OK - speaking of carseats - need recommendations.

[Karen sn]

I want a nice one that will start with an infant and stay with him (I hope) or her through the toddler years. Would love to see "Made in the USA" but I know that might not be an option.

I loved dd's but that was 10 years ago and I can't remember who made hers.

Oh - one thing I CAN NOT STAND is having those bars that come down in front of them - too claustraphobic to me. I like it simple - and I want to see all of my kid with nothing in the way.

Thanks in advance.

[mommylaw]

We love Britax. They are a bit pricy but so worth it in my opinion. I currently have three in Marathons, ages 2, 4, and 7. The Marathon goes from 6-65 lbs in a 5-point harness.

 

Amazon usually has good sales but limited cover choices. I've seen them at Target and BRU.

 

 

 

Features:

 

• Rear-facing position holds up to 33 pounds; forward-facing holds up to 65 pounds
  
• Patented Versa-Tether
  
• Comfortably fits larger, older children
  
• Removable, washable fabric cover
  
• Patented HUGS system
  
• Belly pad for comfort and protection
  
• Built-in lock-offs
  
• Sculpted base for a perfect fit
  
• Flexible buckle LATCH system
  
• Comfort foam and EPS protective foam
  
• Tangle-free polyester 5-point harness
  
• Belt holders keep belts aside for boarding
  
• One hand recline adjustment

 

[nukeswife]

I also have a Britax for my now almost 3 year old. Not Made in the USA but well worth the money and very good quality. He's been in it since he was 3 months old.

 

I have Compass boosters for my older ones which I love as well.

 

I got my Britax Marathon from babies r us. I got my boosters from http://www.elitecarseats.com which is a great site with fast shipping.

[~Tara~]

Well, the big thing is it's hard to find a convertible that truly fits newborns well. Britax Marathon (and it's clones: Boulevard and Decathalon) are nice, rear face up to 33 (and are coming out with a 35# limit :thumbsup: ) and forward face up to 65#. Most kids make it to around age 5 in one of those. The top harness slots and max weight just don't 'quite' add up. Very few make it to the full 65# weight limit, 55# is more realistic. But anyway, around age 5 for most kids before they have outgrown the top slots. Then there's the Sunshine Kids Radian (made in China, just so ya know) that also rear faces to 33# and forward faces to 65# OR 80# depending on which you get. Their first ones were to 65, then they retested and approved it to 80. The shell and all is the same, they just changed the cover options. So, same seat..just one has now been approved to 80#..and costs more.

 

But...fitting an infant well in either of those is sketchy.

 

I highly recommend an infant only car seat for newborns. They will rear face for 22# and some up to 30 now. That will get you, most likely, near the first year and by then the child will fit nicely in either of the convertibles mentioned above.

 

If you need any more info, just let me know. I'll do my best to help. Child passenger safety is a passion of mine :) (I'm a tech, certified through NHTSA and SafeKids)

[Brigitte]

Another vote for Britax. My girls are in Wizards, which is now the Boulevard. F&L are 6 and will be 7 in July and still fit, but not for long. L is 50%ile for height and weight and is proportional (ie not long or short legged), if that gives you an idea about how long most kids will last in them. I had britax Roundabouts before these, but could not stand the thought of my 3 almost 4 y.o. kids in boosters. So, I bought the Wizard on clearance since it had the side impact protection.

 

Now my dilemma is what to put them in now....Go for broke and buy Regents or get another set of Parkways, or the Monarch. Tara - any advice??? What is the difference between the Parkway and Monarch, really?

[Quiver0f10]

Another vote for Britax. My 3 yo is in the marathon and he has plenty of room to grow.

[Jennifer in MI]

We love Britax. They are a bit pricy but so worth it in my opinion. I currently have three in Marathons, ages 2, 4, and 7. The Marathon goes from 6-65 lbs in a 5-point harness.

 

Amazon usually has good sales but limited cover choices. I've seen them at Target and BRU.

 

 

 

Features:

 

• Rear-facing position holds up to 33 pounds; forward-facing holds up to 65 pounds

• Patented Versa-Tether

• Comfortably fits larger, older children

• Removable, washable fabric cover

• Patented HUGS system

• Belly pad for comfort and protection

• Built-in lock-offs

• Sculpted base for a perfect fit

• Flexible buckle LATCH system

• Comfort foam and EPS protective foam

• Tangle-free polyester 5-point harness

• Belt holders keep belts aside for boarding

• One hand recline adjustment

 

 

 

Yup! I love the Britax seats. We have the Boulevard and it truly fit our dd at birth and should work until she is 65 pounds (in a five point harness). Oh - and it's rear facing a lot longer than 20 pounds. Dd is 2 and still rear facing (and will be for quite a lot longer!). It's supposed to be much safer.

[jg_puppy]

Another Britax fan here. I wouldn't use another else.

 

Jan

[~Tara~]

Another vote for Britax. My girls are in Wizards, which is now the Boulevard. F&L are 6 and will be 7 in July and still fit, but not for long. L is 50%ile for height and weight and is proportional (ie not long or short legged), if that gives you an idea about how long most kids will last in them. I had britax Roundabouts before these, but could not stand the thought of my 3 almost 4 y.o. kids in boosters. So, I bought the Wizard on clearance since it had the side impact protection.

 

Now my dilemma is what to put them in now....Go for broke and buy Regents or get another set of Parkways, or the Monarch. Tara - any advice??? What is the difference between the Parkway and Monarch, really?

 

Double check their torso height and compare that to the slot heights on the Regent (I don't have all those things commited to memory yet, but I *can* check and get back to you later). If they have room to grow in a Regent, and you have the money and room for the beasts, sure, keep the kids harnessed in a Regent. But if not, and at that age, a booster would be fine. The Monarch has bigger side wings than the Parkway. You can find the Parkway on some pretty good clearance sales here and there online. There's also the Frontier coming out soon. They're not giving details at Britax's site just yet, other than it's a combination seat...harnessed to booster, with side impact protection. *Sounds* pretty sweet..but we don't have any real details yet. But, apparently it's coming pretty soon. They have it under cover at usabritax.com haha

 

Radian has a new booster as well, the Monterey. Looks nearly identical to Britax Monarch.

 

As for Parkway vs Monarch..the Monarch has bigger side wings, extends up to the shoulders, giving nice coverage to the entire side area, for smaller and larger kids. Ample shoulder room for bigger kids too, without swallowing smallER ones. I can't recall the top height on either. (I know I know..I'm sorry, details are *not* my thing right now..pg brain) But am certain the Monarch adjusts higher than the Parkway. If you have tall/long torso kids, you might want to look into the Monarch more. But the Parkway is still an excellent choice.

[Amy loves Bud]

Same here. I had the roundabout with the olders, now I have the Marathon for Romy. Money well-spent, IMO.

[~Tara~]

yeah huge britax fan here as well

everything about 'em, they're just great

I have 4 presently in my vehicle. I got a Radian for my 4 yr old. The Marathon in the back row of the Expedition just took up too much rear window view ;) The Radian is working GREAT for us!

But I still love my Britax seats. So easy to install...in just about anything! :D

[Brigitte]

Thanks, Tara! Maybe with some luck the Frontier will come out before I have to make a decision and it will harness longer than our Wizards. I have one twin who wants to stay in a harness and one who wants a booster full-time (we have Parkways in our second car). I saw the Regent recently and boy is that thing a hog! It seems a lot bigger than is predecessor. I don't think we have the room for two of those in our cars (both Saabs).

 

Anyway, thanks for the information.

 

Brigitte

[Stacey in MA]

because it has some infant inserts (some extra padding). The insert comes out as baby gets bigger, making the seat a nice for for larger infant and toddler. (We just got one about 6 mo. ago for DS1).

 

FYI, not to start a debate, but I HATE my Radian. Got it for DD3, and it was so hard to install securely. I'm sure it's the right seat for some people, but be warned that it's not a great fit for all vehicles. I have, though, been able to install the Britaxes (Marathon and Boulevard) successfully in any car I've used them in.

 

GL! - Stacey in MA

[Strengthen My Hands]

Another Britax fan here, though I did use an infant seat until they were about 6 months. It was nice to be able to have a seat for them to sit and sleep in when I was out and about.

[Robyn]

We have the Britax Boulevard too, worth every penny.

[~Tara~]

 

FYI, not to start a debate, but I HATE my Radian. Got it for DD3, and it was so hard to install securely. I'm sure it's the right seat for some people, but be warned that it's not a great fit for all vehicles. I have, though, been able to install the Britaxes (Marathon and Boulevard) successfully in any car I've used them in.

 

GL! - Stacey in MA

 

I know...there have been some install issues with the Radian. But, you gotta realize it's quite a different design than others. No base, low profile. It all affects belt path and installs. I was worried about it installing in my truck. So much so, for one, I was willing to continue to go without any rear window view and get another Marathon (I had a Roundabout recently expire and my Fisher Price Safe Embrace was about to) for Boo..keeping Doodles back there in that one..and two...that we drove 2 hours to the only store we could find around here just to test it out. I played with them in the store then we tried them in various positions in the Expedition. It installed quite easily, and very well. Woohoo!

 

But yes, it does have its issues and isn't quite as compatible as the Britax convertibles. I won't deny that for a second. (recalling my required install in a 2dr Pontiac for class...Ugh!)

 

 

 

Back to topic...

The Decathalon actually has even more infant padding than the Boulevard. And it has adjustable crotch strap, er, positions rather. Closer in for infants then back out to the same spot as on the Marathon/Blvd for toddlers. But, some have complained about the adjuster on the Decathalon. It sticks/isn't as smooth as the others. And the Boulevard has that nice 'infinite adjust' knob ;) No re-threading the harness straps.

 

 

Yes, the Regent is huge. No doubt about it. We had one of the earlier models..the Super Elite. Then we had 4 car seats in the truck. That seat was looking even bigger! Then found out it was under a recall for the adjuster. Got the part to fix it, it made it worse, I complained to Britax, they offered to replace the seat with a BodyGuard, so I went with it (ds was 7 or 8 at the time). Love the seat, the idea and all, it just doesn't work well when you have several kids in car seats. :(