Ack, totally lost and confused about Britax seats *plus* tether anchors!

michelejo

New member
I have three children and currently have them all in the middle row of my 01 Expedition.

We have DS (6yo, 75 pounds, 50" tall) in a Graco backless TurboBooster on the passenger side outboard position. DD1 (10yo, 75 pounds, 55" tall) is in the same booster seat on the opposite side. DD2 (5 months, 18 pounds, 27" tall) is in the center position in a Graco Snugride infant seat w/base.

The baby's head is very close to the top of the shell, but after 2 months of research I still cannot decide which seat to get. I've put her in the Roundabout and Marathon floor samples and they do not seem roomy enough to last her very long (she's probably going to stay near the 100th percentile in height and weight). The Boulevard and Decathalon seem more roomy, but also appear as though they will take up much more room in the car. My older two children need to be able to have access to their seat belt latchers (whatever they are called!).

I'm considering buying a Roundabout because it is more compact, even though I probably would have to replace the seat eventually with a larger seat.

Any advice? Any other models I should be considering? Thanks!

I'm also confused about tethor anchors....I can't find any for rear-facing in the center position of my car. Can someone please explain how I would tether a rear-facing seat that HAS to be in the center position (I know not all can be tethered)? THANKS!
 
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bazanna

Senior Community Member
If you are going to spend the $$$ on a Britax, get one of the bigger ones. Ask the retailer to let you take the seat out to your car to try it out between your Turboosters, just to make sure you have the room for the taller shell (you should). A Roundabout is not going to be narrower than a Marathon where getting buckled is concerned.

Britax convertible seats come with a special part called a d-ring that lets you turn the anchor points where the front seats bolt to the floor of the car into tether anchor points.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
Thanks! Is the Marathon also considered to be one of the bigger ones? Or are the Boulevard and Decathalon (these are essentially the same shell, right?) the largest? I saw them side-by-side at BRU but couldn't tell.

I had this pretty much narrowed down until Britax went and introduced two more seats!!! ;)

Are there any other good convertibles on the market that I should look at? I'm wishing I'd saved out Century Bravo--we loved that seat!
 

bazanna

Senior Community Member
Marathon, Wizard, Decath, Blvd are all higher weight limit seats that go to 65 pounds harnessed (although some kids will get too tall before they reach that weight). The Wz is being phased out and replaced with the other ones so if you can still find it, you might get a deal on it. If I were putting a younger baby into a seat, I would choose one of the ones with the side impact headwings like WZ and the other one (Decath, Blvd? I can't remember at the moment LOL).

I just recently bought a higher weight seat for my ds, he's 3.5. I went with the MA because I knew without a doubt the headwings would be an issue for him. If I'd had a side impact seat when he was a baby, there would be no problem.
 

Victorious4

Senior Community Member
I can tell you that my stepdaughter only just recently outgrew the Wizard/Boulevard, but had outgrown the Marathon/Decathalon about a year sooner ... due to the difference in harness height adjuster -- the Wizard/Boulevard have a twisty knob so the seat never has to be uninstalled & reinstalled to adjust the harness height as the child grows & this somehow gave her more room in height. My 3 year old has both the Wizard & Boulevard (used both RF & now uses both FF) -- she likes that the Wizard head rest is closer to her head, but likes the extra cushion in the Boulevard ... I had to call Britax to ask if she could continue using it since the manual suggests that kids stop using it when they can sit up unattended -- she was fine without it RF, but when I had to turn her FF (just a few weeks ago when she reached the max weight limit), she started complaining (as she did 2 years ago before I reverted her back to RF) that her back was hurting (without any hints from me that it could, BTW!). So, anyway, I apologize for rambling, geez, she's had plenty of time in these seats RF & has plenty of time in them FF & also the shape of the seat allows her to rest her heels on a bit of the vehicle seat below (this is not possible in any of the other convertibles I've tried) ... plus, I've been able to install the FF Boulevard between the RF Wizard & the Britax Parkway booster in my '05 Ford Escape Hybrid. The Parkway cannot be used backless, but the lack of armrests allows them to buckle in easier :) I know it would be a lot fo $$$ to get 3 new seats, but if you can afford it somehow it would be the easiest thing -- the Turbos would be excellent for family members etc. to keep handy or for your kids' friends when they visit.
 

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