Advice please-what britax???

[kamigirl]

hi all, i am new to your site and found you as i was seeking for some major car seat help. i have a 16 mo old daughter who is 21 lbs and has outgrown her graco infant seat. we are currently using a eddie bauer high back booster car seat (20+ lbs) we received as a shower gift and it is horrible! the straps are forever twisted and i cant keep the straps adjusted over my daughters shoulders because one setting is too low and the other too high. now that i've done this research i want to purchase a britax-i'm just unsure about the actual diferences between the marathon, decathalon, boulevard and regent??? this is our last child (my older girls are 7 & 9) so i am only concerned with the hear and now. i have a 2004 jeep liberty, i like to keep the baby in the middle but my latch hooks are only on the 2 sides so i do need to use the seatbelt. (which i dont understand because all literature states the safest spot for baby is the middle but i understand that many vehicles do not put latch hooks in the middle seat??) once i decide on my carseat-than who has the lowest price with free shipping??? i live in rural NH and i do have access to babies r us and target but no other baby retailers. thanks a million for your help!!

[wendytthomas]

hi all, i am new to your site and found you as i was seeking for some major car seat help. i have a 16 mo old daughter who is 21 lbs and has outgrown her graco infant seat. we are currently using a eddie bauer high back booster car seat (20+ lbs) we received as a shower gift and it is horrible! the straps are forever twisted and i cant keep the straps adjusted over my daughters shoulders because one setting is too low and the other too high. now that i've done this research i want to purchase a britax-i'm just unsure about the actual diferences between the marathon, decathalon, boulevard and regent??? this is our last child (my older girls are 7 & 9) so i am only concerned with the hear and now. i have a 2004 jeep liberty, i like to keep the baby in the middle but my latch hooks are only on the 2 sides so i do need to use the seatbelt. (which i dont understand because all literature states the safest spot for baby is the middle but i understand that many vehicles do not put latch hooks in the middle seat??) once i decide on my carseat-than who has the lowest price with free shipping??? i live in rural NH and i do have access to babies r us and target but no other baby retailers. thanks a million for your help!!

At 16 months and 21 pounds your daughter should still be rearfacing. So that eliminates the regent as it's a forward only seat. The regent is a forward facing seat that harnesses to 80 pounds. The Boulevard/Decathalon/Marathon are all convertible seats (rear and foward facing) and rearface to 33 pounds and forward face to 65 pounds with the harness. The Marathon and Decathalon are very similar, other than the Decathalon has some extra side impact protection around the torso. The Boulevard has an adjustable headrest (rather than slots for the straps) so you can simply move it up and down at the turn of a knob. It also has the new side impact protection, and it has head wings, which some kids LOVE and some kids hate. We use a Wizard (you can see it in my picture below) which is the previous incarnation of the Boulevard.

If you don't have LATCH in your center position, no big deal as long as you have a tether anchor in the back somewhere (to tether rearfacing you simply need a nonmoving secure part of the vehicle, like the front seat leg). LATCH is not immediately safer than a seatbelt, it's just generally easier and therefore less likely to have a problem and therefore more likely to be done properly, ie, safe. But the seatbelt is perfectly fine to use, so not a problem.

HTH! Definitely get a convertible seat (so the Boulevard/Marathon/Decathalon) so your daughter can sit rearfacing until she hits 33 pounds or outgrows it by height, then she can turn forward facing until she's 65 pounds or outgrows it by height.

Wendy

[Splash]

SHe DEFINITELY needs to be rear facing still. For a long time to come!
The Britax Boulevard is far and away my very favorite. It's currently on sale at livingincomfort.com for $230ish.

And as far as her being middle versus outboard, I would DEFINITELY put her on the outside, NOT the middle. If your nine year old is not in a booster, I would put her in the middle (IF there is a 3 point belt). If she is in a booster, I would put the 9 year old outboard, the seven year old center in her booster (in most states she is still required to be in one by law, and it is definitely safer even if not required), and the baby outboard REAR FACING in a Boulevard.
A rear facing child is MUCH more protected than a forward facing child in a crash of any nature, but especially during front or side impacts. Since your baby will be rear facing, she will be far and away the safest passenger in the vehicle, so assign the middle seat (IF there is a 3 point belt) to the least safe passenger, which would be the 7 year old in a booster or the nine year old without if you don't put her in a booster. (both your older children would be safer in boosters than without).

If I were in your spot, I would have the baby rear facing outboard in a Boulevard, the seven year old in the center in a booster if she is too big for most harness seats, and a nine year old in a booster (probably a parkway as it is narrower than most and have great side impact protection) outboard.
However, if you don't have a three point belt in the center, then your only option is to put the baby in the center rear facing and both kids outboard, preferably in nice side impact boosters.

[Unregistered]

At 16 months and 21 pounds your daughter should still be rearfacing. So that eliminates the regent as it's a forward only seat. The regent is a forward facing seat that harnesses to 80 pounds. The Boulevard/Decathalon/Marathon are all convertible seats (rear and foward facing) and rearface to 33 pounds and forward face to 65 pounds with the harness. The Marathon and Decathalon are very similar, other than the Decathalon has some extra side impact protection around the torso. The Boulevard has an adjustable headrest (rather than slots for the straps) so you can simply move it up and down at the turn of a knob. It also has the new side impact protection, and it has head wings, which some kids LOVE and some kids hate. We use a Wizard (you can see it in my picture below) which is the previous incarnation of the Boulevard.

If you don't have LATCH in your center position, no big deal as long as you have a tether anchor in the back somewhere (to tether rearfacing you simply need a nonmoving secure part of the vehicle, like the front seat leg). LATCH is not immediately safer than a seatbelt, it's just generally easier and therefore less likely to have a problem and therefore more likely to be done properly, ie, safe. But the seatbelt is perfectly fine to use, so not a problem.

HTH! Definitely get a convertible seat (so the Boulevard/Marathon/Decathalon) so your daughter can sit rearfacing until she hits 33 pounds or outgrows it by height, then she can turn forward facing until she's 65 pounds or outgrows it by height.

Wendy

Some other differences between the Marathon and DC are that the harness release systems are completely different. The Marathon and BV has a lever that can be an issue as it's very easy for children to undo themselves. The DC is a push button system that is impossible for a child to operate. The DC also has a 3 position crotch strap that the BV and MA do not have. The MA has had some problems with overrotation when attached with LATCH in the rearfacing position so you should use a seat belt with it. Both the BLVD and DC have extra padding for younger children. The DC also has a different latch system than the MA, it has the strap instead of the ridgid system the MA uses.

I would recommend the BLVD first because of the side imact protection, then the DC, then the MA.