Which to choose - EFTA still the best?

jtl8 · Aug 7, 2008

HELP Please - Need to buy 2 Car seats this weekend......

I posted several weeks ago about my dilemma and I was thinking of getting an EFTA or Uptown, with EFTA having a slight edge from what I gather (from members' comments) - is this still the case, or is there some brand new model/carseat to consider?

- 19 month old baby; 22 pounds.
- baby hated infant carrier whenever it was used in a car
- hope to use car seat for at least a couple of more years
- we live overseas and dont have a car; these carseats would be kept at the grandparents' homes for use during our home leave - at most a few weeks use a year
- comfort and Ease of Use please
- Easy to Install in a 1998 Toyota Camry please
- safety is imperative, followed by ease of use/installation

- budget - dont know, but under $200 please

Thanks so so so much.

thepeach80 · Aug 8, 2008

What about the Safety 1st Avenue? It's a slightly cheaper version of the Uptown. I personally have a lot of problems w/ the EFTA rfing b/c of the knobs. I was looking at getting them to replace our Uptowns that were in a crash and I couldn't use them in our van.

solmama · Aug 8, 2008

Another seat to look into is the Learning Curve/First Years Truefit. It has a 17" harness height and 65lb weight limit. It's got nice sidewings and lots of padding. It also has lockoffs, making installation easier (no need for a locking clip). Target has begun carrying them, so if they need to be seen (by grandparents), they can check them out there. The Truefit isn't as wide as the EFTA either. The harness can be adjusted without uninstalling the seat.

And, if you register through the learning curve website (to buy the Truefit), you can use coupon code LCSHOP25 to get 25% off.

Also, if grandparents are willing to purchase their own seats-Targets across the country are re-doing their carseat section. The "old" style seats (Target is introducing new covers) are being clearanced for 50-75% off. Some folks here have gotten EFTA's for $35-$50. Might be worth checking out?

jtl8 · Aug 8, 2008

Thanks for the suggestions - I appreciate them.

Unfortunately both sets of grandparents arent the most mobile (thus Easy to Install is best), and so I need to buy both seats online and then just get them delivered to the grandparents.

I have to get the car seats in the next few days, so really appreciate the continued suggestions.

So the TrueFits are another suggestion.......

HELP.......getting more confused, though do appreciate the suggestions since I know sub-zero about carseats.

jtl8 · Aug 9, 2008

BUMP please....

firemomof3 · Aug 9, 2008

I would actually consider the true fit vs the EFTA. It does have the lock offs and the true fit would probably be easier for grandparents to install. As long as they read the manual thoroughly, the true fit is very user friendly & easy to adjust.
Good luck

henrietta · Aug 10, 2008

We have an EFTA and LOVE it, but if you won't be able to check the install until they've picked you up at the airport or something like that, I'd go for the True Fit. You won't know until you try it if the knobs will be easy to operate when the seat is rearfacing in their car, and you don't want to fight w/it at the last second. There's usually a solution for that, but the True Fit will eliminate you having to worry about it.

With the coupon code for Learning Curve, the cost is pretty much the same as an EFTA, too.

hths

henrietta

jtl8 · Aug 10, 2008

henrietta said:
We have an EFTA and LOVE it, but if you won't be able to check the install until they've picked you up at the airport or something like that, I'd go for the True Fit. You won't know until you try it if the knobs will be easy to operate when the seat is rearfacing in their car, and you don't want to fight w/it at the last second. There's usually a solution for that, but the True Fit will eliminate you having to worry about it.

With the coupon code for Learning Curve, the cost is pretty much the same as an EFTA, too.

hths

henrietta

Thanks so much for the replies.

I am actually leaning towards an EFTA because people seem to like it better, it would allow more room RFing in the car so I can have an adult on either side of the baby. Plus even with the LC coupon, the TrueFit is about $40 more expensive per seat than the EFTA - which isnt a huge amount but still..

I am going to order the seats in the next day or so, so thanks for all the continued comments/advice. They are extremely helpful.

Which to choose - EFTA still the best?

jtl8

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