Question convertible for a tall baby... boulevard? marathon? radian?

i have read a ton of posts, but decided to register and post anyway because i haven't really made any headway on a decision.

stats: DD is 6 months old and currently in a graco safeseat1. she is 28", about 17ish lbs, and seated shoulder height is 13ish". she's on the highest setting in the SS1, and i'm not sure how long it will be before she outgrows it. she's grown 8 inches in 6 months, and has 4 more to go before we need a new seat. my husband and i are reasonably tall. we would be using a 2005 toyota sienna the majority of the time, and a 2005 toyota camry every so often. the sienna does have side airbags. currently, she's on the passenger side of the middle row. is it true that i can adjust the seats in the sienna so that the two middle seats can be next to each other rather than having one behind the driver and one behind the passenger? if so, how?

i'm planning to get her a convertible and leaning towards a britax boulevard, but i'm also considering the marathon as well as the radian 65. i've read that some people have a hard time installing the radian in toyotas. honestly, my brain feels like it's going to explode with all the car seat info out there. i want her RFing as long as possible, and in a 5-point harness as long as posible. i want a seat that will be able to keep up with her if she keeps growing so tall. i don't care too much about prints, but comfort is definitely important. and of course, something easy to install would be nice! so... BV? MA? radian 65? something else entirely? i will try to see if i can get her to a target or something so we can try them out, but i would very much appreciate opinions and advice!

I'd look at the Boulevard, the Marathon, and the Evenflo Triumph Advance. All have tall shells, but the EFTA is taller and has more leg support for older kids. The Boulevard and Marathon have top slots just shy of 17", the EFTA has 17.5". All have 35 pound rear facing limits. The Marathon and Boulevard have 65 pounds forward, the EFTA 50. But the top slots are higher. The EFTA is $130-$170 and the Marathon is $280, the Boulevard $310.

Target doesn't have the Boulevard. BRU has all three, though, and all trim levels of the EFTA.

Wendy

Welcome! Like Wendy said, if you can get to a babies r us to try out the marathon, boulevard & EFTA that would be ideal. All 3 seats are an excellent choice! Another seat I would encourage you to look at is the Recaro Signo $289. It will accomidate a tall child comfortably for a long time. It is rf to 35lbs. and ff to 70lbs. with 18" top harness slots. I have my 12mo. & 2y/o rf in the signo and they love it. Is an easy to seat to install, harness adjusts smoothly & evenly. It does sit up much higher than other convertible seats, has less leg room rf (which hasn't been an issue with us so far) and is heavy. But I have been very impressed with it so that is why I'm recommending it. Here is a link that describes the Signo:
http://www.elitecarseats.com/Recaro-Signo.pro#pp-tabs
And here are some pictures of my kids in the signo:

I have a 2006 Sienna--Regarding the 2nd row, the passenger-side captain's chair can be moved to the center position. You'll need to move the strip of floor mat that runs between the captain's chair (since it would be in the way), and move the mat that goes in front of the 2nd row so you can see everything easily. Removing the captain's chair from its usual position if fairly easy (but VERY heavy!!), but you'll need to read your vehicle manual carefully to make sure you get the seat lined up in the new position correctly. It's not terribly difficult or confusing, but it is critically important to the safety of everyone in the vehicle that it's locked in right.

I own 2 Blvds, but I really like the EFTA too. The EFTA is really easy to use (especially with harness height!)--I got one for my MIL to use for our youngest, and for one of her other grandchildren.

I think the Blvd, EFTA, or Marathon would all be great for you (I personally don't love the Radian, but lots of other people here do). My middle child made it to 4 yrs, 9 mos in a Blvd--He's in the 75th percentile for height, and he outgrew it at 42 lbs. Now he's in a Regent. I would just choose whichever convertible seems easiest to you--adjusting harness height, tightening the harness around baby, installing in your vehicle (Babies R us will usually let you try it in your vehicle).

Just remember that the amount of growth that your child has experienced in the 1st six months of life is not going to continue at that rate. For instance, our 1st child gained 15 lbs during his first year of life--10 lbs of that was in the first six months, but then only 5 lbs between 6 mos and a year. And then he only gained 6 lbs from his first birthday to 2 yrs old! It's a similar situation with height--Since you and your dh are both tall, your daughter will also probably tend to be on the taller side when compared to her peers, but THANKFULLY most kids growth rate does slow down more and more as they get older. Good luck!!

thanks everyone! firemom, your kids are gorgeous!

so, of the britaxes i think i like the blvd better than the marathon. a friend of mine works at a store that sells baby stuff (and can get me a bit of a discount, yay) and he recommends the radian 65. it doesn't seem to be super recommended on here as much. why is that? i read it can be hard to install in toyotas - would that be true for the sienna as well, or is that more for 4-door cars like the camry or corolla?

annoyingly, i won't be able to get to a BRU any time soon, and if i order through my friend, i have to decide soon if i want a signo as they have one left and don't plan to reorder. (they don't like the signo *or* the EFTA, and they don't carry the EFTA at all.) anyway, he's pushing for the radian 65, and i honestly have no clue about what's best.

can someone help me find a comparison chart for the radian 65, signo, EFTA, and blvd? i'm not entirely sure what the pros and cons are for all of them.

radian 65
* 18" top slots
* 35 pounds rear facing
* 65 pounds forward facing
* forced 45 degree angle due to required removable rear facing foot. Good for six month olds, bad for two year olds
* Hard to install in many vehicles
* Very large front to back due to rear facing angle and tall shell
* Does not fit rear facing on a plane
* Tethers rear facing
* $200

signo
* 19" top harness height
* 35 pounds rear facing
* 70 pounds forward facing
* Can be tight through the shoulders for an older child (say around 4 years old)
* Sits up tall on a base
* Knob to adjust harness/headrest, added head wings
* Deep shell
* $290

EFTA
* 17.5" top harness height
* 35 pounds rear facing
* 50 pounds forward facing
* Unique harness system that puts harness at shoulder every time
* Tightens at the hips with knobs rather than a pull strap that tights at the shoulders
* Knobs can be pushed into the back seat if the seat is contoured and soft
* Lots of leg support for older children
* Tall shell
* Wide seat
* $130-$170

blvd
* ~17" top harness height
* 35 pounds rear facing
* 65 pounds forward facing
* Harness adjusts with knob, same as Signo
* Rear facing tether
* Built in lockoffs
* Easy to install in nearly any car
* $310

The Radian has its spot, but it is cautiously recommended often since it does have so many installation issues, and it's a very large seat rear facing. It's the largest front to back of the ones you listed. So for many cars it doesn't fit well. Sometimes it can fit between the two front seats, but often it's just a lot of trouble rear facing.

HTH

Wendy

Not to add to your confusion, but if you're looking for a seat with a tall shell for long rearfacing, I would also look at the First Years/Compass Truefit.

We just got one, and the shell is pretty tall. My 5 year old could still RF in it. She is on the small side, but she has plenty of room above her head still.

I don't have any of the other seats to compare to, but from what I've read here, the harness height is pretty similar to the EFTA or Blvd. It goes to 35 lbs RF and 65 FF. It's $180. We haven't actually used it yet, but just thought I'd add that it has a pretty tall shell and plenty of shoulder room too.