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Does anyone know a good website to find out the safety ratings for infant car seats?

I am looking into the Combi Zeus Convertible Car Seat but also want info on other infant seats. I have read recalls where some detached from the base during accidents.

There isn’t one – they do not release, or even give, safety ‘ratings’. In the US, car seats only get a pass/fail grade on tests. If its for sale – it passed. The only ratings you can possibly see are ease of use ratings, and they’re frequently not accurrate, b/c their biggest concern is often cost, regardless of how the seat works.

Consumer Reports is not something you want to listen to for car seat advice. For one, they refuse to release how they do their tests, which as any scientist will say, makes their tests worthless b/c they can’t be repeated. And they frequently recommend seats that car seat techs say not to get. They don’t get the advice of any safety experts, nor do they have CPSTs (child passenger safety technicians) present during the tests.
NHTSA EASE OF USE RATINGS:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.9f8c7d6359e0e9bbbf30811060008a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=4427b997caacf504a8bdba101891ef9a_ws_MX&javax.portlet.prp_4427b997caacf504a8bdba101891ef9a_viewID=detail_view&itemID=c57b24b3b0d55110VgnVCM1000002fd17898RCRD&viewType=standard&detailViewURL=/portal/site/nhtsa/template.MAXIMIZE/menuitem.9f8c7d6359e0e9bbbf30811060008a0c/?javax.portlet.tpst=4427b997caacf504a8

THE EXPERTS OPINION ON CONSUMER REPORTS:

http://www.car-safety.org/faq.html#Q30

http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=28181&postcount=7

http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=28209&postcount=10

http://www.car-safety.org/guide.html#cr

http://www.car-seat.org/showpost.php?p=73943&postcount=17

Is is pretty much universally agreed upon the Britax makes great seats – but they are not the only great ones out there. When figuring which seat to buy, don’t just look at what it costs, you have to figure in how long you’ll actually get to use it in the cost. Most 40lbs seats will be outgrown before the child hits 3 years old, so 3 years of use for $150 is not a great deal. Whereas the Marathon gets 5-6 years of use for $249 or less, much better deal along with being easier to use.

The Combi Zeus is not a highly recommended seat, it is too small to last kids very long, with a very low rear facing weight limit. It will be coming out with a higher weight limit in early ‘09. Currently, it only rear faces to a way too low 22lbs, compared to ALL other convertible car seats being 30-35lbs. And the top slots are only 13″ high, compared to the top slots of other seats, that’s paltry, and most kids would outgrow it rear facing at 4-5 months, and outgrow it forward facing by 1-2 years. overall, a sucky seat. If you want the turn feature and have the $$, look up the Orbit. Here’s what techs say about the Zeus: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=49799&highlight=combi+zeus

When shopping Remember these rules:
1)the BEST seat is the one that fits your child, fits your car, and will be used correctly 100% of the time. (This is why convenience features DO make a difference and ARE worth the money!
2)children need to stay rear facing as long as possible.
Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child’s life!
A)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.
B)A child’s vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.
C)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.
D)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)
3)Once you do turn them forward facing, they need to stay in a 5 point harness as long as possible. 4 years/40lbs is the minimum for riding in a booster, and most 4 year olds have no business using one yet. If they can’t sit upright for an entire trip, they need the harness of a car seat still. And, even if they do sit properly, a 5 point harness is safer, so you want to keep them in one as long as possible. This is important to consider b/c most car seats only forward face to 40lbs.

So…knowing all that, here’s some about specific seats. Don’t get a Graco Comfort Sport. Car seat techs call it the ‘crappysport’. LOL Its a crappy seat that won’t last your child very long b/c it has a really short shell. The straps twist all the time, and if they’re twisted they won’t support your child in a wreck properly. They’re hard to install. There’s nothing good about these seats except perhaps they’re cheap sometimes. Ditto the Safety1st 3-in-1/Cosco Alpha Omega/Eddie Bauer 3-in1 seats. These are all the same company – same seat, just different covers. They stink. Hard to install, b/c of narrow belt paths. Ever tried to wash a skinny cup by hand? Now imagine that skinny cup with pointy edges. That’s what putting your hand through these to install them is like. AND they have too short a shell to really go to 40lbs. And that’s another misleading thing the box says – 5-100lbs. What the box fails to mention (you don’t find out until reading the manual!) is that the harness only goes to 40lbs, NOT 100lbs! After 40lbs it must be used as a booster.And they do not make good boosters. Also, most kids have to use boosters until they’re at least 8 years old. Car seats expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, so no matter what they say it is NOT the last seat you’ll ever need to buy…Had to edit this part now, b/c Dorel has revamped the 3-in-1s, and if make sure you get an ALpha Omega Elite or 3-in-1 that specifically says up to 50lbs, its not a bad seat. The Triumph Advance and Britax Marathon install a heck of a lot easier, but the AOE is an ok option as long as its the new one.

The Britax Marathon/Boulevard/Decathalon (These 3 are the same seat, just different features. The Marathon a wide open easy to route belt path, which makes using it correctly a lot easier, as do the built in lockoffs, which mean you never again have to use a locking clip. Because of the way the base is made, it fits in most cars. And, it is worth the money, b/c it lasts usually twice as long as most other car seats lasting a baby till they are 5-6 years old, where most at Walmart will only last till 2-4 years old. Rear faces to 33lbs, then forward to 65lbs. and top slots 17inches tall, lasts most kids to ages 5-6 years old.

The Evenflo Triumph Advance (not the original Triumph, make sure it says Advance) is a great seat. Top slots 17″, harnesses to 35lbs rear facing, and 50lbs forward facing. Wide open belt path, easy to install. The harness adjusts at the front of the car seat, you don’t have to take the car seat out of the car just to raise/lower the straps. It has infinite harness adjustment so the harness always fits perfectly until its outgrown. You tighten and loosen the harness using knobs on the side of the seat. It can be used in a recline position even in forward facing mode.

The Compass True Fit, same as First Years True Fit, is great too. 16.5 inch top harness slots, half inch shorter than the Britax Marathon and Evenflo Triumph Advance. Rear faces to 35lbs, forward faces to 65lbs, has built-in lockoffs, and you never have to rethread the harness to change harness height. The headrest is removable to fit better in smaller cars.

WHY REAR FACING:

http://www.carseat.org/Resources/633.pdf

In the foreground is a forward facing seat, in the background a rear facing seat. You can see how much trauma the forward facing dummy has to endure. The rear facing child simply rides it out.

http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_seiten/kisitest_2002/videos/test2002/frontcrash/maxicosipriori.mpg

Here’s another video. You can see how there is NO trauma to the baby, it simply sits there waiting for it to end.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v163/jen_nah/carseats/?action=view&current=video06A_MGA_213_RearFace-Convertib.flv

The story of a child who suffered severe injuries from being forward facing when he could’ve been rear facing:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=59783

IIHS booster seat ratings 2011

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