Safety 1st Apex 65 Car Seat

[mmcphee]

The Safety 1st Apex is a forward facing car seat and belt positioning booster seat. The 5-point harness can be used for children 22-65 lbs who are 34"-52" and then as a booster seat for children 40-100 lbs and 43"-57". This seat has three head rest heights, four harness heights and three crotch strap position. The arm rests are fixed and there is a removable cup holder. The seat is LATCH equipped and FAA approved for use on aircraft when used with the 5-point harness. The seat cover is removable for hand-washing only.

This car seat is an incredible value, but isn't for everyone. High seat backs in your vehicle are a must. You can read my full review here:

http://www.epinions.com/content_218900172420

[papooses]

• The 2nd sentance in your opening paragraph provides a dangerous example for other parents -- it is NOT SAFE for kids to wear any bulky clothing in their carseats During cold weather, children must be buckled BEFORE adding the warm layers on OVER the harness.
• There have been numerous threads on this issue within these searchable forums; pictures providing proof of easy options for keeping kids in carseats warm in the winter: Please see #57 and #54 in the FAQ and this section on ride-down also on this site.

I like the Apex, but it's not what I'd call a favorite of mine. I will & do recommend it for anyone with a child who no longer fits rear facing limits yet who cannot afford the Britax Regent or SafeGuard seats. As stated in the manual, though, vehicle headrests are a MUST!

I'm satisfied with the Apex being my daughter's spare seat, but in contrast to the Britax Husky/Regent it feel flimsy & not nearly as comfortable (at least once the toddler padding is outgrown). Because it also lacks any energey absorbing foam whatsoever, I prefer that it only be used in center seat positions, so it's best IMO if the vehicle is new enough to have center headrest & shoulder belt or at least side curtain airbag.

As a booster, it pales in comparison to the Britax Parkway or even Graco Turbo, not to mention Recaros with their EPS/EPP foam in the hips & torso as well as in the head. However, being that the shoulder belt "guides" are merely the shape of the headrest (no specific slot to use), I imagine this is easier for some caregivers to use correctly. I do worry that some caregivers who are used to routing the lap belt under armrests might still use this seat incorrectly, though, because as per the manual the lap portion must go behind the armrests.

So far the Apex installs easily with seatbelt & LATCH in seats that recline, but I am having a difficult time so far getting *good* install with either seatbelt or LATCH in vehicle seats that do not recline; install in the flat bench 3rd row seat of my minivan is merely *OK* & I'm hoping to play around more with the seat in other vehicle types soon....

[mmcphee]

Originally Posted by papooses

[list][*][B]The 2nd sentance in your opening paragraph provides a dangerous example for other parents -- it is NOT SAFE for kids to wear any bulky clothing in their carseats

First, I agree, it would be great if children never had to wear winter coats in a car seat, but considering no after market cover would fit over my car seat sometimes a blanket isn't enough. People probably shouldn't use car seats with overhead shields either, but they do. People shouldn't drive around with sun shields that stick on with suction cups, but they do.

I felt (and still do) that keeping my (very big but very ill) preemie warm was more important than the extra 1/2" of fabric between him and the straps of his car seat half a dozen times over the course of the winter when it was just too cold for any other option. I wish life was perfect as we all want it to be, but it isn't. Somtimes as parents we have to make compromises this was mine.

Second, no where did I say my son was riding in the car wearing his coat. Yes, it did happen a few times, but no where in my review did I state it or condone it. In fact I have written other essays reminding parents of the importance of not having their children wear coats.

For our purposes it was no longer practical to use the infant seat as a car seat when it was no longer useful as an infant carrier. When I could no longer strap him for use in a restaurant or in the back of a shopping cart the infant seat no longer served any purpose. That is when I decided to stop using the infant car seat.

[UlrikeDG]

As a CPST and a mom who lives in a state with COLD winters (well below zero at times), I totally understand that keeping kids warm in the car can require some effort. I've found that dressing my children in layers works well. If they wear a polar fleece jacket (or even a fleece snowsuit for babies), that adds a lot of warmth but doesn't add much bulk. They may still need to wear a big, fluffy coat outside of the car, but when they're riding in the car, I buckle them, then put the coat on backward over the top of the harness. This also helpful, because when the car does get warmed up, they can easily take the coat off without unbuckling.

[papooses]

Originally Posted by mmcphee

For our purposes it was no longer practical to use the infant seat as a car seat when it was no longer useful as an infant carrier. When I could no longer strap him for use in a restaurant or in the back of a shopping cart the infant seat no longer served any purpose. That is when I decided to stop using the infant car seat.

OK, it would be helpful then to remove the part about not being able to buckle with a bulky coat & yes, it gets down to -45 with windchill here too for us & my daughter has been kept warm without ever wearing her coat on under her harness: layers of regular clothes, hats, mittens, fleece blankets & crackable heat packs can do wonders....

[mmcphee]

Originally Posted by papooses

OK, it would be helpful then to remove the part about not being able to buckle with a bulky coat & yes, it gets down to -45 with windchill here too for us & my daughter has been kept warm without ever wearing her coat on under her harness: layers of regular clothes, hats, mittens, fleece blankets & crackable heat packs can do wonders....

You are right. I will remove that from my review to avoid any further confusion.

I just read through my post and I realize I came off rather snippy. We are in the middle of moving and I should probably refrain from posting on public message boards until I get more than a couple hours of sleep in one night.

But since we are here I am genuinely interested in how layers of clothing are better than a coat. It would seem that a a shirt, and a couple of sweaters plus a couple of pairs of pants would be as bulky, if not bulkier than the fleece snowsuit her wore.

[papooses]

It's OK, I didn't take it personal So long as the regular clothing layers are normal -- ie. not like the little brother in "Christmas Story" who can't even walk or bend his elbows, LOL -- it's better than a big fluffy winter coat.... I used a tank top with turtle neck & sweater vest for my kiddo with flannel lined jeans or stockings under corderoy pants, usually & she was very warm even though she was still RF until 4 years old without the heat blasting directly on her It did very much help to either warm the car up when possible or at least during errands to crack the heat pack & leave it wrapped up in a towel or blankey inside the carseat to keep it warm until we returned.

[mommy_quigg]

What is a crackable heat pack? Is it reusable or disposable? Where can I get one?

[Jeanum]

The heat packs are reusable and can be found at sporting goods/camping stores, and in the first aid aisles at grocers/pharmacies/big box stores likes WalMart/Target, etc. If you google reusable heat packs, you'll probably find an online source if they're not locally available.