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We were reading an interesting article from Sydney, Australia. One of the issues facing parents is the rising cost of childcare fees even when your child is sick. More and more parents are placing their children into childcare, and with the increasing mortgage and rental costs, it is only something that we see will continue.

An Australian insurance company is offering an insurance policy that will cover the cost of full or part-time childcare fees if your child is sick and cannot attend. The policy will cover a child if they are sick for more than three consecutive days of childcare.

The policy costs between 50 and 75 US dollars per year. The policy, Kids Cover is offered by the Altiora Insurance Brokers.

As the cost of childcare is increasingeach year, this may be of help to parents. However, as it seems that childcare is to blame for many of the illnesses, perhaps the childcare centers themselves should not be charging us on days when your child is ill.

We are pleased to announce that we have updated the BabyRecommend Store with all of our 5 Star products.

The store is populated with products from Amazon.com, so you can be assured of a safe shopping experience. If you think that we should be including additional categories or products, please do not hesitate to Contact Us.

You may have noticed that we have added a BlogRush widget to the sidebar of BabyRecommend. We hope that this service will bring you other related articles that are of interest.

If you have any comments about the BlogRush widget, wish to share a product or service to our readers, or just want to give us some feedback, please Contact Us.

Following our post highlighting the discounts available on Britax Baby Car Seats and Strollers, we bring you another great discount from Amazon.com.

They are currently offering big discounts across the complete range of Britax Car Seats. As an added bonus, free shipping is also provided.

Examples include the best selling Britax Roundabout for $193.59 (from 220) and the Britax Marathon for $237.59 (from 270).

To take advantage of these offers, you need to be quick, as the sale ends on the 15th September.

The Britax Marathon Baby Car Seat is the most expensive Britax baby seat. At $270, it is one of the more costly car seats and is at the top of the Britax range. The quality of the components is noticably higher than other cars seats. The straps are very strong and supportive, being thicker and wider than other Britax models, helping to limit any issues with tangling. However, you may need to add additional padding (available from babies’r'us for only a few dollars) as they can rub against the babies neck and body. It should be noted that the Marathon is larger (28″H x 19.5″W x 25″D) than most baby car seats, and can be tricky to fit, especially in the rear facing position in a smaller vehicle. Allow for at least 31″ of backseat space to properly accommodate this model. The seat is very well padded, especially around the head and neck around. The padding is also machine washable. The Britax Roundabout is available in a range of colors and patterns to complement most vehicle interiors..

As with the Britax Roundabout, it is easy to understand how this car seat has become a bestseller. Its range of safety features is very impressive, and even though it is expensive, a car seat is one item where many parents are happier to spend more money.

Features

• 5 point harness with patented Floating HUGS system
• Built-in lock-off clips, Versa-Tether & Safe Guard Latch Connectors
• Equipped with Energy Absorbing EPS and Comfort Foam for safety and comfort
• Fits from birth (5 lbs)

Strengths

• High safety features (however, we hope that you will never need to use them)
• Strong and supportive straps
• Very well padded, especially around the head and neck
• Approved for use on airplanes (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 compliant)

Weaknesses

• Expensive
• Larger than typical car seats, and may not fit smaller vehicles
• The larger straps may need additional padding as they can rub against the babies neck and body

The Britax Marathon Baby Car Seat is available for $270.

Recommended

The Britax Roundabout Baby Car Seat is the top selling baby car seat on Amazon. The comfort and safety features are the same as the range-topping Britax Marathon. Both the Roundabout and the Marathon include additional EPS foam side impact protection, helping to reduce the risk from side impacts. The straps are very strong and supportive, being thicker and wider than other Britax models, helping to limit any issues with tangling. However, you may need to add additional padding (available from babies’r'us for only a few dollars) as they can rub against the babies neck and body. The Britax Roundabout is available in a range of colors and patterns to complement most vehicle interiors.

As with the Britax Marathon, it is easy to understand how this car seat has become a bestseller. Its range of safety features is very impressive, and even though it is expensive, a car seat is one item where many parents are happier to spend more money.

Features

• Easy installation with built-in lock-off clips, Versa-Tether’, and Safe Guard Latch Connectors’
• Tangle-free five-point harness for convenience and a more secure fit
• Equipped with Energy Absorbing EPS foam for additional protection during impact
• Fits from birth (4 lbs)
• Supports up to 40 lbs

Strengths

• Very high safety standard - seems to be at the top of every safety award
• Anti-twist straps actually work!
• Very comfortable fit

Weaknesses

• Expensive
• The larger straps may need additional padding as they can rub against the babies neck and body

If you’re debating between the Britax Roundabout and the Britax Marathon Baby Car Seat, think of the latter as the big brother. They are identical in terms of comfort and convenience features, but the Marathon has a higher weight maximum and is larger than the Roundabout. If you do not need the extra size of the Marathon or have a smaller vehicle, then the Britax Roundabout is the better model, and costs nearlly 60 dollars less.

The Britax Roundabout Baby Car Seat is available for $219.

Highly Recommended

We previously reviewed the Evenflo Tribute 5 Baby Car Seat, awarding it 5 stars.
Another popular Evenflo baby car seat is a larger version of the Evenflo Tribute 5 Convertible Baby Car Seat. The Evenflo Triumph DLX Convertible Baby Car Seat can be thought of as its big brother. It is wider than the Tribute 5, and may not fit smaller vehicles, especially if positioned in the middle seat, where it can extend out over both side seats. The side and head padding is very supportive, and can be easily removed and machine washed. The Evenflo Triumph DLX features a modern looking design, with a blue color scheme that should complement most vehicle interiors.

Features

• New Easy-off pad
• BuckleRight Buckle gives visual verification buckle is secure
• Rear-facing for children 5-30 lbs, Forward-facing for children 20-40 lbs

Strengths

• Supportive side and head padding
• Removable and machine washable padding
• Includes a cup holder!

Weaknesses

• Larger (wider) than the Evenflo Tribute 5, so check the fit if you have a smaller vehicle

The Evenflo Triumph DLX Convertible Baby Car Seat is available for $140.

If you require the extra size and padding, then the Evenflo Triumph DLX offers great value for money. However, it is nearly 3 times the cost of the Evenflo Tribute 5 and does not offer 3 times the features. For those looking to spend less than 150 dollars, we would seriously consider the Evenflo Tribute 5 Convertible Baby Car Seat, as it offers extremely good value for money.

Recommended

The Cosco Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Baby Car Seat provides a good range of feature at an affordable price. One of the selling poingts is that the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite can be used as a booster seat, supporting children up to 100lbs. This is a great feature for Cosco to include, and may swing the decision for parents looking for a seat that can be used beyond the typical lifespan of traditional car seats. Padding is soft and comfortable and strong EPP foam is included for additional side impact protection.

However, one of the biggest issues with the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite is that the seat does not fully recline as much as with other baby car seats. Even when fully reclined, the babies head can easily flop forward, especially worrying when a young baby is still strengthening their neck muscles. I have read many reports of this issue, so it is not just something that we have found. Another issue is the short crotch strap, where the strap buckle will rub against the babies legs, rather than being higher up. For the average baby size, the strap length is okay. However, for taller babies, it is too short and uncomfortable.

Note that the Eddie Bauer Convertible car seat is also made by Cosco, so these comments also apply.

Features

• LATCH equiped for 5-35 lbs Rear facing; 22-40 lbs Forward facing; 40-100 lbs belt positioning booster
• Removable, full-wrap tailored fabric pad
• Padded head rest: Infant insert
• Extra-wide roomy seat with comfort support seat
• Up-front harness adjustment

Strengths

• Sturdy EPP foam for increased side support
• Well padded
• Can also be used as a booster seat to 100lbs

Weaknesses

• Does not recline as much as other seats
• Crotch strap is too short and the buckle can dig into babies legs

The Cosco Alpha Omega Elite Convertible Baby Car Seat is available for $139.

We have only given this car seat 3 star as we feel that the lack of a fully reclining seat makes it less ideal for parents wishing to use the seat from birth. If you are planning on using a car seat from birth, we would only give it 2 stars. There has been numerous reports of this issue, so it is not just something we observed. If you are planning on using the seat after your baby is a few months old, then the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite has a lot of good features. The standout feature has to be its use as a booster seat, supporting children up to 100lbs. However, there are better car seats available for less money.

Average (Poor if using the car seat from birth)

The Evenflo Tribute 5 Convertible Baby Car Seat represents excellent value for money. At 55 dollars, the Evenflo Tribute provides all of the features and meets all of the safety standards as seats costing 4 to 5 times as much. The seat supports the LATCH system that can be found on newer vehicles. The car seat’s modern design and stylish, neutral color scheme will also complement the interior of any vehicle. The padding is also machine washable.

The only weakness is that is can be time consuming when fitting and removing the seat from a car. However, this will only cause issues if you need to be able to move the seat between mulitple vehicles.

Features

• Two-Position Recline
• Adjustable Harness and Safety Bar
• Removable Machine Washable Pad
• Rear-facing 5- 30 lbs and forward-facing 20-40 lbs
• Recommended Weight 5-40 lbs

Strengths

• Extremely good value for money
• Extremely good value for money (yes, it is worth saying twice!)
• Machine washable padding
• Supports LATCH system found on newer vehicles

Weaknesses

• Can be time consuming to fit and remove from a car

The Evenflo Tribute 5 Convertible Baby Car Seat is available for $55.

This baby car seat is highly recommended for anybody looking to spend less than 150 dollars (it actually can compete with more expensive seats). It represents such great value for money, it could easily be sold for 2 or 3 times as much and still be a best seller.

Highly Recommended

We have come across an amusing video of the new Bugaboo Bee stroller. We are not sure how much money the video cost or its intended purpose, but it does show off some of the cooler features of the Bugaboo Bee, including the very fast and compact fold.

We previously comments on the Bugaboo Bee, and hope to bring a full Bugaboo Bee Review soon.