WTF? Whos idea was it to make this shit so complicated? Expiration dates? Rear facing? SO CONFUSEEDD

I don't remember ever being in a car seat as a kid. I do remember sitting in the "boot" a lot- the rear facing seat in the back of a station wagon.

4/24/2012 2:40:49 PM

[Edited on April 24, 2012 at 2:48 PM. Reason : watch about 45 seconds to understand why rear-facing is important]

4/24/2012 2:46:02 PM

At some point comfort has to overtake the risk of getting into a fatal front-end collision. There's no way that kid with the legs splayed out could sit like that for an extended period of time and you'd think there'd be an actual risk of blood clots, long term damage, etc. Plus with your legs bunched up wouldn't you be more likely to incur injury in the much more common rear-end collisions?

No rush to flip them foward-facing of course, but when they're too tall for it I don't think it's unreasonable to flip them around.

4/24/2012 3:35:01 PM

I use the chico for my infant son. It is rear facing and easy as shit to use/figure out.

4/24/2012 6:56:54 PM

The Pediatrician recommends 2 years.... Europe it is 3 years of rear facing.

Although my son may be in the 95% for height, the ligaments in his neck are of similar development level of every other child for his age.

My son out grew the infant carrier at 4 months and was in an Evenflo convertible (which was rated pretty high on consumer reports). With his growth spurt around 16 months, he was around 34.5 inches tall and 34 pounds. In lots of searching I only had found 2 that would take him rear facing for the last 8 months. I decided to leave him backwards in what he had and stopped putting a coat/hoodie/heavy clothing. I left him that way until just recently and bought him a two step booster.

Oh...you might not think of this now....but cup holders are a must!!!

4/24/2012 9:01:36 PM

Our 28 month old is still rear facing, his legs hang off the sides but our seat will hold him for awhile longer, no sense in turning him around if he is ok sitting like that. Great video.

4/24/2012 9:26:20 PM

Quote :

"Europe it is 3 years of rear facing. "

Do you have a link for that?

All the European seats I have looked at it in stores, their manuals say it is ok to have forward facing from 9 kg (20 lbs).

As soon as our daughter turned that weight, we switched her to forward facing. That was around 1.5 years of age.

4/24/2012 9:38:47 PM

We've had the Chico key fit (which is great for small cars), but he is ready to switch. His toes just brush the back seat. We're looking at a Britax convertible that he can rear face up to 55 pounds (hopefully). Pediatrician wants us to do 2 years or "until it's a pain."

4/24/2012 9:59:29 PM

We have a Chicco KeyFit too. It's awesome. We've used it for both kids. But I think that Amelia will be rear facing til she's 30. Someone thought she was a 3 month old today.

4/24/2012 10:24:38 PM

Save money, buy used

NOT

[/Borat]

4/24/2012 10:37:48 PM

Or, save a LOT of money and buy an out of date used seat...

4/24/2012 10:42:39 PM

Radian XTSL

Rear-facing: 5 - 45 lbs

Another reason we went with this one is if you have a smaller or mid-sized vehicle, if you needed to, you could fit three of them across a backseat.

4/24/2012 11:25:49 PM

^that looks quite safe

4/24/2012 11:31:35 PM

Quote :

"Or, save a LOT of money and buy an out of date used seat... "

even the nicest car seats don't cost LOTS of money... so you would be willing to risk a child's safety over what, 30 bucks?

4/25/2012 7:24:41 AM

the nicest car seats cost a lot more than $30

4/25/2012 7:55:30 AM

The Radian posted above is like $300, and the out of date comment was a joke.

[Edited on April 25, 2012 at 8:05 AM. Reason : ]

4/25/2012 8:04:04 AM

Quote :

"Another reason we went with this one is if you have a smaller or mid-sized vehicle, if you needed to, you could fit three of them across a backseat."

There's no way that would fit in my car (Mazda 3). Just looking at the length in the tilt position, our front seats would need to be forward completely in order to fit that car seat back there rendering the front seat useless. We discovered the issue having gone with the graco snug ride first. Chicco is the only brand (at the least expense) that would fit. I believe the peg perego would also fit.

Also, while talking car seat safety...make sure you find out if you can "brace" the car seat with the front seat or not especially in situations where it might be a tight fit. Some car seats you can brace, but some you cannot.

4/25/2012 8:18:11 AM

Quote :

"the nicest car seats cost a lot more than $30"

no shit. i was talking about money saved for buying a used seat over a new one and pulled 30 bucks out of my ass as an example.

the thing is, if you consider paying 300 bucks for a car seat "A LOT" of money (and you can get a good one for half that) then you clearly aren't in a position to afford all of the other costs associated with child raising.

4/25/2012 10:22:08 AM

Ditto on the Chico Keyfit. Really easy to use.

4/25/2012 11:16:18 AM

Quote :

"the thing is, if you consider paying 300 bucks for a car seat "A LOT" of money (and you can get a good one for half that) then you clearly aren't in a position to afford all of the other costs associated with child raising. "

Or maybe you're broke from buying all the other shit the baby companies have exploited your parent guilt and safety paranoia into buying.

Oh and I've bought 2 Britax Marathons.

[Edited on April 25, 2012 at 12:51 PM. Reason : .]

4/25/2012 12:50:48 PM

I have a Marathon, not a bad seat, but still shopping for another.

4/25/2012 1:33:36 PM

Quote :

"the thing is, if you consider paying 300 bucks for a car seat "A LOT" of money (and you can get a good one for half that) then you clearly aren't in a position to afford all of the other costs associated with child raising."

Uh, no.

Upon your own admission, you can get a good one for $150, so why should one pay $300? $300 is on the high end of the popular consumer seats available, bar special editions and fancy ones.

What's at the high end of strollers? 1,000, right? So it's like saying "the thing is, if you consider paying 1000 bucks for a stroller "A LOT" of money (and you can get a good one for a third that) then you clearly aren't in a position to afford all of the other costs associated with child raising."

EVERYTHING ADDS UP.

Why pay more when you can get good stuff for half price or less?

4/25/2012 4:43:13 PM

so a google search gives me strollers for $40 on the first page.

This is consistent with the theory that people who have kids are the kind of people who make everything be as absolutely expensive as possible.

4/25/2012 4:59:44 PM

Quote :

"This is consistent with the theory that people who have kids are the kind of people who make everything be as absolutely expensive as possible."

lol wut

4/25/2012 5:13:25 PM

i like to read these threads. excellent birth control.

4/25/2012 7:08:58 PM

Quote :

"Uh, no. Upon your own admission, you can get a good one for $150, so why should one pay $300? $300 is on the high end of the popular consumer seats available, bar special editions and fancy ones. What's at the high end of strollers? 1,000, right? So it's like saying "the thing is, if you consider paying 1000 bucks for a stroller "A LOT" of money (and you can get a good one for a third that) then you clearly aren't in a position to afford all of the other costs associated with child raising." EVERYTHING ADDS UP. Why pay more when you can get good stuff for half price or less?"

what the fuck are you talking about?

our carseats were somewhere around a buck fifty... some asshat was saying you should buy a used model which no longer conforms to safety standards... my point is that the little bit of money saved (and if the top of the line car seat is only 300 bucks you won't be saving very much money) is not worth it.

4/25/2012 8:15:47 PM

We picked up a used (barely) Sunshine Kids/Diono Radian XT today for $125

Quote :

"some asshat was saying you should buy a used model which no longer conforms to safety standards"

NO the asshat was saying you could buy an out of date seat and save a lot of money. Which in case you misunderstood (you did) was a joke. It was even pointed out to you that it was a joke.


Hey smath74 IT WAS A JOKE.

[Edited on April 25, 2012 at 8:47 PM. Reason : Actually I meant it. My marathon is out of date, and was super cheap! haha!]

4/25/2012 8:43:13 PM

jesus fucking christ people.

yes i know it was a joke.

however, my point still stands that saving a little bit of money by purchasing a carseat that does not adhere to current regulations is not worth it.

4/25/2012 9:40:36 PM

Current regulations? Wut?

There is no government regulations regarding the age of car seats.

4/26/2012 9:29:16 AM

there definitely are laws regarding safety seats...
http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.html

I suppose what I meant though were "safety standards" that older car seats may or may not follow.

Quote :

"That safety seat you scored at a garage sale for a fraction of its original price may seem like a bargain, but it could cost your child his life. The same goes for that older-model seat your sister gave you after her child outgrew it. Not only are used seats unlikely to come with the manufacturer's instructions (vital for correct installation), but they could be missing important parts, have been involved in an accident (even unseen damage can affect the seat's functioning), fall short of current safety standards, or have been recalled due to faulty design. Moreover, plastic gets brittle as it gets older, so a seat that's too old could break in a crash."

and if you want to skimp on safety standards for the welfare of your baby to save a few bucks, charles darwin approves.




[Edited on April 26, 2012 at 10:03 AM. Reason : ]

4/26/2012 9:53:30 AM

just to add, if you wash the cover it is no longer flame retardant.

4/26/2012 10:14:17 AM

Anything *could* cost you your child's life. I am not compelled by this line of reasoning. Just get a reasonable seat (and properly install or have the FD install it) for your budget and move on with your life. You're not a bad parent if you don't get the $300 dollar seat or turn them around before they're 3.

[Edited on April 26, 2012 at 1:27 PM. Reason : .]

4/26/2012 1:26:29 PM

once again, literacy is not a strength in this thread.

4/26/2012 1:29:47 PM

It is up to the manufacturer to build seats that meet "safety standards", I got the instructions and checked for recalls (were none) online, and as far as unseen damage and brittle plastic, get real. ANY seat can have an unseen problem, even brand new ones. The seat I bought for $200 less than a new one was built in 2004. Now that we have the Radian I am going to mount in in my motorcycle sidecar. (rear facing of course)

4/26/2012 1:41:36 PM

to each his own. I would rather err on the side of caution in regards to my child.

4/26/2012 2:51:43 PM

those expiration dates are bullshit made up by car seat manufacturers

4/26/2012 7:53:06 PM

They might apply to a carseat left installed, 365 days a year in a car parked in death valley. But a seat that has been taken care of? Fuck no. Ask yourself this, is the clock ticking on the seat belts in your car? How about the airbags, you know the things that could blow up in your face and majorly hurt or kill you at any time? Most every manufacturer states in the owners manual that the air bags in your car need to be "serviced" after 10 years, but NOBODY does it. Because it is BS, just like a 5 year expiration date on a car seat.

[Edited on April 26, 2012 at 8:01 PM. Reason : FYI the Radian we just bought was manufactured in late 09, woot]

4/26/2012 8:00:30 PM

yes, you have made it clear you are potentially putting your kid at risk to save a few bucks.

4/26/2012 8:57:55 PM

REgarding the cost of the Radian, yest it is expensive. we bought a new one off of amazon for 225.

However, it is also a seat that will hold them pretty much until they don't need a Child seat anymore. so no booster is ever needed. You can use this seat from 6 months to 10 years old.

Quote :

"There's no way that would fit in my car (Mazda 3)."

Rear facing? A LOT of them won't fit rear facing, hell we can't put the passenger seat back all the way in our minivan with it rear facing, but ya know what? Neither my wife or I sit there very often and it's usable. Just can't lean it back to rest or be gangster like in the swagger wagon commercials!

I was refering to the fact that their WIDTH will allow 3 across if you had to in a normal (not compact) sized rear seat.
Product Dimensions(in inches)30.0 x 17.2 x 10.5

Quote :

"We picked up a used (barely) Sunshine Kids/Diono Radian XT today for $125 "

Nice! Child #2 will be needing a regular child seat soon, would love to find a red one like the one pictured above!

[Edited on April 26, 2012 at 11:21 PM. Reason : ..]

4/26/2012 11:19:50 PM

The 3 years in Europe was what my Pediatrician had told me when I was trying to find a carseat that would hold my son. It looked like the Marathon would only give me another 2 months.

While my mother understands my decision to buy my carseats new while reading both reviews and Consumer Reports my MIL is a complete airhead. She wanted to drive him in a seat that had been expired for 2 years. I said no. She threw an absolute tantrum. Then she said she would get a used one from her friend.

I calmly explained that I spent 270 on a carseat for a reason and he would not be going into any other carseat unless it met my specifications.

I look at it on a per use basis. My son uses it everyday (multiple times). It basically will come out to 0.25/ride and he is worth that.

4/29/2012 1:05:33 PM

people who would risk a baby's safety to save a couple of bucks make me sick.

[Edited on April 29, 2012 at 1:10 PM. Reason : jew]

4/29/2012 1:09:46 PM

serious question: what's the reasoning behind expiration dates on car seats? is it because regulations might change in that time frame or what?

4/29/2012 1:39:42 PM

I imagine so. I know that the car seat that I was put in as a child absolutely wouldn't cut today's standards. Heck, the crib I had for my four year old wouldn't be considered acceptable for my 10 month old.

[Edited on April 29, 2012 at 2:05 PM. Reason : Eventually, we're just going to wrap them in bubble wrap.]

4/29/2012 2:05:24 PM

unseen fatigue in parts is my biggest concern.

4/29/2012 2:08:05 PM

Quote :

"serious question: what's the reasoning behind expiration dates on car seats? is it because regulations might change in that time frame or what?"

Primarily fatigued/damaged components. But a seat built 7 years ago that was only used a couple times or never at all and that has not been left in the car or in your attic should be just fine.

[Edited on April 29, 2012 at 4:13 PM. Reason : qqq]

4/29/2012 4:12:40 PM