As a single working mom, my utmost concern is for the safety and welfare of my son, but I also have to watch my budget on a daily basis.
So it was with that in mind that I started searching for information for the best price / quality combination on a car seat that I could find.
The car seat needed to have several things: it had to be durable, good quality, easy to install and adjust, comfortable for my son, easy to clean/maintain and, mostly, affordable.
That is asking a lot, but after some effort I decided that the Graco Car Seat had the best price and fit all my parameters.
Let me tell you about my son's car seat.
As a single mom of a wonderful two and a half-year old boy, it is imperative that I protect him the best I can.
A few months ago, he was about to outgrow his rear-facing seat, and it was time to find something I could afford.
I started by talking to other moms, reading internet reviews, visiting various stores to see what they had and learning as much about car seats as I could.
I kept being drawn to the Graco Nautilus because of 4 reasons.
First, the car seat can handle a child up to 65 lbs.
and my son seemed to be growing pretty quickly.
Some of the other car seats did not get close to this weight limit.
And as he grew, the Graco Car Seat could be converted into a booster seat until he was up to 100 lbs.
By that time, he probably would not even need a booster seat.
Second, the seat just looked and felt so much better than many of the other similar seats.
It was a bit heavy, 26 lbs.
, but that was not so bad considering it had a steel frame and felt really, really solid.
The fabric is easy to clean with a damp cloth and the seat cushion can even be removed and thrown in the washing machine.
It really felt durable and that was a high priority for me.
Third, when my son was sitting in the seat he seemed comfortable.
My neighbor had bought this car seat a few weeks back and had offered to let me try it in my car.
So one day, we adjusted the seat for my son, put the seat in my Toyota and took him for a drive.
He sat snugly in the car seat with a 5 point harness, without the seat wobbling or creating any problems for him whatsoever! He even fell asleep after about 15 minutes of driving.
His head did not bob, but laid against the wing of the seat.
My final reason for choosing this car seat over another one that had many of the same features was the price.
The Graco was nearly half the price of the nearest competitor.
For me to spend another $130 for the other car seat was just not financially responsible for me.
Our budget was tight enough and my son needed other things too! I did not want to be cheap when it comes to the safety of my son, but everything I read and saw told me that this was a good quality product at a fair price.
Okay now, I had made my choice, all there was left was decide where to purchase it.
Prices varied and my options narrowed down to the following.
1.
Ebay: If it was used, not sure of the condition.
If new, prices about the same as others below, but had to add another $20 to $30 in shipping 2.
Garage sales or Goodwill Stores: Did not really have the time to go hunting and hoping to find a good one at a good price.
May be a good place, but my time was limited and that would not work, but you should at least try if you have the time.
3.
Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and similar discount stores.
Only Wal-Mart had a good price, but have seen sales at the other stores over the past few months where you can get one at a decent price.
4.
Children boutiques.
I won't mention names here, but found them all much higher than the above stores, but the buying experience is definitely much better.
5.
Online shops.
This is where I really started to find lots of bargains.
Instead of finding the Graco in the $180 to $200 range, I was seeing it at $130 to $140 range.
So that clinched it for me.
I found my car seat at Amazon and had it shipped for free.
Even included a free return policy.
So it was with that in mind that I started searching for information for the best price / quality combination on a car seat that I could find.
The car seat needed to have several things: it had to be durable, good quality, easy to install and adjust, comfortable for my son, easy to clean/maintain and, mostly, affordable.
That is asking a lot, but after some effort I decided that the Graco Car Seat had the best price and fit all my parameters.
Let me tell you about my son's car seat.
As a single mom of a wonderful two and a half-year old boy, it is imperative that I protect him the best I can.
A few months ago, he was about to outgrow his rear-facing seat, and it was time to find something I could afford.
I started by talking to other moms, reading internet reviews, visiting various stores to see what they had and learning as much about car seats as I could.
I kept being drawn to the Graco Nautilus because of 4 reasons.
First, the car seat can handle a child up to 65 lbs.
and my son seemed to be growing pretty quickly.
Some of the other car seats did not get close to this weight limit.
And as he grew, the Graco Car Seat could be converted into a booster seat until he was up to 100 lbs.
By that time, he probably would not even need a booster seat.
Second, the seat just looked and felt so much better than many of the other similar seats.
It was a bit heavy, 26 lbs.
, but that was not so bad considering it had a steel frame and felt really, really solid.
The fabric is easy to clean with a damp cloth and the seat cushion can even be removed and thrown in the washing machine.
It really felt durable and that was a high priority for me.
Third, when my son was sitting in the seat he seemed comfortable.
My neighbor had bought this car seat a few weeks back and had offered to let me try it in my car.
So one day, we adjusted the seat for my son, put the seat in my Toyota and took him for a drive.
He sat snugly in the car seat with a 5 point harness, without the seat wobbling or creating any problems for him whatsoever! He even fell asleep after about 15 minutes of driving.
His head did not bob, but laid against the wing of the seat.
My final reason for choosing this car seat over another one that had many of the same features was the price.
The Graco was nearly half the price of the nearest competitor.
For me to spend another $130 for the other car seat was just not financially responsible for me.
Our budget was tight enough and my son needed other things too! I did not want to be cheap when it comes to the safety of my son, but everything I read and saw told me that this was a good quality product at a fair price.
Okay now, I had made my choice, all there was left was decide where to purchase it.
Prices varied and my options narrowed down to the following.
1.
Ebay: If it was used, not sure of the condition.
If new, prices about the same as others below, but had to add another $20 to $30 in shipping 2.
Garage sales or Goodwill Stores: Did not really have the time to go hunting and hoping to find a good one at a good price.
May be a good place, but my time was limited and that would not work, but you should at least try if you have the time.
3.
Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and similar discount stores.
Only Wal-Mart had a good price, but have seen sales at the other stores over the past few months where you can get one at a decent price.
4.
Children boutiques.
I won't mention names here, but found them all much higher than the above stores, but the buying experience is definitely much better.
5.
Online shops.
This is where I really started to find lots of bargains.
Instead of finding the Graco in the $180 to $200 range, I was seeing it at $130 to $140 range.
So that clinched it for me.
I found my car seat at Amazon and had it shipped for free.
Even included a free return policy.
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