Is it true that “all car seats are the same” …?
My aunt has a 2 1/2 year old and today she bought her a new car seat. The least inexpensive one that Graco makes from Wal-Mart. I am 7 months pregnant and on my registry I have a travel system with the infant car seat and then a convertible car seat - Alpha Omega Elite. I have done a lot of research and they get pretty much equivalent ratings as the Britax car seats, but I just like this one better. Anyway, she told me not to spend that much money on a car seat because "all car seats are the same". I know that they all have certain safety measures that they have to meet, but there are some with extra features. I brought it to her attention that yes I might pay $180 for a convertible car seat, but I won't have to buy a new one, unless God forbid I am in a wreck or something, where as she buys car seats as my cousin grows. So really she has spent as much money upgrading car seats as I plan to, if I do not get it for my baby shower, on one car seat for my daughter, that will fit her up to 100lbs! I would just like opinions... Am I wrong? Are all car seats the same? I know that when I read reviews and product info, they do not all offer the same features.
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December 15th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
You’re right, end of story
December 15th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
They don’t get equivalent ratings, that’s BS. They’re not all the same. They don’t offer the same features and they’re not crash tested at the same speeds. The industry minimum speed of crash testing is 30 mph. That’s where Evenflo, Graco, Cosco, Safety 1st, and Baby Trend crash test their seats. At 35 mph in a study done in Chicago, the seats actually shattered on impact, leaving the baby and/or toddler ejected from the car still in the harness, but not in the frame of the seat. Britax, Combi, Peg Perego, Sunshine Kids, and Recaro are tested at higher speeds. Britax seats have a stainless steel frame coated with plastic, side impact protection foam, and then the padding. Graco, Evenflo, Safety 1st, and Cosco only use plastic for their frames.
The Alpha Omega Elite is a crappy seat. It doesn’t really hold your child to the weight and height limits of the seat due to poor design, and the straps twist and are slippery which reduces their effectiveness in a crash. You are much better off with a Britax Marathon or Decathalon which will last you longer in a 5 pt harness and are safer as a whole.
EDIT: You want a seat that has a high weight limit while IN a 5 pt harness. The Alpha Omega Elite only harnesses to 40 lbs, and it’s a booster after that. The booster doesn’t position the belt well.
EDIT: All seats meet the same MINIMUM. Some brands meet that minimum, while others exceed it. I’d like to think I’m putting my child in the seat that has tested better at MAXIMUM speeds and number of tests. The fact of the matter is that the government isn’t testing the seats–the companies are. They test at a speed of 30 mph at a frontal impact crash. That’s it! That’s how seats are required by law to be tested.
Some companies go above and beyond that requirement and test them at higher speeds and different types of crashes. Those companies include Britax, Peg Perego, Maxi Cosi, Sunshine Kids, and Recaro. Britax, Recaro, and Sunshine Kids also test their seats in different positions in the vehicle AND use different sized dummies in the tests to represent your growing child. They test at 45 mph as a minimum and they do frontal, side, and rear impacts.
Some companies test their seats at the bare minimum– 30 mph, with 1 dummy at the seat’s medium weight requirement in a front end crash. Those companies are Evenflo, Safety 1st, Cosco Juvenile Group (the makers of the Alpha Omega Elite), BabyTrend, and Graco.
There is CLEARLY a huge difference. The problem is that many people aren’t informed and choose to rely on the box and the price to determine which seat is best.
December 15th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
MOST OF THEM DO THE SAME THING BUT YOU GET WHAT YOU FEEL YOUR BABY WILL BE SAFE IN. BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOUR BABY IS IN WHEN HE OR SHE IS IN THE CAR
December 15th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
From a safety point of view . . . they all meet “minimum requirements” . . . but a lot of more expensive seats now are also safety rated for side impacts even though it is not yet required.
There are also differences in ease of use, weight restrictions, comfort features like padding, cup holders, better designs etc . . .
We have Britax Marathons.
December 15th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
All car seats are different, but it doesn’t mean that you need to get an expensive one for it to be good. $180 sounds perfectly reasonable for a convertible car seat. When I was shopping, they ranged from $70 to over $300. Tell your aunt that at least you aren’t asking for the deluxe Eddie Bauer model!
December 15th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
All carseats have to meet safety regulations but they are not all made the same. Some score better in safety tests, comfort, and also how easy they are to adjust and also use.
I have the alpha omega Elite and I really like it. Its very comfy for my son. Its goes up to 35 lbs rear facing, forward facing up to 50 lbs. . . . . and then converts into a booster seat up to 100 lbs. . . . . so if you pay a little more, its worth it.
Although it only cost me $130, so it really isn’t that much. My infant carrier cost $80 and I didn’t get nearly as much use out of it as I am going to get with my alpha omega elite.
December 15th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Bottem line: The best seat is the one that fits in your car and you will use correctly.
All seats have to meet minimum safety standards. The BIG difference is some seats go beyond this with side impact protection – and some seats are much easier to adjust and install than others.
This site has taught me so much about installing, buying and properly using a car seat.
http://www. car-safety. org/
December 15th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
All carseats that are available to the public are REQUIRED to meet the same safety standards. No car seat that is on the market is safer or less safe than another. When you see the word “ratings” associated with car seats, those are consumer ratings, NOT safety ratings. Of course some seats have a higher weight limit and can be better investments (just remember that most seats have a 5 year life expectancy and are not safe after they expire).
There is no “safest” seat, but the way you are going makes more sense financially.
December 15th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
britax fan here; they are built better and safer: proven. . . would never, NEVER, skimp o n something that has the power to save or not save my child’s life. . . i would go without food to do my best to get the best, safest seat out there if i had too. . . . never the cheapest! jmho
December 15th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
From a safety perspective, they are all the same, in the way of meeting safety requirements.
Other car seats just may have other features, i. e convertibles, headrests, built in cup-holders (for some silly reason!)
Personally, I’d just pick the one that was better for my budget, I would not go out of my way to buy the most expensive one, since that’s a terrible waste of money.