Booster/Carseat Combo - Recaro or Britax?

My son, and I, love the Britax Frontier. I really like that the harness can be used longer, and I like the full back booster when that time comes. We don't take our seats in and out a lot though, so CAWriterMom's concerns aren't a problem for us.

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We love Britax! I have 6 Britax seats--3 in my car, 3 in hubby's car. My oldest is in the Britax Frontier. He is 5 1/2 and still sits in it. I also love that Britax is made in the USA (Charlotte, NC). Babies R Us usually always has a 20% off coupon floating around which you can use to help off-set the cost!

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It is not one of the two that you listed but when we crossed this bridge we bought a Graco Nautilus for our 3 year old. We really like it, it is a little less expensive, but still safe and secure. We haven't had any issues or frustrations with it yet (we bought it in May so baby #2 could have the Britax Marathon, then I got annoyed with the Marathon Rear Facing so now the baby has a Graco MyRide 65 - so much easier to use!)

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I can tell you the Britax Frontier has its drawbacks. We just put ours in the garage and ditched it for a real booster seat. Our daughter reached the age to convert it to a booster, which turned out to mean it's exactly the same huge seat that has to be attached to the car, only you run a seat belt across the front. Blech. We wanted a portable, easy to lift out and install regular booster when the time was right and it doesn't offer that. Not to mention, the thought of shredding my knuckles getting the harness out was not thrilling; it was bad enough during the initial install. If you're into extended harness use, it won't be an issue, but figured I'd mention this in case you wanted to use the booster as a booster.

I don't know the Recaro, but Britax I know and love!! It's the best in my opinion and my son will never sit in anything else.

I don't know anything about the Recaro but we love our Britax Frontier 85. The cup holders were a huge hit with my child. My only complaint would be that she sits pretty low in it so she can't see out the window as well as she did with the Marathon, but she hasn't complained about it so I guess it's not that big of a problem.

We LOVE our Britax Frontier too. If you're not taking it in and out of the car too often they are great. It is roomy and comfy - it is a big seat. We can't use the cup holders as I have it on a side seat in an Explorer and a Eddie Bauer seat right next to it. They aren't easy to position and secure in the car the first time, but once you know how, it's not too much of a challenge - there are some good tips on how to install them online. I wish I'd spent the money and bought mine a long time ago.

We were going to get Recaro seats since they are made by the same company who make seats for the race cars, but had to go to Britax Frontier 85 since kids can be in the harness till they r 57"(our boys have very long torsos:)) WE also really likes sunshine radian xtsl, but again did not work for the same reason. If your daughter is small, or tall but in her legs this should not an issue for you. I think they r both very safe, and recaro is actually more comfy.

I vote Britax as well :) We have the Frontier and it is great - very safe and comfortable.

I love the Britax Boulevard CS 70. I ordered it online and saved 20%, paid no tax, and it shipped for free. The stores sell it for about $320 plus tax. I recommend checking it out in the store, but the fabric selection is limited so online is the way to go. We received it the same week.

Good luck!

We have the recaro and love it! My son is now three and 1/2 and he is still in it comfortably.

There are comments on the recaro site about the straps twisting, and I was worried about that. It does happen to the one in my car sometimes, but doesnt happen to the one in my husbands car. Although, mine gets used a lot more than my husbands. The twisting doesnt really bother me though, just takes a minute to un-twist.

I think for the safety and the basis of who this company designs for (race cars) that any twisting I have to deal with, with the straps, doesnt outweigh the benefits for my child.

I would buy recaro again if I had to get another seat.

Good luck to you! And congrats for thinking outside the box and for considering something other than the most popular name brand!

I know its not either of the seats you are asking about but I really love our graco nautilus. It harnesses to 65 lbs or 52 in and then can be used as a booster or backless booster up to 100 lbs. My 3.5 yr old finds it comfortable.

I just had to do the same thing about a month ago. My 14 month old needed a convertible seat, so I moved my almost 3 year old into a booster. We had the Britax Boulevard Convertible and loved it. I was feeling a little guilty for taking my big boy out of it as he fit in it just fine at 39 inches and 37 lbs. It is so safe, and he needs to be in a seat just as safe. That's why I went with the Frontier 85. I want to keep my boys harnessed for as long as possible. Their safety is my main priority. I love how sturdy and comfy it is and it does look more like a big boy seat. I don't find it hard to install, it takes a few minutes but I don't mind. I also don't switch cars that often. I only wish it had individual straps to tighten on the seat LATCH connectors like the Boulevard does. It only has one tightening strap and it feeds through the back of the seat. I find it a little harder to tighten compared to the Boulevard. I'm not at all familiar with Recaro so I can't say anything there. Good luck, I know it can be a big decision.

We have had two Britax Roundabout seats for 8 years now with constant use. I have 3 boys, 8, 4, and 1. They wash well, install easily in many cars, and most importantly are rated very high for safety. We love them and wouldn't buy any other brand!