RF seat for 1 yr old

[kst1]

Hi! My 1 yr old has outgrown his infant seat and we are looking for a good replacement. I have a brand new Alpha Omega Elite 3-in-1 (gifted) but after reading some forums, I am not too keen on that seat. What would be a good seat to buy? Seems like the Evenflo Triumph Advance and Britax Marathon are two popular choices. Any other suggestions?
Are there any issues as far as installing them in Toyotas (04 Corolla and 07 RAV)? I read somewhere that a car seat cannot be installed in the middle in Toyotas??

Thanks!

	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.

	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.

[Papooses]

If the AOE is a hand-me-down seat & you don't know its entire history, then it's not safe. If you do trust its history (consult the Used Seat Checklist @ CPSafety - Your online child passenger safety resource) & it does fit the child as well as the vehicle correctly, then it's alright. However, the Dorel Juvenile (parent company) website does have a warning up about that seat, which might be useful to you, depending on the Date of Manufacturer.... The newest AOEs seem to be much nicer seats than the older versions

What is your budget?

I do like the Evenflo Triumph Advance, but Evenflo itself does seem to have a history of not taking complaints seriously until NHTSA forces them to I have not presonally had this experience, but it's a worry that I've seen many express.

Britax is known for its dedication to checking & re-checking themselves, voluntarily issuing recalls or advisories for enhanced safety. Britax seats also tend to fit the majority of vehicles easily/correctly.

The True Fit convertible is also quite nice! I haven't had the pleasure of getting my hands on 1 yet, but I don't remember any major complaints.

Do you have a Babies-R-Us nearby to try seats out?

You can indeed install carseats in the center of Toyota vehicles. They just do not allow you to borrow from the outboard LATCH anchors. Meaning, you'll have to use the seatbelt if the vehicle manual does not specifically show center LATCH installation.

P.S. of your 1 year old does not have at least 1" of hard plastic shell/frame above the head in the infant seat, then you must switch to the convertible immediately.

	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.

	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.

	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.