# Why do I want to spend $300 on a carseat?



## anewmama (Feb 25, 2007)

I am researching car seats and am stuck on finding only great info on the most expensive seats. But why don't I want a $70 Safety 1st Car seat?

Any major cons?


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## grumpybear (Oct 5, 2006)

I'm just a consumer not a tech but let me share you the reasons why I bought a $250 car seat

(1) The less expensive brands, though they can accomodate higher weights, don't really accomodate higher heights. So most times, a child will be way below the weight limit of the carseat but past the height limit requiring users to buy another carseat. It seems not very cost-effective.

(2) comfort - there seems to be a nicer material and plushier padding on the higher end brands

(3) ease of installation - though the brand that I bought isn't necessarily easy to install, the Britaxes for the most part seem to have easier installations

(4) customer support - any questions/issues that I have with regards to the car seat is answered in a prompt and very satisfactory manner

(5) added value - like rear facing for higher weights and rear facing tethering that would minimize certain risks in case of accidents

ETA: oops, didn't realize you were asking for cons.

IMO, the biggest con would be having to change the carseat shortly after because your child has outgrown it by height


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## rainyday (Apr 28, 2006)

Another con for a lot of cheaper car seats (but not necessarily all) is that on some brands the straps can be really twisty, which becomes a real pain to keep trying to untwist them.

Also, check how easy it is to adjust the car seat harness when the child is in it. No car seat provides great protection if it's too loose - and almost everyone I know leaves their kids' harnesses way too loose. So, check for how easy it is to use!


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## DoomaYula (Aug 22, 2006)

As far as Britax, I fought it for years (and had my kids in cheap seats) until my boys were getting ready to outgrow their seats, and I decided I wanted to keep them in 5pt harnesses for as long as possible. The biggest con for the cheap seats is that they typically only do 5pt til 35lbs. My twins are well over 40lbs and I don't feel they are ready AT ALL to be out of 5pt harnesses. The Regent goes til 80lbs. I love it.

Also, having had cheapies and then Britaxes, I can say that the cheapies are just... cheaper material. My kids love their carseats, they're comfy and soft and the kids fall asleep easily. My twins are in Regents, my older dd is in a Marathon, my younger dd will probably get a Boulevard.


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## NaturalTXMama (Dec 19, 2006)

The Britax Boulevard has True Side Impact Protection...that is what swayed me.


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## Ironica (Sep 11, 2005)

Cons to going with a cheaper seat:

* Many of the cheapest carseats come from a manufacturer with a bad track record on recalling seats with dangerous design flaws.

* If the seat doesn't work out, it has very little resale value.

* Most cheaper seats will be outgrown sooner.

* If the worst happens, and you're in a terrible car accident and your child is injured or killed, you may find yourself wondering if the extra $200 would have saved them. (Or, you may not. There's no real data on how carseats compare in different types of wrecks. But I know that this is an issue for me, so I expect it might be an issue for others.)


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Biggest reason is with most cheap seats you're still going to need to buy a $300 seat later.

-Angela


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

Ds1 went though 3 cheap seats before he was 4. Ds2 just recently outgrew his Britax Boulevard (and most kids fit in it longer, he has a super long torso.) THe Boulevard is being passed down to the baby I'm pregnant with, while I ended up trashing ds1's seats b/c they were so cheap and beat up by the time he was done with them. Ds2's 4 year old Boulevard still looks like new. It only has 2 years left in it before expiration, but by then ds3 will be ready to pass his down and move up to a bigger seat.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

You don't need to spend $300 on a car seat.

There are plenty of cheaper car seats that will last you a long time. The EFTA (Evenflo Triumph Advance) is $120+ and will last longer than the Britax Convertibles. When that is outgrown you could get a Graco Nautilus for $150. So you would have a $270-$300 total investment from birth to seatbelt ready. (Of course by the time the kiddo is 5 I'm sure there will be tons more options







).

I'm just sayin', they all meet the same safety standards. There is no reason to spend $300 if you don't want to.


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## nevaehsmommy (Aug 6, 2007)

I think the Eddie Bauer 3 in 1 is the same as the Safety 1st seat. Same parent company.


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## Smalls181 (May 12, 2006)

I dont know the specs on this seat, but if it only harnesses to 40lbs, its a total waste of money. Most kids wont even make it to 40lbs in those seats because they will outgrow it by height first. And then you have to go out and buy something else.

Are you car seat shopping for a baby, toddler, older kid?


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## wendy1221 (Feb 9, 2004)

The Eddie Bauer seat is a waste of money. My nephew outgrew the harness before he was even 3! Yes, he's big for his age, but he's not THAT big! (and unfortunately, my sister wouldn't listen to me and put him in a belt positioning high back booster.














)


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## anewmama (Feb 25, 2007)

I am shopping for a 15 month old who is in the 95% for height and about 10% for weight. SHe is about 32" right now I am guessing.

And I do want to keep her rear facing longer. Does the Evenflo convert at all?

I like the idea of the side impact protection, particularly if she is ever in DH's Mini Cooper as there is so little car to that car.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

With a tall child you have even MORE reason to get a higher harnessing seat.

In your shoes I would look at boulevard, marathon and radian.

Personally I will not put my children in evenflo seats. They have a dreadful track record of children dying before they will recall seats with known problems.

-Angela


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## anewmama (Feb 25, 2007)

Is the Radian this one?

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...t_adv_XSG10001


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## MommyinMN (Oct 18, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *anewmama* 
Is the Radian this one?

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...t_adv_XSG10001

Yep.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *anewmama* 
Is the Radian this one?

http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...t_adv_XSG10001

Yes. Excellent seat. Only two "problems" 1. it has install issues in some cars (with belt installs) and 2. it takes up a lot of back to front space when rf.

-Angela


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

For SIP I would get the boulevard. While all carseats have SIP, the radian doesn't have as deep of head support as other seats (more shallow than even the Marathon).


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## Smalls181 (May 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Yes. Excellent seat. Only two "problems" 1. it has install issues in some cars (with belt installs) and 2. it takes up a lot of back to front space when rf.

-Angela











My sis just got 3 of these seats so she could do 3 across in the back bench of her mini-van. Took it to the tech yesterday and found out it will not install correctly FF in the back bench.







:


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## Smalls181 (May 12, 2006)

The Boulevard does have awesome SIP, but for a really tall child, the Marathon has the tallest shell (I think) of the Britax convertibles.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Smalls181* 
The Boulevard does have awesome SIP, but for a really tall child, the Marathon has the tallest shell (I think) of the Britax convertibles.

Boulevard and marathon are nearly identical. I believe the shells are the same height. Though the marathon has *slightly* higher top strap heights.

-Angela


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## Smalls181 (May 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Boulevard and marathon are nearly identical. I believe the shells are the same height. Though the marathon has *slightly* higher top strap heights.

-Angela


Well in that case, the Boulevard is awesome! Looooooove love love love love this seat!







:


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## Ivan's Mom (Jul 10, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Ironica* 
* If the worst happens, and you're in a terrible car accident and your child is injured or killed, you may find yourself wondering if the extra $200 would have saved them.

This statement convinced me to go out immediately and buy two Britax Marathon car seats. One for each of my darling treasures. Thanks for this


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

Everyone has made great points. Those stupid 3 in 1's are the bane of my existence as a CPST. They ARE NOT truly the only seat you'll ever need. You would be much better off with the Radian, Britax convertibles or the Evenflo Triumph Advance. OR you could buy something like the Scenera to keep your DC rearfacing to 35lbs and then get a seat like the Nautilus that could truly be the last seat you need to buy. You could do that for around $200. You don't have to spend $300 but if you can afford it, there are better options than those Safety First seats.

Another thing that can help the sticker shock is to think about what that $200-$300 will cost over the lifetime of the seat. If you can use a Marathon for 6 years, it's less than $50 a year. Which is pretty good deal to protect your child from the number one killer of children- car crashes.


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## Papooses (Dec 20, 2006)

Real life crashes prove that the cost of the carseat isn't the deciding factor, nor are the additional safety features: it all comes down to CORRECT USE....

In certain vehicles that lack their own safety features, I would indeed urge a fancy carseat if the family can afford it -- however, if the family cannot afford an expensive carseat, then they should not feel bad for doing the best they can within their financial means.

Companies like Britax, Recaro, Sunshine Kids, Compass, etc. do share their crash testing with us techs at the conferences. Dorel Juvenile (parent company of Cosco, Safety 1st & Eddie Bauer) have not that I'm aware of. The more expensive manufacturers also tend to do more extensive crash testing than the law requires & as such their recalls are often completely voluntary based on their own further research. Some cheaper companies will wait until NHTSA forces them to recall based on hundreds of injuries.

It really comes down to the following factors:
~ Vehicle year/make/model
~ Child's age/weight/height
~ Budget

Compatability of carseat with child + vehicle is important for making CORRECT USE easier to achieve (especially if the carseat will be switched from vehicle to vehicle)

There is another important factor: child compatability







The more expensive seats tend to be much more comfortable, which improves KID COOPORATION







I'm sure most of us will agree that a happy kid makes a huge difference.

However, this is not to say that no child is comfy in a cheap seat. It's about compatability & correct use. Compatability helps correct use. The faciest most expensive seat in the world cannot offer a child optimal protection if it's used incorrectly.


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## kijip (Jun 29, 2005)

Just a heads up, there are sales a couple times a year. If you plan ahead, you need not spend almost or more than $300 on a Britax or Radian. I have never spent more than $219 on my Britax seats (1 Roundabout, 2 Wizards, 1 Marathon and 1 Regent). I spent $180 on one of those Wizards and $209 on the Regent just a few months ago. The Marathon was under $200 as well.


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## leosmommy (May 11, 2008)

I work at Babies R Us and I would just like to say that ALL SEATS ARE NOT TESTED TO THE SAME STANDARDS. European crash tests are much more rigorous than US tests...like 70mph versus 40 mph. That's why the Britaxes are so much more expensive...and safer. That's just IMHO...


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *leosmommy* 
I work at Babies R Us and I would just like to say that ALL SEATS ARE NOT TESTED TO THE SAME STANDARDS. European crash tests are much more rigorous than US tests...like 70mph versus 40 mph. That's why the Britaxes are so much more expensive...and safer. That's just IMHO...

Actually, all seats ARE tested to the same standards. Some seats are then tested more by manufacturers. BUT most manufacturers don't release that testing information to the public- so it's not much use to us.

To my knowledge there is not seat on the market in the US currently that is approved in Europe.

-Angela


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## RoadWorkAhead (Sep 8, 2005)

I didn't. I spent 188$ plus 40$. I bought a Scenera with DS that DD rode in for a bit while we decided on a seat and shopped sales. That 40$ scenera got DS to FF, and got DD through until we could find a Marathon at Target for 188$ this week. I will say that DD is in heaven. We bought it yesterday and plan to install tonight, but in meantime I got it out to adjust straps and she seems to think its her own recliner and is in love!! She doesn't love her Scenera like this at all. Even DS is just small enough to still fit her Marathon and he's like 41-42" tall and 41 lbs. (He's a giant!). Its also a much clearer, not necessarily easier, but clearer install. No question about which way latch buckles go, etc. I'm definitely digging it. We'd planned on DD inheriting DS's FP Safe Voyage, but it was in a wreck and now they're no more it seems. For an extra 40$, this seat was well worth. Definitely worth shopping sales and getting a good seat!


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## Sharlla (Jul 14, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *grumpybear* 
(1) The less expensive brands, though they can accomodate higher weights, don't really accomodate higher heights. So most times, a child will be way below the weight limit of the carseat but past the height limit requiring users to buy another carseat. It seems not very cost-effective.


Yup, I had to buy a Marathon for ithis very reason.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Actually, all seats ARE tested to the same standards. Some seats are then tested more by manufacturers. BUT most manufacturers don't release that testing information to the public- so it's not much use to us.

To my knowledge there is not seat on the market in the US currently that is approved in Europe.

-Angela

Yep, exactly what Angela said.


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## an_aurora (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Sharlla* 
Yup, I had to buy a Marathon for ithis very reason.

Luckily now there are much cheaper seats with even higher harness slots than the Marathon


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