Hellobee Boards

They all have to pass the same tests, so I doubt the expensive ones are more safe, although I imagine they're more comfy! I wouldn't stress about it or break the bank.

I doubt it. I know the brand that you got for free. My sister has plenty of cash and she still bought the brand that you have.

So, I had this debate with myself about a month ago when we had to switch C. I was SET that I wanted a Britax Marathon 70-GS. I kept putting it in my cart and then chickening out when it came time to press submit. I was having trouble spending that much.

Honestly? I ended up buying a Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite as a temporary seat while I decided what I was going to do because C needed out of her infant seat... and I'm probably just going to keep it. I paid $100 for it. The material is nice and soft and feels comfortable. I found it easy to install with both LATCH and seatbelt. It's big but still fits in my UK spec car plus it's convertible all the way up to a booster and your child can use it until 100lbs. It came with the cupholder and snack attachement too, which I thought was nice. The straps are also really easy to adjust and the non-bucket design makes getting her in and out while she's asleep SO much easier.

I feel like it's just as nice and the Britax ones I looked at when I was in the states. I found out after I bought it that several of my mom friends have owned one and loved them. It has really good reviews too.

I used Consumer Reports, NHTSA safety ratings, and the Baby Bargains ratings to make this decision. Some cheaper brands held up better in comparison to the the more expensive ones. We ended up with a The First Years True Fit Premier because it had the same or (in a category-- ease to install) better ratings than the Britax Marathon, and was cheaper. So more expensive does not always mean better/safer.

As for the side impact thing: http://news.consumerreports.org/baby/2010/04/side-impact-protection-tested-infant-convertible-car-seats-collision-crashes.html

Basically, Consumer Reports says that "side impact technology" isn't tested by anyone besides the company. There's no body making sure they're doing the tests correctly or to the same standards, or that one company's standards are the same as another's. There's no objective body to say whether it does make kids safer or not, or whether a particular brand does it better than another. In the end, it's just a marketing claim. So I just dismissed that whole question.

@Mrs. Pen: We use a rolled towel to keep hers at the right angle also. And no, I don't use both. lol. I use the seatbelt normally but I've used the LATCH in my neighbor's car. I just meant that I have installed it both ways.

I will say, we looked at those COSCO ones too and they seemed cheapy to me too. I was not a fan.