What carseat do you own?

[LMS]

Okay, I saw THE most upsetting video tonight about a little boy that died when his seatbelt on his booster seat failed during a crash... it made me realize thati want brendan in a 5pt harness for as long as possible.
His current carseat is a $40 POS that my MIL bought us when we got pregnant.
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4083774
We keep wanting to get a new one, but we've never "gotten around to it"
After seeing that video, i'm not going to allow us to make excuses anymore - we are getting a new carseat this weekend... Ours is just always in the back of my mind... thinking about how the quality of it isn't very good at all.

So what brand do you have?
What model?
Do you love it? Hate it?
What are you getting next?

[alowe]

We have the Britax Marathon and the Britax Roundabout. We purchased these based on safety. I read reviews and looked on consumer reports.

[My3sonsplus1]

Eddie Bauer is made by Cosco. We had a century infant seat also at one point, and now have a baby trend one so you might wnat to add those.

We have Britax Marathons for the older boys but we were going to go ahead and get Joseph a Britax booster I think pretty soon since Elias is going to need a new seat and we will need to bump him into Ben's and Ben into one of the... holy Macaroni let me think here... okay we have one marathon... Asher will move to that from a roundabout (since he is nearing 40 pounds so will have outgrown that seat) and Elias will take his roundabout still leaving only one kid seatless phew! If I were you I would probably get one of the seats that go to 65 (Britax and one other company, it is the apex65), or 55 at the least (fisher price has one that is made by britax but only tested to 55 and it is like roundabout cost I think since it lacks the britax name officially) I wouldn't go for the Husky (to 80- I believe) since I don't think B would weigh more than that before the seat expires so there is no need for a seat that goes that high is he won't be that heavy.

What brand seat did the boy have? Those ones with the belt positioners sewn onto the cloth are all but worthless I hear and boosters (and seat belts for that matter) are only good if the occupant is sitting and allowing no slack in the belt. I hate to move J to a booster but he goes beltless on the bus and he is mature enough to sit in a booster, except he still will have the occassional fit in which case if he were in a booster we would be stuck not being able to leave a situation duirng a fit vs. buckling him in in a 5 pt. Huskys are so pricely though... argh! We actually have a britax laptop that is now discontinued due to LATCH but is still perfectly safe that we will use if E or A get too heavy for their current seats before we decide btwn the husky and a booster...

[LMS]

no, the seatbelt that malfunctioned was the CAR SEATBELT... not a seatbelt built positioner into the booster. It's been reported manyt imes that (especially in rollover accidents) car seatbelts can unlatch on impact so he was thrown from the car. His sister was in an identical booster next to him and her seatbelt didn't unlatch so she walked away fine

I have "other" b/c I can't list every brand, but those listed seem to be the most common


eta: and i just googled it and there aremanyt ypes of eddie bauer carseats... from cosco, safety 1st, Dorel (a division of cosco) and more. including some that are strictly Eddie Bauer brand. they started out being made by cosco exclusively, but now there are some that are simple Eddie Bauer carseats

[LMS]

oh, and for those of you who are interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

that's the video. Beware.. it's sad

[LMS]

Ugh, sorry to serial post. LOL

Lisa: I THINK we are going with the Britax Marathon.... The Regency (i think?) Is the one up to 80lbs, and i felt the EXACT same way.. brendan will probably not be 80lbs till he's like 13, LOL... so i see NO point in spending the money on a carseat that he'll never fully fit in. I think if i had a huskier kid, i'd go for it, but in this case it just doesn't make sense... plus i hear it doesn't fit in plane seats and Brendan and I travel a LOT

[My3sonsplus1]

no, the seatbelt that malfunctioned was the CAR SEATBELT... not a seatbelt built positioner into the booster. It's been reported manyt imes that (especially in rollover accidents) car seatbelts can unlatch on impact so he was thrown from the car. His sister was in an identical booster next to him and her seatbelt didn't unlatch so she walked away fine

So how would anything save someone in that instance... the carseat would have been ejected then, I suppose offering a tad more support but not really. That being said I still think 5 pt is a zillion times better than a BPB. I am a HUGE advocate for keeping kids rfing as long as humanly possible and then in 5pt until forever :)

[My3sonsplus1]

Ugh, sorry to serial post. LOL

Lisa: I THINK we are going with the Britax Marathon.... The Regency (i think?) Is the one up to 80lbs, and i felt the EXACT same way.. brendan will probably not be 80lbs till he's like 13, LOL... so i see NO point in spending the money on a carseat that he'll never fully fit in. I think if i had a huskier kid, i'd go for it, but in this case it just doesn't make sense... plus i hear it doesn't fit in plane seats and Brendan and I travel a LOT

Okay it used to be the Husky and before that some other name, they like to rename every few years I think to keep people on their toes ;) and yes the Regent is not flight compatible so would be worthless for that.

[LMS]

So how would anything save someone in that instance... the carseat would have been ejected then, I suppose offering a tad more support but not really. That being said I still think 5 pt is a zillion times better than a BPB. I am a HUGE advocate for keeping kids rfing as long as humanly possible and then in 5pt until forever :)

They said that a 5pt harness would have held him more secure... since his seatbelt unbuckled, he flew out the window, i believe it was... had he beel buckled into a large 5pt harness carseat and that same unlatch had happened (assuming they didn't use LATCH on the catseat) , he may have bounced around a little, but i doubt he would have flown out the window and died in the impact of hitting the road.

[My3sonsplus1]

They said that a 5pt harness would have held him more secure... since his seatbelt unbuckled, he flew out the window, i believe it was... had he beel buckled into a large 5pt harness carseat and that same unlatch had happened (assuming they didn't use LATCH on the catseat) , he may have bounced around a little, but i doubt he would have flown out the window and died in the impact of hitting the road.

and umm duh to me, if you use the tether the seat wouldn't be flying out the window. Okay a tethered seat would have been a lifesaver.

[LMS]

LOL, that's okay. my seat doesn't even HAVE a tether! How awful is that?! It's seriously just hooked in with the seatbuckle and that's IT! And it was professionally installed TWICE and NOONE said anything to use about needing a tether to it. :(

[My3sonsplus1]

LOL, that's okay. my seat doesn't even HAVE a tether! How awful is that?! It's seriously just hooked in with the seatbuckle and that's IT! And it was professionally installed TWICE and NOONE said anything to use about needing a tether to it. :(

Well you can't use a tether that isn't there :(

Target sells Marathons in case you didn't know. Baby News jacks up their prices so it is likely to be less $ at Target since I know you want the seat yesterday.

[becky]

The one i have is very simular to this one: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2401337&cp=2255983.2256187.2256196&view=all&parentPage=family
I shose it becuase it was the best available at the time i was shopping. I LOVE IT! I dont know i if will buy the same one again becuase i'm sure there are other options out there but if i had to pick something up right now i would buy this again in a heart beat.

With Kayla all her car seats where cosco except for the first which was greco. WE learned early on that the best money to spend was one that would can be used from birth and later converted to a booster. Kayla eventually moved to a booster the last year so we could use her old car seat for myah in one of the 4 cars we used frequently while still in LA.

[becky]

aside from going down to Babies R us to find out, how would you all recommend researching on the net for the best seat? I plan on going down to babies r us in the next month or so for my baby registery and such but i would like to get started on my research and i have no idea were to begin.

[lmfike]

Julianna has the evenflo triumph. We love it. Have no trouble switching it between cars(that is mostly because we both have newer cars therefore can use the LATCH system). For infancy we used the graco snugride. That seat has now been used by nephew(who is now almost 2)and now my niece who is almost 6 months old. My nephew now has the evenflo triumph like Julianna(same color and everything). Funny thing is my sister hadn't seen Julianna's car seat and we hadn't discussed it. Just noticed we had the same one when I went to switch my nephew's seat from my sister's inlaws car to my car. James has a graco backless booster seat since he needs that couple more inches for the seat belt to hit where it should on his neck/shoulder area. Jessica is now out due to her height.

[Lynette]

We have two Britax Marathons for Alaina, and even though the van has LATCH I didn't want to dink around with switching the seat or having it installed improperly while switching it around. Now that was a little pricey but it was one of those things where you can't put a price on safety and she would be in them for years so I figured I would get my money's worth. I actually really like them, she can't get out of it (yet anyways), it is comfortable, it has a cover piece to protect the buckle in the summer, easy to take on and off, etc.

Remember that lady with the 2 kids we helped a couple of months ago in the accident whose carseat slammed into the back of her seat? They were both Cosco's, an infant one and a convertable. Obviously they could have been installed improperly but the lady even commented they were POS's because both kids got tossed around.

[cascade]

If you can get Consumer Reports, I think I remember that the Evenflo Triumph rated pretty highly. Britax did well, too, altho I think I remember that it actually did better w/o the latch. It does have a tether, tho, which I guess is a good 'for good measure' feature. We bought a Britax recently as Caden was way outgrowing his SnugRide at 5 months. I *think* it's a Roundabout...or Marathon...whichever is the more 'base' model. It was a bit of a splurge but we all, including Caden, love it so far. He would be happy to just hang out in there...like, today, he was fussy in the stroller, but calmed down right away in the carseat, and when we got home he didn't seem to want to get out! It's also cushy, very easy to get him in and out of, and not bad looking either (some of the carseats are sooo ugly!)

[becky]

my biggest problem is that we are in a '94 toyota corolla. No tether, no latch...i hate it. At least in my car (which is down in LA with my mom) has a tether. that makes picking out a new seat that much harder.

[My3sonsplus1]

my biggest problem is that we are in a '94 toyota corolla. No tether, no latch...i hate it. At least in my car (which is down in LA with my mom) has a tether. that makes picking out a new seat that much harder.

Some vehicles can be retrofitted to have tethers, but you won't be able to use the corolla anyhow soon.

[KaisaG]

We have a Britax Marathon (we got from my SIL at my shower) for my car and a Decathlon for Emanuel's truck after Baby E grew out of his SnugRide at 4mos. I didn't WANT to spend that much money on a car seat... but when you stop and realize what you are talking about (saving money while leaving you child less secure) it wasn't worth the savings. I spent a few hours online trying to find the best deal I could on the Decathlon- and I finally found it for $229.99 with free shipping and no tax! Not bad considering everywhere else sells them for ~$285. You don't get to pick the print though... We got the Tribecca and I will say, it's actually VERY pretty once you see it. Plus it's not too girly and not too boyish in case you wanted to use it for the next child.

[barb]

Jeff and Travis are both in Graco backless booster seats, probably the same one that Jamie's in.

[meeg124]

Caden has a Britax Husky in my car, which I HATE! He is such a big guy and I wanted him to be in a 5 point harness as long as possible and at the time, this is only seat I could find that went up to 80 pounds. At the rate he is going, I'm hoping it will last though. He will be 4 in February and weighs about 55 pounds. In Scott's truck, we have a Britax booster seat. The seat we had previously was the Evenflo Triumph. I loved that seat and I really recommend it. It was so easy to use. I don't know about switching from car to car because Scott has done that but I know that it was easier to switch than the Britax.

Everytime we have purchased a car seat (we have bought 4), we've gone to www.consumerreports.org For $4 you can sign up for a month and look at all of their archives. When you're ready to purchase, try www.shopping.com
You can price compare and a lot of merchants do not charge shipping.

Megan

[daisydoc]

http://www.car-safety.org/

This site is free and rates all the carseats! Sevannah was in a graco snugride untiul about 4-5 months old then she went into the Britax Wizard (which is now called something else!). LOVE BRITAX! Since she grew out of the infant one so quickly we got the new Graco Safe seat for Jazper which goes to 32" and 30lbs! Once Sevannah is tall enough we're getting a Britax Booster b/c Jazper will need to be in the Wizard we have.

Also... Jackie... since B's so tall you're going to want to look at the height. Most convertibles (like Sevannah's Wizard) only go up to 42". She's just shy of 38" right now and she needs to be 38" to be in the booster. She's no where near the weight limit of 65lbs but the height is an issue. So that's where you'll ahve a problem with B. And since you fly back east a lot you'll be happy to know that the Britax's are Flight "certified"! And they come with a little booklet that stays attached and shows you all the proper ways to intsall the seat.

[My3sonsplus1]

Also... Jackie... since B's so tall you're going to want to look at the height. Most convertibles (like Sevannah's Wizard) only go up to 42". She's just shy of 38" right now and she needs to be 38" to be in the booster. She's no where near the weight limit of 65lbs but the height is an issue. So that's where you'll ahve a problem with B. And since you fly back east a lot you'll be happy to know that the Britax's are Flight "certified"! And they come with a little booklet that stays attached and shows you all the proper ways to intsall the seat.

Ya know those height guidelines are just... I don't know how to say it, not nessasarily true. For instance all the convertibles we've ever had state they can be used for 5 pounds and 18 inchers well I tell you right now, Elias is 23 inches and 15 pounds and just *now* fits "correctly" (as in the straps are at his shoulders now not above them) in the alpha omega I have sitting out to give a friend until she can afford to splurge on the marathon. For liabilty sake they have to put some sort of "definable" numbers on the seats but a seat is good (per the car seat techs I know online) forward facing until the ears are at the top of the seat or the straps begin to be below the shoulders (at or above is okay) or of course until the weight is maxed out, and rear facing until the top of the head is within one inch of the shells top, or weight is maxed out. Kids have such differing proportions that the guidlines do not nessasarily ring true. Like obvoiusly a child who was born without limbs below the knees would not go by the posted seat guidelines since they are missing like 6 inches of "height" and would never really max out a seats height recc officially, the same goes for "normal" limbed kids. I am just saying that in some instances there is room for "individual interpretation" **if** you know what to look for (and by all means get your seat checked officially by someone "who knows what they are doing" with the kiddo seated in the seat). The height thing for rear facing is to make sure there is enough shell when the impact occurs for them to "ramp up" and in forward facing they need at least half a heads worth of seat back to rebound back into and the straps to be above the shoulder to do the right thing on impact but if you have a super "leggy" kid forward facing the fact that they are "all legs" isn't going to matter in a crash as long as there neck is supported correctly by the straps and seats shell.

[JeriAnne]

We have the Graco Comfortsport for both boys. Austin is about ready to reach the weight limit on his (40lbs), so we are in the market for a new one. I am trying to research and find one that has a higher weight limit for the 5 points harness. The best I have found so far (without having to spend $250 on a Britax) is the CarGo by Graco, but he can only use the 5 point harness until 48lbs, then he has to be moved to the carseat belt.

[LMS]

I've been searching since yesterday and have yet to find any brand other than britax that goes much higher than 40-48lbs (they have 3 for 65lbs and 1 for 80lbs)

[JeriAnne]

The whole thing pisses me off actually.

It's for the safety of babies/kids. Britax should really make them affordable for every family, especially since they are the best on the market.

[My3sonsplus1]

I've been searching since yesterday and have yet to find any brand other than britax that goes much higher than 40-48lbs (they have 3 for 65lbs and 1 for 80lbs)

Here is a link for the Safe Embrace DELUXE, I think they also have a S.E. that goes to 40, the deluxe goes to 55 and is less spendy than a Britax roundabout. http://www.elitecarseats.com/Fisher-Price-Safe-Voyage-Deluxe-Convertible.pro

and here is the radian (don;t remeber if it has been mentioned) that goes to 65 for the cost of a roundabout, I have heard good things about this one too. http://www.elitecarseats.com/Sunshine-Kids-Radian.pro

[My3sonsplus1]

The whole thing pisses me off actually.

It's for the safety of babies/kids. Britax should really make them affordable for every family, especially since they are the best on the market.

I totally agree... however there are increasingly more options coming out due to public demand, and with Britax part of the cost is for the fancy fabric/the EPS foam, and fluffy extras like soft strap covers and such, other companies need to make "britax like" seats IMO and then we have the option of having the plush fabric and high weight limits or just an "ugly" seat that has high weight limits sicne you know some people are very caught up on fashion LOL. (And Britax also makes the Fisher Price seat that goes to 55 for 179 so it is all about marketing not nessasarily Britax out to make a buck, retailers know they can get you to buy the most costly item because you "care enough to fork out the extra money") Britax is also tested both to US and european standards so that makes it "better" too. For me we just made it work, and trust me we "can't afford it", dh makes less than 30k a year, works 40 minutes away, and we live in Sonoma County for gosh sakes :) though I realize some househilds take more juggling to make it work than others.
When it all comes down to it though it is all about the installation. You can have a $$$ seat (there are ones more $ than Britax that have lower weigh limits) and have it installed wrong (80% are) or a crappy one (they all have to pass minimum standards) that is installed correctly and thus is safer.

[daisydoc]

FYI.... I put wrong info before! The Wizard's height limit is 49" not 42"! And though some people don't think they are absolute guidelines, they are there for a reason and as a caring parent who wants to make sure my kids are safe I'm going to follow ALL manufacturer's guidelines. Just wanted to make sure everyone got accurate info!

[LMS]

I agree. Even if the company is "playing it safe" why is it made to sound rediculous for a parent to want to do the same? Especially when a childs life could be on the line.

[My3sonsplus1]

FYI.... I put wrong info before! The Wizard's height limit is 49" not 42"! And though some people don't think they are absolute guidelines, they are there for a reason and as a caring parent who wants to make sure my kids are safe I'm going to follow ALL manufacturer's guidelines. Just wanted to make sure everyone got accurate info!

I know you aren't implying I am an uncaring parent are you? :( :tongue I just think (based on being an intellegent mother based on my btdt and reading and speaking with car seat techs, not just something I pulled out of my butt) they are flawed and if I were to follow them exactly as stated I would be putting my children in danger as no child that has emerged from my uterus would have fit in a convertible at bith even though the manufacter says they should have been able to and it would be safe to do so. Ben was preemie and 5 12 and 18 inches at birth, there is no way he would have fit in the seat no-way. The straps were at least three inches above his shoulders, above his ears (!!!) at a month old when he was much more than 5 pounds and much taller than the 18 inches they said he could be and still be big enough. And in the same vein I have seen infants who are clearly too tall for their carrier car seats in them because due to their body proportions they are still considered short enough to fit in the seat based on the information listed on the seats side even though their heads are over the seats shell which is a huge no-no. Now I switch my kids to the next level a tad before they hit the milestone anyway but, to me at least, there are clear flaws in the "system" as I have noted, people who are following the rules stated not not having the child in the best case scenerio. Had I had Ben (or any of my children really) in a convertable seat at birth they would have run the very real risk of hanging themselves or slipping completely out of the seat when sleeping, even though they met and in all but Ben's case far exceded both height and weight requirements. I care very much for my children, and I truely believe in my soul that I understand the dynamics involved in the car seat design, so I know what atributes need to be present for the seat to function correctly.

[My3sonsplus1]

I agree. Even if the company is "playing it safe" why is it made to sound rediculous for a parent to want to do the same? Especially when a childs life could be on the line.


Did I imply it was "ridiculous"? If so I appoligize. I just think we need to keep the reccomendations in mind, paired with using ones common sense as aplies to their own childs dimensions.

[LMS]

yeah, you actually did imply it was rediculous. Both in this post as well as the last time this little debate was brought up. I agree with using common sense, but I fervently disagree with touting how people should continue to use their carseats when they have 'technically' (by the manufacturers standards) outgrown them. If someone chooses to do that on their own - so be it. I'm not about to tell someone how to parent. But I won't allow that kind of unsafe advice to be spread on a board I run. Sorry, but it's as simple as that.
I understand that you feel you know the dynamics of carseat design and while I respect that, I also respect that the people who design these seats and write the size requirements for them have more behind than than a thought that they 'get it'. They are taught about it. They research it (and i don't mean by reading consumer comments online) and they do hundreds upon hundreds of crash tests with these seats.
Carseat safety is a very big deal and if stopping this discussion can stop one mom from making the illinformed decision to put their child in a carseat that isn't meant for their size, by all means I'm willing to close this thread right now.
This is NOT meant as an attack on *you*, so please don't take it that way. I simply don't want 'advice' like this thrown around on a whim.
I know you're a smart woman and I know that *you* couple what you know about carseats with common sense and your personal experience, and that's great. But that's not a guarantee that every new mom who comes to this board and sees the recommendation to continue using a carseat that their child no longer 'fits' (again, by manufacturer recommendations) will couple that with common sense... or HAVE common sense for that matter. And as the old saying goes: I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[My3sonsplus1]

I know you're a smart woman and I know that *you* couple what you know about carseats with common sense and your personal experience, and that's great. But that's not a guarantee that every new mom who comes to this board and sees the recommendation to continue using a carseat that their child no longer 'fits' (again, by manufacturer recommendations) will couple that with common sense... or HAVE common sense for that matter. And as the old saying goes: I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Thank you; and you are right we don't know that everyone who might pop in here will use or has the sense to know when a situation might be okay for them to veer from "status quo" so to speak, so it was probably unwise of me to offer that tidbit of info. to the masses at large. Guess I figured the actives here would be able to take what I said and know if it might apply to them or not and I consider you all intellent (though I could be wrong :tongue); some times I forget we have lurkers of unknown common sense levels. Like I said I appoligize if I offended or anything. I think I have said all there is to say so will shut my trap now. :bag "truce" of sorts?!

[colleen&Kail]

question: are you supposed to put the car seat in the middle of the back seat or on the side? i put it in the middle because i figure it is more likely that someone will hit the side of my car than anything else.....ex: someone runnign a red light while i am turning in an intersection.

[LMS]

Absolutly "truce". Like I said, I REALLY don't want you to take offense to what I said b/c it isn't meant in a negative way towards you, so i'm glad you took it how i meant it. Sometimes it's hard to get points across in text as opposed to words. I've just met too many new moms who take everything they read very literally... like one unnamed person who is currently pregnant who told me (when my sonw as already a year old) that it wasn't possible to know your baby's gender until you were 22 weeks along, and looked at me like i was crazy for asking her if they knew yet.:shake

[LMS]

question: are you supposed to put the car seat in the middle of the back seat or on the side? i put it in the middle because i figure it is more likely that someone will hit the side of my car than anything else.....ex: someone runnign a red light while i am turning in an intersection.

There are bonuses to both. Generally speaking they say to put the seat in the middle is possible for the reason you mentioned. I've heard a FEW people mention they prefer to seat the child behind a seat b/c in case of an accident , they don't have a direct path to the windshield. I seat brendan behind the passengers seat for a variety of (stupid) reasons.
1.) Our backseat is similar to a bench, and only seats two people, thus no middle seat.
2.) Our SUV is 2 door, so you have to lean into the front door to get to the backseat.
3.) My drivers side seat is ghetto and doesn't flip forward anymore (are you laughing at my stupid car yet?) so you can only get in the backseat using the passengers door.
:biglaugh

[My3sonsplus1]

question: are you supposed to put the car seat in the middle of the back seat or on the side? i put it in the middle because i figure it is more likely that someone will hit the side of my car than anything else.....ex: someone runnign a red light while i am turning in an intersection.

first rule wherever the best fit is (some seats can't be installed in certain positions due to bucket seat or the center hump making a bad fit for certain seats). If they have equally tight fits the centers is best for the reason you stated.

[colleen&Kail]

that makes sense jackie i guess that there isnt really a "wrong" way
(from the two view points we mentioned), i looked on car seat sites and found nothing i just wanted to see what other did.

i know what you mean about 2 door cars...mine is that way to and it is sucha pain! i am actually switching cars with my mom because i cant really afford to go buy the one i want so she has a ford taurus (4 door). it isnt the cutest but it isnt the worst either and at least it will be more realistic and easier to get in and out of. LOL

[My3sonsplus1]

that makes sense jackie i guess that there isnt really a "wrong" way
(from the two view points we mentioned), i looked on car seat sites and found nothing i just wanted to see what other did.


there is nothing wrong at all with putting the seat in an outer position (provided it "works") it is just a *little bit* safeR in certain crash situations but since you can't know what type of accident you may get into it isn't a huge deal. Some like passenger side better so they aren't getting baby out on the traffic side, some like drivers side so they don't have to walk around the car to put/take baby put of the seat... there really is a preference aspect.

[LMS]

good point on traffic side. If you have offstreet parking, i'd recommend putting baby on the passenger side if not in the center. I never thought of that b/c, well... I didn't have many options

[daisydoc]

When I had sevannah's britax wizard installed by CHP he couldn't get it to snug down tight enough in the middle where there were no LATCHs so we put it on the passenger side where there are LATCHs b/c where every the carseat is the most properly installed is the safest in any situation. We couldn't put it behind the drivers seat when rear-facing b/c James legs are too long and the drivers seat would hit the carseat thus making it not as safe. Now with two, since Sevannah's forward facing she's behind the driver's seat and Jazper's rear-facing behind the passenger seat.

[daisydoc]

Lisa: I would never imply that you personally aren't a good parent. I just think that guidelines are there for a reason and should be taken into consideration and not tossed aside as useless bits of information. Because there are people out there who just toss their kid into a seat and don't make sure it fits correctly. I know someone who should have had her kid out of his infant seat long before his 6 month check due to his length yet at his check he was still in it and was surpassing the length requirement and was only ounces away from the weight limit. That's just not safe. I would have never put either kid as an infant in anything but an infant seat b/c they are just too fragile.

All that aside... I think we all have to remember that common sense it lacking in today's society so we need to be careful about thinsg we say.

But no... you're a great mom! Anyone who can handle 4 boys is amazing! :thumb

[becky]

oh my goodness i hadn't thought about the position of the infant seat in our car until now. I jsut figured we would put the infant seat on the passanger side and car seat on the driver side. now that i think of it...i dont want kayla in the middle without the sholder belt....really there is no way we can safely have all 3 kids in our little car. Now that is bad...i guess i'm going to do alot of walking this spring.

[Lynette]

LOL! Love the visual of the ghetto hooptie and you trying to get B in and out of the car Jackie :D

The van has captain seats so no middle seat and the Explorer is a bench but I made Salina sit in back until she was 12 (front passenger airbags) so putting Alaina in the middle would have been uncomfortable for Salina.

I would think another reason to put the seat in the middle though is that it is often simpler and more error-free to just use a lap belt. With shoulder belts some need those clips, or you have to yank on them to lock them, etc

[LMS]

lynette: you think that's funny?
It's not so bad now that he can almost get into his seat himself, and he's front facing but my GOD, when he was still in his infant seat and i'd have to swing the carseat in and heave it over the base. What a mess. :lol
Even worse was when he was 19lbs at 1 year and just not QUITE to that 20lbs mark of being able to turn around (and it can take him months to gain 1lb, so we didn't rush it) and he was rearfacing in a convertible. That was miserable! We'd have to hold him up so he was basically laying flat on your hands, and kind of "feed" him over the top of the seat, and he was so tall. It was HORRIBLE

[Lynette]

lynette: you think that's funny?
It's not so bad now that he can almost get into his seat himself, and he's front facing but my GOD, when he was still in his infant seat and i'd have to swing the carseat in and heave it over the base. What a mess.
Even worse was when he was 19lbs at 1 year and just not QUITE to that 20lbs mark of being able to turn around (and it can take him months to gain 1lb, so we didn't rush it) and he was rearfacing in a convertible. That was miserable! We'd have to hold him up so he was basically laying flat on your hands, and kind of "feed" him over the top of the seat, and he was so tall. It was HORRIBLE

Hmmm...maybe not so much now <g> Brings back memories of my own ghetto hooptie though...BTDT

[LMS]

The worst part was that I'd be putting him in and Jr would be behind me, roaring laughing at me. I was always like "yeah... thanks, honey. That was helpful" :lol
A few times I got creative and opened the back of the trunk and them put his carseat in over the back of the seat. LOL.
Desperation makes you do funny things

[becky]

i can just imagine the visual LOL

[becky]

okay ladies...all this talk of the best car seat and where to put them really has me worried. Victor doesn't really seem to understand the need for a larger car becuase of safety although he knows we need one eventually. That said, i would love to find out for sure that our car in fact is not capable of holding a 8 year old in the middle (no sholder belt) with a tot on one side and and infant on the other. Any ideas what i should do?

[daisydoc]

becky: are you going to have an infant seat for the new baby? If so in a couple weeks we're going to have to get another convertible for Jazper so you can "borrow" the infant seat so you can "SHOW" Victor what it's going to be like. Men are visual (at least mine is). You can have the infant seat, the convertible and Kayla in the back seat and say "umm, so you think this is safe?" :D That'll probably get the point across to him!

[Mom of 2]

Good Idea, Anna. Hope it all works out for you, Becky. Good Luck.

Kate
Mom to Patty and Tyler