Frontier or Regent?

rodentranger

New member
DS1 is approaching being turned ff. :(
As of 1/13, he was 36", 29 lbs. His torso is 14". According to the WHO calculator (thanks Pixels99!), his percentiles are:
Wt for ht: 55.6
Wt for age: 71.5
Height for age: 80.4
He is outgrowing the MA rf by weight before height. He still has about 2-3 inches before he would outgrow it by height. He is on the 2nd slot rf, 3rd ff; the 3rd slot is just barely above his shoulder.
I just ordered a Frontier from HipMonkey and I'm wondering if I should have ordered a Regent instead for the higher top slot?
 
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ADS

Mama Jo

New member
If I was in your situation I would have gotten the Regent. Especially since he's slightly taller than he is wide, percentage-wise. I actually almost considered it for my DD, but she's 5 1/2 and I decided I wouldn't get enough years of use out of it to justify the cost. But if it were the first seat I was buying after my convertible, I would definitely go that route over the Frontier. I think it's a superior seat and it will last longer harnessed than the Frontier. Then you could get a dedicated booster once it's outgrown, like the Monterey, which would also likely be superior to the Frontier.

However, if you never want to buy another carseat again, the Frontier would then be the way to go.
 

rodentranger

New member
I don't want to buy him another seat after this one, but I really really want him harnessed as long as possible. The other two vehicles he rides in have less than awesome safety ratings and obviously I want him as safe as possible as long as possible.
 

Mama Jo

New member
Then the Frontier was probably the right choice for you. The harness slots are higher than the Nautilus and since it converts to a booster, it will last you the longest. He would last longer harnessed in the Regent, true, but I'm sure he will be fine to be in a booster by the time he's outgrown the harness heights. My DD is 5 1/2 and she's comparable in size to the other kids in her class and she still has 2 harness slots to go on the Frontier.
 

zeo2ski

Well-known member
I'm a little confused--you said he's outgrowing by weight before height? At 29 lbs you could have a LONG time left to RF. Not sure your child's age, but my DS was 28.5 lbs at 24 mos and 6 months later he is 32.5.

Oh wait, I bet your in Canada...

ETA: went back and saw you're in WA, so your MA must have a 33 or 35 lb limit? Is it about to expire? If not, I'd leave him in it RFing til he actually outgrow it, then just flip it FFing. I say this since you said you don't want to have to buy another seat after this purchase--by the time he outgrows the MA FFing, we have no idea what options will be available! The FR will likely be improved, if nothing else.
 

rodentranger

New member
No I'm in the US. At his 18 mo WBC, he was 26 lbs. At his 2 yr WBC, he was 29. HE eats as much as I do. Three lbs in 6 months, I'm figuring I only have about 6 months left in the MA. Both of our MAs are 33 lb. We have a TF, but I'd rather him be rf in that in one of the other vehicles he rides in. One is an older car without side airbags, the other belongs to a driver who doesn't always pay great attention to driving. My car has side airbags and I know my driving habits.
 

rodentranger

New member
ETA: went back and saw you're in WA, so your MA must have a 33 or 35 lb limit? Is it about to expire? If not, I'd leave him in it RFing til he actually outgrow it, then just flip it FFing. I say this since you said you don't want to have to buy another seat after this purchase--by the time he outgrows the MA FFing, we have no idea what options will be available! The FR will likely be improved, if nothing else.

We have two 33 lb MAs and a TF. I plan on moving DS2 into one of the MAs as soon as he's big enough (I loathe buckets and I'm not happy with his fit in the TF), which leaves me with the TF and a MA for three cars. If DS1 is in the other MA, I'll have to move one anytime the boys are in either other car...I'm buying a seat for him for my car so we can just leave the TF and the MA in the basement for whichever car they need to be in. Am I confusing anyone else? I might be confusing myself...:D
 
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rodentranger

New member
A CS rep at Elitecarseats just told me that he will hit the harness max on either seat before he hits 80 lbs...
Stink.
I guess I should stick with the Frontier? Maybe by the time he outgrows it, I can pass it to DS2 and convince DH that we should buy whatever new and awesome extended harnessing seat/booster is out then and say it's like buying DS2 a new seat?:whistle:
 

Melanie

New member
DD2 & DD3 have about the same age spread as your two. We decided to go with the Frontier instead of the Regent for DD2. IF DD2 winds up needing the height of the Regent, we will get her one and put DD3 in her Frontier. Then they can switch when DD2 is ready for a booster.
 

Melizerd

New member
I just decided for my 2 year old who is an amazon kid. He's all torso and 36 1/4 inches tall at TWO!

I decided on a Regent over the Frontier because I figured by the time I got to booster age I'd need a good excuse to buy something else. I LOVE the Regent.
 

Kat_Momof3

New member
going by a kid who had the same height percentile (Jeffrey) I say the frontier is great... and the regent may be overkill.

Jeffrey didn't outgrow the Nautilus until he was about 7 (give or take... since it isn't his seat, I don't know for sure)... that's just fabulous for booster use.

if your kid isn't all torso, like he has been until the last couple years when he sprouted some legs (which still are shorter than his torso), he should last longer.

the nautilus and the frontier are pretty similar in torso height, so that's why I'm stating how he fit in that seat.

now, for my oldest, even though he's slimmer, if I had to do it all over again today, I'd go with the Regent... why?? he was in the 96th percentile when I bought it... he outgrew it (going from using the 3rd slots when I bought it) in NINE MONTHS... and he's now OFF the growth chart percentiles...

what does this tell us?? for over a good 90% of kids, with the frontier and the Nautilus as options, the regent is overkill.

Naturally, that doesn't factor in super broad shoulders or weight, but strictly going on height, the frontier or Nautilus would give you all the room you need.

I'd go ahead, get the Frontier, and be happy with it.
 

rodentranger

New member
Thanks Kat.
I chose the Frontier over the GN because it's wider and he's not a small kid.
I guess I'm okay with having purchased the Frontier. IF he *does* need something more by the time DS2 is ready to move out of the MA/TF, I will hand the Frontier down and buy whatever it is that he needs. Maybe by then Britax will have acted on the "How Would You Improve the Frontier?" thread and I can buy another one that has higher top slots?!:whistle:
 

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