Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This car seat is a fantastic product at an amazing price (at the time we purchased it in 11/2012 it was $110). While researching a car seat for our first child, my husband and I were excited about the prospect of the Alpha Omega Elite's three-way conversion but were dismayed when we could not figure out how to install it rear-facing without being excessively wobbly, no matter what we tried. So after 5+ hours of researching online, reading manuals and watching online instructional videos on YouTube (such as the one for the Safety 1st Complete Air, which is **NOT** the same model but still offers a visual for parents like us who have never installed a car seat before), my husband set out towards our car with determination in his eyes! Before we begin, here's some facts about our installation of an Alpha Omega Elite in "Lamont": ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Our car is a 2004 Chevrolet Caviler (4-door) * We used the LATCH system. Our car does not offer the LATCH system in the middle backseat, so we had to put it behind the passenger's seat. My husband also attempted the seatbelt installation in the middle, but he could not tighten it properly because the belt was quite stubborn and kept twisting after being thread through the carseat. * Upon first attempt it was installed behind the driver's seat, but due to our car's size that required the driver's seat to be pushed up all the way. This made it extremely difficult to move between the pedals, and we felt like that posed a hazard we weren't willing to take (especially when driving around our little one)! Rear-Facing Installation Tips w/ LATCH -------------------------------------- * Read your car's owner's manual and the Safety 1st instructions. We did not know until reading our car's manual that a 2004 Caviler does not offer LATCH in the middle backseat. * Make sure your car is on level ground. * Use a rolled up towel/blanket, as suggested in the manual. Ours was the size of CD once rolled-up. * Connect the LATCH hooks as instructed. * Consider putting an object/tool through the tightening loop to help provide grip/leverage as you pull on the straps to tighten them. My husband used the handle of his groove joint pliers, similar to these: Stanley 84-024 10-Inch Bi-Material Groove Joint Pliers. * As you tighten, put as much of your weight as possible on the carseat. My husband tried using his knee, but ultimately just used his hand due to lack of space in our backseat. * My husband then used the head of his groove joint pliers to give one more good pull. While pulling, he also shifted the carseat side to side while still making sure to apply weight. This allowed him to achieve additional tightness. * Check for movement/wobbliness. Ours will not even budge at the belt path after my husband applied the above methods. Threading the handle of the pliers though the loop seemed to be what helped him most. He just couldn't get a good enough handle on it with bare hands. Additional Thoughts ------------------- Make no mistake -- installing this car seat requires A LOT of patience and you will probably lose your wits before it's in, but keep trying. Even though we are satisfied with how it is installed now we still plan to have the installation looked at by a NHTSA-certified inspector [...], just to ease our minds. Please consider doing the same, since according to AAA almost 75% of carseats are not installed properly these days. We hope these tips help ease parent frustrations. Good luck installing your Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite!