Am I just a Britax snob?

Trying to decide what convertible seat to buy our DD who is a petite thing - 19 lbs at 13 mos. Her older brothers were all 75%+ percentiles for height weight so a larger seat that could last longer was always a selling point to me.

I had my son in a Roundabout as his first convertible (it was replaced with Marathon after a car accident). I currently have the 4 and 6 year olds FF harnessed in Marathons. I bought the Cosco Summit High Back Booster and used it harnessed, then as a booster, but it's in the garage now unused since the reviews on poor positioning of the belt. I replaced it with a Frontier for the 9 year old.

I want to keep DD RF for a LONG while. She's in a Graco SafeSeat infant carrier seat that goes to 30 lbs right now.

I'm really tempted by the Roundabout 50 and marathon 65 sale at Target. But that only buys me an additional 5 lbs RF from the seat she's in now.

Sticking with Britax brand, buying an additional 5 lbs, to go to 40lbs RF, seems to cost $100+ more (MA70 and RA55).

Should I consider another seat other than Britax for DD's convertible when the time comes? The Radian seems so narrow and thin compared to Britax. I like how tight an install I get with Britax.

We don't move seats around - I will buy two, they will both be used in Toyota Siennas, in the driver side 2nd row.

Thanks.

Can the 6y/o start booster training? That was my first thought then you could pass his MA down
Is your 9y/o using the Frontier in harness mode or booster mode?

I'd look at the Graco My Ride. Cushy for kids, lots of leg room, RF to 40# and installs super tight and really easy.

firemomof3 said:

Can the 6y/o start booster training? That was my first thought then you could pass his MA down
Is your 9y/o using the Frontier in harness mode or booster mode?

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:thumbsup:

There are several things you can do but I would not buy another convertable when you have two marathons being used FFing (unless they super close to expiring).

You could get a Britax Parkway SG booster for your 9 yr old if he is using the Frontier in booster mode.

Then you can use the frontier in harness mode for the 6 yr and pass down one of the MAs

OR even the 4 yr old if your MAs are close to expiring.

The 6 yr old is old enough to start booster training in a ParkwaySG as long as he meets the minimum size requirements and is mature enough so thats another option.

And you can remain a Britax snob.

The Parkway SG is available at some babiesrus and toysrus and you can try it out in your car.

Yep, I was gonna say

If the Marathons are not about to expire, then either
A: Buy another Frontier for the 6yo and use the MA rear-facing for the LO
B: Buy the PWSG for the 9yo, pass down the FN to the 6yo, then pass down the MA.

Or, if they are about to expire... And you need to replace both the MAs
Get 2 PWSGs, 1 Frontier, and 1 MA70. (or if you want your 6yo harnessed longer, get 1PWSG, 2 Frontiers, and 1MA70)

I just want to point out that you are going to get so much more time out of the roundabout or marathon than the safeseat. It may only be a five pound difference, but the shell heights are quite different. My just turned 4 year old outgrew our SS1 by height when he was 23 or 24 pounds and 18 months old. He could still rf in the marathon by height now at 4. He has been hovering at 35 pounds for the last year. So, he would have gotten 2.5 extra years out of the marathon versus the safeseat. And since your dd is such a lightweight, the height is going to make the difference.

However, I agree with the others- pwsg for 9 yo, pass down frontier to 6yo, pass down marathon to baby. But, if it will expire in the next 3 years, I don't see anything wrong with getting a sale roundabout or marathon right now. You can use the covers from the marathons you already have once they expire, as well.

kbins said:

Should I consider another seat other than Britax for DD's convertible when the time comes? The Radian seems so narrow and thin compared to Britax. I like how tight an install I get with Britax.

Click to expand...

To answer the question in your title, I think the answer is yes.

Passing along seats sounds like a great option so you can keep your Britax seats and use the Marathon rf for your baby.

If you do need to buy another convertible for your DD, I would recommend buying something else than Britax. You can find seats that keep children rear-facing longer, keep them forward-facing longer, have more leg room rear-facing, and that have other great features - all for less money.

The size of the Radian is really deceiving. I found that my DS has already lasted about 9 months longer in a Radian than a Britax convertible. My DS started to complain about riding in the Decathlon when he had just turned 4. He wasn't as comfortable in it, and preferred the Radian. He actually has more room in the Radian in all dimensions. I also like the low profile when it is forward-facing. My DS has more leg room in the back seat than my DD has in her Decathlon.

HTH

Melanie

My daughter is about that size. My boys were a lot bigger (in fact my oldest outgrew the MA ffing by height around 4 years old!). I have dd in a MR and LOVE it. Never considered it for ds2 because he was so tall, but dd has tons of growing room in it and it's sooo comfy looking and has awesome cup holders (which she loves to fill with cheerios from her snack trap!).

The Radians are taller and wider, and super sturdy, but tend to NOT work well rearfacing in Siennas, they just recline and recline too much as kids get older and heavier RF. The My Ride fits in the Sienna, but can't be tethered rearfacing (I assume the OP knows her Britaxes can be tethered rearfacing? So can the Radian). The First Years True Fit Premier (with anti-rebound bar, similar safety to the RF tether) should work well, but some of us accustomed to the Britax/Radian harness find the continuous loop harness of the TF to be annoying (Does that make us snobs? Maybe, but you're used to what you're used to <shrug>).
If I needed a new seat I'd splurge on the newer RA55 (not really a splurge, since the $199 model is only $160 at Babies R Us with a 20% coupon).
I think the 6 yo will find the Parkway easier to buckle than the Frontier, so if you are going to think about putting him in a booster, that one is easier (Frontier is taller for 9 year olds, anyway, and deeper leg support).

Thanks so much for all the responses. I like to think of myself as reasonably knowledgeable about car seats but I'm a babe in the woods compared to you all.

My 6 yr old is autistic and not likely to be booster-safe any time soon. He's 48lbs and I want to keep him harnessed. I haven't checked expirations recently on his Marathon but will do that tonight.

9yr old is in the Frontier in booster, not harnessed. I'd be willing to put him a different booster and pass along the Frontier to use harnessed for the 6 year old.

I have always tethered rearfacing, so that is a requirement for me.

DD is short and lightweight - she still wears 9mo size clothes, and has been consistently 25th percentile height, so I suspect she won't be tall for her age. But I would like to anticipate buying a seat that I can use til it expires, if possible.

Ideally I wouldn't get a seat that is so large that DH can't drive his car. IIRC, the Marathon RF touched the driver seat in the Sienna. (I"m short and so that's not a problem for me). We could move the RF seat to the center location (both Siennas are 7 passenger and we have the passenger side 2nd row captain's chair in the center position, next to the driver side 2nd row captain chair, so that the side aisle is clear for the back row passengers to exit easily.

I hadn't necessarily thought about replacing the older kid(s) seats and handing down the Marathon - I will look at expiration dates and consider that.

Open to any/all other suggestions, especially if the Marathon is going to expire within another year and I have to buy something.