Safety 1st 3 Phase Convertible

[G'smommy]

Anyone own this seat? I am looking for opinions on it. It is currently on sale on Amazon for $70 and my husband (the bargain shopper) has encouraged me to check it out. My son is almost 6 months old and we are antcipating having to move him out of his infant carrier soon. We are trying to buy him a decent quality seat that is easy to use and also (of course) rated high for safety on a budget. I have seen rave reviews on the Britax seats but those are out of the question for us. At this price we could afford to buy two of these seats and it seems to be pretty comfy looking. Otherwise it looks like we will buy one cheap seat and one nice seat for trips. I am considering the Scenera which is very inexpensive and seems to be highly rated and not sure what we'll get for the "nice" seat.

I'm pretty ignorant to this whole process so any input is appreciated!

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.

[MnMadhouse]

All seats have to pass the same safety standards, so saying one is safer than the other, you can't really do.

With this particular seat, the SAfety 1st 3 Phase, this is a 3in 1 seat. The reason it is 1/2 price is likely b/c it is an older seat (most car seat expire 6-7 years from the date of manufacture), so you may lose a year or several months of life. IT is GREAT that it RF to 35lbs, but it only harnesses to 40lbs and most children outgrow the 3in1 seats before they hit a maturity to sit in a booster.



Here are some higher harness weight convertible seats that will harness your child longer than 40lbs.

1--Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathlon. All these seats will RF to 33lbs (as of 12/31/07, they are going to RF to 35lbs) and then FF, IN A HARNESS to 65lbs. These seats run $200-$300. There are small differences between them. The Marathon is the basic model of the 65lb convertibles with a lift lever harness release--with quite a few different covers to choose from! The Boulevard has "wings" called True Side Impact Protection. It also has a harness adjustor that will move the harness without having to uninstall the seat. It is about 1/2" shorter than the Marathon and the Decathlon. The Decathlon has extra padding--the infant insert--and a push button harness release. Britax : Safe for a reason

2--Evenflo Triumph ADVANCE--harness to 35lbs RFing and 50lbs FFing. It has the infinite harness adjustor (no slots), so you can easily lift two red tabs and move them. This seat runs $129-$149, depending on which model. The higher end model, the DLX, has more padding. Toys"R"Us/Babies"R"Us

3--Compass TrueFit---BRAND NEW and will be released Jan 15. It will RF to 33lbs (with the headrest on and 22lbs without the headrest on) and FF to 65lbs. Not a lot of information out on this seat, but I anticipate it to be a really nice one! Runs about $179-$189. They have several covers available. Amazon.com: Compass True Fit Convertible Car Seat...
4--Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe--Made by Britax, but has been discontinued due to low sales, so you will likely get an older date of manufacture. Harness to 33lbs RF and 55lbs FF. The only place I have seen it is at this website runs $129. It just doesn't have all the 'bells and whistles' that the Britax seats have. Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible Car Seat in Black

5--Sunshine Kids Radian 65 or 80--These seats will RF to 33lbs and FF to either 65lbs or 80lbs, depending on the seat. These are the narrowest seats on the market, but have the highest incompatability with vehicles due to the low FF belt path. Runs $180-$300. Sunshine Kids Juvenile Products

6--Recaro Signo or Como--RF to 35lbs and FF to 70lbs. These seats come in a variety of microfiber covers. They have true side impact protection, but the Como is VERY oddly shaped. The shoulder area is 9" of space and the butt area is 11" of space, so unless you have a tall beanpole, this seat may be awkward for some children. I haven't played with the Signo, so I don't know the measurements off the top of my head. They are supposed to go to 59 or 60" tall---I dont' see it. Runs $250. .: RECARO :.

	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.

	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 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 Decathlon - Click for more info Like its predecessors the Britax Roundabout and the Britax Marathon, the Britax Decathlon is built around two core ideals: safety and comfort. Its easy to see that the Decathlon is comfortable: it's loaded with a 3-position crotch strap, patented HUGS harness system, plush (and washable!) seat cover, belly pad, removable toddler head pillow, and an infant positioning system for newborn babies. These features provide a comfortable, adjustable fit as your child grows - all the way from 5 to 65 pounds.

	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.

	RECARO Como - Click for more info The RECARO Como convertible car seat is an excellent choice for parents who want a high quality, long lasting car seat for their growing child. Thanks to its 5-70 lbs weight capacity, forward or rear-facing convertibility, and adjustable harness and headrest, the RECARO Como may be the only carseat you will ever need. The Como convertible child seat is a safe and comfortable seat that features RECARO Side Impact Protection (SIP), plush microfiber fabrics, and a thick adjustable headrest.

	RECARO Signo - Click for more info The RECARO Signo car seat is the premier convertible child seat RECARO produces. With its 5-70 lbs weight capacity, adjustable harness, and forward or rear-facing convertibility, the deluxe RECARO Signo may be the only car seat you will ever need. The Signo offers the same basic features and specifications as the RECARO Como convertible, but adds a few features - such as double wall head support and infinite harness adjustment settings.

[G'smommy]

Thank you for the response! I think we have decided against a 3 in 1 and are instead leaning towards the Evenflo Triumph Advanced. We went to BRU and checked it out. My husband thinks the sliding shoulder straps are flimsy because they seemed really easy to move up and down. He seemed to think that they would slide up by themselves if our son wiggled around. Have there been any reports of this being a problem?

[MnMadhouse]

I have NOT heard of any. In fact, I have heard a couple of people say how HARD it is to move. My only concern, and only b/c I have a busy 2 y/o, would be when they figure out that there are tabs above their shoulders, will they play with it? I do not have one, but did try my dd out in one back in August and she still fit at 5 years old. Her head was even with the top of the shell. I was pleasantly surprised with the seat, IMO.

I think it is a really great seat and the feedback from owners of it is that they love their seat.

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[SusanMae]

Once the child is in the seat and the straps tightened appropriately around the child...they're not going to be able to move the tab. 99% of the time you probably won't even be messing with the tabs...so it's doubtful that your child will pick up on their presence. The seat has been out long enough...that we would have heard about that by now if it was happening.

Susan