My husband and I are fairly intellegent people. We both were confused as heck over all the straps. We are not rookies, this carseat is for our 4th child. Reading the instructions proved to not be as easy as that. We thought we got it, then realized we had it installed incorrectly. The first time I put our son in it, I almost pinched his thigh-good thing I was paying close attention and stopped before I clicked the buckle. We messed with that carseat for 2 days, thinking eventually a light bulb will go off, and we would figure out how to use all the straps. We got so frustrated, we took it right back and bought a Britax. We have only used it once today, and our son fell right to sleep in it. It is much softer, reclines more, and MUCH easier to install than the Cosco. My husband said, "heck with this, Ill buy another carseat when he gets heavier than to have to deal with this stupid thing." (edited version-as my husband was very frustrated)

I originally bought this car seat for my 1 year old son. I bought it because it was a great price for a 3 in 1 car seat. It had nice features: cup holder,arm rests, and it's a booster. However, after having it for 1 month, it really wasn't as great. The straps always got tangled and every time my son fell asleep, his head flopped foward. I didn't like my son being uncomfortable while sleeping. Also, my husband didn't like the buckle in the crotch area. It seemed hard for him to use even though we did position the buckle to the right level for our son. It even pinched my son's thigh a few times! Anyhow, I guess it depends on the person who is using it. As for myself, I exchanged this car seat for the Britax Decathlon and now, I am completely satisfied with it! (you can read my review on the Decathlon car seat)

This car seat is of excellent quality. The drawbacks I can see is that the recline function does not recline far enough to compensate for the slope of the seat for the car seat to sit with the marker "level to the ground" like it should in the rear facing position. This car seat is rather large and I have to move the front passenger seat up in our SUV (Nissan Murano) quite considerably in order to put the car seat in facing rearward. Placing the rolled up towels underneath the base makes the car seat level, but it also requires the front seat be pushed forward even further. I test fit it in the forward facing position in the back seat and the car seat fits just fine that way. I wouldn't suggest buying this for an infant if you have a smaller back seat unless you want your front seat passengers spending the first year of baby's life with their knees in the dashboard. The Nissan's back seat is pretty large but perhaps it would fit better in, say, a Suburban? I don't like the fact that the owner's manual has diagrams that show the level marks perpendicular to the ground with the car seat reclined while sitting in the back seat without towels. They could have designed it better in my opinion so I wouldn't have to use the towels. (The level marks are located on the seatbelt harnesses that are visible in the picture of the product if you were wondering).

I really dont like this carseat all. When we put our infant daughter in here, she sat way to foward, even in the recline postion. Also when you put on the buckles, the carseat strap covers dont allow you to put the clip all the way by the shoulders, like you are suppose to. Although it does have some perks- you dont have to redo the buckles- ever because you can do it in the front. all in all, i wouldnt buy this for an infant

I was in an extremely bad car wreck in November 2005. My car flipped over 4 times and we landed upside down. My [...] was strapped into his car seat in the middle of the backseat. The only thing he had was a few bruises from where car seat held him in place. I honestly feel that had he been in another carseat he may have been seriously injured! I received a broken femur from the crash. I purchased the exact same car seat again!! I would not put my child in anything else!!

I was in a devastating car accident a month ago, in which I lost my wife, and mother to 2 lovley daughters. My oldest daughter, who was seated on the same side of the vehicle as my wife only received a broken leg. I beleive that if she were in any other seat she too would be dead, or at least injured more seriuos.

We just purchased our second one this weekend. Great product. Like the previous post said about the newborn sitting to forward that is true. But overall a great product.

My husband installed this carseat without hassle. We got it for our 6 month old when she outgrew her infant seat. Highly recommended. It will be the last seat we buy for her!

We got this carseat for my daughter when she was 6 months old, she is now 20 months old, and I seriously couldn't be happier. Yes it is a little big when it was rearfacing, but it still was do-able. She was comfortable in it rearfacing and loves it now that it is forward facing. I recommend this seat to anyone.

We were in a bad car wreck when my son was about 15 months old and although the car was totalled and I was pretty banged up, his carseat did not move an inch and he was completely unharmed! We love this seat and at age 3, he still loves it too.

My son is very long and lanky, and I was concerned with him fitting in a carseat well. I went into the babystore thinking I would buy a Britax, but my son didn't fit well in it at all. I then sat him in several other carseats at the baby store and this one fit him the best. I've had it more than a year and am very happy with it. I don't have the strap tangling problem and my son never complains when I put him in it. In fact, he climbs into it all on his own. I also bought it after reading several reviews from other people who commented on how safe it was (from their experience). I'm very happy with this carseat and my next baby will use it too.

My husband and I first bought this car seat for our daughter. At that time she was forward facing, but we liked the 3 in 1 features and had hoped that we would be able to use it for another baby. Our son is now 6 1/2 months and has outgrown his infant seat. However, when my husband was installing the car seat, the straps were not long enough to turn it around rear facing!! Not to mention we also were always fiddling with the straps when our daughter used it. It was something we lived with but now that we can't use rear facing, we are very disgusted with it!

you know babies are in the carseat quite often, and this is by far the most safe and comfy car seat my husband and i came across. i would suggest it to anyone.

This carseat has been disappointing. I purchased this carseat before my daughter was born thinking I would use it from birth but at 6 pounds 8 ounces, my daughter was too small to fit in the car seat safely (the shoulder straps were way above her shoulders while positioned in the lowest setting). I ended up having to buy an infant seat to put her in for the first six months. Getting the carseat installed properly was another problem - I had to use an oversized bath towel rolled up to get the seat to be level and the carseat doesn't recline far enough. My daughter's head alwasy slumps forward when she falls asleep. Plus, the passenger front seat had to be scooted way up to to make sure the carseat had room. The biggest problem with this carseat was getting the padding off to wash it. I will definitely not buy this carseat again for another child.

I would not recommend this carseat for any parents who insist that it be properly installed and comfortable for their child. The seat is difficult to get tight in the seat of our Jeep, the straps are always twisted and the buckle will not stay in place no matter how often you adjust the straps. My daughter is an average sized three year old and body always looks like it is going to slide right out of the seat and her head flops around while she sleeps. We have a Britax for our son and are currently shopping for one for our daughter.

Initially when I bought this carseat (2004) I thought it was pricey BUT considering the fact it "grows" with my daughter meant we wouldn't have to spend extra $$$ on bigger carseats and booster seats. At first, I tried to install the carseat myself without reading the instructions. I got frustrated, threw the carseat in the garage and continued using the infant carrier. After a couple of weeks I fumbled with it again and managed to install it with a friend's help and took my car in for an oil change. Upon changing the oil I found out the dealership offered a FREE carseat installation class. Basically it was a one on one session with a woman who had been trained how to install most all types of carseats. The police/fire departments offer these same programs but I am unsure if they are actually trained. This woman was sent to training by the dealership and was paid by the dealership. At the end of the session I was offered (NOT PRESSURED) the option of making a donation to the program... the money goes to buying carseats for low income families and also materials for this FREE program (swim noodles). SINCE TAKING THIS CLASS, INSTALLING THIS CARSEAT IS AS SIMPLE AS BUCKLING MY OWN SEATBELT!!!! So if you aren't sure of how to install it or this is your first child or fourth child... call a dealership affiliated with your vehicle and see if they offer this FREE program. My daughter has ridden in this carseat in the backseat of a Mazda 626, Ford 250 ext. cab (tight fit but you can make it work safely), Dodge Grand caravan, and many Stateside and International flights. The only thing about riding in the bulkhead (where there's no passengers in front of you) is that you will need to take the bottom portion of the carseat off in order to make it fit in these seats... I recommend trying this first at home to ensure you know what you are doing. Hang onto those INSTRUCTION MANUALS. Once your child gets a few dried cheerios in the crevices or is learning to potty train you'll want to take the seat apart in order to wash the cover. Everything comes apart... remember how to put it back together and take pics if you need too... not sure if the manual shows how to put it back together. I sprayed mine with a pre-treatment spray and let it sit while I cleaned the plastic portion of the seat. If you think the cover is dirty... wait until you see the plastic areas that can't be seen before the seat is taken apart. I sprayed the caked on items with 409 and let it sit for a few minutes then I just sprayed it off in the kitchen seat. I washed the cover on a normal warm (NOT HOT) cycle with liquid fabric softener and let it AIR DRY overnight. It's like having a new carseat once it's cleaned. You can wash the harness straps in the washer with the cover because all the buckles come off... just remember to air dry them. The only strap you'll have to clean by hand is the one between the legs that anchors the harness straps. I used a nylon cleaning brush (old toothbrush) and Dawn dish soap with water... I even soaked it in a bowl of this mixture but I left the buckle part hanging on the outside of the bowl. Once you learn how to install the seat and try and clean it once every 6 mos to a year... this seat can last you from 8 mos to 100 pounds.

I bought this seat when my son was 6 mths and he is now 3 years. I have never had any problems with this seat. I love it as well as my son loves it! We are expecting another baby and when he or she outgrows the infant seat we will be buying another one.

Very uncomfortable for sleeping kids. Every time I try to bucle up I almost pinch my kids skin, Awful car seat!!!!

We have been really happy with this carseat! We have two - one for each vehicle - and we've used them since our daughter was about six months old. She is now 21 months and we've never had a problem. It's very easy to adjust which is especially nice when the weather temperature fluctuates day to day and she's wearing shorts one day and a heavy jacket the next. We have never had a problem with the straps. I'm not quite sure what the problem is there. User error? Using the latch system, it's very easy to place in and out of the vehicle when necessary and when installed it's very secure. We now have another baby that I need to buy two more of these for and I'm sure we'll be just as satisfied. Although, we didn't use this seat for a newborn because I prefer the convenience of an infant car seat/carrier to take the baby in and out of the car.

After being in a wreck that injured only the car, we purchased a second of these seats. My son was kept safe, but the wreck was nowhere near where he was seated, and I do wished I'd shopped around instead of rushing right out to get another of this seat. It is slightly difficult to install - the fire dept. couldn't figure it out - so I had to do it on my own. AWFUL for rear facing, but ok for front. My son's head flops around horribly when he's sleeping, so he wakes up all the time. The belt and straps twist if you look at them the wrong way, and it's very hard to unbuckle. I would recommend looking for another SAFE seat that is more comfy and easy to use.

I don't understand how people can have a problem installing this seat - two LATCH hooks and the one for the trunk. I can have this thing in or out of the car in under a minute if I have to. Taking it apart for a complete cleaning IS a hefty undertaking, but after doing it a couple of times it's pretty simple. My daughter has been in this for two and a half years - taken it on the airplane three times - and my friend uses the same one for her son who is a large, lanky child. This seat fits both of them wonderfully. It is a bit large - can't fit it into the Jetta comfortably - but it's great in larger cars.

I love this car seat, now i have 3 of them, never had any problems,but am trying to figure out to turn it into a booster seat, i lost my manual.

Overall, I feel this is a good, comfortable car seat. It is big and I don’t think it would fit rear facing even in a family size car. We have an SUV and when my husband tried to install it rear facing he had to move the front seat all the way to the front, leaving no leg room for the passenger. We ended up installing it forward facing, as our daughter was already over 20 pounds when we got this one. The only think I still can’t figure out is how to recline the seat once it’s installed. I don’t have any problems with the straps getting tangled up or being too tight in the crotch area. I think the people that are having pinching problems are not letting the straps out far enough. My daughter is not skinny and with the straps adjusted to the right length she fits absolutely fine and her thighs are never pinched.

I love this carseat...very easy to put together and my son absolutly loves the arm rest! Plus it fits in my '03 Hyundia very nicely, even when we had to have it installed backwards. Its not to bulky to move to other vehicles either! I highly recommend this carseat!!!

It was time to buy a new carseat and after shopping around a bit, I saw the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite, and every website had good reviews overall of the seat. It was midway between the super-cheap carseats, and the just ridiculously overpriced ones. We went to the store where we got an up close view on the seat. I loved the looks of it, it actually matches my car interior. It is very cushioned and has a lot of features I like. (The cup holder and armrests are not necessary but make for great extras!) I loved the easy reclining feature, and that you don't have to thread the straps, as I did with the carseat for my daugher 5 years ago! Once we got it home, we read the instructions, and tethered it into our car. I have read others who said that this carseat was difficult to install. I found it ust as easy, if not easier, to install than any other carseat. I had it in the first time within 5 minutes, and with each subsequent time, about a minute. The seat is very comfortable for my son, he absolutely loves it! My son's head will fall forward slightly while sleeping, but my 6 year old still does that in her booster seat, I don't think we should blame that on the carseat. It's also very roomy. I have a pretty large baby (he is well over 20 pounds at 8 months) and he sits comfortably with more than enough room. The seat itself is larger, but I have a Honda Accord and it fits great in there! With his infant carrier, I could not even fit him behind my seat (I am tall and have to sit far back), but this fits with more than enough room for both of us. Peeople who complain about the large seat in a small car should buy a smaller seat. My car is a standard size and we have plenty of room! I have not have a problem with the straps. They have become twisted, but I have had five carseats, of all price ranges, between both of my children and they all do that. This one was actually better than others I have encountered. I also love the ease of adjusting the straps. In the winter, when my son is wearing more clothing, it takes just a second to adjust the straps. It's very convenient! All in all, I found this to be a great car seat. The price on it is great, and I have had no problems at all. Highly recommend it!

I would not have any other car seat. Both my kids have this carseat and I feel good knowing that they are safe. It is large, and it is harder to install in the rear facing position but once it is in there its in there good. My son was premature and he is smaller for his age and he fits nicely in this seat, I am however going to keep him rear facing for as long as possible to ensure his safety. I totally recommend this car seat.

This is a great car seat. Our child started using it when he was 3mos because he didn't fit into infant car seat at that time. It works both rear- and front-facing. It is rather large and people are going to have issues trying to fit it rear-facing into smaller cars. We had it installed in Subaru Legacy Outback and it was a tight squeeze, but it was perfect.

I would recommend this product to anyone looking for a car seat. It is not a breeze to install but what good thing is easy. An hour with the seat, the instructions and a brain and anyone can figure it out. My now 10 1/2 month daughter is comfortable in it and more importantly I am comfortable with it. It was fairly easy to install. I did need a rolled up towel to get the angle right for the rear facing position but most seats do need this. This is my third child and I feel she is safe in this seat. I would not recommend any "convertible" seat for a newborn. Newborns are just too small to fit properly in a toddler sized seat. I recommend that everyone begins with an infant carrier seat. Again this car seat is a good safe seat that requires you to read the manual.(everyone should need to read a manual to keep their kids safe) The people who did not like this seat are fools.

I've read through some of the other postings and was quite amused (in a bad way) that so many people have had a difficult time with this seat. I admit, we did too but we went up to AAA to have it inspected because it didn't seem well installed. They were able to give us some great pointers and had us put it back while they watched. For rear-facing, they urged us to have the car seat in the middle of the back seat so that it will recline fully without having to have the front seat passengers with their knees in the dashboard. It also helps the straps stay tighter because it minimizes the side-to-side motion from turing and such. We had to use it rear-facing until our daughter was nearly 2 years old because she's a tiny little thing. Its been 6 months now that we've used it forward facing and haven't had any problems. The only thing I don't like about it is the "puzzle" crotch buckle. We've pinched her leg twice with it, so we ALWAYS have to loosen the straps before buckling her in and then adjust them tighter once she's in. If you are having problems, call AAA or your local police/fire dept and schedule a car seat inspection - they'll be able to help you!

I love this seat, we had no trouble putting the seat into the car. It is similar to the Eddie Bauer one we had, so it was easy to install. Thank-you for such a wonderful product at a great price. By: Lisa, Kentucky

THIS IS MY FAVORITE CAR SEAT. I WORK IN A BABY STORE AND IT REALLY IS A FAVORITE COMPARABLE TO BRITAX. AS TO SOME COMMENTS EARLIER ON ABOUT REAR FACING AND THE BELT NOT BEING LONG ENOUGH, THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO PUT THE BELT THROUGH. IF IT IS REAR FACING, YOU PUT THE BELT UNDER THE BUTT OF THE CHILD, THERE IS A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN SLIDE IT THROUGH UNDER THE FABRIC JUST LIKE THERE IS A PLACE IN THE BACK WHEN IT IS FORWARD FACING. IT REALLY ISNT ROCKET SCIENCE. THE STRAPS ARE DESIGNED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FROM THE FRONT *MOST CAR SEATS YOU HAVE TO COMPLETELY TAKE APART TO MOVE THEM* THE ONLY TIME YOU HAVE TO PULL THE STRAPS OFF IS WHEN YOU WANT TO PULL OFF A HEAD REST. ALSO A HINT TO THOSE WHO SAY THAT IS HARD, MAKE SURE THE CARSEAT IS NOT RECLINED. THIS HELPS. AGAIN I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CAR SEAT, ITS GREAT THAT IT GOES FROM RIGHT AFTER THE INFANT CARRIER UNTIL THEY ARE IN JUST A SMALL BOOSTER (IT DOES GO LONGER BUT MOST PARENTS MOVE TO A 25 DOLLAR CAR SEAT BY THE TIME THEY ARE 7) ANYWAY HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEONE.

I purchased an older version of this car seat in 1998 when I had my daughter. I did not rush in. I took my time and did the research through all of the car safty reports, consumer reports and this car seat at the time was the best rated in the industry. We traveled quite a bit when she was an infant and she would sleep up to 6 plus hours very comfortably. The seat that I bought back then also had a chest bar in addition to the five point harness, she was also very secure. My daughter is almost 9 and not in the seat any more however we did keep her in it until she was 7 as a booster the conversion for her as she got older was seamless. My neighbors recently had a baby and a gave them the seat to have as a second seat. The had already purchased a different brand seat that they paid a lot of money for. I recently went with them for a day trip and noticed that the baby was in the seat that I gave them I asked why they weren't using the seat that they bought and the reply was simply that the baby doesn't like it. My parents did foster care for years (usually babies) and they had used several different seats. When they saw the seat that I was using the quickly converted. You do have to be aware that different car manufactures seat belts work differently. But after seeing what my parents went through with all of the different car seats I have to say that this seat was absolutly the easiest to install. By the way my parents went through about 12 different car seats. Also, the local agency for Foster Services also started using this brand seat.

I would recomend this car seat. I dont understand all the problems that people have with the straps. My husband and I both have them in our cars. I also found it to be very easy to install. My inlaws on the other hand couldnt figure it out, I had to actually show them. My son was about six months when he hit 20 lbs and I didnt find that his head flops when he falls asleep. With the seat in full recline he is relaxing and falls right to sleep.

I love this car seat so far, it seams like a great buy for the amount of money. where I live the same car seat costs more than 3X the online price. My son is 6 months old and has pretty much grown out of his infant seat. this car seat was tough to get into a 2004 toyota corolla rear facing. we had to place it in the center seat and it works great as long as my husband doesn't want to get into the car. as a whole though i do recommend this seat.

This is a really nice car seat. Comfortable, easy to install, nice looking, and top-rated on Consumer Reports for safety and overall value. So, the straps have to be straightened out every so often. So what? I've never seen a car seat that didn't have that. It's nature of the thing. This is nice too because you don't have to put the crotch buckle together before you click it in. I hated that with my son's old seat. This is a superior seat, and a great value.

We bought this car seat for our second car. We have the Britax Marathon for our other car. I am wishing we would have purchased two of these instead. It is a great car seat! Don't get me wrong, Britax is great, but we could have saved a little money and just got two of these. My husband installed it with no problem at all. I love that it never needs re-threading, it's a great feature! I highly recommend this car seat. Buy it from Baby Age, their prices are the BEST!

Does it all in one purchase