Any reviews on Enspira or new EB or AO???

I am going to be buy a seat when my girls hit 33lbs (hopefully at different times!) to keep them rear facing to 35lbs instead of 33lbs. (Hopefully Britax has a seat that rear faces longer by that point!) When they are done with the seat I will be giving it to someone who needs a seat and can't afford it, since my girls will be going back to their Wizards.

My question is...I've heard negative reviews on the Intera...so I'm wondering about the other ones. I've used the AO with horrible results, but it wasn't the brand new one so it may be better. My main concerns are these, in this order:

Rear face to 35lbs or more.

The 35lb child can still FIT rear facing.

Tight installation.

Comfort for the child.

Since it will only be for 2lbs I'm just concerned about them fitting in it rear facing at that point. I don't want to end up getting the seat only to find out they don't fit. I'll obviously try them before I buy them, but I thought I'd see if anyone had put their 33-35lb child into one of these seats rear facing.

The New Eddie Bauer 3 in 1
The New Alpha Omega
The Enspira

And if there are any other that rear face past 33lbs, I'm interested in knowing about them too. We drive a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan with LATCH on the two seat bench in the middle, and a lap belt and tether anchor in the middle on the 3 seat bench in back. Installation is usually not an issue, especially if rear facing tether is allowed...none of the above seats allow that do they???

How big are the girls now? I think my decision would depend on when (how far from now, and at wahat age) the girls will hit 33 lbs, and how tall they are at that point.

Your girls are adorable

I think it may be worth a 35 lb RFing limit especially for Ali. Since she has Down syndrome she is at increased risk to have instability of her cervical vertebrae (as I am sure you know-but this is the genetic counselor in me). Although I am a firm believer in maximizing RFing, I think this alone warrants it even more. Untethered RFing seats are extremely safe, and safer than tethered FFing seats. Since she is only 22 months, and probably not close to 33 lbs yet, I would wait to see what is available when she is closer to that weight.
It is possible that your choices may be different. Also, I would bet her height at that time would play a big factor in the decision. Depending on her height at the time she is 33 lbs, she may only fit in the Alpha Omega or Intera seat RFing.

I love the Intera...and I know another tech who's a certifed Britax addict and she loves her Intera so much that she wants another one, so don't rule it out, it's taller than the other seats, and has better side wings for sleeping and protection. Just take the booster off before installing it, and it's fine.

The Enspira/EG Deluxe/Whatever it's called that's the same as the the AO without a base or moveable headrest is great for extended RF. The AO wasn't going to work for my skinny tall girl, because when the shoulder slots were in the right position, the headrest was too low

How heavy are your girls now? I bet you have years before they get close to 33 pounds, lol.

I had their growth all charted out and they weren't supposed to hit 33lbs until they were both 36 months old, which of course would be a full ten months apart from each other. However...they are now both growing a little faster than I thought, and I am just trying to prepare. I think it will probably be about a year before Ali hits it, and about a year and ten months before Peanut hits it....so yes I am thinking very far in advance here!

However, I've already notified DH that when the girls outgrow their Wizards they are going to be in Huskys, and when they outgrow those they move to BodyGuards...even though by the time they hit 65lbs there will definitely be other options!

What can I say...I'm definitely obsessive compulsive! Is there any talk of any other extended rear facing seats? I know that there is supposed to be a new seat coming out that also harnesses to 65lbs but I assumed the rear facing limit would still be 35lbs on that one.

I wouldn't even care if it was a rear facing only seat up to like 45lbs...I'd still buy it!

Oh, one of the reasons I am so anal about rear facing is because of my girls low tone, seizures, and other health issues. Ali does not have the neck instability, she has been checked for that...and as a matter of fact she actually has the muscle tone of a typical 2 year old except in her legs and ankles, and in her mouth. However Peanut does have low muscle tone in her neck and back....and has a larger than average head which doesn't help. Overall I just think it is safer to keep them rear facing as long as possible...

Hoping they slow down growth wise and Britax comes out with a new seat! I was 30lbs from 3-4 years old...and then 35lbs until I was 5. Hopefully they take after me!

If you can get a prescription from your dr to do it, you can import a Swedish Britax two-way plus that rearfaces to 55 pounds. I'm not sure if it's much taller than the Marathon, though, so you might end up with not a lot of time to use it...but you have time to research, that's for sure.

Maybe your dd's will be like my dd and not hit 33 pounds till they are like 52 months (which is why mine was too tall for the AO...she might have fit the Intera, but it wasn't available...)

Is there somewhere that has information on the seat in english????? How much is it, does it forward face too, is it as comfortable as our Britax seats, is it easy to use, and how would I go about having it imported??? Does it have as much SIP as the Wizard??

Getting a prescription for BOTH girls from my Dr would NOT be an issue. I didn't even know it was an option! How cool is that??

And my Dr already thinks I'm crazy....would I be crazy to keep my kids rear facing until they are like 6?

Is that seat only a 3 point harness??? Can I safely buy a chest clip for it to use??

I don't know much about the seat, but I imagine it is a 5-point harness ... Sweden having really safe carseat requirements {compared to most US states anyway!}

I'm wondering if I should pass on this info to my brother who's young toddler {almost 20 months} has a genetic growth deficiency? They currently have her in a Roundabout, but I think they're planning on switching their newborn into that once the infant seat is outgrown & I know they're Britax-crazy too

BTW, my daughter's pediatrician thinks I'm a little nuts as well ~ cloth diapers & exlusive BF, extended RF, etc. Luckilly he also follows my orders! LOL

I only wish my other brother & sister pair were as receptive to CPS issues as this brother {& our other sister} ... I can't stand seeing my nieces ride in lap-only belts at 4+ years old *SIGH*

Does anyone know how you would go about getting a Britax Two Way Plus??? Can someone in Europe order it and have it shipped, and then ship it to me?? Or do I actually have to go to Sweden to get them??? How exactly does that work? My sister lives in Austria and I've emailed her and asked her to find out what she can....but I wondered if anyone knew how to go about it, as I can't find anywhere online to order them, even if I lived in Sweden! I am thinking I would get them soon, and then use them in the van and the Wizards in the Tahoe. We were going to be buying an extra set of seats for it anyway.

OurAngelsAli&Peanut said:

Does anyone know how you would go about getting a Britax Two Way Plus???

Click to expand...

I posted on the PP board, but I'm pretty sure the "other woman" who imported a Two-Way got permission from NHTSA and Britax USA imported it for her. Easy-peasy. (Well, once you get the permission, anyway.)