Car Seat Confusion!

[emilym7]

Hi,
I have a 2 1/2 year old son and we are trying to find a new car seat for him! We currently have an Evenflo Triumph and the buckles are broken on it. He is very tall for his age, but very skinny. He is about 38 in. tall and 32 lbs. We want a car seat that we will be able to use for him and then for a second baby in the coming years. We have a 2006 Toyota Matrix. I have noticed several 3 in 1 car seats and am having trouble figuring out which would be best for our situation. We need to keep it under $200 as our budget is limited. Do you have any recomendations? Thank you!
Emily

[Papooses]

3-in-1 seats are "jacks of all trades, masters of none" which are fine for spare/travel use, but generally not ideal in the primary vehicle Few have tall enough slots to suit a tall child -- I would suggest the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe or Sunshine Kids Radian65.... Radian fits both small babies & taller big kids better than the FPSVD, but I'm not sure how it installs in the Matrix (FPSVD installs well in this vehicle). You should save towards a dedicated booster for when you hand down the convertible. If you don't have side curtain airbags then look for deep head wings filled with energy absorbing foam: like the Britax Monarch, Compass B510, Recaro or Graco Turbo/SafeSeat Step3.

	Britax - Click for more info Britax International has been producing reliable child safety products for over 30 years. Not only does Britax have decades of experience creating car seats and other children's safety equipment, Britax has a long standing reputation as an industry leader and innovator. Britax International is headquartered in the United Kingdom, but Britax car seats are designed and manufactured at facilities in Germany, Austria, and the United States. In the summer of 2002, Britax strengthened their commitment to creating the safest car seats with the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art crash testing facility in North Carolina. Britax car seats have a reputation around the world for being some of the safest, most reliable, and best designed child safety seats ever made.

	Convertible Car Seats Convertible seats are for infants and toddlers. The seat can be used as a rear-facing seats for younger children, and switched to a forward-facing seat on the child's first birthday if the child weighs at least 20 pounds. However, experts recommend keeping the child in a rear-facing position until he or she outgrows the weight or height allowed by the safety seat.

	Booster Seat A booster seat raises your child up so that the car's lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. The lap belt should fall across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should go across the middle of the shoulder and chest. A booster seat is used for older children up to about 80 pounds. Some states have passed laws requiring booster seats for children up to age 8 or 80 pounds. Check your state's law.

	Britax Monarch - Click for more info The Britax Monarch is another fine addition to the Britax family of car seats and boosters. UK based Britax is widely renowned for creating some of the highest quality convertible, infant, and booster car seats in the world – and the German designed Monarch is one of the latest and greatest additions. Both the Monarch and the Britax Parkway offer True Side Impact Protection, utilizing thick EPS foam lined side wings around the head and torso area. These provide not only side impact protection, but also the deep headrest makes a comfortable spot for your child to rest their head once they nod off. The deep side wings cocoon the passenger in an impact reducing shell. The back of the Monarch is removable and the belt threading positions are color-coded to reduce the potential for improper use.

	Graco - Click for more info Graco is one of the world's best known and most trusted juvenile products companies. They started the entire juvenile products industry with an invention called the Graco Swyngomatic. Since then they have invented products that have changed the way that parents travel with their children such as the travel system, which has made it so parents can lock an infant car seat into a stroller easily, without waking their sleeping baby. Their Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat is pretty much synonymous with the term “infant car seat” because of its safety and design features coupled with its affordability. Today Graco continues designing and developing top-quality products that inspire parents and keeps children safe. Check out the new Infant Safe Seat Step 1 and Toddler Safe Seat Step 2 for proof of Graco’s continued commitment to child safety.

	Graco Safe Seat Step 1 - Click for more info The Graco Safe Seat (Step 1)—if you couldn't gather from the name— is intended to be the first of a three-seat process. The Step 1 is for infants in a rear-facing position; the Step 2 is for bigger, older kids in the forward-position; the Step 3 is a belt-positioning booster seat without the safety harness of the previous two.

	RECARO - Click for more info With over 100 years of company history and long standing experience in vehicle seat construction RECARO knows how to make long journeys a pleasure for the whole family. Materials, design and technical highlights ensure a pleasant journey for adults and children alike. RECARO uses its strength as the premier mobile seat manufacturer to engineer an innovative line of products for your children. No other manufacturer can apply experience from production vehicles, commercial vehicles, and race cars to design toward the comfort and safety of children.

	the First Years formerly Compass - Click for more info Compass was founded by a group of fathers who had spent years in the corporate world developing child care products. Disillusioned with the slew of problems that come with working for a giant conglomerate, this group set out the make their own mark on the child care industry in 2003. Compass' first innovative booster seat, the B500, started shipping in January of 2004. This was the first foldable belt-positioning booster on the market, and its design was so praised by the industry that Compass received a Juvenile Products Manufacturing Association (JPMA) Innovation Award 5 months after its release. The great minds at Compass have now taken the next step with their success by releasing some fantastic infant car seats and compatible strollers, all of which are designed with the same innovative simplicity that make Compass Boosters such a sought after product. No longer just "The Booster People", Compass is making a serious run at the competition by offering the I-410 and I-420 Infant Car Seats , as well as the Magnesium S330 Stroller and Magnesium T730 Travel System.

	Sunshine Kids - Click for more info Makers of a number of accessories geared towards making parents lives easier, Sunshine Kids has recently embarked in a new direction. In 2005 they unveiled their first car seat, the Radian. Their years of experience working in children's products focusued on child comfort and parent convenience shine through in this unique convertible car seat. The Radian is packed with safety features and is the first ever folding convertible car seat appealing to parents who car pool or travel often.

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.

	Graco Turbo Booster - Click for more info The Graco TurboBooster Safe Seat (Step 3) is a sporty and detailed booster seat. The headrest is made of EPS foam for support and side-impact protection, which is now the standard for booster seats. The head support is height adjustable, and the seat can be converted into a backless booster for older kids. The adjustable armrests are a nice touch that add comfort and support for your growing child. We were a little surprised by how thin the padding was on the "Lazy Daisy" version of this seat (the Fairfax TurboBooster has padded armrests and additional GracoPedic memory foam in the seat).

[emilym7]

After reading your reply, my husband and I went back and looked at the seats that you stated. The fisher price looked like a good seat, but my husband was taken in be the alloy frame of the Sunshine Radian 65. The plastic on our old car seat cracked so he thought the Radian looked much more durable. We ordered from elitecarseats.com which was an amazing site! We recieved the car seat the next day and it fits in our car perfectly!!! I don't think that there is a car seat that could fit better. Thank you so much for your advice and I definitely suggest the Radian 65 to anyone looking for a nice sturdy car seat. We had no idea it existed and were nervous about the 3in1 seats. I am sure this one will last!!!! Thanks!!!

	Sunshine Kids Radian 80 or 65 - Click for more info If "the Sunshine Kid's Radian 80 convertible car seat is (probably) the only car seat you will ever need," the "probably" part of this statement comes into play when you directly compare the Radian 80 with the Britax Regent. While the Radian 80 has a very high weight capacity, the seat width is only 10" vs. the Regent's 14" seat. The Britax Regent may be a bit wider, but it is very bulky, is only forward facing, and does not fold like the Radian 80. Because the Radian 80 is so narrow, you can potentially put three of them side by side in the back seat. Three Regents side by side? Impossible.