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Carseat help
Topic Started: Oct 12 2009, 09:53 PM (717 Views)
U Tarzan Me Jane
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Rebbetzin
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Looking for a carseat with a harness to 65 lbs. I need to move my baby to my 3 year olds Roundabout, so I need another for for the three year old. He is almost 40 LBS, and not ready for a booster. I have read 1000 reviews and am currently beyond confused.

I want the seat to be less then 150.00.
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chavamom
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Bala Buste
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We got this one when we didn't want to invest in a 4th Britax. It has side impact testing and is highly rated - as high as Britax iirc. The Alpha to Omega has booster seat capabilities since your child is already older and is even a bit cheaper.
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U Tarzan Me Jane
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Rebbetzin
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How easy is it to adjust the triumph? Also It only goes to 50 lbs, he is already about 37. He's not a small kid, he weighs 2 lbs less then my 5.5 year old, and he just turned 3. How is the latch feature? The britax LATCH is a dream....

That was one of the seats I was considering BTW.
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U Tarzan Me Jane
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Rebbetzin
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Also, do the straps tangle? I have that problem with an old evenflo which is why im in the market for a new one.
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chavamom
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The straps don't tangle at all. Since he's 3 and 37 lbs., the AlphaOmega might be better b/c he can use it as a booster up to 80 lbs.
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Deleted User
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Get the Graco Nautilus. It is an excellent seat, very easy to install, harnesses to 65 lbs. and then turns into a high back, and then a low back booster to 100 lbs. The harness height is quite high, allowing for a tall child to still use the harness for a longer time. The straps adjust supremely -- even better than my old Marathon which was amazing.

You can find them at BRU (and there is a 10% off coupon online now), Walmart, Target, and various online sites.

The Cosco seats (as in AlphaOmega, etc.) tend to have lower harness heights (top harness height is significantly lower than the Nautilus) so even if the child is under the weight limit, they may outgrow it by height sooner. The Evenflo Triumph also has fairly low harness heights, as does the new Evenflo Generations 65, which harnesses to 65 lbs.

If you want more reviews and specs on seats, go to www.car-seat.org.

I would say the Nautilus would hands down be your best bet. ETA: The straps don't twist. The LATCH is not Britax-easy, but it is very user friendly. Make sure when you pull it tightly that you don't just pull out perpendicularly to the seat, but also parallel to the seat (as in, you can thread the latch aduster back through the seat cover and pull it that way). The Nautilus installs quite nicely in most vehicles with either the LATCH or the seatbelt. It doesn't have a base so you don't have seat-compatibility problems that we tend to see with the AlphaOmega.
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lilac7
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queen
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We have a Graco one
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Neelie
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Do not get the Cosco one that harnesses to 65lbs...I have it (forget the exact name...Apex something?) - the strap heights are too low at the highest setting. DD was too tall by the time she hit 45 lbs, way under the 65 lbs. limit in weight. It is fine as a booster, but did not live up to its promise as a long term 5 pt. harness.
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zuncompany
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We have the nautilus for Zu. He is very tall and still in the 5 point.
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npl
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Another one I've seen recommended (though I don't own it, I am considering buying it) which might be a good investment if you will need another rear-facing seat in the future:
The True Fit by Learning Curve. Harnesses till 65lbs, but also is said to work well for a baby. The older model should be available in your price range. Not sure about the newer model, with the anti-rebound bar, though.
My 4yo sat in it and said it felt like a throne, and would have been happy to sit harnessed in it for a long time, but it doesn't fit between the two boosters in our car (it buckles, but the kids in boosters felt there wasn't enough shoulder room for them).
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U Tarzan Me Jane
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Rebbetzin
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thanks

I looked at the Nautilis, But I really do not like multi purpose items. I find I lose pieces and end up buying new stuff anyway. I also like things to be really good at what I want them to do.

I settled on the First Years True fit. Mostly because the straps do not need to be re-threaded to adjust and the seat cove pops off without removing the straps. (amazon had it for 150.00.)

Reviews say it is a bit difficult to install, but once its in the car, I will not move till I need to clean it for pesach, so I don't think that's a huge deal. Also there were some great videos that showed how to use it and I was very impressed. I hope its as good as it looks! I really love my britax seat, I just don't want to shell out 200+ for the next size.
Edited by U Tarzan Me Jane, Oct 13 2009, 11:40 AM.
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chavamom
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Just in case anyone else is interested, I don't think any of the carseats that were recommended have straps that need to be re-threaded.
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U Tarzan Me Jane
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Rebbetzin
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Good to know.

I also got scared off by all the reviews that said the nautilus has a short crotch strap. My kids have Very long torso's so its a big issue. I have the crotch strap issue with the safeseat, and the britax too.
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As for the crotchstrap, ds also has a very long torso and has not been unhappy in it. It is moved farthest forward (there are multiple settings).

Usually I agree with you about the multipurpose thing, and I'm glad you like your choice! (The Truefit is supposed to be a very nice seat; although the older version has issues of being able to adjust the straps when installed rearfacing, because the knob would get wedged in under where the carseat meets the seatback of the car). However, the Nauti happens to be an excellent value priced choice for its 'genre'. The only true 'single purpose' seats are the infant bucket seats and the booster-only seats. All the others (convertible, combination harness/booster) combine jobs.

Interestingly, I played for a while with the Britax Frontier (combination high-weight harness and booster) in the store, when I was going to buy the Nauti. I didn't love it, because it is seriously a bear of a seat (although not as bad as the Regent) and also because the straps are made of a more 'slippery' material. Reviews on the Frontier are pretty mixed -- people seem to like the Nauti better, especially for the price (over $100 less).

Happy carseat shopping!
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U Tarzan Me Jane
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Rebbetzin
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I really like the graco in generall, Almost all my seats are from them, but the crotch strap is a recurring issue with us. I need to practically break my wrists to get the safeseat closed. And that has been my major bone since my youngest was a newborn.

As far as I can tell, ALL the carseats are Behemoths. Even the backless boosters. Even 5 years ago, they were much slimmer and easier to fit into a car. Now 2 seats fill up the entire back of the car.

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