Expecting a new lil' one. Need carseat advice.

[blackmp]

Hi,

I'm expecting our fourth child and I'm facing carseat woes.

I used a Britax Roundabout with my 3rd child and LOVED it! It was the best carseat I ever used. He used it almost 4 years until we moved him into a booster.
I'm considering getting a new Britax (Blvd) for my new baby, but I'm concerned about it fitting rear facing in a Dodge Caravan mini-van. Plus I've always used the infant seat for a tiny baby and I'm afraid the big seat will swallow him up and won't be as safe.

I've checked website after website and found that graco has a new "safeseat" infant seat good up to 30 lbs and 1 year. Since I'm very big on keeping kids rear facing as long as possiable, I was thinking this might be a good option for my family. (Since it would work up to a year and then we could switch to the bigger seat.)

My other children are older (5 years and 50+) and are all in booster seats now, so space isn't really an issue, just fit (in a chair behind one of the front seats) and safety for my newborn.

	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.

	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 Roundabout - Click for more info With the introduction of the new LATCH laws, Britax has improved even further upon their famously popular Roundabout Convertible Car Seat. This car seat has been praised by just about every consumer safety organization and mom and dad out there - and for good reason. It is easy to install, compatible in just about every car, super comfortable for baby, stylish and most importantly safe! Ask around and you will see that everyone raves about this car seat.

	Britax Boulevard - Click for more info It is all about the wings with the Britax Boulevard convertible car seat - head and torso safety wings help keep your child from harm in a side-impact crash. And this matters - side-impact crashes are the leading cause of death for 6 - 14 year-old children. Of course, the safety wings are only one of the many safety features that the Britax Boulevard offers: built-in lock-offs, 5-point harness with front adjuster, tangle-free webbing, a push button release LATCH system with Versa-Tether®, and a sculpted base, ensuring an easy installation with a secure fit.

	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.

[Papooses]

Both the larger Britax convertibles (Marathon/Decathalon/Boulevard) & Graco SafeSeat Step1 will fit the Dodge Grand Caravan

Britax convertible seats have rather high bottom slots, though & generally do not fit newborns well. The Sunshine Kids Radian fits newborns very well & has similar limits to Britax + it can also tether rear-facing. I have achieved proper installation of the Radian with LATCH rear-facing in the Caravan & with seatbelt in captain's chairs (using the trick of reclining the vehicle seatback, installing the carseat, then bringing vehicle seatback upright again).

The benefit I find in the SafeSeat1 is that you can keep it at room temperature, but kiddo will still be safer with a convertible seat after this infant seat.

Do any of your other kids lean out of proper booster position? The lap/shoulder belt must ALWAYS be flat against the hips & collar bone.... If they do, I suggest looking into harness seats with higher limits, such as the Britax Regent.

Also, remember to visit your local technician

	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.

	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.

	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.

	Britax Boulevard - Click for more info It is all about the wings with the Britax Boulevard convertible car seat - head and torso safety wings help keep your child from harm in a side-impact crash. And this matters - side-impact crashes are the leading cause of death for 6 - 14 year-old children. Of course, the safety wings are only one of the many safety features that the Britax Boulevard offers: built-in lock-offs, 5-point harness with front adjuster, tangle-free webbing, a push button release LATCH system with Versa-Tether®, and a sculpted base, ensuring an easy installation with a secure fit.

	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.

	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.

	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.

	LATCH LATCH stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren. It is a system mandated by the Federal government in an effort to standardize and simplify the installation of child restraints without using the vehicle's seat belt system. New vehicles and child safety seats manufactured on and after September 1, 2002 will be equipped with the LATCH system. Cars, minivans, and light trucks will be required to have anchor points between the vehicle's seat cushion and the seat back in at least two rear seating positions, and a top tether anchor (with the exception of convertibles). Child safety seats will have a lower set of attachments that fasten to the vehicle anchors. Most forward-facing child safety seats will also have a top strap (tether) that attaches to the top anchor in the vehicle.

[blackmp]

I've never heard of the Sunshine Kids Radian seat.

Is it comfrontable as well as safe?? The sides don't look to come up as far as the boulevard and it doesn't look like it reclines very well. (From the pictures I found.)

My husband doesn't mind spending the $$ on a carseat we are going to use 4 years. (But he balked at spending the money for an infant seat and then a convertable in a few months. )

I'll remember the tip about reclining the seat and then putting it back up.

Also we have a Caravan not a Grand Caravan. (I'm not sure it makes a difference with the seat though.)

We have a friend who offered to let us try to install thier Britax in our van to make sure it is a safe fit. (So the bigger britax are the same size??)

My older boys wear their seat belts with thier boosters pretty well. We do have to remind them about moving around too much in the seats. We live in Washington state where the laws are pretty strict. Even though my oldest is almost 9, he only weighs 55 pounds, so I still make him use his britax booster.

Also what are the views about using the inserts with newborns? (At one time it was considered unsafe, are they still??)

I'm trying to catch up with all the laws and rules with carseats.

	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 Boulevard - Click for more info It is all about the wings with the Britax Boulevard convertible car seat - head and torso safety wings help keep your child from harm in a side-impact crash. And this matters - side-impact crashes are the leading cause of death for 6 - 14 year-old children. Of course, the safety wings are only one of the many safety features that the Britax Boulevard offers: built-in lock-offs, 5-point harness with front adjuster, tangle-free webbing, a push button release LATCH system with Versa-Tether®, and a sculpted base, ensuring an easy installation with a secure fit.

	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]

Originally Posted by blackmp

I've never heard of the Sunshine Kids Radian seat.

Is it comfrontable as well as safe?? The sides don't look to come up as far as the boulevard and it doesn't look like it reclines very well. (From the pictures I found.)

Every seat is safe so long as it fits the child, fits the vehicle & is always used correctly All 5 point harnesses are very safe in every crash type (especially compared to boosters in side impacts). The Radian just has much lower bottom slots + higher top slots as well as either 65 or 80 pound weight limit options so newborns fit it a LOT better than Britax convertibles & big kids can also stay harnessed until they are truly mature enough for the regular lap/shoulder belt (in a booster).

My husband doesn't mind spending the $$ on a carseat we are going to use 4 years. (But he balked at spending the money for an infant seat and then a convertable in a few months. )

Understandably, considering that most infant seats only last a couple months but the SS1 does fit the majority of infants through the 1st full year ... however, 12 months is the bare minimum to turn FF & combination (harness/booster) seats really sorta suck in general (except as spare/travel seats) so if $ is a huge concern I'd try the Radian65 or at least the SS1 + save towards a convertible.

Caravan vs. Grand Caravan doesn't really matter.

(So the bigger britax are the same size??)

Boulevard & Decathalon are both based on the Marathon shell/frame.

We do have to remind them about moving around too much in the seats.

This does concern me -- it's extremely unsafe for the seatbelt not to be properly positioned for any amount of time + it's an added distraction to the driver! I would share the GM booster video with them & also explain that they may need to move back into a high weight harness if they cannot or refuse to use the booster/seatbelt correctly for the entire length of every ride!

We live in Washington state where the laws are pretty strict. Even though my oldest is almost 9, he only weighs 55 pounds, so I still make him use his britax booster.

Good for you, but I must stress that it's not about laws, it's about physics: 55 pounds in a 30 MPH crash becomes about 1,650 pounds of force! There are 3 phases in a crash:

1. vehicle impacts object (another vehicle, building, tree, etc.)
2. occupants impacts vehicle interior (seatbelts, airbags, dashboard, windows, loose projectiles such as groceries or toys, etc.)
3. internal organs impact skeletal structure (brain against skull, stomach against spine, etc.).

5 point harnesses not only reduce head excursion which diminishes risk of impacting vehicle interior, they also spread out the crash forces over a broader area of the body to minimize injury risk.

Photo album of kids harnessed past 40# (I haven't updated Janaishia's pic, but she's 9 & still fits)
Extended harnessing options

Also what are the views about using the inserts with newborns? (At one time it was considered unsafe, are they still??)

So long as they are included with a brand new carseat then they have been crash tested to ensure that the carseat still meets the federal safety standards -- if it does not come with the seat, then it is not tested. A manufacturer is lying if they claim that it's been crash tested because there are no safety standards whatsoever for such add-on products not sold with the carseat & there is no oversight agency for such items either (NHTSA mandates + enforces carseat standards).

I'm trying to catch up with all the laws and rules with carseats.

You've got great questions!

	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.