help with going from Boulevard to Frontier or Regent?

My DD is 34 pounds and 3 1/2. I guess she could stay in her Boulevard as it does go up to 60 pounds but I am wondering if I should get a Frontier or Regent because it doesn't have the base on the seat and would be easier for her to get into and easier on my back...lol. We have a Trailblazerand hoping to get a minivan eventually.
What do you think I should do? She is tall her her age in like the 90th percentile so I have to take that into consideration long term. Does the base on the seat matter as they get older and heavier?

What are the proc/cons of the Froniter vs the Regent. Any others seats you might recommend to for our 2nd car we don't use as much?

My other DD is 17 months and in her Boulevard RF. Eventually...well at least not for another 2 years I guess....I will be thinking of doing the same for her? She is not as tall so far as her sister though...lol.

My dd is around the same age/size and we are going to leave her in the BV untill she outgrows it ff, or starts complaining that her legs hurt from lack of leg support. I'm hoping she will fit in it for 1-2 years. She climbs into it herself.

The reason for keeping her in it for us, is:

1) I like the way the BV/MA/DC keeps the child high up (I feel safer with her like that);
2) we love our BV covers;
3) she is in the same seat as DS; and most importantly
4) I'm waiting for a second generation Frontier that hopefully improves the install issues, has better covers (Cowmoo!), and has a higher harness height.

Or, who knows what new seats will come out while she still fits in it? We're even debating turning her rf with a MR or a 40lb Radian (if one ever comes out).

You have the BV and she fits, so I would keep that until she outgrows it :twocents:

You can look at the Graco Nautilus (GN) for your second car. It is a FF only seat, top slots around 18", harnesses to 65lbs then converts into a booster until 100lbs. The GN fits some children great and some children (like mine) not so great when it is in booster mode. This all depends on the child and the vechicle it is in. Of course the only way to know if your child is a yea or ney is to try it out. The GN retails for between $150 and $180, has a six year expiration on the harness and high back booster (HBB) and then an additional three for the low-back booster (LBB).

Hope this helps!

I'd check first where her shoulders are in relation to the top harness setting in her Blvd. Some tall children start outgrowing the Blvd around 4ish, so it's just something to be aware of

I'm here to enable you! I say move on. I didn't like having the kids up so high when they were that big. It's hard to get them up there and takes forever if you let them climb in themselves. Pass down the BV, sell it or use it as a spare!

My DS is still RF for now but when he eventually goes FF I plan to use the BLVD as a spare and put him in a Graco Nautilus. I too dont like the height of the blvd FF.

We just switched DS from the blvd to the Frontier about 3 months ago. He's currently 28 months 38" and 34 lbs, so also tall/heavy for his age. In his case, we did it so I could pass the blvd down to my now 9 month old dd, and since I had to turn him FF (33 lb limit blvds). I don't have any experience using the blvd ffing, but I love the Frontier. DS can climb in and out of it fine, even in my Veracruz (SUV). He also loves the cupholder (even though it is a bit flimsy). I like the fact that it doesn't have the base so he can climb in it easily. On the other hand, the straps do twist more easily than on the blvd, and I miss the knob harness adjuster. I considered the Regent, but since the Frontier makes a good/tall booster eventually (and DS already has a 14.5" torso! ) I thought it may be the better option. I have the Sahara fabric, which is nice, although a bit boring.
On the other hand, I still love my blvds too! They're very user friendly (easier to install too) and more cover choices.

Karen

My daughter is very nearly 4 yrs old, 34-35# and 42". Our main seat is the Boulevard. I have light tan interior, so I still lift my DD into her carseat to keep my upolstery as clean as possible, sigh. I don't mind the lifting however. When she was RF, it was a problem, she is a leggy child and the way my door opening angles, it was a pain to get her in. FF has not been a problem.

Anyway, I had my sisters new Frontier installed in my vehicle next to the BVD for a couple weeks. It looks and feels like the BVD. My child is not really comfortable in seats without "wings", but she really liked the Frontier because it is 'familiar'. I had the Frontier adjusted for my niece, second from the hightest position, and it was exactly the same height as the Boulevard.

The only thing my child didn't like about the Frontier is the seat depth. In the Boulevard, her knees bend naturally. In the frontier, the seat is MUCH deeper than the BVD, and her legs don't bend comfortably. We are all tall, so there isn't much leg room in the back seat.

In anycase, we will wait until we outgrow the BVD before we look to see what is on the market. Things change so fast, there are so many seats I *wish* I had but bought mine before changes or releases of new products. My Britax seats all have the 33# RF limit, for example. I wish I had a Radian XT instead of the Radian80 I bought before the XT was available. I could go on... but looking back, I realize how fast we've outgrown seats. From now on, I'll use them until we *have* to replace, then see what is available.