what do you guys have for baby seats?!?

 

my rear facing graco is just driving me crazy

 

In pink for my baby girl

 

I use this one rear facing.

 

Sunshine Kids Radian XTSL. Very slim and you can easily fit 3 across and it is good till they are 85lbs. The new ones is good till 120lbs. You won't be wasting money and space on other chairs. The new ones are called Diono Radian. They are all internal metal tube construction with extremely high safety ratings. Even higher than what is required in America.

http://amzn.com/B005MQRAAK

http://amzn.com/B005MQR794

 

Diono RXT Radiant

 

What's driving you crazy about it Sean? Is it an install thing or a fit thing?

 

Britax makes the very best seats. They are the most expensive, but ultra high quality.

They are to car seats what Weber is to barbeques.

 

I have a sedan so rear facing the radian was no issue at all and that is how I kept it for the longest time and even longer than other seats would have allowed due to weight or height restrictions. What I loved was how the front seat is able to go all the way back without affecting when you are front facing along with how small the footprint of the seat is. Quality of the seat is amazing and feel built to last for a long time. Also you can fold it slim and wear it like a backpack when you are traveling in the airport.




Are you telling me they have higher safety ratings than what is required by NCAP

Diono car seats exceed federal crash standards and consistently achieve the highest ratings in the industry. Our car seats are side impact tested and NCAP tested. Diono is the only car seat maker to reveal our crash test results. Please visit our Safety Center to review crash test videos and test results.

http://us.diono.com/en/safety-center

 

This.

 

Our? Do you work for diono?? If so it would be nice to reveal your association when promoting your own product....

edit: Or you know, at least use quotes or some distinction when you're pulling it from their site, especially when it isn't even directly from where you linked.

 

Even though you find a seat that fits; how comfortable is the passenger in the seat upfront? How much of a pain is it to get the child in/out of the seat? I have a baby boy on the way July 26th and I'm seriously debating selling my coupe for something that would make life easier. My wife has a graco that fits in her 4 door mazda 3, I need to try and see if that fits in the G. I heard others made it work but not sure what model/type they had. I'm not even sure which one we have lol.

 

Even the best marketted or "safest" seat in the world that exceeds any national crash testing will be useless if not properly installed or fitted for the particular seat structure or child. Harnesses configured properly over the shoulder, chest clips at armpit level and sufficiently tightened-

When you go to find the seat you want, ask the dealer / seller (whatever it is) to test fit the seat in the car you want to use (the most). Consider whether it's something you want to move between cars or just have specifically in one car.

You also have a couple different attachment options to choose from- but don't think that UAS / LATCH is BETTER than a seatbelt because it isn't... the only thing different in the amount of safety provided is which is used to make the seat sit with required tightness. Sometimes seatbelts (typically with a ratchet system or self locking system in just about all passenger vehicles less than 10 years old) will allow the seat to sit better than the equivalent LATCH equipped vehicle. Sometimes bases can be taken off to allow for fitiment in a narrower seat.

Rear facing seats are allowed a bit more leeway (2" side to side) for tightness because of the way they're designed to respond in a crash. Forward facing seats need to be very snug with no play while boosters are simply used to lift an older child into a traditional vehicle seatbelt.

So whether you buy a 400 dollar seat or a 180 dollar seat like a 3 way Alpha-Omega (one of my favourite to see)... yes- steel framing is all great and everything but if it doesn't fit in the car, or it isn't properly secured you aren't any further ahead.

ALL seats fon the market properly certified by respective agencies (we have different standards in Canada) has passed the required testing and are worthy of consideration based on your need and the fit in your vehicle. To be honest, some of the worst installed seats I've ever seen were the more expensive variety because parents simply assumed that no matter how it was installed into the car it would be safe. The second worst (if you're wondering) were often 15 year old car seats reportedly "bought at a garage sale" in an 80k dollar SUV...

Don't buy a used car seat (not that you would- just reaffirming)... and remember seats are designed to be facing in specific orientations- sometimes they're designed for 2 or even 3... but a seat designed ONLY to be facing forward and as a booster can NOT be used rear facing (not because it's too tall or doesn't fit... because it isn't DESIGNED to be.)

Don't think that using the LATCH AND the seatbelt are a good idea... and don't confuse the LATCH with the tether. Don't think you need to secure your booster seat with the LATCH... Don't use the tether with your booster seat.

These are all just a variety of common mistakes... Sometimes it's tough as a parent to ask the question because you're afraid to think that someone will judge. "What?! You didn't ALREADY know that?!"

 

Good info here. I've never had a baby before and I am paranoid as crap about this. Thanks buddy!

 

Well Mad- let's build on it a little then!


Just wanted to let you know that while our certification standards in Canada are slightly different than the US, the principals are all the same.

There are a number of tips and tricks that a parent can use to simplify that critical "pre-natal" installation.

I am a certified inspector / Child Passenger Safety Educator in 2 provinces (AB and BC), so while I don't profess to know EVERYTHING about car seats I am pretty resourceful and if I don't know the answer I could probably point you in the right direction.

Car seat selection is entirely subjective... and the place where you buy it SHOULD know this- if they don't, find somewhere else. Typically the baby speciality shops will accommodate you but seats may cost a bit more. I'd pay a bit more for a less expensive seat for the support before I paid for a ridiculously expensive seat without the personal support. Just a thought.

Pre-natals are tough because it's based on principals first... you won't have the baby in the seat to measure. Rear facing is more about access anyway- so some people favour the removable rear facing "cradle" style seats. There are new standards regarding the handle position: Some newer versions are actually designed to "breakaway" in a collision during the "clamshell" motion the seat will perform (Basically the seat flips -pivoting on the seatbelt / LATCH belts- into the vehicle's back seat cushion). In the past we ALWAYS needed to have the carrying handle down because it wasn't designed for the impact and would fracture in two causing an impaling hazard. If it didn't actually break, then it would "brake" the seat in mid motion- causing the baby's head to snap forward without the support of the rear vehicle seat cushion.

Out of the box the seat will have the harness routed through the lowest loops in the back of the child seat. As the child grows, you will want to adjust the seat harness so that harness is in a loop that is within an inch BELOW the shoulder.

When adjusting the harness to fit the baby, much documentation exists but basically the important part is to ensure that the chest clip is attached and at armpit height and snug enough that you can only fit 1-2 fingers between the baby's collarbone and harness strap. You're going to be in the middle of summer when you have the baby- but be aware of the fact that aftermarket jumpers and seat liners aren't included in their overall testing process. There is nothing preventing you from getting them- but account for the extra "give" with some of the more plush materials. These materials have been known to compress a great deal and frequently result in the child being strapped in too loosely.

If you have difficulty leveling the seat properly, I recommend pool noodles as opposed to towels. Pool noodles, unlike tightly rolled towels, don't absorb smelly liquids and can be wiped down easily. Don't get me wrong- there ARE LOTS of things in the car that will absorb plenty of smelly things (milk / baby formula- you name it)... but we will go to pool noodles every time. You can buy a variety of sizes and just use what is necessary. This props up the front (technically rearmost part of the seat when it is installed) so that when you tighten the seatbelt it doesn't suck that part down so far that it takes the seat out of alignment. That resulting slope (in the absence of a pool noodle or towel) is what causes the baby's head to droop.

There will be a little "bumper" in the seat when you first purchase it which is good to support the baby's head during those first few months but don't be afraid to remove it as the child starts to grow out of it. That will be around the same time you'll need to adjust the harness height (where it passes through the back of the seat).

A child should be in that forward facing seat as close to 1 year of age if possible. Rear facing is by far the safest of all orientations and though children as they grow older will DEFINITELY want to look around and see things- it is up to the parent to measure this satisfaction against the inherent safety of a rear facing seat. Children are 20lbs sometimes at 5 months these days (saw one of those at a clinic a short time ago)- and though they are heavy, or tall, their neck muscles simply have not developed sufficiently to sustain the disproportionate weight of their heads. You have awhile to wait before you need to worry about that- so I don't want to overcomplicate it!

Anyway, any questions feel free to ask in here or through PM.