Seeking Britax Advice

I also had 2 skinny kids in Britax seats. They are both in Marathons (my 13mo old daughter is 16.5 lb and my 3.5 yr old son is 27 lb). I expect with as tiny as they are that the Marathon will last them till we get bosters (that's why we bought those right after they outgrew infant seats (we didn't use them as babies, though we could have). I know that 5 point harnesses are safest and we COULD get a 5 pt harness for larger than 65 lb, but my kids are going to be so old by the time that they are 65 lb that I figure you have to start to take some social concerns into account. I can't be picking up a 3rd grader from school and putting him in a 5pt harness carseat, even if they make one he fits in. That just wouldn't be fair to him socially. Especially since a boster would be safe at that age/weight. We LOVE our Marathons! We were even in a roll-over crash with one and my son didn't have one scratch on him! And you should take your daughter and try her in the seats before you buy one. My son is so skinny that he didn't fit well enough into the seats that start at 20lb and eventually turn into boosters, even at 3yrs when he was well into the height and weight restrictions. He was just too skinny to get the straps tight--they must have been made for chunkier kiddos. So your daughter may need a convertable that starts for an infant (like the Marathon), just so that you can get the straps tight enough. I don't know anything about the Reagent, but we LOVE our Marathons!!

I have the Regent for my 2 year old and love it. It comforts me because I know he is safe. I chose it because I want to keep him in 5 point harness for as long as possible. I also have other friends that have this seat. The great thing is it doesn't feel like a regular car seat because the sides don't close in like a regular carseat. It is big, but he loves it. He has another carseat as well in our other car and really prefers this one. I think it is more comfortable than his other one.

Dear D., my advice to you is to buy the Baby Bargains book from any book store. It gives you a really good unbiased view of car seats, their value for money and safety ratings. They actually recommend the Britax Roundabout and Marathon as their best selection. Take a look at the book - it gives you everything you need.
Kind Regards

I would go with the Regent as well. My 3 1/2 year old is on the top set of straps on his Marathon. Although the Marathon is safe to 65 lbs, they will out grow it by height first.

I didn't think that the Regent could be used as a booster seat...but I don't have one so I could be wrong. Any how, even if it could be, why would you use it that way? If it has a 5 pt harness for up to 80 lbs, that is the safest. The previous poster trying to talk you into using a booster....I don't know if you have seen the video about the little boy who died in a car crash because his seatbelt failed....I don't care how much my child complains or doesn't like it or how much faster it is, I would rather deal with those minor annoyances and know that if we are in an accident, my child will be safe.

The Radian 80/65 I have heard good and bad things about. It might work well for you since you said your girls are very thin, but the good and bad thing about it is that it is narrow. You can actually fit 3 across a regular backseat because of that, but I have also heard that some kids are not comfortable in it because the straps are kind of close together and tend to pinch the neck and the seat is narrow so it wouldn't be very comfortable for a bigger child. I have also heard that similar to the Marathon it will probably not last up to the stated weight limit because they outgrow it by height first.

a good place to go for carseat info: http://www.car-safety.org/

Hi D.,

We used a Roundabout for my older son and when his little brother was ready for a convertible, we were in the same predicament.

After much research, we decided on the Regent. You are right, it goes up to 80 lbs (and the IL law is they need to be in a seat until 8 years AND 80lbs). The Regent is a 5pt harness, but can be used with a seatbelt as well. For me with my older son, I can't see NOT using it with the 5pt harness for a while, but I know everyone has their own preference.

Its got a tall back and "seems" real safe (if I am just going on looks). It sits him closer to the seat on the bottom and when he's older and still needs it (because he's a skinny kid, so to get to 80lbs, he might just be in high school, haha), it doesn't look like a "baby" seat. I am happy with the fact that this will be the last seat we will need for him and I feel very comfortable with buying the same one when my younger son is ready to move out of his Roundabout.

Anyway, I hope that helps.
B.

the Britax Boulevard is the best on the market. It has side wings that protect against side impact crashes. Very few manufacturers here in the US give this extra protection as it costs a bit more. But in my book an extra few dollars is well worth the extra protection.

In Indiana the safety seat laws have changed. Children need to remain in a booster seat until they are 100 lbs or 5 feet tall. So... I personally invested in a child seats for my 2 and 3 year olds that switch from infant to toddler to booster seats. The parts detach for each stage and the headrests adjust.

I bought the Eddie Bauer edition from Big Lots. They are normally about $150 each and I bought both of them for $160.

Hi! I just went through this search as well. I have a membership with Consumer Reports and here's what they rate for top convertible seats:

Britax Roundabout ($220) 81/100
Evenflo Triumph ($120) 81/100
Cosco Alpha Omega Elite 22-155 ($160) 80/100
Brtiax Marathon ($250) 58/100

I decided on the Cosco seat and you can find them for $90 right now on a few sites because they have phased out a couple colors. PM me if you'd like more specific ratings on each car seat, info on toddler seats (non-convertible) or if you want the websites that have the clearance Cosco seat.

I was in your boat. I'd finally settled on the Recaro line (but still wasn't sure which one b/c I'd read that someone outgrew the Youngsport and moved into a Signo). I wanted something that could be used as a booster since this would be her 4th carseat.
I caught wind of Graco's Nautilus on a carseat website. It's exlusive to Walmart & out of stock online. We're in Indy now and I was able to find one about 1.5 hrs away. We've only had it 2 wks, but it's great so far. It's a really large seat, though.
Good luck with your search!!

Hi - I have the Marathon, and I believe it goes up to 65 (or is it 80?) pounds. Anyway, my son, who will turn 5 in May, is barely fitting into it now......and he's not a fat or especially tall kid! I think he currently weighs about 50 pounds (53 max!). Before I suggest you go with the biggest Britex you can get, you need to consider a few things...

1. An older kid (5 and older) may not like the 5-point harness. Yeah, it's the most safe, but kids get a mind of their own at a certain age, and you'll have to be the one to listen to all their griping if they HATE their carseat.

2. Booster seats work with your cars seatbelts, which is much quicker than those 5 point things. Also, the kid can learn to buckle themselves in/out, which can be a huge time saver for mom (especially if you work, and you're the one that drags your kid to daycare/school each and every day).

3. I think a quality booster (one with some sort of head support so that when your kid falls asleep in the seat, their head will remain relatively straight, rather than flopping over sideways, which looks majorly uncomfortable!!!) is the way to go, once an averaged sized kid turns 5.

All in all, I have LOVED my Marathon, and so has my son. But I'm a little disappointed in the fact that there is NO WAY he can stay in that seat until he reaches 65 (or whatever that number is) pounds! I am cramming him into it now!!!

Hope that helps. Good luck!

Check out the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe. It is made by Britax, it's a marathon in Fisher Price clothing.

http://www.albeebaby.com/fiprsavodeco1.html

It's weight limit is 55lbs, which is more in line with the height. The actual foam on this seat says Marathon. It's well worth the $, we just bought it for our 3 yr old.

Be careful as the Marathon's weight limit is 65lbs, but the true height limit is what made my kids outgrow it at age 4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azgBhZfcqaQ

This link answered all my questions as to how long I should try to keep my kids in a 5 point harness. Also, Christmas 2006, we were on our way to Chicago to be with my family. We just put my 4 year old in a booster, our seat belt failed when my husband hit the brakes hard. My son who was sleeping flew forward and hit his head on the dvd player attached to the back of the front seat. It didn't come undone, it just didn't lock. We switched him two days later to the britax, I feel much safer now, and will never go with a booster again. Good Luck, A.

We have both the Marathon and Regent. My kids have always been on the small side too. My 6 year old is in the Regent and the 4 yr old is in the Marathon, they have been in them for about 3 yrs now. Both kids have always been about the same weight (now ~36 lbs. ea.) so it has made no real difference. If you have smaller kids who aren't very tall, the Marathon will work for a long time. The Regent has allowed my taller 6 yr old to stretch her legs a bit more though. Hope this helps.

This is a great site to check out for any questions or reviews on any car seats- tons of info on Britax.

www.car-seat.org

I would go with the Regent if you have to buy one right now, hands down. They are having a sale in the next few weeks. Target has them on sale now, and you can get a AAA discount of 10% too. If you can wait a few months, there is a rumor out there that Britax is coming out with a new seat called the Britax Frontier that sounds awesome.

Hi D.,

I was in the same situation. I actually went to www.elitecarseats.com and found a booster that has a five point harness and goes up to 100lbs. It also becomes a backless booster for when they are older. If you search under booster seats you will see it and it's the only one out there like it. I havent received it yet but it was $200.00

Good luck!
J.

i love my marathon
but needed a seat for my inlaws car and did not want to spend 250 so i spent 150 for the graco nautalus, 5 pt harnes to 65 pounds i love it it turns into a booster then a backless booster its pretty awesome

J.