Uneasy with the Britax Regent??

diaperjoys

New member
Recent testing seems inconclusive about the performance of the Regent. We need to make a car seat purchase immediately, and it looks like another Regent might serve our needs the best, but I'm reluctant to own two of them. They are soooo big and bulky, and now "iffy" testing...

So I'm wondering, how many of you would be uneasy having your child in a Britax Regent?
 
ADS

firemomof3

New member
If my child was on the bigger/taller side and still needed to be harnessed then I would have no hesitations about buying a Regent. But the Frontier/Nautilus worked for us so we never needed a Regent.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
If my child could not use a booster and had outgrown all other seats, then the Regent is the only appropriate choice. If other seats (Nauti, Frontier) are an option, I'd choose them. And if my child could use a booster properly (age, size, maturity, shoulder belts in car, etc.), I would prefer a booster to a Regent.
 

steph_s

New member
I too was uneasy at first, but honestly it looks like it was some kind of problem with the testing not the seat itself. For a child like mine the Regent is the only seat that is able to keep him safe! He is 5.5 years old, but just now over 40lbs consistently. He is booster training, but he isn't able to sit full time in a booster seat currently he just wiggles too much. The thing is, he's at the top of his regent with only about half an inch to go. He would have outgrown the Frontier over a year ago along with every other HWH seat on the market. The Regent was the only thing that had tall enough harness heights for him. If it wasn't for the Regent he would need a special needs seat and there is no way my insurance would cover it and no way I could afford it. I hope that he doesn't hit another huge growth spurt or I don't know what I'm going to do because he is just not there yet in terms of being able to ride safely in a booster seat!

I feel totally comfortable using my Regent!
 

nomatt

New member
I used the Regent for my older son who has ADHD and could not sit still properly. He was also low tone and the seat worked very well for him. For our second son, once he outgrows his radian, we are moving to a booster. He is a much more "sit still" kind of kid and can handle the booster.

For my older son, he didn't booster full time till about 7.5 years old. My second? Probably boostering full time around 6. I think each child is different in growth and developmental readiness.

If your child is okay in a booster, I'd move toward that, but if not sitting correctly, I would not hesitate to use the Regent again if he'd outgrown the other seats.

Good luck,
Sandy
 

mayamac

New member
"I would prefer a booster to a Regent"

why? Isn't 5 point harness as long as possible safest? I'm on the fence about purchasing a second one of these, too. I need to decide quick before they are all gone. thanks!
 

wendytthomas

Admin - CPST Instructor
Staff member
"I would prefer a booster to a Regent"

why? Isn't 5 point harness as long as possible safest? I'm on the fence about purchasing a second one of these, too. I need to decide quick before they are all gone. thanks!

We don't know that. It makes sense, and pilots and racecar drivers think so, but we have no data to say yes or no. So provided your child is over five and will sit properly for and entire ride, and is over 40 pounds, we can't say harnessing is safer.

Wendy
 

armywife12

New member
"I would prefer a booster to a Regent"

why? Isn't 5 point harness as long as possible safest? I'm on the fence about purchasing a second one of these, too. I need to decide quick before they are all gone. thanks!

There is no evidence showing harnessing is any safer than a booster with a child who is old enough/mature enough and big enough to be boostered. If the child can properly fit in a booster and is mature enough for one, they are just as safe as if they were harnessed
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
We don't know that. It makes sense, and pilots and racecar drivers think so, but we have no data to say yes or no. So provided your child is over five and will sit properly for and entire ride, and is over 40 pounds, we can't say harnessing is safer.

I am not *against* extended harnessing -- my own daughter was harnessed past age seven -- but we can't conclude that it's always safer. And over the past year or two, I have developed a distrust of Britax, especially for bigger kids. The Regent is the only choice for kids who NEED it, but for those who don't, I am not comfortable with it. This is, of course, just one person's personal opinion.
 

bobandjess99

Senior Community Member
I am not *against* extended harnessing -- my own daughter was harnessed past age seven -- but we can't conclude that it's always safer. And over the past year or two, I have developed a distrust of Britax, especially for bigger kids. The Regent is the only choice for kids who NEED it, but for those who don't, I am not comfortable with it. This is, of course, just one person's personal opinion.

I pretty much agree with this.
I'll admit to being one of the biggest "not trusting the regent/Britax in general" people on this board...(chances are, it was a post of mine the OP saw that made her make this thread, lol.)
The regent testing that failed on this last years test was dismissed as not being performed correctly. Okay. I can accept it might have been a testing error. But - the regent also failed in the prior round of testing - when it was correctly tested. I think people are forgetting that little nugget of information. Coincidentally, right after that prior round of testing, is when the new regents came out and the "advisory" and all the stuff about recline bar, etc. Was it really coincidence? Was it really a new modl? Or was there a lot of FAIL going on during the internal, undisclosed Britax testing that caused them to go so far as to modify the regent instructions? I don't know.
I also am VERY leery of the HUGS system being required for FFing, always have been. It is, imo, quite obviously a way to circumvent the chest G and head excursion numbers for the bigger kids. Frankly, I want MY kid in a seat that can pass those tests with flying colors without a bunch of tricky recline bars and hugs/force distributors, etc.
I'm also looking at the numbers. Yes, supposedly, a pass is a pass, and that's it. But it isn't. We can say it is officially, but I want the best I can for my kids. Now - I admit - we do NOT KNOW whther or not the testing numbers correlate to real-life protection. But..when I see a seat just barely coming in under the required limits, and a bunch of other seats meeting those limits easily, sometimes without tether even, etc, does it make sense in my mind to go with those seats? Yep, sure does.
I also admit the seats that had shells break/straps pull through in the TC testing made me exceptionally nervous. Again, I will say that it was NOT JUST britax marathons, but some other seats as well, that failed in that way. Thos other seats are now also on my "do not use" list (for personal use, not necesarily my professional recommendations) So, i'm not singling out Britax just to be a Britax hater or anything, lol. ;)
At this point, in 2010, we have a plethora of seats available that test better, last longer, and are cheaper. Why on Earth would you not use one of them?

Back to the specific issue of the regent. Besides the fact that it has not passed testing at least once that was legitimate, then the whole advisory, recline bar, different belt path for different weights stuff that SERIOUSLY makes me wonder about it - I have to think about the Swedes. They don't FF harness. Now - is it possible they are so right about the RFing for 4-5 years thing, but yet wrong about the Ff harnessing thing? Sure, maybe. BUT - maybe not. I've seen some of teh testing(translated), and I do have significant concerns about neck loads in a FFing harness. I know the stock example of the race car driver..but again, the race car drivers HEAD is also secured by the helemt, which is tethered..which means that while the racecar drivers torso is secured by the body harness, the head is ALSO prevented from flying forward. In a FF harness child seat, that is not true. The body is restrained while the head flies forward..putting ALL of the force of the impact onto the neck that we are supposedly trying to protect. I absolutely believe some of the "give" that happens in a 3-point seat belt, where one shoulder and side of the body is allowed to fling forward to mitigate all of that force going onto the neck, might be vital to survival in some cases.
I also hear about the "if they aren't mature enough to sit properly in the booster, a 5 pt is safer". Okay..I can allow that there is probably some validity to this argument, but i also believe that, in the case of non-SN kiddos, this is also where discipline comes into play. Pleas understand, I'm not saying a 3 year old should be in a booster, EVER, but that by about age 5-7, (which is how long the vast majority of kids will fit into a non-regent harnessed seat), it shoudl be possible for 99% of typical children to achieve the maturity and discipline required for a booster.
now, pleas understand, I am not saying that a 3-4 year old child should be put into a booster over a regent. If you have one of the truly gigantic kids who has outgrown the nauti or other big harnessed seat prior to being 4.5-5 years old, i would recommend a regent and probably even use one myself, if it came down to it. Sure. But over 5? nope. I'd booster train and booster.

I absolutely don't believe that harnessing "as long as possible" is safest. I don't believe we have any data to back up that claim, especially when we are talking about 7-8-9+ year old kids in a regent.

So..ya..there's my book, lol.
 

Kecia

Admin - CPST Instructor
Everyone has brought up valid points (confusing instructions, compliance testing data, availability of other options, etc.) but personally, I have no problem with using the Regent for my 5 year old DS in my vehicle. Does that mean it's the perfect seat for everyone else? Of course not. But if it makes you feel any better - I could use ANY seat (seriously, I either own or have access to dozens of different harnessed seats and boosters) but I chose to use a pre-advisory Regent.

The Regent installs rock-solid in the captain's chair of my van with seatbelt and tether, it's comfortable for DS2, plenty of room for his little boy parts, he sleeps well in it, the blow-molded shell could survive a nuclear bomb explosion and it looked great in the TC NCAP videos - even with the 10 year old dummy.

Honestly, if another Regent would really serve your needs best (and only you can make that determination) then I say go for it and get one while you still can. :twocents:
 
Last edited:

courtfrog2

Active member
I believe in extended harnessing and I think in some situation harnessing is better than boostering for some kids.

My oldest DD was in a harnessed seat until she was 10. Does that make her less safe?? Who knows, but for her it wasn't an option to move her in a booster full time until then. Why? History: her father died in a motorcycle accident. Although not a car, viewed as the same thing to her. She suffers severe anxiety and has been diagnosed with bipolar. She worries constantly about death. When I would put her in a booster at 6 or 7, she would sit stiff as a board and close her eyes in the car. She was safe in the booster, but to her, she was not... she she was harnessed most of the time. She has been stabalized on her meds and much of her anxiety is gone. Now she has no issues riding in a car. She sits in a booster in some, nothing in other when she passes the 5 step test (Mainly in DH's truck).

My 5.5 year old sits in a regent and I have no problems with her in it. To be honest, I have only briefly looked at the testing. I guess I just have more trust in companies and since the seats are not recalled, I take it to mean it's not as bad as people are saying. The regents have passed most testing. I'm probably wrong, but testing can be skewed anyway the tester wants. Is there any real life examples of fatal or near fatal accidents involving kids in regents? I'm sure people have been in accidents with the regent. What happens in real life accidents.

I think the regent is a great seat and if used properly and it meets your needs, I'd say go for it.
 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants
I agree that some kids need to be harnessed, and for bigger kids, the Regent is the only choice. If it's what's needed, then so be it.

I agree with Jess about all the reasons why it's at the bottom of my list of other choices (a different harnessed seat if the child can fit, or a booster if it can be used properly, or even a vest/harness with or without a booster): I just don't trust the seat or the company. Again, personal opinion. I'm not out there crusading for recalls, but I'm not mourning the discontinuation either.

Have kids died in it? Kids die every day in car accidents. There are so few Regents out there that it's probably hard to get a statistic, and the Regent is so easy to misuse that it would be harder to account for misuse. I don't think it's a deathtrap: it's just not something I'd be comfortable using or recommending.
 

swtgi1982

New member
I pretty much agree with this.
I'll admit to being one of the biggest "not trusting the regent/Britax in general" people on this board...(chances are, it was a post of mine the OP saw that made her make this thread, lol.)
The regent testing that failed on this last years test was dismissed as not being performed correctly. Okay. I can accept it might have been a testing error. But - the regent also failed in the prior round of testing - when it was correctly tested. I think people are forgetting that little nugget of information. Coincidentally, right after that prior round of testing, is when the new regents came out and the "advisory" and all the stuff about recline bar, etc. Was it really coincidence? Was it really a new modl? Or was there a lot of FAIL going on during the internal, undisclosed Britax testing that caused them to go so far as to modify the regent instructions? I don't know.
I also am VERY leery of the HUGS system being required for FFing, always have been. It is, imo, quite obviously a way to circumvent the chest G and head excursion numbers for the bigger kids. Frankly, I want MY kid in a seat that can pass those tests with flying colors without a bunch of tricky recline bars and hugs/force distributors, etc.
I'm also looking at the numbers. Yes, supposedly, a pass is a pass, and that's it. But it isn't. We can say it is officially, but I want the best I can for my kids. Now - I admit - we do NOT KNOW whther or not the testing numbers correlate to real-life protection. But..when I see a seat just barely coming in under the required limits, and a bunch of other seats meeting those limits easily, sometimes without tether even, etc, does it make sense in my mind to go with those seats? Yep, sure does.
I also admit the seats that had shells break/straps pull through in the TC testing made me exceptionally nervous. Again, I will say that it was NOT JUST britax marathons, but some other seats as well, that failed in that way. Thos other seats are now also on my "do not use" list (for personal use, not necesarily my professional recommendations) So, i'm not singling out Britax just to be a Britax hater or anything, lol. ;)
At this point, in 2010, we have a plethora of seats available that test better, last longer, and are cheaper. Why on Earth would you not use one of them?

Back to the specific issue of the regent. Besides the fact that it has not passed testing at least once that was legitimate, then the whole advisory, recline bar, different belt path for different weights stuff that SERIOUSLY makes me wonder about it - I have to think about the Swedes. They don't FF harness. Now - is it possible they are so right about the RFing for 4-5 years thing, but yet wrong about the Ff harnessing thing? Sure, maybe. BUT - maybe not. I've seen some of teh testing(translated), and I do have significant concerns about neck loads in a FFing harness. I know the stock example of the race car driver..but again, the race car drivers HEAD is also secured by the helemt, which is tethered..which means that while the racecar drivers torso is secured by the body harness, the head is ALSO prevented from flying forward. In a FF harness child seat, that is not true. The body is restrained while the head flies forward..putting ALL of the force of the impact onto the neck that we are supposedly trying to protect. I absolutely believe some of the "give" that happens in a 3-point seat belt, where one shoulder and side of the body is allowed to fling forward to mitigate all of that force going onto the neck, might be vital to survival in some cases.
I also hear about the "if they aren't mature enough to sit properly in the booster, a 5 pt is safer". Okay..I can allow that there is probably some validity to this argument, but i also believe that, in the case of non-SN kiddos, this is also where discipline comes into play. Pleas understand, I'm not saying a 3 year old should be in a booster, EVER, but that by about age 5-7, (which is how long the vast majority of kids will fit into a non-regent harnessed seat), it shoudl be possible for 99% of typical children to achieve the maturity and discipline required for a booster.
now, pleas understand, I am not saying that a 3-4 year old child should be put into a booster over a regent. If you have one of the truly gigantic kids who has outgrown the nauti or other big harnessed seat prior to being 4.5-5 years old, i would recommend a regent and probably even use one myself, if it came down to it. Sure. But over 5? nope. I'd booster train and booster.

I absolutely don't believe that harnessing "as long as possible" is safest. I don't believe we have any data to back up that claim, especially when we are talking about 7-8-9+ year old kids in a regent.

So..ya..there's my book, lol.

Thanks! We are considering one of these for DD in grandmas car, made me reconsider!
 

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