Car seats
My wife and I have always insisted on really good car seats for Jessica. I feel that there are some things that you just should not skimp on and safety is on the top of that list. We have bought some expensive car seats but we did our research, we shopped smart and I think we have come out saving money plus peace of mind.
Over the first five years of her life, Jessica has only had three car seats. Her first car seat was the Graco Travel System. This is more than just a car seat. It's a carrier, car seat and stroller combination. We really liked this one and we used the stroller until she was three. The stroller is a bit heavy but but you can't beat it for a day at the zoo.
The second was the Britax Marathon. We LOVED this car seat. I was so sad when Jessica out grew it. It is high off the seat so it brings your child up to a more adult level. When Jessica started riding with me to school, the car seat's height combined with a four wheel drive truck made for a great view. It started off in the rear facing position then when she was old enough, we switched it to the front facing position. It has the latch system which was great for Tammy's SUV but it also has the best seat belt latching system I've ever seen. You use the car's own seat belt locking system but the Britax has it's own claming system that locks the belt in place as well. It's only down side is that the holes used to adjust the height of the shoulder straps stop one set too low. There is room on the seat for another set but they didn't put them in so she out grew the seat in height but not close to the weight limit. In all I think we used the Britax for three years. It was probably the most expensive car seat on the market at the time but it was worth every penny.
Jessica's current car seat is a booster. It's the Evenflo Big Kid Deluxe. This is a pretty neat seat. It has arm rests, cup holders (VERY useful) and Jessica's favorite part; dual reading lights. When Jessica moved from the Britax to the Evenflo, she lost 4-5 inches in height in the truck and can no longer reach the reading light. The built in lights saves me a lot of stretching to try and reach it for her. Now that we are in a car, the fold up arm rests make getting in and out much easier. The only draw back I've found so far is that the seat sits very upright and makes those cat naps much more difficult.
When it comes time to buy a car seat for your child, please don't skimp. You could buy a really cheap car seat and it might function just fine. You might never have an accident. If you do have an accident, your child needs every advantage he or she can get.