hemp me choose betwn Britax Blvd, or DC

rubelin

New member
Hi there,

It is time for us to retire & destroy our Britax Roundabout from 2000 and I am trying to decide what will serve us best to replace it. Our almost 2 yr old (32 lbs) is currently FF in the RA and our almost- 6 yr old (55 lbs) is in a Britax Husky. We want another Britax but I'm not sure which is best.

We plan to have another baby in about 2 yrs and want a seat that can be used well from birth. We do have big kids (the youngest outgrew the Handle With Care by 2 mo) but the RA was a bit big when our oldest was a newborn, so we'd like something with a bit better infant support (which is why I've pretty much ruled out the Marathon unless someone has a good argument for it).

We have tall-torsoed kids, so we need something with the highest height limit available (ds1 outgrew the RA in the torso by about 2.75 yrs, we need something that will fit a big 4+ yr old).

The plan is that the toddler will go into the new seat asap and hopefully fit it until new baby comes along . Then he will go into the Husky until it expires and the new babe will stay in the new seat until it expires.

Oh, we have a '98 Honda Odyssey that has rear captain's chairs so size doesn't really matter, nor does latch capability (we'll be installing with the seat belts)

I've read the various drawbacks to the various seats but it's hard to sort through them all. We love the non-twisty straps of our old RA and Husky. We haven't had trouble with either of the harness tightener mechanisms (the RA has the button, the Husky has the latch thing). We prefer denim covers (stay cooler for us in So. Cal) but the plush cover of the Husky hasn't been bad for my oldest (we have the tan).

So, what are your thoughts or ideas??
 
ADS

KaysKidz

Senior Community Member
Well, I don't have first hand experience with the DC. I do have a BV, MA and RA. The BV offers an infant support, TSIP and the wonderful harness adjuster without rethreading. So, between the BV and DC, I'd probably have to with the BV. I love my MA also, but have no experience using it with a newborn.

Kay
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Hi, I have some thoughts on the Decathalon. My dad bought one for his car, he went with the decathalon because the only Marathon BBU had in stock that day was the floral one and he didn't want to drive around with that, he is in sales! The Decathalon seems to have really great padding for a newborn/infant, although we removed all the padding for our 10 month old. Anyway, I am having problems with the Decathalon adjuster strap. I doesn't work for me AT ALL in the rearfacing position, only when I have it out of the car and pulling straight out does it adjust for me, obviously you can't pull it straight out in a RF position. Perhaps it will free up over time - because this seat is out of town at my parents we have only used it maybe 2 dozen times. I actually called Britax and they didn't sound like they thought the strap would free up, the lady I talked to stated the Marathon would be better for a rearfacing seat. BUT at least 2 parents have told me that the adjuster strap on the Decathalon is just stiff at first and will free up. I guess for a newborn, I would want to make certain that strap was working really well before I needed the seat. Otherwise, with the super comfy padding, it looks like a good choice to me. We used our Roundabout from birth (8 1/2# baby) with no problems or concerns, as we were not able to get a good rock solid fit with any of the 3 infant seats we tried.
 

rubelin

New member
oh, that's good to know about the harness adjuster. I think I'll need to go look at them both in person and see which feels better to me. I'm not so sure that I'll like the infinitely adjustable harness, so I think it will help to see it in person.
 

soygurl

Active member
rubelin said:
I'm not so sure that I'll like the infinitely adjustable harness, so I think it will help to see it in person.

Really? Why is that? The harness knobs are one of my favorite features of the BV, and I've never heard of anyone complaining about them... maybe I'm missing something though :eek: :confused: :)

I would go with the BV personally. Even if you take away the IA harness, the added protection of the TSIP wings would win me over. Plus, I've heard a lot of people have problems with the FF lockoffs on the DC, and since you will be using the seatbelt instal, that could be a big thing for you.

I would really recomend seeing them in person if you can (sounds like you're planning on it), so maybe that will answer all your questions! Good luck!

~Kelsie
 

rubelin

New member
Unregistered said:
No Recaro..? :(
Sue

Nope. I'm pretty loyal to Britax :)

I think I've ruled out the Decathlon; I'm not interested in possible problems with the lockoffs or the harness adjuster.

And I've actually put the Marathon back in the running. Mostly because of the possiblity of getting one on sale (as I'm realizing that we need to get this sooner than later) and being able to get a new cover easily. Also, we will likely have more $$ in 2 yrs when new baby comes and would be able to get an infant seat for the couple of months until she fits the bigger seat.

Makes me happy to have Right Start nearby so that I can "test drive" seats :)
 

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