Britax, Recaro, or other - price irrelevant, which is best?

[NeedMoreCowbell]

It's been almost 6 years since I posted asking for recommendations on what car seat to get for my daughter:

http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=26827

Long time reader, first time poster.

In our home, money truly is an object, but not when it concerns the safety of my DD, a 10 month old, 17lb, 28" wonder. She's currently in a graco snug 'n ride but is at the height limit so it's time to move to a nice tank of a carseat asap.

I've read these forums for hours but am at a loss as to which seat to get. Britax's site calls the Boulevard its flagship seat, but then I saw a couple threads saying more of you prefer the Marathon.

Here's the facts: I'll pay any amount for the best seat I can get; I'll throw it on a credit card and hope for the best. I also need two, since we're a pretty hectic 2 car family.

I have a Mazda 6 sports sedan.
DW has a civic, but it's tiny and unsafe and we'll be getting her a Nissan Rogue (just came out, it's a crossover/small suv type thing).

Can anyone point me in the right direction? Am I at least correct in assuming Britax is the way to go? I just want to keep my little girl safe...

Thank you very much for any opinions.

Thank you again for those suggestions! Things have changed a bit; that beautiful 10 month old has turned into a stunning 6 yr old, joined by a couple beautiful sisters, ages 3 and 1.

The original Britax Marathons we purchased are now in a 2012 Honda Odyssey, along with an infant carrier for our tiny 1 yr old. The Mazda 6 was handed over to a lucky college student, and the Nissan Rogue is still trucking along as our auxiliary car.

We've loved our Britax seats, they really served us well and have seen a LOT of life. Luckily their safety features have never been tested by us. They are now at the end of their life, so we're ready to move to the next set of seats.

My two oldest girls are forward facing, and the youngest is rear-facing. Getting the little one into a rear-facing non-infant seat is a bit of an urgent priority, she's definitely ready.

I was hoping for some suggestions, given the following requirements:

Two forward facing seats
One rear facing seat
All seats must fit across the 2nd row in a Honda Odyssey

It's that last point that is a stickler for me - we got the Odyssey because the 2nd row seats have the ability to move side-to-side, giving our girls the chance to interact with each other on long rides, not to mention having them all close to us parents. The two Britaxs (Britaxes?) are wonderful but definitely a large seat, I wonder if 3xBritax will fit?

All our girls are skinny little things, 29", 38" and 45" tall, respectively and all in the 20th %ile for weight.

I've been reading lots of reviews, and like what I'm hearing w/the Recaro seats; I'm considering getting Two Prosports for the FF girls and a Proride for RF. I love the high limit of 120lbs ... might get one more for my petite wife. Alternatively, we've loved our Britax seats and I'm also considering getting three matching Marathon 70-G3s. Again, that's if they all fit side-by-side in 2xFF and 1xRF and eventually in 3xFF when the baby is old enough.

So ... price is no object; what's the best seat(s)?



9 Month old pic to show them all loaded up! Yes, I see the twisted strap and unbuckled buckle. Fixed before deployment.

 

[nannykates]

In the years since you last were here Britax has fallen in the rankings/lots of other brands have caught up. The safest way for any child to ride is rearfacing and the 3g britax convertible seats don't last nearly long enough rear facing for many families. Most of us around here shoot for 4 yrs before turning forward facing, if we can get your 3yos stats we could probably find her a seat to rf in! However britax has the longest lasting combination seats!

Here are the current contenders for extended rf seats
Chicco Nextfit
Clek Foonf
Diono radian
Graco mysize and clones
Peg perego convertible
(I'm sure I'm forgetting something hoping someone will chipe in)

Current contenders for forward facing harness
Britax frontier85/90, pinnacle 90
Graco nautilus
Evenflo sureride
Evenflo securekid
(Again probably missing something)

Personally, I really like the frontier 90 (simple installation, high weight and height limits and tall top slots, and safe cells that may appeal to you) and chicco nextfit (deep sides, tall headrest, easy install/lots of rf angles, easy adjust to child).

Someone should stop by with more current gen oddy experience, though I know its very 3 across friendly!

 

[girls2sweet]

I was a huge Britax fan until I tried a Recaro. Overall, their seats seem so much more protective and sturdy and they are just as plush and comfy.

The Recaro ProRide will NOT work for ERF, however. I only made it to 2 years with my DD RF before having to turn her.

However, I don't see why the Recaro ProSport (or newer version Performance Sport) should be left of the list for the forward facing harness. True, it doesn't harness as tall as Britax. Nothing does. But, I love the ProSport. And even though I don't own one, I've thoroughly checked one out. It's solid, the side support is great and the headwings are large and sturdy. I almost decided to get one for my 6 year old, but instead got the Vivo since she seemed ready for a booster and price was a factor.

 

[Kel]

If I wanted matching seats I'd buy 2 frontier 90s and one Blvd all in Zebra!!! It would be so cute, lol. Or, I'd buy 2 radians in plum purple, and get you six yr old the black a purple Monterey to match.

 

[abigaylebelle]

NeedMoreCowbell your girls are adorable!

My first question is how long do you want to harness your oldest child? At her age/size as long as she sits properly she can ride in a harness or a booster safely. If you want to continue to harness her the britax frontier90 or recaro prosport would work fine, skip the marathon70 for her she will outgrow it in a minute.

I would also probably go with a forward facing harness to booster for your 3 year old unless you plan to rearface her.

For the one year old there are lots of convertibles already recommended here. Although the g3 seats are very slightly shorter than the marathons you currently have they still last average sized children rearfacing to 3 or more. A one year old outgrowing the snugride 22 is going to have a long time to grow in one.
The recaro proride has a very tall shell but a short seat pan. This never bothered my kid but I know lots of parents and kids who didn't like that about the seat. I think it also depends a lot on the car so you might want to try one in your car before you buy. Good luck!

 

[NeedMoreCowbell]

Thank you to everyone that replied!

nannykates, is there any reason you skipped over Recaro?

My middle child could definitely be RF however she has decided she will be FF. Sounds odd but... if you knew her... (First picture above speaks volumes).

abigaylebelle, thank you for the compliment, I take none of the credit as my wife carries all the aesthetic genes. I plan to harness our children as long as they will fit. My oldest takes pride in snapping herself in herself in, we just tighten at the end. Are these other seats conducive to self-buckling? Middle child wants to but isn't able to get the buckle in our Marathon; if another brand has an easier to engage mechanism that would certainly help us out during loading.

 

[jess71903]

I love my ProSport, and would consider the Performance Sport if money wasn't an issue. I did a review of it here. My nearly 6 year old has been able to buckle himself in it for a year or more.

I don't recommend the ProRide because the leg room sucks, to be blunt about it. There are lots of other convertibles on the market that I prefer to it. The Britax convertibles are fine, if you like them. If you wanted to get that for your little one, you'd have a ProSport or Frontier or whatever to pass down from your 6 year old when she outgrew it. Otherwise, I like the Graco Size4Me, Chicco Nextfit, Diono Radian (I'd go R100 with a lightweight like you have). I really love my True Fit, but with trying to do 3-across, it might not be the best choice. I can do it in my Expedition with the TF and ProSport but I hesitate to recommend buying it sight-unseen for an unknown 3-across.

 

[nannykates]

I was tired and forgot to write the recaro! Sorry!