Shame on you Safety 1st! *

I have been looking for a car seat for my daughter for a while, and my husband and we have finally decided on one. We have been doing research (thank you consumerreports.org) and going to see them in store. Yesterday we made an hour trek to go to the only Babies R US in the area just to be 100% sure.

Our first choice was the Safety 1st Convertible seat. They make you think that the car seat is doubly safe with its "air technology." It IS safe, don't get me wrong, but it is not any safer than any other seat.

Let me explain further...
Most car seats are lined with (at least some) EPS liner. EPS stands for Expanded Polystyrene. (It looks like Styrofoam.) The safety 1st doesn't have any EPS liner, but instead has their "air bags." (For lack of a better term.)

Take, for example, a bicycle helmet... It has its hard, outer shell. That is protect your head from most damage, should you fall and hit it. Think of that as the plastic part of the car seat. Then, you have the EPS liner that will protect your head further. It will take the brunt of impact from the fall and greatly reduce what kind of pressure your head will recieve. Then, since styrofoam really isn't exactly confortable, there are the pads. The pads also protect from the impact, but the work mostly falls with the EPS.

The same goes for car seats. It may not sound very high tech, but it has been proven to work time and again. As I said before, there are car seats that don't have EPS, but like helmets, the impact will lie on the car seat covers.

Safety 1st makes you think that their car seat is safer than the rest. Yes, the "air bags" will take the brunt of the impact (the whole point of EPS) but they make you feel like it is doubly safe. When we took the cover off of the seats (and yes, we did this to every seat) we were extremely disappointed. To me, I might as well of just bought a convertible car seat with EPS (there was an Evenflo there for $70 with EPS) because, in my opinion, it was equally as safe.

I am not into "scare tactics" for marketing. I don't appreciate people making parents feel like they don't care about their kids if they don't buy ______ product. You can see their website for the air seat here- http://airprotect.safety1st.com/

Also, call me stupid, but I trust Consumer Reports. I realize the Safety 1st is new, but I don't really like that they haven't tested it.

*DISCLAIMER*
I am not a doctor. I am adamant about research... Especially something that will keep my daughter safe in a car accident. I am not telling you not to buy anything, this is solely my opinion.

Car seats...

I can't believe the time is already here, but we are starting to look for a new car seat for my girl. She doesn't need it yet, but Christmas is coming up. I know, it's kind of a lame gift, but she will probably need one by then and she wont remember it anyway.

The panic is setting in again. I feel like if I don't research the poor seats to death that I don't know enough. I need to know everything... Or at least I feel like I do. In fact, being the "researching family" that we are, my husband bought a month subscription to Consumer Reports just to research seats.

I had my heart set on the Safety 1st Air Convertible car seat but, I had to research to be doubly sure. (Note the sarcasm in my voice. Even I know my "research" can get ridiculous!) I got worried because a lot of reviews say that the seat is absolutely gigantic rear-facing. I have a midsized car, but it isn't that big!

I heard somewhere that Babies R Us lets you try the seat in your car before you buy it. (Though I am not sure if that is true or not...) If they do, I would like to try it in my backseat, if it is too large I have to have a backup.

I have started looking at Britax seats. I am most interested in the Britax Marathon, but lets be honest here, they are very expensive. I was very comfortable with the (approximately) $180 price range on the Safety 1st seat, but these look to be around $250+. I have said (and will say it again) that I am more than willing to pay for quality, but we do not have an unlimited budget. However, if I go with the cheaper one (assuming it even fits in the car...) I feel like I might as well tell my daughter "I love you, but you are only worth $180..."

I know how stupid that sounds, believe me, and I absolutely do not look down on anyone for the products they buy their children. I am a young mom, though... I guess it makes me feel like if I buy the Britax, I can show everyone who told me I was too young that I AM a good mom. Again, I realize I sound stupid... and I have completely veered off in the wrong direction of the original post, lol.

You know, sometime I feel like I have the hardest job in the world (as a stay at home mom) and other times I laugh at my "hard job." Stressing about car seats? I will let you guys know what seat I choose when I finally do.

Also, any suggestions are appreciated!