Is the Evenflo Triumph a good seat?

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Jan 31, 2006

• #1

Hello,
It is time to move my daughter ( 13 mos , 19 1/2 lbs , ??? inches - she goes for her check-up next week) to a bigger car seat.
I would love to buy a Britax, but it isn't in our budget. I saw a nice seat at our Toys R Us (the Triumph), and the reviews on Amazon compared it to the Britax Round About. ( They said Consumer Reports gave it good marks, too.)
My friend recommeded that I ask here about the seat. What do you all think of this one. My baby looked really comfy in it, but I know looks aren't everything.
My husband already said "no" to the Cosco one you all are recommending - He really likes the Graco Comfort Sport - Is one better than the other? (Evenflo/Graco)
Any advice for a clueless mom?

 

my3girls

New member

• Jan 31, 2006

• #2

Well, when I first needed to move my daughter out of her baby carrier, I bought the Comfortsport and I thought all seats that harness to 40 pounds would all be the same, only different covers and padding. WELL... covers and padding *are* important BUT my girl outgrew the CS at 2 because her shoulders grew past the top harness slot (have to be below for FF and above for RF)! I was so steamed! According to their rating she would fit until she was 40" but since her torso was a bit above average (a fact I didn't know until this moment) she outgrew it at 36". THEN I bought her a Graco Cargo, which does have taller harness slots, but still only harnesses to 40 pounds (then becomes a booster) but she outgrew the 40 pound limit at age 3 and even though she is within the limits now to use a booster (and does in our spare car) it's not nearly as safe as having a 5pt harness on and she is too wiggly and then slumps over if she falls asleep! Sorry to ramble I'll get to the important part soon! I've spent a total of $350 on three seats to equal what a Britax would have done for $250. I originally balked at the price of Britax too, and there are just a few other seats (like the Radian) that might do the same job, just a little cheaper. But for me, I would have gladly paid the money to not have to have such a hassle and have a totally secure, easy to use seat. The Scenera is a bit on the simple side, but the tall shell and tall harness slots are VERY important! And sorry, but I have no experience with any Evenflo seats.

 

scatterbunny

New member

• Jan 31, 2006

• #3

Graco ComfortSport=the very lowest top harness slots of all the convertible carseats. This means it is outgrown the soonest by height, long before a child is 40 pounds or close to 4 years old (usually at 2-3 years old). This seat also has a very low rear-facing weight limit (30 pounds). Rear-facing longer is safer. See this page for more details on why kids should remain rear-facing even beyond the minimum of 20 pounds and 1 year old: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/stayrearfacing.aspx And check out this photo album of older, heavier kids (some 4-5 year olds!) still happily rear-facing: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFalbum.aspx

Evenflo Triumph=same low rear-facing weight limit of 30 pounds, BUT even worse--a shorter seat shell. This means most kids don't even get close to 30 pounds before being too tall to rear-face.

Other convertible carseats (Cosco Scenera/Touriva, Britax Marathon/Boulevard, Sunshine Kids Radian) have higher rear-facing weight limits (35 pounds for the Cosco, 33 pounds for Britax and Sunshine Kids), taller seat shells (to help ensure kids don't get too tall to rear-face before at least getting close to the rear-facing weight limit), and in the case of the Britax and Sunshine Kids seats, they harness to a much higher weight limit.

What seat is your dd in now?

 

J

j4m4d8

New member

• Jan 31, 2006

• #4

Does your dh object to the lack of padding on the Scenera or is there some other problem? It is a very good seat and an excellent value, too.

I haven't had a lot of experience with either of the seats you mentioned besides playing with them at the store, but I would probably go with the Evenflo Triumph over the Graco ComfortSport, although the Triumph is no Roundabout . Isn't it still over $100 though?

The downside of the Triumph is that it is outgrown rear-facing very quickly and rear-facing is safer, but your daughter sounds like an itty-bitty one so that may not be as much of an issue. Did she have at least a couple of inches of car seat above her head when you tried her in it? The downsides of the ComfortSport are that the harness is difficult to adjust when rear-facing (which increases the likelihood you would turn the seat forward-facing) and that it is usually outgrown forward-facing extremely quickly.

Did you like the harness adjuster on the Triumph? It tends to be a love it or hate it thing. I've liked it in the store, but I've never used it on an everyday basis.

Make sure you try the seats in your car before you buy them. Sometimes that can be the deciding factor right there.

Note that the Scenera is listed for kids up to 43 inches and the other two top out at 40 inches.

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Jan 31, 2006

• #5

My daughter is in an infant Safety First Designer22. (She's pretty tiny! - She still has about 2 inches of headroom - give or take) On the Triumph she was "swallowed-up" by the seat. Her shoulders weren't even to the middle row of straps yet! - Part of the reason why my husband doesn't like the scenera has to do with padding, but I think he's looking for something with the 'safety foam' that the britax, evenflo and graco seats all have - the scenera doesn't have that. He said it just doesn't look/feel safe.(?)

 

scatterbunny

New member

• Jan 31, 2006

• #6

Wow, she really IS tiny, to have that much space above her head! That may change things a little, since she could rear-face to 30 pounds and probably be 3 years old by then.

Of the two, I would lean towards the ComfortSport because it has a taller seat shell than the Triumph. That will help make sure your dd does not get too tall to rear-face well before 30 pounds. HOWEVER--the ComfortSport can be a bear to adjust when rear-facing (the harness adjuster is located between the child's legs; it can get wedged up against the vehicle seatback when installed rear-facing).

I would go to Babies R Us and actually install the floor models in your vehicle and play with the harness adjusters. The Triumph has a very unique harness adjuster that some people don't care for.

Just be aware that almost all 40 pound weight limit convertibles (which means all but Britax and Sunshine Kids) are outgrown by height before weight, so you'll probably end up needing another harnessed seat with taller top slots later on down the road.

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Jan 31, 2006

• #7

I've never hears of Sunshine kids - Do they make any other seats?

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Jan 31, 2006

• #8

Oops (Heard) of SS kids....

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Jan 31, 2006

• #9

Lucky you to have a tiny kid!! lol! My DS outgrew his designer 22 at 7months, and that was already after outgrowing the snugride at 3 days before 3 months. We got a britax marathon and he is 2.5 and outgrowing the harness so we got a britax husky. He is a big kid, especially in the torso. He could still rearface in the scenera though, but only another pound.

But for your DD I would totally get a britax marathon! Even though they are pricey it would last her until it expired for sure! My sis's DD is much smaller than DS, at 20months she is still shorter than he was at 12months. So she will definitely make it to 6 years too.

You could also look into the sunshine kids radian, which may be a better seat for you. It is cheaper and will last a little longer. It is on sale at albeebaby.com for 179 and free shipping. It is very similar to a britax but is narrower and has taller slots. It also has a 7 year exp date so it would last her until she was 8. I definitely think at her size she would fit in it until she was 8. Then you could get a booster or if she happened to be big enough she could just use a seatbelt.

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Jan 31, 2006

• #10

http://skjp.com/Pages/radian.html

 

scatterbunny

New member

• Jan 31, 2006

• #11

ARgh! I replied, but it isn't showing up now.

Sunshine Kids makes all kinds of "juvenile products" (as they call them, LOL), but the Radian is their first venture into the carseat arena.

Here's their website/page for the Radian: http://skjp.com/Pages/radian.html

 

U

Unregistered

Guest

• Jan 31, 2006

• #12

Hmmm...They make the Mighty Tite...isn't that thing suppossed to be dangerous?

 

J

j4m4d8

New member

• Jan 31, 2006

• #13

Well I'm not going to argue him out of EPS foam, LOL. Still the benefits of rear-facing are so great that the fact that the Scenera can be used rear-facing by an average-sized child until her 4th birthday outweighs the lack of EPS foam for most of us.

Since your daughter is tiny I don't feel the total length of use is going to be much of an issue for you. If you do want to rear-face as long as possible then neither of these seats are great choices.

Looking at the size of your daughter now, I honestly think it may be another 4 months before she truly outgrows her infant seat. If you have the $100 for a seat now, just $10 a week more would get you a Roundabout in 3 months! (I can usually sneak $10 a week out of the grocery money by emphasizing the beans/rice group a little more, but if this is not possible for you then I would highly recommend the Scenera.) It is a wonderful seat and your daughter would get a lot of use out of it. (She probably wouldn't outgrow it until 4 1/2 or 5 and could use it rear-facing until at least 4.) I don't see the bigger seats being that necessary for her; in any case you could wait and see what's out there then.

You can leave the infant seat in the car all the time if it is getting too heavy to carry.

ETA: Well obviously everyone posted while I was changing my daughter's clothes! The Radian could also be a good choice for you and is a little cheaper than the Roundabout. I just don't know how well it installs in vehicles yet and hesitate to recommend it to someone unless they can install it in their vehicle first or are willing to spend the shipping just to try it.

 

scatterbunny

New member

• Jan 31, 2006

• #14

Yes, the Mighty Tite is an aftermarket belt-tightening device made by Sunshine Kids that no carseat manufacturer allows to be used in conjunction with their seats--except maybe the Radian? LOL! I would be curious to know their stance on that.

 

U

Unregistered

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• Jan 31, 2006

• #15

Yeah - we're not in a HUGE rush, but I definitely want to 'weigh my options.'
This was so much easier w/ my 2nd child - he just got his older sister's 'hand me down.' But, they are 6 & 8, so that seat is no longer an option!

 

scatterbunny

New member

• Jan 31, 2006

• #16

I think the more you know, the more difficult the decision becomes--at least, that's how it was for me. I went back and forth for months, weighing my options. I'm starting to do it again--dd is almost out of the Laptop in dh's truck and will need something new, soon. She's so large, it's hard finding harnessed seats that will work for her, and that will fit our vehicle.

 

U

Unregistered

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• Jan 31, 2006

• #17

Too much info!!! That's for sure! LOL! There are so many choices!
When I had my 1st there weren't nearly as many choices - It seemed so much easier!

 

U

Unregistered

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• Jan 31, 2006

• #18

This baby has been a challange - period! We had gotten rid of ALL of our baby stuff - thinking we were done- and surprise! We had to buy everything all over again - car seats, crib, pack and play, the works! I must admit....it has been fun... at times!