Britax Sale at Albee baby

Hello,

I've been researching car seats for some time and have found this website to be invalueable. I almost made a big mistake with buying a ff seat too early for my almost 1yr old son. Now I know to stay rf as long as you can, THANKS !

Anyway, I've been looking for the best deals on Britax and there are a bunch of different Britax seats and some strollers on sale at Albee Baby http://www.specialtybaby.com/britax.html

I'm probably going to get a Roundabout because my wifes A4 does not have much rear seat room. Anyone install a Marathon or Roundabout in an 2000 AudiA4 ?

Chris

According to the Carseat Compatibility Database (Carseat Data website closed - link broken) the Britax Roundabout or the Britax Decathlon fit fine in the 2000 Audi A4. That's great news! Britax convertibles are wonderful for small cars, believe it or not. The way they install, especially because of the rear-facing tether, make their recline angle very customizable (is that even a word? LOL). Only newborns need a 45 degree recline angle. With Britax seats you can install them as upright as you want (really not even paying attention to recline angle as you're doing the install) and then use the rear-facing tether to get the desired level of recline. You only need what's comfy for your child. Lots of kids rear-face to 3-4 years old and they like to be more upright. As long as it's at least a 30 degree level of recline and your child is comfy, then it's fine. Having the seat more upright allows the front seats to be pushed back comfortably.

Since the bigger Britax convertibles (Marathon, Decathlon, Boulevard) are all built on the same basic shell, they should all work equally as well. I'd strongly encourage you to buy one of these over a Roundabout because of the extra time you'll be able to use it (40 pound weight limit vs. 65 pound weight limit; 15.5" top slots vs. 17.5" top slots; much taller seat shell so even though they have the same rear-facing WEIGHT limit, most kids will get too tall to rear-face in the Roundabout long before they reach that weight limit, because the seat shell is too short).

Here's what the database had to say:

Audi A4 2000 avant Britax Roundabout Rear Facing Passenger outboard. Great fit. Tethered to front seat frame. Took a long time to install.

Audi A4 2000 avant Britax Roundabout Forward Facing Center. Great fit. Tethered. Installs fast.

Audi A4 2000 Britax Roundabout Rear Facing Center. Good fit. Used shelf liner on leather seats. Used rolled towel for angle. Tethered.

Audi A4 2000 Britax Roundabout Forward Facing Center. Great fit. Used shelf liner on leather seats. Tethered.

Audi A4 2000 leather seats Britax Decathalon Rear Facing Center. Great fit. Tethered.

Edited to add: good for you for doing your research and for deciding to keep baby rear-facing longer than the bare minimum. Hearing that just made my day.

If there is a ToysRUs/BRU near you, they will let you try a seat out in your vehicle (usually with an employee to make sure you don't drive off with it!) The Roundabout is a smaller seat, but if you can get one of the "bigger" ones to fit, obviously it wouldn't be outgrown too soon. Oh, and then buy online! I had great luck with Albee!

Right now, there's a 15% off coupon on any one item at BabiesRUS. I just used it on a new Britax Boulevard, and saved $50 plus no shipping costs. And I got to test fit baby in it before buying it.....here's the link:

http://www.couponcabin.com/coupons/babies-r-us/

It's good through December 3rd.

My husband drives an A4 wagon (2004) and we have a Wizard in it (same size as the Marathon/Decathalon, the Wizard is now the Boulevard). She's FFing now, but she was RFing in it for a long time. It was tough threading the D ring under the bar under the passenger seat, but once that was done it was a breeze to install with LATCH. It was LATCHed, braced, and tethered. About as safe as you can get.





Those were her at two years two months, just to give you an idea.

Wendy

I purchased my two marathons at www.travelingtikes.com