3-in-1

I am looking for the best 3-in-1 car seat, and can't seem to find much information on the 3-in-1's. Can anyone provide me with information on which 3-in-1's are the safest?

Thanks!

Depending on what you're going to be using it for, 3 in 1's aren't usually the best choice. There are a ton of other seats that are more preferable.

Can I ask why they aren't preferable? I currently have my 9-month old in the infant carrier, however she is getting very heavy (and long) and therefore I am thinking of buying a car seat that will get her through until she's done with the car seats. I'm trying to look at the most economical and logical solution to this, and that's why I thought about a 3-in-1. What would you recommend I do?

How much does your little one weigh right now?

The cosco/dorel/safety 1st/eddie bauer 3in1 seats are all the exact same shell with the exception of the enspira. None of them make good booster seats, but the alpha omega and alpha omega elite and clones all make a fine rear-facing and forward-facing seat.

Evenflo also makes a 3in1 seat by the name of the Symphony. The downside to the symphony is that it only has a 30lb rf'ing limit which isn't enough to get most kids much past 18 months if at all - some kids won't even make it to a year rf'ing in the symphony and the parent would be left having to buy another rear-facing seat with a higher weight limit.

The Symphony does make a good booster - while it fits, but the back doesn't adjust tall enough to be the last seat your kiddo will need. The booster mode will be outgrown before your child is ready to go without a booster - though it will often last until the point where you can buy just a backless booster.

A lot of people love the idea of a 3in1 seat, but they're rarely the last seat you'll have to buy. That's not a bad thing though - seats that are rear-facing and forward-facing often are less expensive than 3in1 seats, and it's going to be another 4 years or so before you'll be looking at buying a booster, so it will still be a good long time before you have to buy another seat. A lot of times - in the end, you will spend the same amount total by buying an infant/child seat followed by a booster, as you would by just buying a 3in1 seat.

If you really want a 3in1, they meet standards perfectly fine, just know going in to it that unless you get the symphony, you won't have a usable booster and will still end up buying one when the time comes. :thumbsup:

If you have your heart set on one, you're more than welcome.. but you might want to look at what is available in the market that has a higher rear-facing weight limit (a number of seats) and a higher forward-facing weight limit (almost all seats)--then factor in the fact that the 3-in-1 makes a poor booster, is generally outgrown before most kids are even ready for a booster (necessitating the purchase of another harnessed seat down the road) and will expire within the first year of booster use (necessitating another booster purchase down the road). If you have your heart set on a 3-in-1 and it fits your child and your vehicle well, then go ahead. Just be aware that you'll be buying two more seats down the road.

Were it MY money, I'd get a seat that rear-faces to 40 or 45lbs, and forward-faces to 65lbs. Worry about a booster in 5 or 6 years when you actually need one--they're relatively inexpensive and we do have crash test data that supports that dedicated boosters do a better job than almost all combo and the 3-in-1 seats when the time comes.

You may save a few bucks buying a 3-in-1 now, but you'll end up spending twice as much in the long run.

-Nicole.

The primary reason the Cosco (this covers Safety 1st, Eddie Bauer and Cosco) 3-in-1s aren't recommended is that they make extremely poor boosters. You should not consider their use as one. Historically, they had relatively low weight limits for the harness, and an unusable top harness position that many parents used in error. Now there are two different models of the Cosco 3-in-1s; one has a 50lb harness limit and is a very reasonable choice for a harnessed seat only, and the other model hasn't changed from the old 40lb limits and 'fake' top harness position. It's to be avoided.

There are now other manufacturers (besides Cosco) making 3-in-1s. The Evenflo Symphony is one. I don't know very much about it. Graco calls their Nautilus a 3-in-1, but it's not in the traditional sense (nor would it be appropriate for your 9mo.) It's a forward-facing only seat that becomes a high-back booster then a no-back booster. It does not rear-face. Your daughter needs a rear-facing seat.

So, with that explanation of the 3-in-1s, I'll tell you what you should look for in a convertible for your daughter. The absolute safest thing you can do for her is rear-face her as long as possible. Rear-facing represents a 500% increase in safety over forward-facing. So, look for seats that have high-rear-facing weight limits. Seats like the Graco MyRide (40lbs,) the Safety 1st Complete Air (40lbs,) and the Sunshine Kids Radians (40-45lbs, depending on the model.) There may be others now, but I'm not current on the convertible seats. The next thing to look for is a high top harness position, so your daughter can remain harnessed until she's mature enough to sit still in a booster (age 5 at a minimum, and 40lbs by law.)

In general, we say the 'best' seat:

1. Fits your child
2. Fits your vehicle
3. Is easy to use correctly EVERY time
4. Fits your budget

All seats for sale in Canada pass the same safety tests. As far as we know, no one seat is any 'safer' than any other.

I hope that helps you!

ETA: All that typing, and Snowbird and Quasee beat me to it. You may want to check this thread out for a list of seats available in Canada: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=39989

Wow, thanks for all the info! I have a friend who has offered to give me her Cosco Alpha Omega for free (she is getting rid of her second vehicle, and therefore does not need it anymore). It has never been in an accident, and doesn't expire until December 2016. My daughter weighs about 20lbs (I think - we have her check-up next week), and was 27 inches long at her 6-month check-up. Would this be a viable option for us until she needs a booster? I hate to say this, but with all the different weight limits and such, I find all this car seat info so confusing...LOL.

You'll want to check the weight limits. Some of the newer ones go FF to 50# and have higher usable slots, but I can't remember when that change took place. A 40# foward facing limit won't last you nearly as long. Still a decent seat, but it'll need replacing a lot sooner.

If it is one of the older ones that RF to 30lbs and FF to 40lbs the highest harness position can't be used except in booster mode so it makes for a short seat and for many will be outgrown before safe booster age. I have one that I bought years ago thinking it would be the only seat I'd need (ha ha) and my average sized DS outgrew it by height FF at 3.5 and 32lbs. At 3.5 there is no way he had the maturity to sit in a booster and at 32lbs it would have been illegal even if I had wanted to at the time. DD is a lightweight so I'm still using it RF for her in DH's car.

I wouldn't run out and buy it but if it's free (and you know the history), why not? If she hits the RF weight limit and you want to benefit from the HUGE benefits of RF her longer you can always use the time to save up and then upgrade. Or if you get to a good FF age you can put the money towards a good combination seat which will last her a really long time.

BrandieB30 said:

It has never been in an accident, and doesn't expire until December 2016. (

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I thought these seats were only good for 6 years. Did she just buy the seat this year?

sparkyd said:

I thought these seats were only good for 6 years. Did she just buy the seat this year?

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The TC chart with the various seats and expiries says 8 years.

All the Dorel 3-in-1s are 8 years.

I just typed out some thoughts on the whole expiry thing (which I've clearly never thought about much before) but decided that I was highjacking so I'm off to start a new thread.