Cheap Safety 1st Alpha Elite 65 Infant Car Seat, Rachel

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $251.99
Sale Price: $159.99
Today's Bonus: 37% Off

The only reason I did not give this seat a 5-star is because, like the other reviewers have noted, it is difficult to get reclined properly in the rear-facing position (we have a Dodge Grand Caravan with captain's chairs). We solved this with an old towel rolled up under the front of the seat, but my dd's head still "droops" when she falls asleep -might need to try the pool noodle suggestion next.

I was looking for longevity in a car seat. I loved my Britax Infant seat, but finally, at 15 months, my dd had outgrown it at 30". I wanted a seat that would take her from rear facing as long as possible to a sturdy booster that would fit up to 100 lbs. Since we are all tall in my family (I'm 5'9", hubby is 6'3"), I also wanted one that would last height-wise as well. I looked at the Britax seats, but I didn't feel they would last long enough due to the height limitations.

Another thing I was looking for was a seat that was not so "safe" as to block my dd's view since she loves to look out the window. I felt this seat had the right blend of safety and visibility.

We also travel a lot, and I wanted a seat that would be comfortable on long car rides. I also wanted it to have a detachable cup holder for the same reason. Other seats that I looked at had very little seat padding, but this seat has great padding and the cover seems like it will be relatively easy to remove and clean (I haven't tried yet), and the cup holder is detachable for easy cleaning. The fabric is "polyester-esque" which makes it easy to wipe clean for small messes. I like the extra removable padding along the sides since my dd may be tall, but she is also thin, and the extra padding helps keep her from sliding around in the seat for now.

I like that the harness can be adjusted without having to re-thread the shoulder straps. I also love that the arm rests are "locked" into place but move easily by pulling out first and then turning them. I like the recline feature (not enough for rear facing though), and I hope that it will be more convenient once my dd is forward facing in the seat.

All in all, I am very happy with this seat, and my dd seems to be enjoying it as well.

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***CURRENT REVIEW*** 7/25/13 (5 stars given)

PROS

-Beautiful seat. Soft fabric. Excellent design.

-Reclines in front & rear facing position

-Large and comfortable. Plenty of room for my 11-month old daughter to grow.

-3-in-1; Rear facing 5-40#, Forward facing 22-65#, booster 40-100# I will not have to buy another car seat for her until this one expires. Here's hoping she grows out of it before that happens.

-Baby easy in, easy out

-Great safety rating.

-Got it on Amazon.com sale and saved a TON. Thank you, Amazon.

CONS

-Difficult to get strapped into the car in the rear facing position. But not impossible. (See below.)

-Large; I can see why people who own smaller sedans or compact vehicles would want to steer clear of this.

-Without the sale, I would never have purchased this car seat at $250+ (please see initial review below).

Please read initial review for my initial research.

Received this seat very quickly from Amazon.com. Immediately removed it from the box and read the instructions. I also filled out the safety recall ticket and dropped that in the mail box. A previous reviewer had complaints of the manual being hard to read/looking nothing like the seat. I did not notice this. I thought they were simple and straight forward. The photos were very helpful.

After reading the instructions, I placed my daughter in the seat to adjust the straps and headrest to get her well situated before installing it in the vehicle. As I have read every single review on this seat (taking special note of the ones 3 stars or less) I wanted to comment that I had no issues clasping or unclasping the buckle between her legs or over her chest as one reviewer suggested. I also had no difficulty positioning the headrest to the proper height for her. (With the exception of one of the red plastic pieces that cover the metal pipe popped off, but it popped back on just as easily.)

Vehicle installation was a little tough, I'm not going to lie. As we move our car seats from our Chrysler Town and Country to our smaller car when we need to (which is not terribly often, but often enough that the strapping system is a headache) I went with the seatbelt method of installation. The captains chairs in our T&C have an angled seat, so your hips actually sit lower then your knees. Because of this I have NEVER had a single rear facing car seat that I did not have to put something underneath it to properly position it. (We use an old throw pillow, I know some people roll up a towel, I've also heard of people using a pool noodle that they cut to fit under the seat.)

The space for the lap belt is tight, and it took some pretty fancy moves on my part to get the belt through. However, after perseverance and a little ingenuity (mostly getting my 4-year-old to hold the belt slack for me)I was able to get it. Once the seat was buckled in, I took a moment to adjust the front passenger seat and the passenger side captains chair (which the seat was now sitting in) so the back seat and the front seat had ample leg room. Then I worked on making sure the belt lap holding the car seat was firmly secured. I made the mistake of not reclining the seat FIRST. I highly recommend reclining the seat all the way back before tightening your belt, or even before installing it into the car. I did get it reclined properly, but it was a struggle.

It looks great! Very, very little wobble. As one reviewer stated, she gave it 4 starts because they had a difficult time getting it installed in the rear facing position. It is difficult, but it's possible, and I don't feel that a little bit a difficulty is worth knocking a star off for. These seats are manufactured for safety ratings, not installation ratings.

After all was said and done, I packed all three of my kiddos up in the car and headed to the fire station to have them double check my handy-work. (I always do this with a brand new seat.) The gentleman whom I spoke to and who inspected the seat said it was perfect, and that the straps and head rest were positioned well. He made no adjustments. SO. It is possible to get it installed in the rear facing position just fine. I had no trouble with turns or curves where the seat tipped as one reviewer stated. It was very snuggly positioned on the seat with just enough movement that the seat moves with the car as it should.

We have this exact same seat (Eddie Bauer brand, but they look identical and work identically) that I purchased for my oldest son (who is now in a stand-alone booster, my middle son is in the Eddie Bauer). I know that forward facing installation will be a breeze compared to the rear facing installation.

I am 100% satisfied with this seat; aesthetics, safety, & comfort are ideal. I am doubly glad I got it for such a screaming deal, 39% of ticket price. Thank you AMAZON!

Do not hesitate to ask questions. :)

Elisabeth

***OLD UPDATE*** 7/23/13

My doubts were foiled!

After another week+ of watching and researching, the price on this seat dropped from $242.99 to $154.38. I was stunned! We immediately purchased the item. I guess it goes to show if you're patient and not in a hurry to order your items, Amazon can really get you some great deals. Will submit a full review on the seat after it is received and installed.

***INITIAL REVIEW*** 7/16/13 (3 stars given)

I have been researching the crap out of car seats for our 11 month old little girl for the past month or so. I want a convertible car seat because she is small for her age and will have to stay rear facing for a while, yet. I do not mind if my car seat turns into a booster seat, because boosters are not that expensive, and I'm fine with buying one when that time comes. I have not yet purchased this seat, but feel this review needs to be seen, at this point.

I'm giving it 3 stars is for price. Not for the product. Today (7/16/13) on Amazon the "Rachel" is $242.99. Now I don't think $242.99 is a terrible price for a car seat. It is definitely on the high end. I think I paid around $200 for my Eddie Bauer, simply because I wanted the luxury look and feel and back then, the 3-in-one seats were kind of a new thing.

The part about the price that has me perplexed is this: The boy car seats in this same line are CONSIDERABLY less expensive.

The Quartz & Lamont are $104.99, Bridgebeam is $109.99, Tender $149.99, Dexter $143.99, Seaside Bay is $155.00, and the most expensive is Decatur at $169.00. They are all in the Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Car Seat line. So why is the ONLY feminine seat anywhere from $138 $73.99 MORE then any of the masculine/neutral prints? The ONLY difference I am seeing is the print and pattern. All other amenities are listed the same.

Now, I feel that as parents and a society, there are many of us who will pay for the girly stuff simply because " It's so cute, more appealing, yada yada." I have been in that boat, I would agree. However, I am putting my foot down this time. I think it ridiculous that the only girl car seat in this line is so much more expensive.

Therefore, at this time, I will not be purchasing the Rachel from Safety 1st. We are researching other makes and models at this point and have not made a purchase yet. If the price were to come down CONSIDERABLY on this, I would consider purchasing. I doubt it will happen, though.

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My 18 month old loves her new seat! We went on a road trip and it actually reclines so she had good rest!

Honest reviews on Safety 1st Alpha Elite 65 Infant Car Seat, Rachel

Hard to install but works adequately. However, don't ever plan on removing the padding for cleaning. Must disassemble to remove pads but separating the base is impossible. Manual shows parts that don't exist on the car seat. Very disappointed. A simple Velcro fastener and slotted pads would have made this a passable seat but its not.

Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Safety 1st Alpha Elite 65 Infant Car Seat, Rachel

We liked this in the store. It had everything we were looking for. But we didn't even get a chance to use it. Once we got it into the backseat, I had a very hard time simply unbuckling both the main harness release as well as the chest clasp. I really thought I was doing something wrong, but the clasps just needed a bizarre amount of force to open. This is coming from a strong 40-year old guy.

Then we tried to harness the seat in (facing rear). The seat would not sit in a stable position once we tightened the belt. We verified the belt was in the proper position. So with that not working, we tried the latches. Very painful to get the strap under the seat (you have to peel up the seat cushion by first I strapping it from a confined area under the seat... Easier to just remove the seat entirely to accomplish this). Once latched, we couldn't tighten the strap--the little mechanism would not budge under any tension (had no problem working it at the return counter, of course). Anyway, that was the last straw. After 45 minutes of struggle, my wife and i gave up. Spend a bit more for some quality and sanity.