Help on carseats please! :)

I thought I had decided on a car seat for my DD today. We went to BRU and she sat in it and I really liked it. It was the Alpha Omega Elite in Bella. After reading the reviews here, I see many people don't like this seat.

My daughter is very small (almost 3 yrs old, not sure on her height, but only around or less than 30 lbs) , so I'm not too worried about her growing out of it. She's in a Britax Roundabout now, but we're having another baby soon and the baby will need it after she grows out of her carrier.

Anyway, I've been recommended the Graco Nautilus, but after being used to having a pretty Britax, I'm not so keen on the seat being so masculine looking. (Maybe if I wait, they will come out with a nice pattern in the Graco?) We really can't afford the Britax Decathalon or Boulevard though...I'm stuck!

I would prefer something that she can use until she's not in a carseat anymore..and one that converts into a booster. OR something safe but cheap that she could use now until she's big enough for just a belt positioning booster. They're supposed to be 4 right?

I dunno, I just need help, this is driving me crazy! LOL thanks

Well, the downfall to the AOE is that the top slots are very short in comparison to other seats. Also, the top slot is for Booster use only. As in, with the vehicle seatbelt. Your dd would be far too tiny for a booster.

She is such a peanut, she really should be Rear Facing . It is much safer for her spine and reduces her risk of severe injury.

Could you buy a Marathon? There are various sites that offer discounts and coupons, and it would RF her to 33 or 35 lbs. Then , you could turn it forward and she could be harnessed to 65 lbs.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance is an inexpensive seat that RF to 35 lbs and FF with harness to 50 ish lbs.

Could you sit her against a wall and measure her torso height? floor to top of shoulder. It would help folks figure out which seat would suit her best.

Here is what another mom had offered on a previous thread:

Recaro Como/Signo (~$249-$290 depending on model) - top harness height is around 19 inches (Signo is 18 inches, Como is 19 inches) and harnesses up to 70 pounds (5-35lb rearfacing).

Sunshine Kids Radian (~$199-$278 depending on model) - top harness height of 18 inches. Can hold a child up to 65/80 pounds (depending on the model you buy) (5-33lb rearfacing). This seat folds so it can be carried easily (though it is still a heavy seat to carry, especially around the airports). These seats can use the tether rearfacing. This seat is also pretty narrow when compared to other seats so often a good choice when trying to fit multiple seats next to each other in the car.

Evenflo Triumph Advance (~$129) (don't confuse with the original triumph which is actually a very short harnessed seat)- top harness height of 17.5 inches. Can hold a child up to 50 pounds (5-35lb rearfacing).

Britax Marathon, Boulevard, Decathlon (~$229-$289 depending on model) - top harness height is 17 inches. Can hold children up to 65 pounds (5-33 pounds rearfacing, though seats manufactured in 2008 should go to 35lb rearfacing). These seats can tether rearfacing.

Fisher Price Safe Voyage (~$149) - based on the Britax Marathon shell)- top harness height is 17 inches. Can hold children up to 55 pounds (5-33lb rearfacing). This seat is being discontinued so it is hard to find and might have older manufacturing dates (seat expires 6 years from when it was made).

Hi! 3-in-1s generally are not the most ideal seat ("jacks of all trades, masters of none") but that doesn't mean there isn't someone for whom it is a great choice....

The great thing about this seat for your situation is that your kiddo is lightweight enough that she could still ride in the safest possible way: RF (Please read this, along with the links included therein, to understand why we urge parents to keep kids RF for as long as possible). However, she would also have to meet the height limits, too :twocents:

One major downfall is that this seat has really low height limits (RF, FF and/or booster) compared to other options This means most kids, although maybe not yours, outgrow the harness before they're ready for booster use & then kids often outgrow the booster by height before they're safe enough to ride without one.

Finally, it will expire within 6 years from Date of Manufacture, which might or might not provide your child with the protection she needs for as long as she needs it.

I second the suggestion to keep her rear-facing. Before coming to this site, I wasn't aware that a child could rear-face past "1 and 20lbs". Here is some good info about it: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/StayRearFacing.aspx

If you're going to have her rear-face, then I say get a Marathon if you can swing it. (There's a pretty one for sale right now on the Carseat Swap forum). Or a Sunshine Kids Radian 80 (in the Princess cover). If you're going to turn her around and want a pretty cover but don't want to wait to see if the Nautilus is going to have girlie covers, then go with the Regent. AlbeeBaby.com still has them on sale for $242 and the Madison is nice print. I know these aren't cheap. But they will last a long time - especially the Regent. Based on the stats you gave for your daughter, she should last in a Regent until she's 8 or so (just guessing!). And the Marathon until she's 6, I guess? My DS is 5 and still fits in a Marathon.

Hope this helps!

If you decide that rear facing is not something you wish to do, then you will want to pick a seat with nice tall harness slots. The Graco Nautilus would last you a while, but you still need to keep in mind that it will still expire like any other seat in 6 years or so.

Another option is the Evenflo Triumph Advance. It has a higher RF weight limit and is taller than the Roundabout, which may be important for your next child. It's very common for 2nd or 3rd children to grow exactly opposite their first-born siblings. So while you're DD may be very small, your next child may be a "moose".

Glad to see you found your way over here. These ladies have great info. much better then I do.