Best Car Seat for 2002 RX 300

[Emory'sMom]

Today I took my new Peg Perego Viaggio? car seat (infant with base) in for an installation inspection in my 2002 Lexus RX 300. The inspector recommended center installation with the lap belt, saying that center placement is preferred to outboard. (We have LATCH on the outboard positions.) The inspector struggled to get the seat tight enough. It still has too much movement for my comfort.

I'm also distressed that the seat seems to keep my two week old baby too vertical. His little neck is not strong enough and his head tends to flop around, so I sit in the back seat and support his head. The inspector recommended placing rolled-up blankets on either side of his head, but this too makes me nervous

Does anyone have opinions about this seat?

Any recommendations for a seat that would fit better in my car?

Thoughts about whether center belted or outboard latch is safer?

Thanks in advance --

	Peg Perego - Click for more info Founded by Italian designer Guiseppe Pérego all the way back in 1949, Peg Pérego quickly branched out from traditional prams to strollers, high chairs, car seats, toys and accessories. Internationally renowned for innovative products and a supreme sense of style, Peg Pérego creates some of the most enjoyable and eye-catching transportation and safety options for children all over the world. With factories and offices in Italy, Germany, Canada, and the U.S., Peg Pérego is a truly international entity, blending technology and history to create lines that are reputable and safe. Peg Pérego professes a "dedication to original and innovative products designed for discriminating consumers who demand fashion, individuality, quality and safety in the products they purchase for their babies and young."

	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.

[JoolsPlus3]

Oh, I have so much sympathy for you! That Peg base is totally incompatible with the center of the RX 300, in my humble experience. The cheapest solution is to install it outboard (window seat) with the LATCH, and yes, that absolutely IS safe (center is safEST, but a properly installed rearfacing seat in any back seat is also incredibly safe...good thing for those of us with two or more kids!).
If you just want to start over with a new seat, then a seat with a built in seatbelt lockoff in the base is what you want to get (sorry, I don't know which ones work best, but one of them should certainly work).
Chicco Key Fit
Graco SafeSeat 1
Combi Centre (any model, there are several, DX and ST, at least)
Combi Connection (not exactly a lockoff, but a backwards belt path that
works great with shoulderbelts)
Britax Companion

(I've owned all but the safeseat...which I'm getting today for my 8 month old, lol, and have loved the Key Fit the best, it's SO easy to install and use!)

Good luck,
Julie
CPST and mom to three in seats

	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 Companion - Click for more info It was not a surprise when Britax - a company known for their commitment to safety - came out with an infant seat that raises the bar in overall child safety with side impact protection. The Britax Companion infant seat was considered a safety revolution when it came out, and has only gotten better since. Needless to say, the design of the rear-facing Companion Infant Seat is pretty flawless. Plus, the in-car base makes it really easy to transport your child from your car to your house without waking them up.

	Chicco - Click for more info Chicco makes car seats that are tested for safety and comfort. Italian-made Chicco is sold the world over to discerning parents everywhere, mainly because they are thorough with their design but each children’s product they sell is simple to use and stylish. All of Chicco’s car seats have certain universal elements: they’re lightweight, they are easy to install or use, each have the extra perks like canopies or liquid levelers for added convenience. Take a look and you’ll find an up-and-coming competitor for some of the best car seats on the market.

	Chicco Key Fit - Click for more info The new and improved Chicco KeyFit infant car seat (dubbed the Chicco KeyFit 30 thanks to its enhanced-to-30 lbs harness) has the same great features of the original KeyFit, but with a higher harness weight capacity. It is recommended that a child stay in a rear facing car seat for at least the first year of his or her life, and this infant seat from Chicco assures that your child will.

	Combi - Click for more info Established in 1954, Combi quickly became Japan's premier supplier of Juvenile products. Their design philosophy is actually behind their name - COMBI is a contraction of the word "combination," which denotes "combination of parent and child." Combi has been supplying the US with innovative light weight strollers for 15 years. In 2003 they entered the US market with car seats built with the same design philosophy that has guided their company for years.

	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.

	Combi Centre ST - Click for more info The Combi Centre ST is the most affordable model in the Combi family of infant car seats. Along with the Combi Connection and the Combi Centre DX, the Centre ST works with infants up to 22lbs., offers the same outstanding safety features, the same comfy fabrics (though in different colors) and 95% of the features offered by the Combi Centre DX. Both the Centre ST and Centre DX share safety features like energy absorbing EPS foam in the headrest area, a washable seat liner, and padded 5-point harness straps . . . their difference is a matter of fashion and a single convenience feature.*

	Combi Connection LX - Click for more info Combi is a household name in Japan--and across the globe--with years of experience in the car seat industry. The Combi Connection LX is the elite car seat model in Combi's strong line of infant safety seats -- with a complete list of comfort and safety features, plus a great look and light carrier.

	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.

	Peg Perego - Click for more info Founded by Italian designer Guiseppe Pérego all the way back in 1949, Peg Pérego quickly branched out from traditional prams to strollers, high chairs, car seats, toys and accessories. Internationally renowned for innovative products and a supreme sense of style, Peg Pérego creates some of the most enjoyable and eye-catching transportation and safety options for children all over the world. With factories and offices in Italy, Germany, Canada, and the U.S., Peg Pérego is a truly international entity, blending technology and history to create lines that are reputable and safe. Peg Pérego professes a "dedication to original and innovative products designed for discriminating consumers who demand fashion, individuality, quality and safety in the products they purchase for their babies and young."

	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.

[Kat_Momof3]

Julie pretty much covered everything, but I just wanted to add that rolled receiving blankets on the side of the head for extra support is just fine.

Kat

[Emory'sMom]

I returned the Viaggio and bought the Britax Companion. It fits much better. Thanks for the advice!

	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 Companion - Click for more info It was not a surprise when Britax - a company known for their commitment to safety - came out with an infant seat that raises the bar in overall child safety with side impact protection. The Britax Companion infant seat was considered a safety revolution when it came out, and has only gotten better since. Needless to say, the design of the rear-facing Companion Infant Seat is pretty flawless. Plus, the in-car base makes it really easy to transport your child from your car to your house without waking them up.