opinions on the new Britax, and what should I buy?

Cristina

New member
I have a 9 week old that will be busting out of her Keyfit early and I am thinking about getting a Britax while they are on sale.
I have used a Marathon and Decathlon with my older daughter and loved the install and she always seemed very comfortable.
But, the new seats are so different looking!
My girls are BIG. Both were off the charts for height and weight by 2 months and Daughter #1 has pretty much stayed there and I expect Daugter #2 will as well. Daughter #1 made it past 2 years in the 33 RF limit Decathlon, but I would like to RF Daughter #2 even longer if at all possible.

I do like the Britax because we switch cars a fair amount and I always get a great install very easily.

What do you all think of the new design, and what seat would you recommend?
TIA
 
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Chely7425

New member
I have big kids too and ended up getting Radians... but we don't switch cars really EVER (we only have 1 car). I do like the ease of installs with the Britax seats but I have heard mixed reviews on the new ones...
 

jjordan

Moderator
Do you happen to remember how much room dd1 had over her head in her convertibles when she reached the 33# weight limit? If she had growing room in length, then the new Britax convertibles would likely have lasted her longer (rearfacing) because of the 40# rearfacing weight limit. If she didn't have length growing room, then the higher weight limit of the new seats wouldn't make any difference, because for most kids they don't have additional length growing room compared to the older seats.

The tricky thing is that it's not so much about overall height, it's about torso length, and we don't have growth charts for that to help us predict when a kid will outgrow a seat by torso length!

I'd say that you definitely want a seat that has a RF weight capacity of at least 40#, so that does narrow it down. If you get a chance to try some out and see what you think of the installations, you might find that a non-Britax option will work for you, and more options is usually a good thing. :)

One distinctive about Britax convertibles is their ability to be tethered when rearfacing. Is that important to you? (If so, your only RF tether options with 40#+ weight limits are the new Britax seats and Radians.)

Other seats that RF to 40#+ are the evenflo triumph 65, evenflo momentum, graco myride, safety 1st complete air, and Radians (65SL, 80SL, XTSL).
 

bree

Car-Seat.Org Ambassador
If you have tall kids and want to rear-face for a long time, then I wouldn't suggest the new Britax convertibles. :twocents: They've lowered the shell height by an inch compared to the older models, and there are other seats on the market with taller shells that will last longer rear-facing.

I'd recommend the Radian 80SL or XTSL first for big kids. They have 45 pound rear-facing weight limits and tall shells; however, they can be difficult to install and take up a lot of room front to back in the car. I have a Radian XTSL for my almost 3 year old, and I really like it.

Next, I'd suggest some seats that rear-face to 40 pounds. The Radian 65SL, the Safety 1st Complete Air, the Evenflo Momentum, the Evenflo Triumph 65, and the Graco My Ride. The Triumph 65 and the Graco My Ride probably have similar shell heights, I believe the Momentum's shell is a little taller, and the Complete Air and Radian have the tallest shells. They are all taller than the new Britax seats, so that's why I'd opt for any of them over the Britax seats for rear-facing. (The Learning Curve True Fit also has a tall shell, but it only has a 35 pound rear-facing weight limit, so I think a 40 pound rear-facing seat would probably be a better choice based on the info in your post.)

If you need to move seats on a frequent basis, then I'd consider having a seat installed in each car you use, if possible, to reduce the chance of installation errors from frequent installation. :)
 

jjordan

Moderator
If you have tall kids and want to rear-face for a long time, then I wouldn't suggest the new Britax convertibles. :twocents: They've lowered the shell height by an inch compared to the older models, and there are other seats on the market with taller shells that will last longer rear-facing.

I'd recommend the Radian 80SL or XTSL first for big kids. They have 45 pound rear-facing weight limits and tall shells; however, they can be difficult to install and take up a lot of room front to back in the car. I have a Radian XTSL for my almost 3 year old, and I really like it.

Next, I'd suggest some seats that rear-face to 40 pounds. The Radian 65SL, the Safety 1st Complete Air, the Evenflo Momentum, the Evenflo Triumph 65, and the Graco My Ride. The Triumph 65 and the Graco My Ride probably have similar shell heights, I believe the Momentum's shell is a little taller, and the Complete Air and Radian have the tallest shells. They are all taller than the new Britax seats, so that's why I'd opt for any of them over the Britax seats for rear-facing. (The Learning Curve True Fit also has a tall shell, but it only has a 35 pound rear-facing weight limit, so I think a 40 pound rear-facing seat would probably be a better choice based on the info in your post.)

If you need to move seats on a frequent basis, then I'd consider having a seat installed in each car you use, if possible, to reduce the chance of installation errors from frequent installation. :)

To the bolded - the measurement spreadsheet lists the new Britax shell at 23.5", same as the triumph 65 and 1/2" less than the myride. So its probably one of those things where the amount of growing room depends on the kid and the vehicle, somehow. (I want to try my 4 year old in a few of them to compare for myself, but I'm not sure when I'll have the opportunity to do that!)
 

bree

Car-Seat.Org Ambassador
To the bolded - the measurement spreadsheet lists the new Britax shell at 23.5", same as the triumph 65 and 1/2" less than the myride. So its probably one of those things where the amount of growing room depends on the kid and the vehicle, somehow. (I want to try my 4 year old in a few of them to compare for myself, but I'm not sure when I'll have the opportunity to do that!)

Good info; I was basing my statement on my recollection that the Triumph/My Ride/Old Britax all had very similar shell heights, and the new Britax seats being an inch shorter than that. The pictures that I've seen also seem to show less growing room in the newer Britax seats than the older Britax seats; which is why I recommended the Triumph and My Ride before them because their shell heights were similar to the older Britax shells. It probably does depend on the kiddo and vehicle, like you said, though. :)
 
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gigi

New member
I think the Triumph is taller than the old Britax, and even if it isn't, it certainly has GOBS more leg room and installs very easily to boot. My son sat much higher up on the shell of my Boulevard than he does in the Triumph Advance...I think it is because he has more room in general (shoulder and leg) so his body isnt squished up. I recently put my son in a Momentum and he seemed to have the same amount of growing room as he does in a Triumph (about 3-4" above his head). At 3.5, he'd still be RFing in the newer Triumph65 or the Momentum with room to grow (he's 36 pounds).
 

Cristina

New member
Thanks for all the input. I will go try some out. I DO like to tether, but if the seat won't hold her longer RF then I can certainly overlook that.
DD#1 is proportional, bordering on leggy. She hit the 33lb limit but had some room left heightwise in the Decathlon.
Maybe I will try my big girl in the seats to see heightwise how much room she would have had. She is 42.5 inches and just hit 40 pounds (finally ON the charts :)). DD#2 looks very much like DD#1 did at her age so I am going to guess she may grow about the same.

One more question. Do the new seats sit any lower down?
I put DD#1 in a Nautilus after FF her in the Decathlon for a while because she wanted to get in her seat by herself and the height of the Britax made that hard.

Thanks again
 

cpsaddict

New member
I love my new Marathon70. My dd is 27lbs and 34-35" with a long torso and se has probably 4" or so to grow in it. The install is so easy and it fits better front to back than my older model Marathon. The harness adjuster is also the best of any seat, including the Roundabout 40.
 

Cristina

New member
I love my new Marathon70. My dd is 27lbs and 34-35" with a long torso and se has probably 4" or so to grow in it. The install is so easy and it fits better front to back than my older model Marathon. The harness adjuster is also the best of any seat, including the Roundabout 40.

Good to know about the front to back. I drive a Civic so my passengers appreciate any extra legroom they can get :)
 

Cristina

New member
I got a BV70 for my baby and love how it fits him and my car :) I'm very happy with it.

Good to know. I LOVE the Emily pattern. I had the Decathlon in Tiffany and was sad to part with it. My DC was not awful, but the harness adjuster was not exactly smooth.
How do you feel about that on the BV?

Also, anyone have an opinion about the install of a MyRide in a 2008 Civic.
The brown and pick floral is very pretty and I know my DD#1 rode in one once and liked it (dual cupholders are a big plus to a 3 year old LOL)
 

yetanotherjen

CPST Instructor
I love my new Marathon70. My dd is 27lbs and 34-35" with a long torso and se has probably 4" or so to grow in it. The install is so easy and it fits better front to back than my older model Marathon. The harness adjuster is also the best of any seat, including the Roundabout 40.

Ditto! My son has similar stats at almost 2 :)
 

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