Monday, 04 October 2010
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New Car Seat for Kylie -Recommendations?
Kylie at 3 days old, getting ready to leave the hospital.
Kylie is currently in a Graco Snugride that can hold a baby up to 22 lbs and has a great safety record. Well she's hovering right around that 19-20lb mark and fast approaching the limit on her car seat. When we first put her in the car seat when we left the hospital, I never thought she could possibly be big enough to outgrow it!
Kylie Arianna, just shy of 5 months old, all dolled up for a wedding.She's now 8 months old and a big girl, she's growing up so incredibly fast! I can't believe how time has flown! She is so very precious to me and I want to keep her as safe as I am able to, and finding the right car seat for her is very important to Kevin and I.
There are a lot of videos out there about car seats that'll scare the bejezus out of a new mom if you let yourself fall pray to those kinds of things. However I want to share two videos that are not intended to scare, but more to convict and teach parents about some recent findings that are not commonly known.The first video (Joel's Story) shows why I feel very strongly about having Kylie rear facing for as long as possible, and the second video (Kyle's Story) is to show why I feel very strongly about 5 point harnesses being used on older children (and also why a seat that uses the LATCH system is important). Neither are particularly "happy" videos, just so you're aware.
Joel's Story
Kyle's Story
The car seat we are considering purchasing is the Britax Boulevard 70 (a comparison chart of different but similar Britax models). It can be rear-facing for children 5-40 lbs and then converts to forward-facing for a kid up to 70 lbs. It does come with a big price tag at just over $300 though.
The most common complaint is that it is "bulky" which could be a problem once we have more than one kiddo (I know there's a mini van in my future since I want more than two kids...I just can't admit to it yet).
We drive a lot. My parents live about an hour and a half away and Kevin's parents are about an hour away. We often drive on roads that have speeds up to and over 65 mph. I think and feel that this car seat is one of our best options, even if it costs a pretty penny.
Do you think it's worth the price tag? What did/do you use for your child?
Do you know of any other car seats that incorporate the safety features and weight limits offered on this model?
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- From: skittler335@xanga
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Comments (25)
I would go for that model especially since she's only five months old. My son is small so by the time he outgrew his infant rear-facing seat, he was 18 months old. At that point I was comfortable buying the front-facing model with a five-point harness.
This is one car seat I was looking at at one point. It is very similar in that it can be rear-facing up to 40 pounds and front-facing up to 65 pounds. It's about half the cost though.
We have the Graco MyRide 65 which we love. We originally got the Britax Roundabout, but DS outgrew it height wise (rear facing) by 14 months. The MyRide had a deeper seat than the Britax Marathon, but I know they just remodeled their carseats, so I'm not sure what the fit is like now.
I would spend the money. It's the best $300 I ever spent, to be honest. It's the safest carseat out there, and you'll feel good about having it.
Plus, it's about big enough to hold a toddler until they get to be about the weight for a booster seat.
check out consumer reports and make sure that the seat you pick will be the best for your child.
Reviews are an excellent source of information as well.
You do not want to get one that is too big because it might not provide protection for your child. Safety tests have shown it is better to keep the child rear facing as long as possible, and I totally agree with this. There is nothing wrong with having a two year old still rear facing. Just make sure the child stays within the height and weight requirements of each seat.
Weigh your options carefully, the seat could save your child's life in an accident and you don't want to have them in the wrong seat. Make sure the restraint fits your child properly and your car. And the safest spot to have your child in a car is in the middle of the back seat.
A higher price tag does not mean a better seat, just more bells and whistles. All seats must comply to government safety regulations.
We use the MyRide 65, by Graco, and love it. Car seat safety is extremely important to me, but we really seriously cannot afford the Britax and the reviews on the MyRide are excellent. We rear face as long as possible - my 3 year old was just turned forward because he outgrew the rear facing height requirements of his seat, but my 1 year old will face rear until she outgrows either by weight or height, whichever comes first. The MyRide will rear face until 40 pounds and front face until 65 pounds. My daughter loves her seat - it's extremely comfortable and cozy, plus extremely safe. We're really happy with our choice.
@MissMamacita@xanga - That is one of the few bad things I (more recently) read about that model. I actually am now looking at the Sunshine Kids Radian 80 XTSL a bit too (it's a lot longer), though the MyRide certainly looks like an excellent option! Thanks for recommending it! The price of that one would also allow us to buy two right away, one for both cars. Two questions for you: are you able to use the LATCH system on it up to 40 lbs FFing and also is it a 5pt harness FFing or do you use the seat belt?
I just freaking bawling in tears. buy whatever keeps the child safe. even if its $300.
@skittler335@xanga - I believe you can you LATCH on it up to the weight limit, which is 65 pounds FF and 40 pounds RF. It is a 5 pt harness FF (it's the only way you can use it).
We also have the MyRide 65 and love it. You do use the LATCH up to 40 lbs, and FF uses a 5 point harness up to 65. You are supposed to use the seatbelt instead of the LATCH to attach the seat to the car itself at some point, maybe like 50lbs, not sure since my dd is so far away from it. But yes, it's 5 point harness up to 65lbs.
Honestly, I'd look into the Sunshine Radians and do some research. They are actually made out of steel and actually request that if a car seat is in an accident it gets sent back to them so they can study it and see if improvements need to be made. IMHO, they are the best out there.
My niece also stayed RF until last month and she turns 4 in October and is on the tall side (she was in a Radian80 I believe)
@So_My_Life_Begins@xanga - If you go to my site I had altered the original posting of this to consider that exact car seat. http://skittler335.xanga.com/733636458/new-car-seat-for-kylie/ I've read that they can RF longer and since they go up to 80lbs are also a good bet. Thanks for the recommendation!
@ErinneC@xanga - Thanks for the info! FYI for most cars it's 40 or 45 lbs when you have to stop using LATCH.
This is exactly why I'm unapologetic about my 20 month old facing backwards. He can't even face forward in his convertable carseat until he reaches 34 inches. My four year old just recently took the five point harness off of his carseat, but his carseat is still latched in. I'm super anal about the carseat and get so frustrated when people are so lax about it. I'm sure you can find a cheaper carseat though. They are all regulated, and you aren't paying for safety.
@careegroup@xanga - What car seats do you use for your kids?
@MissMamacita@xanga - Nope, unfortunately you can't.
I did a little research and the only car seat currently on the US market that allows the use of LATCH over 45lbs is the Sunshine Kids Radian. We just looked at the MyRide 65 tonight at Target and while we like a lot of things about it, we felt it was overall just far too wide for what we needed. But thank you so much for the recommendation, it does look like a great car seat, just not quite what we need though. 
@skittler335@xanga - my older son's is a Graco forward facing toddler/booster seat (it converts from the forward facing toddler to a booster up to 100 pounds). I got it three years ago from Target. My other one, I don't remember the name of it, but it was 35.00 at Target. I think it's an off brand, but it is super easy to install, super lightweight, and faces backwards up to 40 pounds. I think you can have the kid facing backwards until the head goes above the back, so I'm not sure on the height requirement, only that he has to be 34 inches minimum to face forward.
Thanks for these lovely pics of babies .These tips are really helpful.keep blogging.thanks for sharing .Looking towards your next post.
My daughter is 8 months old and we also started out with a graco snugride
. For her next car seat we have the sunshine kids radian xtsl convertible car seat. Rear facing up to 45 lbs and you can use it up to 80 lbs. (Although I wasn't 80 lbs until like 7th grade so I doubt she'll still be in a car seat then!) We've had ours for awhile as we got it on sale a few months ago but have yet to try it out. It has amazing reviews though.
@BarniganFlarn@xanga - p.s. it's also very slim and can apparently fit 3 side by side easily in a back seat. And has side protection and all that good stuff.
I think its worth the money.
Your daughter is beautiful by the way. I love her name, My daughters first name is going to be Ariana but with only one "n"
@BarniganFlarn@xanga - After a lot of research and pulling out of hair and debate we're actually leaning towards the Radian as well, primarily due to three factors: 1) rear facing to 45lbs (and also taller height than Britax Boulevard/Marathon 70) 2) Ability to use LATCH up to 80lbs and 3) 5 pt harness up to 80lbs. I really liked the Boulevard in theory, but after seeing it in person it is a little bit bulkier than I would like, not bad by any means though. I also recently read that while the Boulevard can accommodate a child up to 40 lbs rear facing, most kiddos outgrow the height restriction before getting to that weight. It still seems like an excellent car seat though and very user friendly.
@MommyToBeDec2010@xanga - Thank you! We chose the name Arianna to honor her grammy Sharon Ann (my husband's mother).
MY DD is 20months old and still rear facing in her Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL. the seats i would recomend are
MyRide 65Radian XTSLSafety first Air protect
I am in a group on cafemom, its a carseat group, if you are on there, or not think of joining. It is a great group and they will set you in the right direction! =)
im not a parent, but my mom is a pediatric icu nurse and i hear stories all the time. i say buy the most safe and even most expensive one. rule= you ALWAYS get what you pay for. if you splurge on saftey features you're probably going to be in good hands. better safe than sorry
I just bawled my eyes out watching Kyle's video. Buy the expensive car seat. It'll be worth it. You don't want to have to tell a story like Kyle's parents.
i have that exact car seat you are going to get and while it is very bulky and whoever is in the passenger seat in the front has to move up alot becasue my son has no room for his feet but i LOVE the car seat. i feel very safe with him in it. and when my daughter is is big enough im getting her the exact same one....its pricy but i love it
@MJof2G@xanga - That is literally the car seat we bought!
We love it!
We have a Britax Boulevard and a Radian XTSL. I love the boulevard bc it is VERY easy to install, fits her well, and she seems really comfortable. It is wide side to side but not to bad front to back (but thats why they out grow in height) my dd is currently 2 years old, 30lbs and 34.5 inches, she has long legs so she still has plenty of rf'ing room! I love our Radian because it is super slim, comfy to sit by, easy to get her in and out. It takes a little bit longer to adjust the harness and it takes more effort to get the latch straps tight, but it is worth it to know she will be rf'ing as long as possible. This seat is really heavy. I have washed the covers on both of them in the last week due to a stomach virus and they both washed up nicely and weren't to hard to put back together! The only other seat I might consider is a Complete Air. On a side note, I bought a Scenera this week when we had both our car seats out of commision. This is a great back up seat and I think will def be our air plane seat because it is sooo light! It was only $39 and DD still has atleast 2 inches of torso growth rf'ing, so if anyone ever gets in a bind and needs a seat quick and cheap I say go for it. I would never have this be our main seat but it is way better than nothing and better than moving seats when you are dropping off and somone else is picking up so you don't have worry about a bad install, just do it ahead of time!
you can e-mail me if you have anymore questions. brandysparks1979@yahoo.com