Question About Britax Regent Carseat

Hi B. -

I have an 11 mos old son that's around 22 lbs also. I have had in my a Britax Decathlon carseat facing backwards for awhile now because he just got too heavy to be carried around in an infant carrier. He's a chucky little boy so I don't feel that he's being swallowed by the seat. I love it because I actually feel that he's safer with all the padding that Britax offered. Hope this helps.

Hi!
We have a Regent, but our daughter wasn't using it until she was about 5. I would stick with a smaller Britax for now. First, the Regent has a lower base, so your son might not be able to see out the window very well. It is a very large seat, and he's still so young. I'd stick with a convertable for at least another year and keep him rear facing. It's so much healthier for his spine/neck if you were to be in an accident. That was the reason we first purchased a Britax; they had the best convertable, that rear tethered, and could rear face at the highest weight limit. Good luck in your hunt!

The Britax Regent is a GREAT car seat, but I would never be comfortable putting a child younger than 2 years in it.

Our two year old is currently in a Britax Marathon, Rear-Facing (She weighs 29 lbs) and is quite comfortable, happy, and safe.

We bought a Regent for her because we are expecting our second child in December. She rides in it in our secondary car, occasionally, and will switch to it full time once she reaches the weight limit for rear facing in her Marathon.

I'd suggest keeping him rear facing until at least 30 pounds. It's so much safer, and safety is the most important thing when it comes to our kids.

i have 2 britax regents and i love them. my daughter is 24lbs and fits fine in it. it is large and your son will probably look small in it but as far as safety goes he will be in the best. the other thing i love about it is that her head no longer falls forward when she falls asleep. she can lean it against the side of the seat. if you go to albeebaby.com you can get the seat for $249 with free shipping and no tax.

I have the same carseat and I put my daughter in it at 22 lbs (actually, she probably was a little less than that but she was already 14mo old and kind of long)...she did fine. It's nice to have now because she is three years old and is 30lbs. and has lots of room, especially when we travel. It is also comfortable if she falls asleep and her head doesn't "hang" down like it does in the one my husband has in his truck...I would totally recommend it and think your son will be fine in it. If not the Regent, at least get a Britax brand...they are great.

Hi B.,
Britax is the BEST handsdown and you cant go wrong with them. However, I would stongly encourage you to get a seat that you can keep your one year old rear facing in. We have the Britax Boulavard and it stays rear facing up to 33lbs. My child was 3 when she was turned! It is critcial to their spinal safety in an accident. Many, many children have their spinal cords snapped in just a 40 mph crash when forward facing too soon. Cpsafety.com has some more info on this if your interested. I do think the Regent will be too big for him right now too. A forward facing seat will not be very comfortable or safe for him. We do love the Boulavard, it can be harnessed to 65lbs. and my 4yr old is still very comfy in it. Best of luck to you guys;)

We have a Britax and love it! Our daughter was at the same size (right at the minimum), but she has done great. She actually just turned 2 and is now 32 pounds. We liked the Britax because we knew she could use it longer. We feel very secure with her in that carseat!

Britax seats are hands down the best on the market. I bought and returned several before settling on my britax. I would not put your son forward-facing yet, though. I just turned my daughter around at age 2. A very sad day for me b/c I wanted to keep her rear facing longer (she's only 27lbs), but she is so tall that her knees were in her chest and she was very uncomfortable. Keep your child rear facing as long as you can--it is so much safer!!

I have because my son was getting out his old one and i can see him better.

We love our Britax Boulevards for our 14 month old twins. My son is bigger than my daughter but they both fit fine.

Be sure to check the height restrictions - I have been advised that kids outgrow car seats height-wize before they top the weight limit.

Check out websites to purchase Britax car seats. They typically run sales twice a year.

For the safety of your child keep him rear facing until he out grows it by weight. Why do you need to forward face your son? Because the Dr says so? Your childs neck bones are not fully connected yet. If in an accident while forward facing he could sanp his neck. Its okay for the childs legs and feet to touch the back seat. Kids legs are more flexible then ours. My 2yr old is still rear facing. she is 26lb 30in. SHe will be Rear facing untill she is 33lbs, the max on the seat. For all you parents who ff at 1 year and 20lbs, your putting your childs life at risk. Here are seats for you:
Britax Boulvard 35lbRF 65lbFF harnessed $309
Britax Marathon 33Rf 65lbFF harness $280
Britax Decathlon 35RF 65FF harness $295
Do not buy from Ebay. If you need to prove you bought it and you say ebay, then they will not help you because you did not buy from a store that has the right to sell britax. Customer service is great! I have had to call a few times. I waited less then 2min and talked to a real person and not machine. ALL Britax seats are good for 6year or in major accident. These seats are very easy to install in any car. They have alligator LATCH. It is a breeze to install and un-install. You get what you pay for and you can not go wrong with any of their seats. Britax also allows you to tether the car seat while RF. YOu need to use the D-strap that comes with the seat. You need to find a spot in your car that is bolted to your car, most likely the passengert seat in front or drivers seat, and put the d-ring around that. You are also able to use the front seat to brace the car seat. I believe no other seat allows this. The seat has been tested with and with being tethered rf.
Other seats....
First Years True Fit 33lbRf 65lbFF Hanress $190 A great seat has built in lock offs like Britax seats and has alligator LATCH. Super east to install and un-install. Has the removable headrest. but when your child hits 22lbs, head rest must go on.
Radian 80 35lbs RF 80lbs FF $250 Very slim seat. you can fit 3 across in any car. They are making a new seat that will be coming out in January 09. It will have a better chest clip. steal rods along the side, and head wings. If you can get a Radian 65, get that. radian 80 and 65 both have the same harness height. Radian 65 goes to 65lbFF and 35lbs RF.
I know this was a long post. But for the safety of your child keep him rear facing utill he out grows it by wight, unless you have a son that grows fast, then till then height of the seat in RF mode. I do have a regant. my daughter was 3.5 when she got it and she looked lost in it. Then she was about 34lb 40in. IT is a huge seat and it is going of stock because of the Frontier. Which I add is having issues right now. While loosening the harness on the frontier, it may fall off the spinter plate that holds the harness on. If any of you own a frontier, i suggest you check you seat to see if it is coming off. Britax is on top of it and in the newer models is making a better plate to hold on the straps.

I never got the chance to put my son in the Regant, but we bought the Marathon for him when he was a bit over 1yr and he even seemed a bit small for it even though he was on the 2nd (from the bottom) harness slot!! Even now at a bit over 2yrs old, he is only the 3rd from the bottom harness slots and still fits in the seat with plenty of room all the way around. My son was also around 25 lbs when he was one and really slowed down on the weight gain. I had him to the DR yesterday for his flumist and he weighted in at 38lbs!!

One thing I can suggest is to try to find a local store that sells the one you want and see if you can put him in the floor model so you can see how he looks in it and go from there.

Good luck!
S.

while i cannot speak to the minimum weight limit, i can say this is a wonderful seat and i m certain you will be happy with it. though we did not get it until our daughter was 40 lbs., it is very adjustable and should hold your son in snugly.

I have the Boulevard and Marathon for my two in one car and have just received the Frontiers for my second car. The Frontiers have the 80lbs harness weight limit like the Regent but have the side impact protection that the Regent doesn't have which was why I bought them. I was torn between the two for so long. My marathon doesn't have the side impact(I bought it before the Boulevard came out) but the Boulevard does. I wanted both my girls to be more protected in my less safe(due to crash test ratings) Jeep. I also have a Honda that the Marathon and Boulevard are in. Another bonus to the Frontier is it can be used as a booster to 100lbs which the Regent cannot. The only negatives I have read on the Frontier is that people have had problems installing it in their cars. Britax issued a new PDF guide for install on their website which corrected those issues for most. Amazon had the September Britax sale when I bought mine, not sure if its still on but they were $30 off.

Hey B.,
We bought the Regent for the exact same reason. Our daughter was at the lowest limit for the carseat and did look a little tiny in it, but she fit fine. It is a big carseat, because it can be used for so long. You will be a bit shocked when you see it, but the belts fit snuggly just like they are supposed to.