Question What do parents want when choosing a child seat?

Andrea

New member
Hello to everyone! The question I'm posing might sound strange, but here is the reason: I've been asked by my boss to tell which are the important items for usability that people consider for a child seat.
One way I though of finding out is to go to some shop and ask what are the main questions parents ask when looking for a child seat and eventually what seem to be the main items they consider to reach their final decision. I also looked at some consumer ratings on the web and on some forums for comments... Then I though that a best way could be to ask directly...so here I am.
Would you let me know what are the things/features you considered when you decided what child seat model you would take? What do you consider to be the strong and the weak points of the seat you have? What would be your "dream" child seat?
If you want to add the brand and model you are speaking about, fine, but it's also fine not to do if this creates problems with forum rules.
I don't work for a child seat manufacturer so this is not to improve one specific brand. But I must say that the results of my investigation might have as a result that the company I work for might suggest to some child seat manufacturer some improvements to their design or look to recommend to our customers some specific models.
I hope that this request is not against rules and I will be more than happy if you can help me.

Thank you
Andrea
 
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sb518

New member
I will have to come back and answer the other questions (feeding baby.) But I will say that my dream seat would have a high rear-facing weight limit (40lbs+) with a high shell and top slots. My nieces and baby have long torsos and I always have to turn them forward facing before they reach the weight limit.

Easy installation - I love my Britax Marathon for the ease of installation. The LATCH connectors they use as well as the built in lock-offs for belt installs.

Cute covers are always a plus.

Right now I'm using a Graco snugride22 which I chose for the cute cover, ease of installation, and the nice big canopy. I do wish it came with an infant insert though as well as the Britax style LATCH connectors.

I could go on an on.. I will have to come back and finish.
 

kandamom

New member
Ease of installation is important, and the Britax Marathon is the best I've found in this regard. A seat that works well in many different vehicle types...

Sturdy feel, deep side wings, tall shell, deep seat area, high (40+ lbs) rear facing weight limit. I would like a seat that does not have a high base. I think Britax makes such a seat, but it is not available in the United States. (I cannot speak for ease of installation on that one, though.) I like the TrueFit ARB as well, but would want a higher top harness height, a higher rear facing weight limit, and a longer crotch strap.

Rebecca
K - 7.5, 51.5", 57 lbs, Monterey
A - 25 months, 37.5", 32 lbs, rf in a Radian65
 

CTPDMom

Ambassador - CPS Technician
My dream seat would have an open belt path, 'alligator' LATCH clips and built in lock offs, like a Britax Marathon. It would also have a high rf (40+lbs) and high ff (65-80lbs) weight limit. The harness would be 'infinite' and go to very high compared to the top of the high shell. (Infinite like an Evenflo Triumph Advance, tall shell like a True Fit.) AND if would have the adjustor knobs like the Triumph Advance, but they would be placed further down on the seat and slightly back so they would not interfere with a rear-facing install. :D
 

mommaon112903

New member
Deep headwings/sides

Alligator style LATCH clips

Tall shell

17"+ top harness slots

7" bottom harness slots

RF of 40lbs+

ARB or RF teather capable

Deep seat area

Long crotch strap

Covers other than GREY! Blues, greens, reds and oranges are great :D

And most importantly-AFFORDABLE! I am willing to pay more for a seat that has a seven or eight year expiration on it vs a seat with a six year expiration.
 
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carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
In order:

1. Good fit and comfortable for my child.
2. Features like energy-absorbing foam, deep headwings, etc.
3. Not a budget-buster. (I'm not going to give specific numbers, because I'm willing to spend more on a seat that she rides in 2x/day than one that she rides in 1x/month.)
4. Attractiveness.
5. Easy to install. (I suspect this ranks higher for most parents. I'm skilled and experienced with carseat installations, and I don't mind wrestling seats.)
 

skipspin

New member
It seems many parents look at price/seat attractiveness/color first, then how long it will last. They look at the general weight range however, not the height, etc.

That's not my criteria, but many of my friends seem to think along those lines...
 

BigDaddy

Active member
My dream car seat... hum... what would I want?

5 point harness
20" top harness slots
Tall shell
Deep Seating area
True Side Impact Protection
Very High RF limit (up to 50 - 60lbs)
Perhaps a removable base so that it will sit lower and flatter when turned FF
Installs as easy as a Marathon
Comfortable
Britax-like Hugs, shoulder pads and belly pads
A wide choice of patterns including popular cartoon characters.

I'm sure that I forgot something.


What do I want when choosing a car seat? Simple. One that will fit my child well, with room to grow, and will keep them safe and comfortable.
 

Shaunam

New member
Easy to install...this means not having to use pool noodles to get an acceptable recline rear-facing!

Lock-offs are nice for those of us that don't have LATCH or locking belts.

High weight and height limits. I want at least 40 lbs rear-facing and 65 forward-facing and a shell and top slots that will actually get kids there. So at least a 27" shell and 18" top slots. Also bottom slots of 8" with an infant insert so we can use it from birth.

A decent selection of fabrics and colors.

Energy absorbing foam. Headwings aren't a big deal to me, but it should have decently deep sides.

Comfortable for my child. Strap covers and belly pads are nice. And a decent amount of leg room that is not only important for rear-facing, but also when they are forward facing. If they don't have enough leg support, they get uncomfortable before they outgrow the seat.

Anti-rebound bar or rear-facing tether.

I think the true fit premier comes closest to my "dream" seat and I've never even seen it! If it just had a higher weight limit rear-facing, it would fit the bill. I was writing all that out thinking, "am I asking for too much?" but really a lot of seats are ALMOST there and could easily be "perfect" in my eyes, with just a few small changes.

Do you want feedback on infant seats and boosters? Cause I have opinions on those too. :eek:
 

christineka

New member
My dream convertible seat:

Most important: It must be thin. I'm talking 16 inches or skinnier.

Other important features:
Solid construction.
Rfing limit of 35 pounds, but 40 is preferable
Tall shell and top slots
eps foam
rear-facing tether or rebound bar
Good price for what you get. ($200 for a nice seat that could be the last harnessed.)

Other nice. features:
alligator latch clips
belt lockoffs
smooth harness adjuster
Non continuous harness
Padding
Leg room for rear-facing

Extra niceties:
Comfy covers
Cool colored covers (green, orange, red, blue, purple)

For high back boosters:
Belt fits growing children
Deep side and head wings
Adjusts to fit up to 21-22 inch torso
supports the legs well
thin- or puzzles well with other seats
eps foam
padding
latch is a nice extra
so is adjustable width
Cool cover options for big kids 8 years and up.

For backless boosters:
Fits a big kid
Comfort padding
Cool covers (for older kids)
Fits well with other seats
 
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TheNimpsGirl

New member
It seems many parents look at price/seat attractiveness/color first, then how long it will last. They look at the general weight range however, not the height, etc.

That's not my criteria, but many of my friends seem to think along those lines...


I agree. I know for my friends and family the first thing they look at is the price. For *my* friends (ages 24-30) anything over $150 is a lot to them. They then look at the color and if it will be "the last seat they ever need". 3-in-1's seem to sell well with my friends because they believe it will be their last seat.

What I look for in a seat is different however (in order):

- Tall shell
- RFing weight limit (40+ lbs) with TONS of leg room for extended rear facing
- FFing weight (65+ lbs)
- Energy-absorbing foam
- RF tether or ARB capable
- True side impact protection
- Comfortable (included shoulder pads is a plus)
- Multiple crotch positions
- Cover choices (both color and material)
- How many years the seat can be used (6+ years)
- Sturdy feeling seat
- Ease of installation in many different vehicles
- Built in lock offs
- Alligator latch clips
- Cost


... I haven't found one that meets all of those, close, but that would be what my perfect (convertable) car seat would have.
 

AtTheSouthDam

New member
My number 1. Comfortable for my child and easy to install in my car. Comfort includes the feel of the fabric, padding, harness placement, etc. Installation, well, I really, really like alligator clips and nice wide belt paths. After that I look at the other features, inserts, cup holders, harness adjustment, etc. With all that thrown in consideration, the Radian XT so far is my favorite seat and could be made perfect by giving it an adjustable boot and a blue cover, plushy please :D
 

rochelle

New member
my criteria as well as for most of my friends

- cost (have to fit our individual budget)
- ease of installing (its tough for layman to understand the manual sometimes)
- ease of washing the covers.
- durable (without being too pricy)
 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Super Smooth harness adjuster
Super non-twist straps
Velcro or hooks to keep the harness and crotch strap out of the seat so that I can put the baby in (Britax and Sunshine Kids have velcro on the harness, but no one yet seems to have an invention to keep the crotch strap up and out from under the bum!)
Rigid LATCH attachments
Clear, obvious labeling about how tight to make the harness and where to put the chest clip
Labeling that does not fall off the seat, ever
 

chloebeansmom

New member
My favorite parts of all of my seats put together:

Narrow seat
Tall shell
High RF weight limit (40+)
High harness limit for FF (65+)
Comfortable for child
RF tethering
Alligator latch connectors
sealtbelt lock-offs
Low bottom harness slots to truly fit a newborn well
good removable newborn support
side impact protection
easy installation with adjustable boot for RF
Nice looking covers
Longer expiration time period.


Plus: affordable!
 
U

Unregistered1

Guest
Oooh fun. Here's my dream seat.

RF to 40 lbs or more
Tall enough shell to accomodate a 3-4 year old rear facing
FF to 65 lbs or more
18" or higher top slots
5"-6" bottom slots
Infinite harness adjust
Side impact protection with head wings
Infinite headrest adjust (with the harness, like the boulevard)
Narrow enough for three across in most vehicles
Cute covers for boys AND girls (Graco is great at this)
Easy to install
Lockoffs (present but not required like on the True Fit)
Can be installed more reclined or more upright rear facing
No forward facing head slump
Soft, cool cover (not scratchy)
EPS or EPP foam at least in head rest
Anti-rebound bar
Foot prop (optional, or only required after a certain weight RF)
Comfortable
Alligator style LATCH clips
Two sets of LATCH clips - one for FF and one for RF
Smooth (not ratcheting) harness adjuster that is accessible RF
Plenty of room (multiple positions) for crotch buckle
RF legroom (you know that foot well they have in foreign countries from the ISOFIX? Yeah, I'd enjoy that)

In a booster I'd like to see:
Removable back - adjusts to 22" or higher
Large headwings with thick EPS or EPP foam
Deep side wings
Properly positioned belt - low on the lap and across mid shoulder like the turbobooster
Cup holders
Deep seat
Open belt guides
Optional and removable anti-submarining clip
No head slump
Cute covers/patterns geared towards older kids
Adjustable width or good puzzling with other seats
LATCHable
Easy for kids to buckle themselves
Fits small kids well - small as in 4 and 40 lbs, none of this parents thinking it's okay because their two year old fits
Labeled with a minimum of 4 and 40 lbs in HBB mode, 6 and 60 lbs in backless mode
No upper weight limit (or like Britax, theirs say 100+)
Upper height limit over 60" or not at all




Sheesh, am I picky or what? :p
 

cookie123

New member
Hmm, my dream seat. I've been waiting for it since I started using car seats in 1980 and still wait. And it has also changed over the years!

I feel the Radian XT LOOKS like the perfect seat, and almost is. Three across is important in my life, and not easy to achieve for me, even with the Radian because of it's installation issues.

I like that it folds, and it is narrow and "understated" - in other words, not a gigantic seat that takes up the whole car. I like it's low profile, tall shell and harness slots. The longer crotch strap that's available is a plus. Rear faces to 40 lbs is a plus.

I think the seat could be more cushy, more installation friendly, less unwieldy to manage. A nice smooth harness adjuster. Another crotch slot and a lower harness slot would be nice.

overall,
I want more rf leg room, rear facing realistically to age 4.
Why do we have to dig out crotch straps, there must be an answer.
Non twisty, non fraying straps everywhere, velcro to keep them out of the way for easy entry.
A more strategically placed harness adjuster for easy access
Easy to install with out pool noodles and other issues - lock offs, alligator latch clips
Nice comfy yet cute covers. How would you like to get in a frozen carseat with a thin cover over frozen plastic anyway? maybe fully lined in something over the plastic shell?
Comfy overall - no bruises from this and that on the seat
Testing for the latch system to 65 or 80 lbs
3 ACROSS friendly please!!
 

Mama Jo

New member
You've just asked a thousand carseat nerds to tell you what they love about their carseats. You're going to get more answers than you know what to do with! :p

.... I'll be back to answer later when I'm not working :whistle:
 

Patriot201

Car-Seat.org Ambassador
Would you let me know what are the things/features you considered when you decided what child seat model you would take?

I own a lot of seats for a reason- no one seat fulfills all of my needs. Even among convertibles, there are different needs I have at different times. That is why I have a lot of different seats. Well, that and the fact that I am obsessed with carseats...


Features that are important to me are:

~ Ease of installation
~ Width
~ High seat back
~ High RF limit
~ High harness slots
~ Ease of use (harness adjustment, etc.)
~ EPS/EPP foam
~ RF tether (though not critical)
~ Comfortable seat depth
~ Comfortable padding
~ Cover MUST be washable
~ Neutral cover
~ Cover must be comfortable
~ Long seat life
~ Company's reputation





What do you consider to be the strong and the weak points of the seat you have?

Again, I have a lot of seats. They all have strengths and they all have weaknesses.

I do LOVE my Radian XT. Is it perfect? Um, definitely not. Do I still love it? Yes!




What would be your "dream" child seat?

~ Easy to install (both RF and FF; with seatbelt or with LATCH)
~ Low bottom harness slots (7")
~ High top harness slots (19" or more)
~ Twist-resistant harness webbing
~ High RF weight limit (40 pounds)
~ High FF weight limit (80 pounds)
~ Long Life (8+ years)
~ Steel alloy framing
~ EPS/EPP foam
~ Head wings adjustable separate from harness
~ Head wings that do not cause head slump
~ Comfortable memory foam padding
~ Comfortable plush or cotton covers
~ Lots of cover choices
~ Washable covers
~ Low-profile
~ Narrow
~ Deep seat depth
~ RF tether
~ Easy to access harness adjuster
~ Easy to change harness height
~ Easy to change recline
~ Alligator or rigid LATCH attachments
~ LABELS THAT STAY ON THE SEAT FOREVER
 

gour0

New member
Let's see if I can answer this as a non-carseat nerd. ;)
I chose my first car-seats based on reputation and reviews. At the time, Britax was hailed as 'the safest seat available' on baby message boards. I loved the ease of install, the locking clips and the rear-facing tether.
I bought two wizards because I wanted the wings and I loved the way you could adjust harness height without un-intsalling the seat and re-threading them. I heard "65 lbs" and thought sounded pretty long when I was looking at a 20 lb kid.
I've come here looking for advice for buying our next seats and there seem to be a dizzying amount of choices. So, I would love it if someone would come out with a seat that outshines the rest so much that it gets hailed as THE seat to get. There are too many choices and I like things handed to me as often as possible. :)
I want it to be incredibly easy to install and use. I want my kid to be able to get in and out by himself. (now that he's 6) I want it to be able to adjust it to fit different children in seconds. That means having one install method that will work for different heights and weights. I'd also like some way of knowing easily that the install is correct without being a tech. Comfy and cool looking would be nice as well. I'm tired of tan, gray and blue.
 

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