Britax Regent or Frontier for 5 yr 9 month old?

sholoulou

New member
My ds will be 6 in Oct. He is 46" tall 48 lbs
We have a Britax Parkway right now but after several months of telling my ds to sit back, etc etc I am putting him back in a 5point harness. He also loosens the shoulder belt then in turn loosend the lap belt in order to reach toys he has dropped. Also, the headrest keeps dropping!!!

I know the Regent is being discontinued... but I can still get a new one at this point.

Which do you all think is the better one for his age? Bitax Regent or the Frontier. I am not thrilled on how the Frontier is to install but I do like that is has true side impact and can be used as a booster. The only thing about the Regent is I do not want him to be teased about being in a "carseat"... he himself does not care.

Which do you perfer? Which is the better seat? Which is easier to install? Is the "true side impact" safer than the side impact on the regent or are they equally safe?

I am driving myself and my husband crazy on this decision! lol
 
ADS

Morganthe

New member
If you want to keep your son in a 5pt harness as long as possible, then Regent will be your best option.

My DD is 48 inches tall with a short torso. (She's six in Sep. --likely grow another inch by then & has used her Regent for 2 years. Frontier is new in dh's vehicle) She's on the second from the top harness slots on the Regent. When I uninstall it next, I'm converting to the top slots.

However, on the Frontier, it's as high as it goes. She has about another inch left before it MUST convert to booster. The Regent with the other set of slots that will likely add another 2-3 years of use based on how long it's taken her to outgrow this set.

If you have limited leg room, I suggest the Regent also. When the Frontier is in harness mode, there's a flippable base that's used on the front side of the seat. It raises up the edge right into the back of the seat in front. The Regent has the recline bar, but it doesn't raise anything upwards. It's flat. DD's not thrilled with the tippy-back of her Frontier. She likes sitting up fairly straight. But she's not in it a lot.

Her 7 year old friend sat in the Regent the other day.. fretted a moment about 'baby seat', then realized what a barcolounger it was and enjoyed riding around in it. For girls, that madison pattern has a huge cool factor, imo. :whistle: It also sits more up against the vehicle seat, so less profile and less appearance as a child seat, imo.

Side impact protection.
Her regent is located centered rear seat in my car. It's such a wide seat & it has padded semi-sides that I don't worry much about it.

Now my husband's car has her right next to the passenger side rear window. Inches away. It's an older car -- 1992. Built like a tank, but I worry about glass. I admit, I like the idea of those huge Wings helping to keep her safe from that door & glass. She won't smack it, hopefully if there is any accident from that direction.

As far as ease of installation -- all depends on your vehicle. :sorry!:
I don't have any trouble installing the regent, but I use old methods- no recline bar & dd hates the tiny little shoulder pads + I've put velcro dots on both harnesses to keep the buckle shafts from sliding down into the seat corners. (drives me insane to dig those out constantly). I use LBP on both seats.

Needed DH's strength on the Frontier to secure the seatbelt. The buckle clasp on his BMW is equal with the vehicle seat. No forgiveness or space. It was harder, but we managed.


I'd say try out the fit of both seats on your son & vehicle before buying or order from somewhere with an easy return policy.

I used Target.com (got online authorization for returns), tried things out with the tags attached & returned those seats that just didn't work right. That was a few years back though. I"m also military, so aafes.com has the seats too, if you have legal access. Local BX must accept the returns.

hth & good luck :)
 

sholoulou

New member
I have a Isuzu Trooper
I tried out the Frontier and he had zero leg room. He feet were up against the back of the seat and he couldn't bend his legs in. Frontier is out
 

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