Carseat question

[lillykat]

We will be getting DD a new convertible carseat soon as she outgrows her snugride. Does anyone have one of these and can you tell me how you like them?

Recaro -
Como

Britax-
Marathon
Boulevard

TIA!!!

BTW we haven't decided if we will bring this seat with us when we fly with DD to WDW in september or if we will just buy a cheap seat and give it to grandma and grandpa so they have one for their car. So if anyone has flown Delta can you tell me how the seat fit in the seats.

 

[tanyaandallie]

If you want to spend the money, I'd get a Britax. Both the BV and MA are awesome seats. We have marathons for both kids. My 4.5 year old still fits in hers. I would skip the Como. It would work fine for your child now, but the seat is narrow at the top so older kids are very squished in there.

I have traveled with our Marathons. The thing is a beast but it's doable!!! We have installed in the plane a few times. If you need a spare seat, though, I'd get a Scenera (5 pt harness, not the OHS) and use it. So much lighter to travel with.

 

[all4fun]

I have the Blvd and love it. My ds at 4-3/4yrs is just now outgrowing it by height (he's only 39lbs right now so has a ways to go before he reaches the weight limit on this seat). The Marathon and Blvd have about 17" top harness position. They have basically the same shell so should fit in cars the same. My Blvd is big and heavy, but despite that, is easy to install in cars (I admit though I've only had to use the seatbelt once and every other time have just used LATCH).

The new Recaro convertibles (Como & Signo) have 19" top harness position but from what I have read and seen in photo's, they seem rather narrow thru the shoulders when used by older/taller kids. I haven't seen one IRL though so couldn't comment on ease of installation. I've also heard that originally they were supposed to have seatbelt lockoffs like the Britax seats do, but now Recaro is calling the seatbelt "guides" as they do not work as a lockoff.

Have you heard of the new Compass True Fit convertible? That one looks promising too. It hasn't been released yet but is supposed to be in the next month or two. I think it's listed on amazon.com for pre-order. It has 18" top slots, and goes to 65lbs f/fing, and I think 35lbs r/fing. It's also fully EPS foam lined, and has an interesting feature - the headrest comes off for rearfacing - so it will have a shorter shell and fit in smaller back seats easier. I think the headrest must be put back on once the child hits 22lbs though (not sure but I think I read that somewhere).

You can find tons of info on car seats at www.car-seat.org.

eta: also, we have never traveled with our Britax. We bought a Cosco Touriva 5pt (precursor to the Scenera) and used that for the first couple of years (until ds outgrew it by height). It was a nice lightweght travel seat. It was also the seat we installed in MIL's vehicle. When he outgrew the Touriva, we replaced it with a f/fing combination seat (evenflo bolero) that we also travel with. hth

hth!

 

[GoinToDisney]

We have a blvd and a scenera (for flying). Love the Bldv. I like the extra side impact protection. After my dd outgrows that one, we will move to a regent.

 

[hopare]

I have the marathon, 2 of them. I have been very happy with them. They are great if you have large babies like I have. My daughter was 22 lbs at 6 months and has always been off the charts with height and weight. The weight limit is 65 lbs so they do not grow out of them as quick as other seats. I purchased the gogo travelmate for my trip next week.
http://www.gogobabyz.com/products/gogo_kids.html
It is supposed to work well with the Britax. I found it much cheaper from Target.

 

[PrincessBoo]

The car seat I have is a Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe Convertible Car Seat and my DS loves it. He would cry when he was in his infant seat and we found this one and have never looked back. The great thing about this one is the body is made by Britax, then Fisher PRice puts their name on it and their cover. It's around $130. It's at Albeebaby. We are definitely taking a cheap one to Florida with us. I'm too nervous to flush $130 down the drain if it gets broke.

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

I have two Marathons -for my 2 yo ds, and my 4.5 yo dd. They are great seats, and we have had not trouble installing them on the plane as well.

 

[laughinplace199]

You really can't go wrong with Britax seats. They're very safe and easy to install. All 3 of my kids are in Britax seats (1 in a carseat and 2 in boosters).

We have a Britax Marathon for our youngest. I really like it, but I find that the harness can be really hard to tighten. I sometimes feel like I can't get it tight enough. We had Roundabouts when my older two kids were small. I loved those seats and never had a problem with the harnesses.

We also bought a Cosco Scenera for travel, but we haven't used it yet. We plan to use it when we go to WDW this April.

 

[lclark0621]

We got the Marathon for my DS when he was 5 months old as he was rapidly outgrowing his infant seat. I LOVE it.

We still have it & use it in DH's car. My DS is 4.5 & still fits comfortably in it.

We moved him into a Britax Regent in my car (which is where he normally rides) & I think it is the best seat out there. It goes to a much higher weight & height limit & is so comfortable. If you can fit one in your car, I highly reccomend it, though I would start with something like a Marathon. Since car seats are only good for 5 years, and the Regent goes to 80lbs, I would reccomend getting it when your child is 3 or so.

 

[hoosiergirl7]

This is my .02...

As much as I love the Britax models, I just couldn't part with that kind of money. So instead I really did my research, both online and in the book Baby Bargains.

This is what I found, the Evenflo Triump has as many safety features if not more than the Britax, a better body and is only $130-$140. We bought 2 - one for each car. Our son is now 4 yrs old and has outgrown them but we are hanging on to them for the next kiddo. Many of my friends and family have purchased them because of our recommendation and love it as well.

I know some people will say but the weight limit on many of the Britax is higher. I've also heard that many peoples kids just get too tall to sit comfortably before they hit the weight limit anyhow. At least that's what many of the customers who had bought Britax seats had said. So in the end you'll have to buy a booster chair anyhow, probably earlier than expected.

If money is no object then go for the Britax but if you would hate to part with $250 for a carseat than go with the Evenflo Triump.

 

[tanyaandallie]

This is my .02...

As much as I love the Britax models, I just couldn't part with that kind of money. So instead I really did my research, both online and in the book Baby Bargains.

This is what I found, the Evenflo Triump has as many safety features if not more than the Britax, a better body and is only $130-$140. We bought 2 - one for each car. Our son is now 4 yrs old and has outgrown them but we are hanging on to them for the next kiddo. Many of my friends and family have purchased them because of our recommendation and love it as well.

I know some people will say but the weight limit on many of the Britax is higher. I've also heard that many peoples kids just get too tall to sit comfortably before they hit the weight limit anyhow. At least that's what many of the customers who had bought Britax seats had said. So in the end you'll have to buy a booster chair anyhow, probably earlier than expected.

If money is no object then go for the Britax but if you would hate to part with $250 for a carseat than go with the Evenflo Triump.

I would not recommend the Evenflo Triumph, but I would recommend the new Evenflo Triumph Advance. The older model has a 40 lb weight limit, a short shell and a low top harness slots. Most kids will outgrow this seat (by height, not weight) by the time they are 3 or 3.5, well before the minimum recommended age and weight for a booster. 4 AND 40 lbs is the bare minimum recommndation. The new Triumph ADVANCE has a nice tall back, 17 inch top harness slots and a 50 lbs weight limit. So, most kids will make it to 5 years old in this seat.

The Triumph ADVANCE is a nice alternative to MA/BV/DC. It will last about the same amount of time for a lot less money.

 

[jessica52877]

I personally would go with the Recaro Como. I love Recaro's, we had 2 young sports, but they aren't convertible and I would recommend to anyone. I got the como to try out with my 5 year old but didn't work, but neither did either Britax. I like Britax but Britax makes baby stuff, Recaro makes racing seats. IMO, Recaro's are better built. They are specific to what they do.

There were some questions about the wings on the como saying they were too snug, irritated child, etc, that is what I liked! My son, again, at age 5, 40 lbs, 44 inches, loved them, thought they were like a pillow.

We also had the Boulevard and currently have the Regent, mainly because a Recaro won't work. We returned the Boulevard (but I was looking for a seat for my 5 year old).

 

[hammie59]

I bought the Britax Marathon after my son outgrew his snug ride. We love it. Very easy for me to install and adjust. My son has always been in the 90th percentile for height, he's now almost 5yrs old, and he still uses it with no problems. He's very comfortable in it. It has a high back so it's allowing for larger children since the weight limit goes higher than most. I know the price is rather hefty, but we bit the bullet for what we thought would work for us, and so far we're very happy with it. I haven't researched carseats in a few years, so I don't know if there's anything better out there or not. I've never regretted buying the Marathon.

 

[lillykat]

Well cost isn't too much of an issue - I don't want to spend $400 - but my parents are buying it for us and told us not to worry about the cost but to get the safest seat for her.

I will take all this into account - but if it makes any difference she is 6 1/2 months now and was 17 lbs 3 ozs on 12/20 - she has been gaining 1 lb a month so I expect she will be 18 lbs by the end of the month. She is 25 3/4 inches.

See I hear so many good and bad things about each seat that it is so hard to choose. I know I will have to buy a booster seat someday anyway so I guess I am looking for the safest seat that will keep her the longest those harnesses.

 

[jessica52877]

Honestly, with all 3 you named you can't go wrong. I like the Boulevard or Como a bit over the others due to side impact.

 

[lclark0621]

This is my .02...

This is what I found, the Evenflo Triump has as many safety features if not more than the Britax, a better body and is only $130-$140. We bought 2 - one for each car. Our son is now 4 yrs old and has outgrown them but we are hanging on to them for the next kiddo. Many of my friends and family have purchased them because of our recommendation and love it as well.

Dont forgert to check the manufactured date on your seats. They are only good for 5 years & then they expire.

 

[memobrien]

I love Britax. i would suggest you look at that Decathalon as well. It's the same specs as the Marathon. The big difference is the way to tighten the belt. The decathalon has a control like the rouondabout.

I have carpal tunnel. And Personally I found the marathon hard to adjust. So we had our marathon on my hubbies car becauase he didn't have any issue adjusting it. But I had the decathalon in mine.

My DD just moved to a booster from her britax seats. For me you just can't beat the security of the Britax seats. I look at it like insurance... You might hate paying for it upfront... but my god if you ever need it, it's it worth every penny!

maura

 

[hoosiergirl7]

I would not recommend the Evenflo Triumph, but I would recommend the new Evenflo Triumph Advance. The older model has a 40 lb weight limit, a short shell and a low top harness slots. Most kids will outgrow this seat (by height, not weight) by the time they are 3 or 3.5, well before the minimum recommended age and weight for a booster. 4 AND 40 lbs is the bare minimum recommndation. The new Triumph ADVANCE has a nice tall back, 17 inch top harness slots and a 50 lbs weight limit. So, most kids will make it to 5 years old in this seat.

The Triumph ADVANCE is a nice alternative to MA/BV/DC. It will last about the same amount of time for a lot less money.

Thanks for the update. Didn't even know they came out with the Evenflo Triumph Advance. I will definitely keep that in mind if my carseat expires before the next kiddo arrives. I have loved my Triumph but was a little sad that DS outgrew his a few months shy of his 4th birthday because of the strap issue and because he's tall for his age. Also glad that the weight limit went up too!

 

[jessica52877]

I just remembered that I did a review on the como that you can watch and see my son actually in it. He was right under 5 years old, 40 lbs and 44 inches. So many people have talked about the narrow tops recaro has and I find that so untrue.

http://www.expotv.com/videos/reviews/2/27/Recaro-Como-Convertible-Car-Seat-Cobalt/200325

I also have the costco apex on there, recaro young sport and britax regent reviews if you click others of mine.

I was unable to actually see any of these except the costco apex so being able to see a kid in them really helps.

 

[Minniemouse07]

Britax seats generally go "on sale" at online stores in February so i would see if you could wait a few weeks before purchasing.

That said, I've had a Britax Advantage (precursor to the Boulevard), a Boulevard and two Huskies (precursor to the Regent) and have loved them all. Really easy to use and install.

The big difference between the Marathon and the Boulevard is the infinitely adjustable harness. It is great because you never have to uninstall the seat to raise up the harness. Recaro has a similar feature on their Signo seat.

You've gotten great advice so far. If you want more car seat info check out car-seat.org. Lots of info and a great message board!