The Safest Convertible Carseat

[Unregistered]

I am on the search for the safest convertible carseat. The NHTSA ratings are all based on ease of insallation. I know that having the carseat installed correctly if half the battle, after it is installed correctly which one will keep my baby the safest during a crash? There are so many to choose from and all of them have different features how do you compare them? I am really flexible on price. Any information would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[jeminijad]

Hello

The short answer is that we don't know which is "the safest."

Car seats are tested in the US on a pass/fail basis, meaning there is a standard for whatever measurement is being tested, and all carseats on the market met that standard.

There are different technologies from different manufacturers that may improve safety, but again, we don't have an objective standard. You also don't know what kind of collision you may be in, what kinds of crash forces will be present, etc.

The thing that we do know is that rear facing under age 4 provides a lot of protection, regardless of the seat. Beyond that, you've just got to choose what you can afford, what installs well, and what features you feel are protective.

 

[guest1]

I second what the above poster said.

The safest car seat is the one that you can get a good install with in your car and the one that will be used properly 110% of the time. And the bare minimum is one year to rear face and some car seats have a weight there as well and some of the newer ones also include that the child must be walking unassisted before they can forward face, but one thing you can do to keep them safe as possible is keeping them rear facing as long as possible.

 

[safeinthecar]

The difficulty with direct car seat comparison is that you would have to test the car seats in every vehicle in order to tell anything. There are to many variables for one generic test to be useful.

 

[leannegoolsby]

Agree with what other people have said. If you give more info about the age and size of your child, as well as vehicle stats, that will be helpful in determining some seats that are a good fit for your bub.

 

[Carrie_R]

As much of a non-answer as it is, it really boils down to looking at the seats that will be installed and used correctly. Consider which will keep your child rear-facing longest, and in a forward-facing harness until they are 5 or 6.

Once you've narrowed that list down (we can help you, if you can tell us your child's weight, height, and the vehicle it will be going into,) you can consider additional safety features. Because all seats pass the same compliance testing, the "plussed-up" may be helpful or may be nothing more than marketing. It's up to you as a parent to decide which you feel might give you the best advantage. Some seats have deep sides, headwings, air pillows next to the head, air pillows on the outside of the seat... Others rear tether or have an anti rebound bar.

We'd be happy to review the potential benefits of those options with you, but as you can see it makes it hard to recommend a "best" seat!

 

[allig]

Thank you everyone for your quick responses!!!

I have a 7 yr old boy that is in a backless booster, the carseat is for my baby that just turned 1, he is currently in a carrier. He is around 25 lbs and is a little on the tall side. We have a 2007 Honda Pilot and a 2007 Honda Accord. We want to get a seat for each car. I have mostly been looking at Britax and Diono but am open to any suggestions.

Thanks!!!

 

[Dmcj13]

If he is tall I would skip the Britax. The Diono fits tall kids well. Also to look at would be the Safety First Completer Air
Maxi Cosi Pria
Evenflo Triumph 65
Graco Myride and
Graco Size 4 Me 70
the first years true fit fits tall kids, but only has a 35 pound rear facing limit and I would recommend one that goes to at least 40 pounds for a 35 pound one year old, since we know that the safest way to ride is rear facing.

 

[jjordan]

"A little on the tall side" does not, to me, rule out Britax. They are typically very easy to install and use, which can be a big advantage. However there is no ONE seat that is perfect for everyone, so try a bunch yourself and see what you like. This is different than reading about the seats on the internet; you never know who is writing what you're reading and whether or not they can be trusted - moreover they might just have different preferences than you! You're going to be the one using this seat for 5 years (maybe more or less), so make sure you get one that YOU like.

 

[boneheaderss]

As the others have said, the safest car seat is one that fits your vehicle, your child is used correctly each and every time.

And, I'd skip Britax convertibles. They offer less leg room while rear facing (which is perfectly safe, just doesn't look confortable), and has a shorter shell than other convertible car seats. That being said Britax convertibles tend to be very easy to install. I would only get a Britax convertible if you would be willing to buy another convertible car seat to rear face a child longer.

I'd say to keep your child rear facing for as long as possible. The Diono Radian R120/ RXT goes up to 45 lbs and a very tall shell. I'd say that some kids would even be able to rear face up to age 3-6, depending of course, on how much your child's weighs and what their seated height is. It is a little expensive and a huge PITA to install (In some vehicles).

Have you visted the Radian successful install thread? I ask because someone may have already installed the Radian in your vehicle. Type in on the search engine on the top of this page, "Radian Successful Install Thread" and your vehicle year and name in quotes. You might not find anything, but it doesn't hurt to try.

The Safety 1st Complete Air 65 also has a very tall shell and a 40 lb weight limit. Safety 1st has a strict 40 inch rear facing height limit. Some parents choose to ignore this height limit.