Question What to do?! 3 yr and 10 mth, new convert or booster?

Smithfamily2007 · Oct 5, 2012

Hi there,

Here are the facts, I need help deciding what to do please!

We are in Canada and We have a 2011 ford explorer.
Have a 41.5", 34lb, 3 yr old who will be 4 in January boy in a britax boulevard manufactured in September 2009.
Have a 10 month old, 28" boy in a infant carrier, needs to move....

Do I get another boulevard or move my almost 4yr old who is tall to a frontier etc?

What is the lifespan on the convertibles? Would it be safe to put the baby in that one for at least the next few years? Is the frontier as safe as the boulevard to have my almost 4 yr old in? I see he meets all requirements of it, just unsure which route I should take... Also what is the difference on the xt vs the sict?

Any advice or recommendation would be great! Thanks!

tam_shops · Oct 5, 2012

I assume you mean you are going to harness the 3yo in the Frontier, right? Is he rear facing or forward facing now in his current seat?

If he's already forward facing in the Boulevard, there is no known (that I know of) safety difference for a child forward facing in Boulevard vs forward facing in a Frontier.

If you are talking about a child rear facing in a Boulevard vs forward facing in a Frontier, then the child is safer rear facing in the Boulevard.

There is a time when the significance in safety decreases as a child ages. I (personally) don't know exactly when that happens. It is preferred that children rear face until 4yo. I am personally debating a forward facing only vs rear facing seat for my own (37# long torso) 3.5yo, it's a hard decision that you have to decide for yourself...

tam

canadiangie · Oct 5, 2012

Oh that's an easy one.

Since you're considering a Frontier, I'll assume your 3 year old is forward facing. If that is correct, then a Frontier makes perfect sense for him. Pass the Boulevard to the baby.

As for XT versus SICT, either is safe and both are great options. SICT is enormous, whereas XT is just huge.

Britax says their SICT technology provides even further enhanced protection... but it is impossible for any of us to back up or dispute those claims.

My vote is to purchase whichever you prefer and then install and use your seats correctly. If you can succeed at that task, your children will be very well protected in a collision.

snowbird25ca · Oct 6, 2012

Based on the older child's weight and the age of the Boulevard, I'm assuming kiddo is ff'ing given that the Boulevard's in that time period only went to 30lbs rf'ing.

I think Angie hit the nail on the head. I'd pass blvd to the baby provided it's still in good condition, and buy a Frontier for the older child.

The only other thing I'd consider is that the Boulevard will only have a 30lb rf'ing weight limit on it and that may put you in a position of still needing to buy another seat for the baby to be able to rf longer in depending on how heavy he is right now. If he's a tall and slender babe then he'll probably make it rf'ing in the Boulevard a good long time, but if he's on the chubbier side, then you may be better off buying a seat with a higher rf'ing weight limit and keeping your 3.5yr old in the Boulevard until he either outgrows it or until you need to replace it with a newer seat.

Carolinadaisy · Oct 6, 2012

We moved our son to a frontier 85 almost a year ago at 3.5. The leg support was so much better for him than that of the boulevard ff. Our boulevard has a 2008 manufacture date with a 35lb rf weight limit. Our younger son was 9 months when he moved into it. He loves it and for now it fits him great. He may not fit rf past 2.5, but it all depends on growth rate which just cannot be predicted.

So my suggestion is to pass the boulevard down to baby and buy a frontier. The boulevard has a 6 yr expiration date, I believe. Check your manual and the date on side if your seat for certain.

snowbird25ca · Oct 6, 2012

Carolinadaisy said:
We moved our son to a frontier 85 almost a year ago at 3.5. The leg support was so much better for him than that of the boulevard ff. Our boulevard has a 2008 manufacture date with a 35lb rf weight limit. Our younger son was 9 months when he moved into it. He loves it and for now it fits him great. He may not fit rf past 2.5, but it all depends on growth rate which just cannot be predicted.

So my suggestion is to pass the boulevard down to baby and buy a frontier. The boulevard has a 6 yr expiration date, I believe. Check your manual and the date on side if your seat for certain.

In Canada it only went to 30lbs rf'ing at that time. The advocate went to 35, but the rest of the seats stayed at 30lbs until the 40lb rf'ing seats came out.

Sent from my iPhone using Car-Seat.Org

Question What to do?! 3 yr and 10 mth, new convert or booster?

Smithfamily2007

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tam_shops

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canadiangie

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snowbird25ca

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Carolinadaisy

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snowbird25ca

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