Need advice/ best deal for a baby car seat (forward facing)?

Our baby is now 1 yr old, time to buy another seat. These things go from $50 - $350! We want something for the long-term so likely a max of 100 lbs, but something that may have a little padding to it for comfort also. (Wal-Mart's felt hard as a brick)





Any tips, deals, or brands? Thanks!Need advice/ best deal for a baby car seat (forward facing)?
Go too your local DMV and they will tell you which one is the best.


I herd some of them carries kid seats, but that is just hear say.Need advice/ best deal for a baby car seat (forward facing)?
Good for you for taking the time to research such an important purchase.:)





However, at only 1 year old, your baby needs to stay rear facing for AT LEAST another year. Here's why, and then I'll talk about specific seats:


The old 20lbs/1 year rule is just that. OLD. It came about in the 1980's when our seats were only capable of rear facing to 20lbs and we didn't know any better. Now we definitely know better and all current convertible seats rear face to at least 30lbs, but its hard getting people to realize this.


Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!


1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.


2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.


3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.


4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)





It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.





Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum鈥?/a> There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better. And most kids actually prefer to be rear facing b/c they can rest their feet on the vehicle seat back. When they are forward facing, their legs don't receive enough support and will frequently fall asleep.


WHY REAR FACING:


http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf


In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.


http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seite鈥?/a>





Here's another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.


http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/j鈥?/a>





The story of a child who suffered severe injuries from being forward facing when he could've been rear facing:


http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t鈥?/a>





Now, as for specific seats:


When shopping Remember these rules:


1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money!


2)children need to stay rear facing as long as possible.


Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!


A)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.


B)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.


C)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.


D)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)


3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can't sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs.





So...knowing all that, here's some about specific seats. Don't get a Graco Comfort Sport. Car seat techs call it the 'crappysport'. LOL Its a crappy seat that won't last your child very long b/c it has a really short shell. The straps twist all the time, and if they're twisted they won't support your child in a wreck properly. They're hard to install. There's nothing good about these seats except perhaps they're cheap sometimes. Ditto the Safety1st 3-in-1/Cosco Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in1 seats. These are all the same company - same seat, just different covers. They stink. Hard to install, b/c of narrow belt paths. Ever tried to wash a skinny cup by hand? Now imagine that skinny cup with pointy edges. That's what putting your hand through these to install them is like. AND they have too short a shell to really go to 40lbs. And that's another misleading thing the box says - 5-100lbs. What the box fails to mention (you don't find out until reading the manual!) is that the harness only goes to 40lbs, NOT 100lbs! After 40lbs it must be used as a booster.And they do not make good boosters. Also, most kids have to use boosters until they're at least 8 years old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, so no matter what they say it is NOT the last seat you'll ever need to buy...Had to edit this part now, b/c Dorel has revamped the 3-in-1s, and if make sure you get an ALpha Omega Elite or 3-in-1 that specifically says up to 50lbs, its not a bad seat. The Triumph Advance and Britax Marathon install a heck of a lot easier, but the AOE is an ok option as long as its the new one.





The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different features. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old.





The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. Top slots 17';, harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. Wide open belt path, easy to install. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don't have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. It can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode.





The Compass True Fit, same as First Years True Fit, is great too. 16.5 inch top harness slots, half inch shorter than the Britax Marathon and Evenflo Triumph Advance. Rear faces to 35lbs, forward faces to 65lbs, has built-in lockoffs, and you never have to rethread the harness to change harness height. The headrest is removable to fit better in smaller cars.