We were in the neighborhood of an independent toy/baby furnishings/carseat store today, and stopped to look at Regents since DD #1 is almost too tall for her top harness slots in her Marathon. We ended up getting a Regent with the Cougar cover (chosen over the Onyx and a leftover Funky Denim Husky from May '05).
The store is Toyhouse in Jackson, MI. The proprietor, Phil, is a CPS tech, and he really knows his stuff. We had heard of his store from another carseat board, and did it ever live up to the word of mouth reputation, with a vast array of Britax seats and what appeared to be the Safeguard and Safeguard Go, among others. Phil offered to help install the Regent on the spot, but we needed to get back on the road. So he gave me some installation pointers, and I installed the Regent in the Sienna back home.
What a breath of fresh air in contrast with the carseat misinformation and typically unknowledgeable BRU staffers I've encountered locally. Toyhouse is like carseat and toy mecca, totally awesome place.
The Regent was very easy to install in the Sienna's third row center using LATCH, the recline bar and top tether. I also tried seatbelt installations in the third row center, knowing I'll have to install the Regent using the belt by the time DD is 48 lbs. The seatbelt was too short for the long belt path installation, but the short belt path installation worked there, whew.
The Regent doesn't sit up as high as the Marathon, so it blocks less of the rear view out of the Sienna. DD complained a little bit about sitting lower than she was used to on our "maiden voyage" ride later this afternoon, but after a brief ride, here is how comfy she found it:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j34/carcpsfanatic/June42006Regentnap.jpg
Now to move the Marathon into DH's car until she's too tall for it, and decide if we should start saving for another Regent to go in that car when the Marathon is passed down to the baby.
The store is Toyhouse in Jackson, MI. The proprietor, Phil, is a CPS tech, and he really knows his stuff. We had heard of his store from another carseat board, and did it ever live up to the word of mouth reputation, with a vast array of Britax seats and what appeared to be the Safeguard and Safeguard Go, among others. Phil offered to help install the Regent on the spot, but we needed to get back on the road. So he gave me some installation pointers, and I installed the Regent in the Sienna back home.
What a breath of fresh air in contrast with the carseat misinformation and typically unknowledgeable BRU staffers I've encountered locally. Toyhouse is like carseat and toy mecca, totally awesome place.
The Regent was very easy to install in the Sienna's third row center using LATCH, the recline bar and top tether. I also tried seatbelt installations in the third row center, knowing I'll have to install the Regent using the belt by the time DD is 48 lbs. The seatbelt was too short for the long belt path installation, but the short belt path installation worked there, whew.
The Regent doesn't sit up as high as the Marathon, so it blocks less of the rear view out of the Sienna. DD complained a little bit about sitting lower than she was used to on our "maiden voyage" ride later this afternoon, but after a brief ride, here is how comfy she found it:
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j34/carcpsfanatic/June42006Regentnap.jpg
Now to move the Marathon into DH's car until she's too tall for it, and decide if we should start saving for another Regent to go in that car when the Marathon is passed down to the baby.