Should you buy a car seat for newborns, a booster seat, or a convertible seat you can use for several purposes as your child grows? There are many car seats on the market, and most of them have several modes, such as rear-facing, forward-facing, and booster seat.
Evenflo has manufactured baby products for close to 100 years. The company makes infant, booster and convertible car seats, strollers, high chairs, safety gates, and other high-quality products for babies and toddlers. The Evenflo Tribute Lx Convertible Car Seat is one of their budget products.
Reading Evenflo Tribute reviews will help you get a clear view of the Tribute's features, and how appropriate it will be for your child. The tribute is inexpensive and offers forward and rear-facing capabilities, but does it have all the features you need?
The Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat from Evenflo offers comfort and protection for infants. A convertible car seat can be used in rear-facing and front-facing positions.
The compact Tribute LX fits in a small car and airplane seats. This slim Tribute LX fits into a small vehicle without much space in the back seat. The slim Evenflo Tribute is easy to install in compact cars.
This basic car seat has EPS foam for protection from crashes, but no extra side impact protection. You need to rethread the harness to change the height. The weight limit stops at 40 pounds. Other Evenflo models go up to 65 pounds or more.
The lightweight 12-pound frame makes the Tribute easy to carry during your travel. You can install the seat in different cars or take it on an airplane. The tribute provides a removable cup holder you can attach to the armrest. Use the cup holder for toys, snacks or other items if you wish.
The Tribute fits children from five to 40 pounds. This car seat offers forward and rear-facing positions, and has dimensions of 18.5 inches wide by 22 inches long by 25.5 inches high. The seat weighs 9.29 pounds, making it one of the lightest car seats on the market.
This low price point car seat has a few designs – the LX, Sport, and DLX. Choose from eight colors, including light blue, light pink, hot pink and grey.
You can add a seat accessory kit to your purchase. The kit includes two window cling shades, an organizer caddy, an under mat seat protector, and two car seat kick mats. The kick mats help prevent shoe stains on the car floor.
A travel and storage bag can also be purchased along with the car seat, or you can buy the car seat with two window cling shades.
The top of your child’s ears should be even with or below the child restraint’s seat back.
A rear-facing seat holds an infant 19 to 37 inches high and from five to 40 pounds. A forward-facing child can weigh from 22 to 40 pounds and measure 28 to 40 inches high.
The shoulder-strap positions ensure you can accommodate your child as he or she grows, and there's easy access to the buckle release and up-front harness. The foam liner absorbs energy to keep your baby comfortable and provides cushioning in case of jolts or an accident.
The buckle covers, head pillow, and harness covers provide comfort and safety on road trips.
There's a four-point harness for a better fit for children of all sizes. The harness and buckle release lets you adjust the fit easily.
The Tribute is 100 percent polyester, and side impact tested. According to the manufacturer, it meets or exceeds all federal safety standards. The Evenflo Tribute is tested for energy and structural consistency at twice the crash test standards.
The rear-facing tip should be at least an inch below the top of the seat's child restraint and seat back. There's an integrated cushion to give the baby more comfort and provide a head pillow for older kids.
Wipe the harness and plastic or metal parts with soap and water. Avoid abrasive cleaners. Air dry the harness. The seat pad can be machine washed in cold water on delicate cycle and can be dried for ten to 15 minutes on low heat. Wipe away food or liquid from the crotch buckle to preserve efficient latching.
Clean the buckle by placing it in a cup of warm water and move it back and forth. Press the red button a few times while the buckle is submerged. (The buckle strap shouldn’t be submerged.) Don’t clean the buckle with detergent or use lubricant to prevent damage.
The Evenflo Tribute has a six-year life expectancy with regular use. Replace the belts if they are worn or too loose. Your child will outgrow the Tribute quickly since the car seat has a 40-pound limit, so you probably won't need to use it for six years unless you have other children.
This child car seat has a 90-day limited warranty.
The Evenflo Tribute has mostly good or mixed reviews from parents on Amazon.com, although expert reviews tend to be mostly negative. When compared to other car seats in the $50 to $100 price range, it comes up short on several features.
Parents comment that the Tribute is a great seat for air travel and short trips. This seat doesn't have much padding, so you shouldn't use it for long road trips. Some reviewers note that the car seat is hard to install in rear-facing mode.
Even though this car seat gets poor ratings from experts, one online reviewer mentioned that the Tribute car seat saved her granddaughter’s life during a terrible car accident. Another online reviewer comments that she could install the car seat faster than more expensive models.
The Tribute is rated 31st out of 32 convertible car seats for safety by Consumer Reports.
The Cosco Scenera Next has three out of five stars on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests; the Evenflow Tribute scored two out of five stars. Consumer Reports gives the Scenera Next and Evenflo Tribute a better rating for crash protection.
The Next is certified for use on airplanes, and parents comment that the car seat is easy to carry through airports and install on airplane seats. It's comfortable for a 35-pound child on a four-hour flight, one Mom writes. Some parents write that the straps are hard to adjust, while others like the quick installation.
The Cosco Scenera Next scores better on a few points than the Tribute, like side impact protection, but like the Evenflo Tribute, it is suitable as a back-up car seat, not the main seat for consistent use.
This car seat weights 7.6 pounds and measures 17 inches wide by 22 inches long by 23.5 inches high.
This car seat offers side impact protection, so it's safer for long trips and rough traveling than the Evenflo Tribute, which has no side padding. The seats are small enough so that you can fit two or three in the back seat of your vehicle.
The weight limits will ensure longer use as your child grows, as the forward-facing position has a range of 22 to 65 pounds. The Safety 1st’s rear-facing weight range is five to 40 pounds.
There are five harness heights and three different buckle locations, and most importantly, extra side protection, which the Evenflo Tribute lacks.
You can add a two or three-year protection plan to the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat via Amazon for under $.
There’s a cup holder you can attach to the seat and a removable lumbar pillow.
Parents' reviews of this car seat are mixed. For example, one reviewer thought the fabric used on the seat was too hot and sticky, while another parent wrote that she never had a problem with it, even though she lives in a humid region.
The Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat measures 30 inches by 18 inches by 14 inches and weighs 15 pounds.
PROS
CONS
The sides of this car seat have noticeably sharp plastic edges. The plastic isn’t rounded, like most other infant and baby car seats. The button you press to loosen the straps is under sharp-edged plastic, and you might get a small cut if you’re not careful when you press the harness release button.
You need to set a car seat to a proper recline position when you install it. The Tribute has a red arrow that you need to make a level with the floor to ensure it's at the right recline position.
The Tribute offers a reclining stand, but it's not appropriate for all vehicles. Your vehicle may have more slanted seats than another vehicle. The Tribute doesn't address many recline positions, and you may need to use a rolled-up towel to achieve the right recline position for your seat.
A car seat that reclines properly on its own, without a towel to prop it up, offers your child more safety and security.
The price, compact size, and two-in-one positioning are advantages to owning this car seat. The poor NHTSA rating is a major deterrent to using the Tribute, despite some Evenflo Tribute reviews from customers praising its safety.
The Tribute is available in several colors and has a slim, compact design. The car seat looks attractive without being trendy or flashy. This Evenflo model is one of the least expensive car seats we found from any manufacturer.
Compare Evenflo Tribute reviews from customers and experts to determine if this car seat is safe for your child and if it's a good value for you.
The Evenflo Tribute LX car seat may work for you as a travel seat for short trips or flying, but we don’t recommend it as a first-line car seat for long road trips. Parents looking for a lightweight, easy to install, back-up car seat might like the Tribute.
You'll need to work your way around the sharp plastic edges and use a rolled-up towel for some reclining positions. Parents who don't mind putting in a bit of extra work will gain an excellent second car seat.
The Evenflo Tribute meets all Federal Safety Standards. The lack of padding may pose a problem for your baby’s comfort on long rides, and provide less protection during accidents. However, a few parents have commented the car seat shielded their child from the effects of a serious car crash.
Overall, we recommend the Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat as a back-up seat only, or a seat for air travel with your child.
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