I had to make an unexpected purchase today. I got an email alert from babycenter yesterday, with links to the latest Consumer Reports study on infant carseats. Much to my dismay, I read that the Britax Companion carseat, which we had specifically bought based on it having the best ratings from the previous CR tests, failed their new tests. Both with the LATCH system and when secured by seatbelts. And the failures seem spectacularly bad.
So, off to purchase a new car seat. I could never forgive myself if I didn't, and Antony were hurt in an accident.
He had his 4 month appointment on Thursday, and came in at 26.5 inches, 92nd percentile for height! Given that the Graco carseat that is now the top CR infant seat recommendation only accomodates infants up to 29 inches, it seemed silly to us to bother, as he'd likely outgrow it in short order. So I went out and bought the Evenflo Triumph convertible seat, which garnered the highest CR safety recommendation in these latest tests. I'm bummed that I won't be able to put Ant to sleep in his carseat, then carry him out to the car, anymore. But it is what it is.
(Ant was in the 50th percentile for weight at 15lb 1 oz - weight for height he was in the 5th percentile. I guess he's a string-bean!).
5 comments:
We did the same thing when it came time for a new car seat. I asked a lot of questions and did lots of research. Time consuming, but worth it. We also got the Evenflo Triumph and K likes it just fine. That is, once we get him in it! He hates being confined in anything, but once he's in, he's fine.
Apparently, CR ratings aren't all they are cracked up to be. They don't reveal their testing methodology so it's difficult for the manufacturers to understand why their product had a failure and to respond to failures as they are unable to replicate the test scenario. One of the biggest issues is apparently improperly installed carseats as well as carseats that do not fit the car they in installed in. A quick check by a certified technician can ensure that yours is installed correctly and fits your vehicle.
Before you spend any extra money, have a read of
http://faggotsonthethirdfloor.blogspot.com/2007/01/so-youve-got-little-baby.html
It sounds like the CR ratings are a load of crap and you certainly shouldn't make decisions based on them!
Hmmm new car seat time for us too. Although, Tricky is such a shorty (takes after parents) we;ve got a bit of time up our sleeves.
I think you are OK to continue to use the Britax car seat. I would also encourage you to visit Estelle's site (Faggotsonthethirdfloor) because the consumer report really did a horrid job of getting parents all in a tizzy. I think you'll find your Britax is still very safe. I am so mad at them for doing what they did with that report.
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