Suggestions needed

[sycats7]

What carseats would you recommend for us?

My 3 yr old son (39.5 lbs, 40") and 5 mo old daughter (18.5 lbs, 25") ride in our 2005 Suburu Outback Wagon most of the time and in our 1999 Honda Civic occassionally. My son mainly rides in his Britax Marathon now, but I want to put the baby in that seat (instead of her Per Perego infant seat that she hates) in the Outback and get a new seat for my son. Will the Marathon fit bf in the Outback? If not, what do you recommend for her? I'd love to find something very safe but a good value (not as expensive as the Marathon) and do what makes sense in our situation.

Also, in the Civic, my son rides in his Cosco High Back Booster Car Seat. I question how safe this seat is. Opinions?

Input? What would you do? TIA.

	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.

	Infant Car Seats Infant-only rear-facing seats are for babies up to about 22 to 30 pounds, depending on the specific car seat. You will need a new seat when your child gets bigger. Infant-only seats have handles that allow you to move the seat from the car to the house or other locations. Some have a base that you can leave installed in the car, so you can just click the car seat into place each time you use it.

	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 Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.

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[Papooses]

The Marathon should fit the Outback You may need to twist the seatbelt buckle stalk, aka. the short "female" end: this is only allowable up to three full 360 degree turns....

I'm hoping your 3 year old is still in the harness option of the Highback? With only 1/2 pound left, I suggest getting the Britax Regent or Cosco Apex immediately! My webpage titled Preschool -- Preteen (see signature below) for detailed information on why we want to keep kids harnessed as long as possible.

	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.

	Britax Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

[sycats7]

Thanks for your help. My son is harnessed in his seat and I intend to purchase a new seat that also has a harness for him.

There is a big price difference between the Apex and the Regent. I'm leaning towards the Apex. Is there any reason I should spend the extra money for the Regent?

Also, is the Sunshine Kids Radian a good option for us or would the Apex be better?

Finally, I'm thinking about purchasing the Evenflo Triumph for the baby to use when we are in the Civic. Is this a good choice?

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

	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.

[Papooses]

I do believe the Regent is worth the extra cost because it keeps kids safer in a harness a couple years longer than any other option & it's made of a stronger grade plastic than most carseats in a unique double hollow frame design + Britax performs more extensive crash testing & is generally more reliable about issuing safety announcements/recalls *before* there is a real life injury.... However, I'll need to ask some other techs to find out if the Regent's new install recommendation fits your specific vehicles.

The Apex would keep your son harnessed longer than the Cosco Highback & the wide wings probably offer more protection for side impact crashes: not as common as frontal impacts, but more dangerous (deep EPS foam lined side wings are more important in vehicles without rear side curtain airbags). Also, remember that the Apex is the only highback seat that requires built in vehicle head restraint at least up to child's eye level.

All correctly used 5-point harness carseats are safer in side impacts than boosters. The Radian should keep kiddo harnessed a bit longer than the Apex, but it has more installation issues than any other carseat. I'll ask the other techs about the Radian in your vehicle as well; there might be some tips/tricks to keep in mind.

Whenever possible, I like to include the child in on the decision Preferrably, let kiddo sit in each seat that you find acceptable (based on proper fit of car + kid as well as budget) to let him make the final choice. Since I'd have to drive quite a few hours to find such seats to test in person, I usually just post pictures on the screen & explain the comfort features to my daughter for her choose

The older version Evenflo Triumph should fit the Civic well, but has very low (the lowest) RF and/or FF limits. So long as the front seat occupants have at least 10" between face & steering wheel or dashboard where the airbag deploys then a taller seat would be preferred: such as the new Evenflo Triumph Advance or even the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (based on the Marathon for less cost) or Radian, etc.

	Forward Facing Car Seats A forward-facing car seat is one in which the child sits facing the front of the car. The seat should be installed in the back seat of your vehicle. Most forward-facing only seats are for children above 20 pounds.

	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.

	Rear Facing Car Seats A rear-facing seat is one in which the infant faces the back of the car. Always install a rear-facing seat in the back seat of your car. This is the safest position for an infant. NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a vehicle with passenger airbags.

	Britax Marathon - Click for more info Increasing the time a child can safely stay in their convertible car seat is a big issue and Britax engineers have come through in a big way with the introduction of the Britax Marathon with LATCH. A LATCH Compatible Convertible Child Seat, the Britax Marathon can be used rear facing 5 to 33 pounds and forward facing from 20 to 65 pounds. Compare the numbers and you will see it is hard to find a seat with these weight limits that is safe and functional.

	Britax Regent - Click for more info The Britax Regent is the safe way to carry your older and larger passengers, all the way up to 80 lbs. Known as the "king of all car seats," the Britax Regent will accomodate your little king or queen for far longer than traditional car seats or booster seats. The Regent features a large roto-molded shell, comfy extra-thick comfort foam, washable covers, Patented Versa-Tether™, flexible buckle LATCH system, patented HUGS™ system, and tangle-free polyester 5-point harness.

	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.