Fed up with the Frontier...

Okay...I'm boxing up my frontier and shipping it back for a second time. As much as I want to love this seat I can't. I finally got it installed within the limits but still not rock solid won't budge a millimeter (like the install I get with my marathon). I wasn't even impressed with the latch b/c it made the seat hang further off the front and it just didn't look right.

Once she was in the seat harnessed she said she was comfy. The seat is much deeper than the marathon and that surprised me (will be good when she's older but made her feet land on the front center console now - I drive an 08 impala).

Anyways...I had her sit in it like a booster just for giggles and that finished the deal for me. The seat belt sat across her tummy...not low on her like it does if I put her in a Graco turbobooster. I know she's tiny (and not anywhere near being ready for a booster) but to me the positioning for a booster seemed off and not something I'd be comfortable letting her sit in down the road. Very frustrated. Love Britax...love their safety and reputation and really wanted her to move to a Britax after the marathon but no such luck (at least with this seat). I just really built up this seat I guess. Now...deciding between the regent, nautilus, or radian...I think I'm just going to wait. I heard someone say some new seats would be coming out and she still has a little bit of room in her marathon. Ugh...

Oh bummer! So sorry to hear about your Frontier!

Ya know I felt the same way about it in booster mode and my ds is 4.5 and 52 lbs! It certainly looked like their was a chance for submarining in the booster mode IMO! The thing that I did like in the booster mode was I got a much more upright install and he had alot more leg room! The leg room or lack there of, was the reason we ended up returning it! He said it actually hurt the back of his legs. I wanted to love it to but I just couldn't! I am glad that many others will find thils seat very useful but I guess that's why there are so many out there! No one seat can fit every persons need! BTW, I purchased the regent and he loves it!

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I just got dh with me out there and we worked and worked on it and I was able to get a little tighter install outboard...seemed like I had a little more seatbelt to work with (but I just HATE using the outboard when I don't have to). If I could install it without the recline block in harness mode I think it might work (but I know you can't do that). I left it in my car (tags on and everything) and dh is going to go get the nautilus at wal-mart so we can try it. I keep thinking maybe I'm not doing something right and i should just call a tech around here... If I make a trip to Indy I can try the Regent at Babies R Us (don't have one where we live). I'm not really concerned about the booster part of it at all. The thing that makes me mad is I was planning on handing down our MA to friends who have unexpectedly had to take an 8 month old in to their home. I was so sure the frontier would work with the LBP...ugh...

It might be worth it to take it to a safekids location or other car seat tech just to make sure before sending it back. I plan on doing that Monday (it was the soonest I could get in at safekids) if Dh and I can't get it tight enough over the weekend. We have it latched now, ds is right at the latch limit so it's a temp fix for us.. we have to get it to work with the belts too...

carseatfreak said:

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I just got dh with me out there and we worked and worked on it and I was able to get a little tighter install outboard...seemed like I had a little more seatbelt to work with (but I just HATE using the outboard when I don't have to). If I could install it without the recline block in harness mode I think it might work (but I know you can't do that). I left it in my car (tags on and everything) and dh is going to go get the nautilus at wal-mart so we can try it. I keep thinking maybe I'm not doing something right and i should just call a tech around here... If I make a trip to Indy I can try the Regent at Babies R Us (don't have one where we live). I'm not really concerned about the booster part of it at all. The thing that makes me mad is I was planning on handing down our MA to friends who have unexpectedly had to take an 8 month old in to their home. I was so sure the frontier would work with the LBP...ugh...

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