bigger than our other seat. The other one is the Apex 65. I'm really happy with that one as well. If you have LATCH, I don't really find either of them hard to install. I wouldn't want to do it every day, but for travel it's really managable. We don't have LATCH in the car with the Apex, but we are usually traveling to my parents' place and they DO have it so I know it works well with that too. Both seats will last a long time. I also think the Apex turns into a booster (5 point harness can be removed).

[Anonymous]

We use the new Graco Nautilus for our 1 & 3 year olds and are very pleased with them. They will last for a long time and have the added bonus of being able to keep the children in 5-point harnesses for longer than other seats. Don't think they'd be too easy to travel with, though.

[Anonymous]

I looked at the cover and made sure it came off and could be washed. I tried not to spend more than I had to.

[Anonymous]

We use the Britax Marathon for both of our cars (one in each) and use a Cosco Scenera for air travel/rental cars.

[Anonymous]

I have a britax roundabout (lighter- great from travel) and a britax marathon- the marathon will have a longer run since the weight and height is much greater- the roundabout is up to 40 lbs- i don't think our son will be in that so long, but our daughter- who knows (skinnier)- the marathon is up to 65 lbs.. but it is larger..

[Anonymous]

We use one of the smaller Britax models. I can't remember the name, maybe the Roundabout.

When we were upgrading I actually took DD to the store and sat her in some of the models to get a feeling for them. Did they seem comfortable, how did the harness fit, etc?

[Anonymous]

We just got the Eddie Bauer seat from Target. Easy to install whether you have the LATCH or an older car where you have to use the belts.
We just bought two of them ($89 on sale) for each car so we didn't have to mess around re installing them depending on the car.

Sometimes time is of the essence and is totally worth the extra money spent on a second car seat.

[Anonymous]

I used Britax Roundabout for both my little ones when changing seats. Very easy to take in and out, easy to travel with, easy to take cover off. I think they are great car seats. I moved to Marathon after these, if you are tight on money, I would recommend going straignt to the Britax Marathon. Goes up to 65 lbs, where the Roundabout only to 40-45? Not quite as easy to travel with, but doable. I travel with mine often.

[Anonymous]

easy, just get the Britax Roundabout, or if you have a larger than average baby (above 75th percentile for height or weight), get the Britax Marathon because it lasts longer and holds a larger baby.

Easy to install, really safe, easy to buckle. I hate my other kind from Costco. Slightly more expensive ($250?) but worth it for 3-4 years of use, and then if you have another child, even more use.)

[Anonymous]

I use the Evenflo Triumph. It was rated for safety similar to Britax (although I think Britax has been #1 by Consumer Reports for safety). But you can get it for $112 at Amazon. I think that compares to $229 for Britax Roundabout and $279 for Marathon on Amazon. Since these seats aren't made for swapping out, the cost of the car seats adds up fast. However, I have not heard parents complain about Britax, either. So it's a safe choice if you are willing to pay for it.

Evenflo Triumph has harnesses that don't require you to re-set the strap height and a knob on the side to release the strap tension when putting the child in the seat.

[Anonymous]

We have Britax Marathon and Roundabouts as well. Everyone I know has the Britax seats - honestly I didn't even look at any other brand. You'll be so excited not to lug around that infant seat plus 25 lbs any more!!! I'm surprised he can fit in it!!!

[Anonymous]

I would go with one of the Britax options, or something similar. The Britax are costly, and there are lots of other safe options out there. We have the Graco Nautilus in our second car for our 3 year old, and there is no way I would use that seat for a younger child. Get something that is still reclined a little so that it is comfortable for sleeping. We love our Britax Decathlon, and at 42" and 40 lbs my son is still comfortable in it. He outgrew the roundabout we had pretty soon after he turned 3--it just didn't look comfy anymore.

A good place for info on carseats is the Babycenter.com forum/bulletin board on safety seats. There are several certified carseat installers who post there.

[Anonymous]

How do you choose a car seat:
1. I read safety reviews - these were most important to me. I selected a car seat with side impact protection since we have a sedan and if we were in an accident would want as much protection as possible for my child.

2. I read reviews for ease of use - this was 2nd most important. If it is not easy to get your child in and out of, you might not use it right b/c of frustration getting harnass untangled etc.

3. I tried it in my car to see what fit best.


Just a safety reminder - just b/c your child is 1 year does not mean that you need to place him forward facing. It is safest to have them backwards dacing until they reach the limits as defined by the car seat manufacturer. (Most seats between 30 and 35 pounds)

[Anonymous]

Just a safety tip to all moms out there: You do not HAVE to turn your child at 1 and 20 lbs- google "extended rear facing" for more information. Kids are much safer rear facing for as long as possible- even if it looks to you like their legs are too long. If I were you I would buy a Britax Marathon (check Albee Baby for sales) and keep your child rear facing up to the weight limit on that seat (33-35 lbs, depending on date of manufacture). The Marathon also goes up to 65 lbs forward facing when your child is older/weighs more/exceeds the height and weight requirements. Hope this helps.