Trying to get the most out of my seats...

smblondin

New member
Just looking for a little insight on getting the most out of my car seats...

I have a 32lb 2 year old and a 12lb 3 month old. I used my Baby Trend infant carrier for both. My 2 year old is rear facing in the Evenflo Triumph Advance convertible seat, and my 3 month old is still in the infant carrier.

I recently got another ETA for my 3 month old but haven't used it yet. I am contemplating returning it for a forward facing seat/booster for my 2 year old instead, as he is starting to get cramped rear facing. I would then use my old ETA for my newborn. The ETA doesn't expire until 2013, so I know I am safe there. I just don't want to end up buying a bunch of different seats as my children grow.

I was looking at the Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite and like the fact that it can go up to 100lbs as a booster, but don't think I need a convertible since I have the ETA. Then I saw the Safety 1st Summit Booster and I think this is what I might be leading towards. Then I think I would just have to eventually buy a booster for my 3 month old somewhere down the road.

Is this confusing? Someone help me make sense of all this rear facing-forward facing-car seat-booster MADNESS!!! HELP!!!
 
ADS

featherhead

Well-known member
I would give the EFTA to the baby, but I will still get a rear-facing convertible for the 2 year old. 2 year olds are still much safer rear-facing. I plan to keep my kids rear-facing to 4 years if at all possible.

The Alpha Omega is not a good idea. The booster is really quite terrible. It does not fit the majority of children properly. It does not position the belts properly at all.

The Summit is also not a good idea. The top slots are quite low, so your 2 year old (who should stay rear-facing anyway) would not have much (if any) room to grow. It also makes a terrible booster.

It will be a few years before you need to think about boosters. And then, for the most part, dedicated booster are usually much better than convertibles or combination seats that turn into boosters.

So, give the EFTA to the baby, since the 2 year old is getting close to the rear-facing limits. Some good choices for the 2 year old would be a Radian, MyRide or Complete Air. They all rear-face to 40 or 45 lbs.
 

bree

Car-Seat.Org Ambassador
The ETA is a nice seat, but if you have one sitting in a box that you haven't used yet, I would consider returning it and putting the money toward a convertible with a 40 or 45 pound rear-facing weight limit. I'd look into the Graco My Ride (40 pounds RF), the Safety 1st Complete Air (40 pounds RF), or one of the Sunshine Kids Radian models (40 or 45 pounds RF depending on the model).

I'd put the 2 year old in one of the new seats, trying to get as close to 4 years old as possible rear-facing, and I'd give the ETA you've already been using to the infant when you're ready to switch out of the infant seat.

Yes, you will have to buy a separate booster later, but I wouldn't go the combination (forward-facing to booster) route with a 2 year old, because I wouldn't be comfortable forward-facing a 2 year old. There are so many great seats on the market now that can get most kids rear-facing to 3 or 4 years old, and I'd try to take advantage of one those.
 

smblondin

New member
Out of curiosity, how is the Alpha Omega otherwise (not as a booster, but as a rear facing/forward facing seat), my mom was looking into getting it for her car...
 

featherhead

Well-known member
Out of curiosity, how is the Alpha Omega otherwise (not as a booster, but as a rear facing/forward facing seat), my mom was looking into getting it for her car...

As long as you get one with a 50 lb forward-facing limit it is a decent seat. It most likely would not fit the baby as it has quite high bottom slots. And your 2 year old will outgrow it rear-facing soon (35 lb limit). What about a Complete Air? It is very similar to the Alpha Omega seats except it does not become a booster, and it has a 40 lb rear-facing limit.
 

smblondin

New member
The only reason the Alpha Omega was on her list was because it was on sale plus she had an additional 30% off. I think we will go with the Graco My Ride. It seems to be the best fit for us and the most cost effective.
 

smblondin

New member
One more thing...

Does this make sense???

So...If I have the ETA and I get the My Ride, I will put the baby into the ETA and the toddler into the MR (both rear facing). Then I will eventually put the toddler back into the ETA forward facing (when he reaches the rear facing limits) and the baby into the MR to keep her rear facing longer. Then I will switch my older back to the MR and younger to the ETA when they are both forward facing since the forward facing weight limit on the MR is higher. Finally, I will buy a booster for my older and put the younger in the MR until she is booster ready...

Confused yet??? I AM!!!
 

bree

Car-Seat.Org Ambassador
Re: One more thing...

Does this make sense???

So...If I have the ETA and I get the My Ride, I will put the baby into the ETA and the toddler into the MR (both rear facing). Then I will eventually put the toddler back into the ETA forward facing (when he reaches the rear facing limits) and the baby into the MR to keep her rear facing longer. Then I will switch my older back to the MR and younger to the ETA when they are both forward facing since the forward facing weight limit on the MR is higher. Finally, I will buy a booster for my older and put the younger in the MR until she is booster ready...

Confused yet??? I AM!!!

Sounds like a good plan! :) The only potential flaw is that while it's true that the My Ride's forward-facing weight limit is higher than the ETA, I'm not actually sure if it has higher top harness slots. Many kids outgrow seats by height (shoulder going over the top harness straps in the case of the My Ride and the ETA) before weight when forward-facing, so both seats may wind up being outgrown at around the same time. Hopefully someone in the know will chime in on whether or not the My Ride's top slots are higher or if the Evenflo Triumph Advance's are. Either way, the My Ride is a great seat (I bought it to keep my 2 year old rear-facing longer when he hit the rear-facing weight limit on another seat), and I think it should work well for your situation.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
Re: One more thing...

Does this make sense???

So...If I have the ETA and I get the My Ride, I will put the baby into the ETA and the toddler into the MR (both rear facing). Then I will eventually put the toddler back into the ETA forward facing (when he reaches the rear facing limits) and the baby into the MR to keep her rear facing longer. Then I will switch my older back to the MR and younger to the ETA when they are both forward facing since the forward facing weight limit on the MR is higher. Finally, I will buy a booster for my older and put the younger in the MR until she is booster ready...

Confused yet??? I AM!!!

I think that sounds like a great plan. Just wanted to let you know though, most carseats are outgrown by height before weight. The My Ride and the EFTA have similar (or maybe the same) top harness height. I think both seats should get most kids to a good booster age.
 

featherhead

Well-known member
Re: One more thing...

Does this make sense???

So...If I have the ETA and I get the My Ride, I will put the baby into the ETA and the toddler into the MR (both rear facing). Then I will eventually put the toddler back into the ETA forward facing (when he reaches the rear facing limits) and the baby into the MR to keep her rear facing longer. Then I will switch my older back to the MR and younger to the ETA when they are both forward facing since the forward facing weight limit on the MR is higher. Finally, I will buy a booster for my older and put the younger in the MR until she is booster ready...

Confused yet??? I AM!!!

lol, it might work like that:) It's usually difficult to plan too far ahead because you never know how long a kiddo will last in a seat. For forward-facing the top slot height is somewhat more important than the weight limit because often kids outgrow seats by height instead of weight. So I would say play it by ear.
 

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