Triumph Advance or Fisher Price Voyage

[zeldac]

I am trying to decide on a convertible car seat. My 10 month old has overgrown his infant seat and should have probably switched him a couple of months ago... I have read lots of reviews and the Evenflo Triumph Advance seems like a good choice but so does the Fisher Price Safe Voyager. I can't tell if the Voyager has a recline option though when rear-facing and I'm concerned that my baby's head will fall forward when napping in it. I can get both for about the same price so it's just a matter of quality (I also like the colors on the red Voyager better).
Does anyone have any experience with either?

	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.

[MnMadhouse]

There are pros and cons to both seats.

The first thing is the Fisher Price Safe Voyage has been discontinued, so if you were to purchase one of these seats, you would likely get an older date of manufacture (most seats expire 6 years from the date of manufacture). What is nice about the FP is that it is made by Britax, so it is basically a scaled down Marathon. I believe the only online retailer to still have it is albeebaby.com. The FP will RF to 33lbs and FF to 55lbs. It does have the recline option. The Marathon has built in lock offs, you can tether it rear facing and has a variety of covers to choose from...the FP does not.

The Triumph Advance will RF to 35lbs (which is AWESOME) and since it has a taller shell than the basic Triumph, you can keep your child RFing longer, which is what you WANT to do. The TA will FF to 50lbs. You can adjust the harness by pulling 2 red tabs out and moving the harness up or down to meet your child's needs. The DLX TA runs about $149 and has more padding (infant insert) vs the DX which does not.

They are both GREAT seats. The pros with the TA are that you can RF to 35lbs and since the back is fairly high, you can usually obtain that limit. I have lots of friends who have the FP and swear by it.

	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.

	Combi Centre DX - Click for more info The Combi Centre DX w/ ARB (Anti Rebound Bar) is a safe and comfortable mid-range infant carseat from our safety-centered friends at Combi. Lightweight and fashion forward, Combi car seats are a step above Graco seats in terms of quality and ease of installation, and offer certain distinct features like the anti-rebound bar (see "Safety" below) that enhance the seat's safety.