Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite Car Seat Review

In May of 2007, we purchased the Safety 1^st Alpha Omega Elite convertible car seat in Bella. At first sight I was in love with this seat, beautiful calm colors of pink and brown, subtle but girly for my, at the time, 6 month old daughter.

Straight out of the box the seat gave me issues; I wish I had returned it right then. Trying to install it in the rear facing position proved more difficult than I had imagined, it didn't want to fit in the backseat of my SUV. I had a hard time feeding the belt through the slots that were provided to have the seat in the rear facing position. It is not like I have large hands either. So much to my dismay I put my daughter back in her infant carrier for the drive home. Oh how she hated that infant carrier! Later that night it took my husband, me and the instruction booklet nearly an hour to install the seat properly.

I'll admit that the cuteness of the car seat sold me more so than the overall features and functions. Researching safety seats before making my purchase, I liked the fact that this seat would be the one and only seat I would need for my daughter. That made the price tag of $180 sound amazing. I would not have to buy a booster seat once she reached the weight limit of the car seat, unlike so many others. The Alpha Omega goes from rear facing to forward facing to booster seat. It was like getting three seats for the price of one.

Yet I overlooked one detail... although this seat will safely hold children up to 100lbs, it will only safely hold a child harnessed by the straps up to the 40lbs weight limit. I kick myself for overlooking that, because now I have a rather chunky toddler on my hands that in just a few pounds will not be "safe" in her safety seat any longer. She is not tall enough for the booster seat, nor is she old enough to properly sit and behave in a belt-positioned booster seat.

I had read reviews both good and bad about this seat, and have found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with those giving the negative opinions. A major flaw with this seat is the crotch buckle, it is just too short! With this problem comes another problem, to counteract the short crotch strap I have to loosen the harness straps to properly buckle my child into this seat. Many times we have had pinched fingers and unfortunately a time or two, pinched toddler thighs. If it isn't pinching, its rubbing, which gives her skin a mean rash. The only solution to this problem is as previously stated, loosening the harness straps, which in turn creates gaps that are not safe.

The Alpha Omega does not snug around my child, something that bothers me greatly. It looks more like a smaller seat with harness straps than it does a car seat. Sure, it is cushy and has a lot of nice extras such as cup holders, and an adjustable pillow, but I would gladly forego these items for a seat that would snug around or cradle around my child, closing her in, actually protecting her in an accident.

I look at this seat and cringe thinking about what could happen to her in an accident. The only part of the seat that is actually on the side of her are flimsy cheap plastic arm rests. I would much rather have her in something with side protection, I would much rather have something there to hit first before it were to hit my child. With no protection on the sides of her, my anxiety levels are up every time we are in the van. You never know what another driver might do, so it is up to you to keep your children as safe as possible.

Horrible safety features, difficult to install, and did I mention this seat is a pain in the rear to take apart and clean? Babies and toddlers are messy little things, and I like to keep things as clean as possible. Taking apart this seat to wash the padding takes the majority of the day. When I choose to wash this, rather than just wipe it down, I know it has to be on a day we have nothing planned because I know it is a task that will take hours.

If I had the chance to do this all over again, I would put aside a little extra money and get a seat with a higher safety rating, a seat that looks like it would actually protect my child in an accident. I am not satisfied with the Safety 1^st Alpha Omega Elite car seat, and will never purchase another.

When it comes down to buying a safety seat for your child, don't let price scare you away. Read the reviews other consumers have reported, search many different websites, and ask around. Chances are you will come across another parent or two who have tried the same product you are looking into and will have a review of their own for you. You cannot put a price on your child's safety.