Me and Scenera -vs- The Wife

[jkk928]

Hello, everyone. This is my first post. I am here mostly because I do not want my wife to "win" and continue to pick out car seats based soley on price=quality, and a 2 year old baby bargain book. While I commend her for researching somewhat, i am torn between being a tighta$$ and wanting a safe seat for my daughter. So I took to the internet. If I am wrong, then so be it. I just won't show her this! Just kidding.

My question is regarding the Cosco Scenera. We are ready to buy a "big girl" seat for our second vehicle, mine. We purchased the Evenflow Triumph with the wheel adjustment thingy for her car which we take if we go on any sort of extended trips. This after returning the Evenflow Titan due to frustratingly difficult strap adjustments. So for my car I set out to find a "budget" model that is also safe and at least moderately comfortable for Morgan and I's short trips together home from daycare. I have had an eye on the Cosco Scenera (RF). Seems fine to me, I "played" with it in the store. Nothing fancy, but seemed to suit my needs. however she is hell-bent that any Cosco gets poor crash test ratings and they also tend to have more recalls. This all based on Baby Bargain book, Amazon reviews, and the such. But I have shown her positive info regarding it on here. And I think I see the okay wanting to come out of her mouth, but pride won't let it out! She wants me to spend another $40 and get the ComfortSport convertible. Can anyone give me some personal insight or opinions? I would appreciate it. i need to win one once in a while!

 

[shashoo]

I am not a tech, but I have personal experience with both of the seats. I personally would vote for the Scenera. I have a previous model, Regal Ride, that I enjoy using. It is easy to install rf and ff, easy to adjust harness in rf position, high top harness slots, and higher rf weight limit (35 lbs). The comfort sport has low top harness slots so it will be outgrown fasterff, only 30 pound rf limit, I have had trouble installing in a few vehicles, hard to reach adjustor strap when rf.
I know that there have been some problems with the Cosco 3 in 1's and combination seats, but no recalls on the Scenera or any of its predecessors. I am sure someone else will chime in with more information that.
If you post the height, weight, age, current seat your daughter is in, I'm sure you will get even more responses.
Good Luck

 

[murphydog77]

Hi. Actually, the Scenera is the updated version of the Touriva which is Cosco's only (I believe) seat to not have any recalls (go figure). It's a solid, dependable seat and well worth the $40 that it's on sale for at Wal-Mart right now. True, I side with your wife on Cosco products, but the Scenera is A-OK (hehe, at least as far as the Touriva's reputation goes).

Is it more comfy than the ComfortSport? No. Would I choose it over the ComfortSport? You betcha. The CS has this ridiculous belt path that goes far back under the baby's bum that allows it to flip backward so that it lays flat when rear-facing. The harness adjuster is also very difficult and the harness slots are lower.

Keep in mind that Amazon reviews are really iffy to read because there's always someone on there who uses the product wrong--those pictures people post are horrifying! Baby Bargains is good, but products change yearly, so it's best to read up-to-date stuff. That's why the internet forums are good.

 

[jkk928]

Keep in mind that Amazon reviews are really iffy to read because there's always someone on there who uses the product wrong--those pictures people post are horrifying! Baby Bargains is good, but products change yearly, so it's best to read up-to-date stuff. That's why the internet forums are good.

This is what I thought too. Thanks to you both for speedy replies. My daughters "specs" are: 7mo , 18lbs, and I am not real sure on the length I would just say "normal".

 

[my3girls]

The ridiculously low slots on the Comfortsport meant that my dd outgrew the seat completely at 2!!!(and was absolutely not ready to be in a booster) I do agree that it's a seat that "looks" more cushion-y, but it's not worth the $ if your kid's too big for it too soon!

 

[scatterbunny]

I don't recommend the Triumph, while I DO recommend the Scenera. The only convertibles I recommend more highly than the Scenera is the Britax convertibles.

The Triumph has such a low seat shell that it is almost always outgrown by height rear-facing when the baby is usually well below the 30 pound rear-facing weight limit. Since rear-facing is so much safer than forward-facing, this is a bad thing. True, the Triumph is nice and cushy, generally easy to use, too--but very low rear-facing limits.

The ComfortSport's higher-priced models might be cushier than the Scenera, and might last a bit longer rear-facing than Triumph (but not nearly as long as the Scenera, which has a rear-facing weight limit of 35 pounds), but it is outgrown the soonest of all three when forward-facing.

The Scenera really offers better features overall than the others, the only thing it may be "lacking" is padding, which most babies don't even miss.

 

[thepeach80]

I just had my 19.5#, 26" baby boy in this seat the other day and he slept like a log! lol The Scenera is his older brother's normal seat (he's 2.5 and still rfing so it was an easy switch to each other's seat) and it works great for us. It has much higher slots than our other Cosco seat (the Alpha Omega) and both kids fit in it well. It's light and very easy to travel w/ and for the$40 I spent, I'm glad I did! I just ordered a new seat for our oldest and this will now be DH's seat so he can take either child w/ him (right now he has a ffing only seat in his car). ITA, get this seat~

 

[tjham]

I'm a grandma with an 8 month old grandson. I have him several times a week. He has a Roundabout in his mom's car and I have a Scenera in mine. I had a little trouble installing the first time but it's easier now. He even falls asleep in it.

I was also surprised that Baby Bargains gave the Touriva a C rating. All the techs at the Baby Bargains site rave about it and the Scenera.

 

[jkk928]

Wow, I really appreciate all of your helpful responses. After further review, my wife has been overturned and I am on my way up to Wal-Mart to pick up the Scenera for my car. It is on sale for $40 instead of regular price of $50.
The strange thing is now she has sort of second guessed her Triumph. Despite liking it (except it does take some uumph to get the wheel to release) and it beign fairly easy to use, she now questions it due to the lack of depth and how easy it is to outgrow. Funny thing is, when we put Morgan into it to set up the straps and all, she pointed out how close her head already is to the top. the top where the plastic is harder and the padding is thinnest. So we shall see. But I just cannot allow myself to spend $260 for the second level Brittax.

 

[scatterbunny]

Just watch where her head is in relation to the top of the Triumph's seat shell. If she does get too tall to rear-face in it and you want her to continue rear-facing, picking up another Scenera for your wife's car when the need arises.

If she really is not keen on the lack of padding in the Scenera, other Cosco/Eddie Bauer/Safety 1st seats will have the same rear-facing weight limits of the Scenera but slightly lower top harness slots; the 3-in-1s don't generally make good boosters and are outgrown fairly quickly forward-facing, but are great extended rear-facing seats for all but the longest-torsoed kids.

Since lots of kids outgrow regular 40 pound weight limit convertibles earlier than 4 years old and 40 pounds, you could also consider the Sunshine Kids Radian, a fairly new seat on the market. It has taller top harness slots than the Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard, rear-faces to 33 pounds, forward-faces to 65 pounds and has a rear-facing top-tether (like the Britax Marathon/Decathlon/Boulevard). It is also very narrow for a seat that harnesses to such a high weight; it is about the same width as the Scenera across the shoulder area, and even narrower at the base. Retails for $200, but has been on sale some places for $179.

If you have any problems/questions about the Scenera once you get it, don't hesitate to post back.

 

[jen_nah]

Wow, I really appreciate all of your helpful responses. After further review, my wife has been overturned and I am on my way up to Wal-Mart to pick up the Scenera for my car. It is on sale for $40 instead of regular price of $50.
The strange thing is now she has sort of second guessed her Triumph. Despite liking it (except it does take some uumph to get the wheel to release) and it beign fairly easy to use, she now questions it due to the lack of depth and how easy it is to outgrow. Funny thing is, when we put Morgan into it to set up the straps and all, she pointed out how close her head already is to the top. the top where the plastic is harder and the padding is thinnest. So we shall see. But I just cannot allow myself to spend $260 for the second level Brittax.

But, Just think the time span you will get out of that $260 Britax seat (Marathon) compared to the $120-$150 Trumiph (depending on which model you have). You dd is most likely to outgrow (by height) that seat around 2-3yrs of age well before she is ever ready for a booster seat. But, With a Britax Marathon (or its cousin models) it will last your dd up to 65lbs in a 5pt harness which is & will always be safer then a booster seat. I have both my daughters in Marathons my oldest is 4 1/2yrs old, 41" & 38lbs. She still has an easy 2 more years in her Marathon. She has outgrown most traditional 40lbs convertibles almost a year ago.

I reality it only costs you $45 a year for a seat that could last your dd until she is 6yrs old maybe longer.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE our Marathons.

 

[scatterbunny]

ITA with you Jenny...the 65 pound weight limit convertibles are well worth the $200+ pricetag. My dd outgrew all the 40 pound weight limit convertibles at 3 years old (too tall for the Graco ComfortSport by her 2nd birthday, too tall for the Cosco Alpha Omega by 2.5), and nowhere near mature enough to use a belt positioning booster. If I had chosen a Britax Marathon when dd outgrew the infant seat instead, we would have gotten at least 4.5 years out of it, versus just 1.5-2 years.

 

[Unregistered]

Personally, I would have to agree with your wife in regard to most Cosco seats. As the mom of almost 2 y/o old, I would definitely consider a Cosco Scenera for her if needed. Choose the 5-point harness (straps only-no bar!). I have to put that in here since Wal-Mart has a tendency to carry the seats with the hard plastic bars. The tall back will allow the baby to rear face longer (my little girl is still rf). It also is one of the up to 40 lbs. convertibles with the higher top harness slots. The seat is outgrown ff when your daughter's shoulders are above those top slots OR she is 40 lbs. whichever comes first. My lightweight will outgrow the seat by height first so slot height is important since ideally you want it outgrown by weight first. Wal-Mart carries one with a black fabric and matching pattern. Target carries one with a blue fabric and matching pattern. Mine would have outgrown this seat around 4 or 4.5 years old.

That said, I have two Marathons and can't say enough great things about it. A normal height/weight child really does fit in this seat until 6! That's another year and a half use! Plus, when the time comes many people do end up getting something like a Ultra Cargo just because they realize their wiggly 4 to 5 y/o just won't sit still in a booster yet the Cargo doesn't make a good booster so that about $60 to $80 to put the kiddo in a harness for another 1 to 1.5 years until ready for booster. Then they buy a booster only seat which is better suited for that particular purpose. Still less than a Marathon though.

Here is another way to think of this. My husband balked at the price. So I gave him this example. We don't have insurance to cover stuff like eye glasses. An exam and a pair of glasses will set you back about as much as this Marathon. And he didn't blink an eye when we had to pay for that expense. In fact he even agreed with me to let the child pick out some more expensive frames because they were sturdier (had those reinforced springs) and looks (a child that likes the glasses will wear them)? A car seat is no different. It is just as medically necessary. Some brands do have features that make them last longer, easier to use, and kid-friendly (a child that likes his/her seat is more likely to ride in it whether it's the pattern, comfort, etc.!) However, it is very likely you will have to replace frames and lenses in just two years as the child grows and because the prescription will change. You are just out that money. At least you can pass the Marathon down to the next child if you plan on having any more. The Scenera does have a lot of the nice features like good straps, two-piece chest clip, etc. It would definitely be the best seat for my dd in some situations (like if a seat was needed to be left at the child care center, grandparents, travel, etc.) one has to consider how it fits the vehicle, can be installed correctly, how easy to use/install, how it fits the child, etc. That doesn't mean I don't think it's suitable as the main seat either. I do! However, the Marathon also met that criteria in this case so I went with it for our vehicles. I wouldn't chose it for those other scenerios because the Scenera simply would work better overall in those situation mostly due to weight of seat and there is a little more room for error in installing it (for example a lap only belt goes UNDER those LATCH bars not OVER).

The Marathon does have EPS foam. Don't do this because you will damage the EPS foam on that Triumph, but you'd probably find out your hand would hurt after hitting just plastic verus styrofoam. The child's head will rebound into the back of the car seat in a crash. The Marathon also has comfort foam padding too. That's important to us since we take a lot of long trips. There are several fabric choices to suit needs and even lots of patterns to suit individual tastes. These covers, especially the velour type, hold up well wash after wash. Your little girl can rf and ff longer in this seat. This seat can be tethered rf too. So there are safety reasons too!

My husband knows that we have spent as much on a video game and games too, and that's not quite up there on my list as a priority like a car seat ;-).

The wonderful thing about your post is either seat is a safe choice for your child! I just wanted to give a different perpective on thinking outside the price .

One Busy Mom!

 

[Unregistered]

P.S. I personally have no experience with this seat, but the Radian is a little less with a lot of nice features too and is similar to the Marathon with height/weight limits rear facing and forward facing, EPS foam, etc.

Here's a link: http://www.mightytite.com/Pages/radian.html . I've seen it for $179. I think normal retail is around $199.

 

[jkk928]

Yeah, the wife always has the "video game card" to play on me as well. While now older (29) and obviously a father now, my video game playing has diminished to near nothing. But that is a good thing. I will look into that link you posted about the Radian and Marathon. That price is not too bad considering the life span and the Triumph was $130.
But how is it the Britax Roundabout at B-R-U is $200 and it is not that much bigger and has actually a lower weight limit? We will see, but I thank you for your help. And yes the Scenera is used in my car. You know, the husband gets the older, higher mileage car with the cheap seat. Ah well, such is life, we don't go too far in it.

 

[jkk928]

I would also like to point out due to my recent discovery of this site and some of it's links that I feel much more educated on the subject of child seat safety. In fact we are planning a vacation in April and to save the money we were just going to hold our daughter (by the way how is DD daughter?) on one of our laps. Then I saw several links to sites about turbulence and brief snips of zero gravity, as well as emergency or bumpy landings. So this morning we called and reserved her a seat. Unfortunately the prices went up and her $206 seat is actually $10 more than ours. But there is no price on her life. The good thing also is that now we can save the $40 on the rental of a car seat through the car rental place. Not to mention I think she will travel much better and more sound in her seat vs on our lap for 2.5 hours.

 

[tjham]

LOL DD=Dear Daughter!

 

[scatterbunny]

I just LOVE to read posts from parents like you!

 

[jkk928]

I just LOVE to read posts from parents like you!

Would that be due to me being A) clueless, B) Funny or C) because we wised up and got the airline seat.

 

[scatterbunny]

D) None of the Above

I like to see posts from parents like you who are doing research ahead of time, who consider more than just the looks of a carseat when making decisions, who understand the importance of carseat safety and want to learn more.

You are pretty funny, as well.