Guys, HELP! Whats the best infant car seat?

in the technology section?

 

For infants, spend the big money and get a BRITAX. We had them when Luca was a baby, and although very bulky they are almost unequaled in safety. IIRK, we had 2x of the Britax Boulevard seats.

For toddlers, Recaro Young Sport is a great seat. Fits quite easily in a just about any car, extremely comfortable, LATCH (Isofix), etc.

They come in a variety of colors.
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Contact Robbie (285ferrari). He's a certified seat installer and an expert on the subject. Super nice guy as well. I spoke with him a whole ago about the same subject, here's a overview (or what I recall).

Spending more $ doesn't mean you are getting a safer seat. All seats are built to a standard.
Proper installation is the most important consideration. A lot of folks do not install the seats correctly.
Proper sizing is very important as well.

 

Let me add, check the padding on the car seat.

The first car seat, my daughter used to cry a lot on drives longer than 30 minutes.
I tried to figure out why.
So I checked the padding carefully. Very thin padding.
I changed to a different car seat model (GRACO), and she didnot cry much after that.

Thanks,
UZY

 

I have twin toddler boys. Backseat space was a concern for me. After lots of research trying to avoid getting a minivan, I went with the Sunshine Kids Radian 65. They are the narrowest convertible seat available and are rated for use from ~5lbs (rear-facing) to 65lbs. (forward-facing). The newer model (see link) is good for up to 80lbs. It just may be the last car seats you'll need to buy.

http://www.elitecarseats.com/Sunshine-Kids-Radian-XT.pro


p.s. ended up getting a minivan after all because our third son was born 5 months ago.

 

I have one in the Recaro (he is 2 1/2) and he loves it. It has a adjustable foot at the front so you can dial in a slightly reclined position if needed. I also have an 8 month old in a Combi Connection. He seems to be fine in it and I like it because it is compact and comes as a part of a collapsable stroller system that is light and compact. Until a few weeks ago I had both of them in the back of a Maserati Coupe with no real space issues, it was the trunk that needed enlarging.
The best thing to do is find a place that will let you put the seats in your car and see how they fit before you buy them.

Good luck and Congratulations!

 

I have been most impressed by the Radian 80. Very safe (friend unfortunately tested this out and their son came out with zero issues) and also very easy to transport.

http://www.skjp.com/product/97556/185XX/_/Radian80

 

The Radian car seats are great. They are built like tanks. They have a flat bottom and are just narrow enough to fit inbetween the bolsters of a race seat so they don't create creases. It fits perfectly in my F355 race seat and in the scud.

 

You may want to consider whether the car seat will work with your stroller. It will be a few month before your kids can fit in a stroller without the car seat. Buying a car seat the doesn't work with your stroller means you will either have to buy an additional seat which does, carry your kids or buy a stroller that fits your car seat. For example we purchased a BOB stroller and a Graco car seat.

Also, if you intend to move the car seat between multiple cars, you will want a base unit for each seat in each car. Otherwise, you are forced to buckle and unbuckle the seat each time to change cars. With a base you buckle that in and the seat snaps into that. The base stays with the car.

 

Smart tip! The original thing Luca had as an infant (Graco maybe?) had that kind of system. It made life much easier transitioning from car to stroller, etc.

 

+1 on the Britax once they are old enough to not require the take along seat.

 

Another vote for Britax for toddlers. My son is 2 and he still has room to grow on that car seat. When he was in infant, I had the Peg-Perego Pliko P3 car seat and stroller. He's out grown the baby car seat but still use the stroller. For my 2nd...am expecting in December, i'm going to get Peg-Perego again and Britax.

 

It sounds like your kids are still on the way. For an infant rear facer, I'd recommend a Graco Snugride or Peg Perego (don't recall the model name). We got the Graco because it weighs meaningfully less so was easier for my girlfriend to get in / out of the car.

i) the crash safety rating for these two seats was the highest per a (somewhat dated) consumer reports test; and ii) the cost is no object strollers (Bugaboo / Stokke) take an adapter to accept an infant car seat but adapters are only available for the Graco and Peg Perego seats

Now that our kid is bigger, he rides in a Britax Boulevard and a Recaro Young Sport. I don't have a great reason for the Recaro other than its a Recaro (which seems like an appropriate choice for the 430 -- mom recently okayed a passenger seat ride-along with airbag turned off).