[veggiegirl]

Mommamarci has persuaded me to buy a Britax car seat for DD (which I had never even HEARD of before!) I'm just confused by the different models - there's the Roundabout, Marathon, Frontier, Decathlon, and Boulevard. What the heck is the difference, other than price of course! The Frontier seems very upright from the pics I see online... Please help me! I need to add one to my registry so I can use my 10% off coupon to buy it! Thanks!

[DPline]

Here is a link to a spot on the Britax site where you can compare the seats.
http://www.britaxusa.com/products/default.aspx

A lot depends on the your DD's size and the size of your vehicle. And since your daughter is young, you will want one that is a convertable. (Can rear face for now and then be turned forward facing later.)

I drive a Ford Flex so space isn't an issue, but if you have a smaller car, some of these seats are pretty big.

My DD is still in her Roundabout at almost 5 years old and really isn't anywhere near outgrowing it. It will most likely expire before she outgrows it. My boys were out of their Roundabouts by age 3 and age 4 so I would really hav been better off with a Marathon or other higher weight limit seat for them from the beginning.

Happy Shopping!

[naca]

I can help you a tad.. Personally I wouldn't go with a Roundabout just b/c it has the smallest weight limit. It looks like your little one is just 4mo? So you're looking for a convertible for after the infant seat? If so your options are the Roundabout, Marathon, Decathalon, & Boulevard . The Frontier is more of a booster seat w/ 5pt harness & doesn't start til 2yo & 25lbs.. Ihave both the marathon & the decathalon seats.. They have the same weight limits ect (I do love that Britax supports extended rear facing with their weight limits!) but the Decathalon has some extra padding .. If buying for an infant, I'd choose the Decathalon ..

Good luck

[devildogwife]

We got a Britax Roundabout for Cameron and love it. It is so easy to install and use. Most everyone suggested we get the Marathon, but Cameron is so small for his age, I wanted something a bit smaller. Much like DPline's daughter, my son won't outgrow his anytime soon or in the future.

[Fran27]

I got two marathons. I know the boulevard and decathlon have extra padding on the sides etc... but I knew for sure the marathons would fit in my car (although we're going to find out soon if two will...) and I found them for $100 cheaper than the other models, so it really wasn't a hard choice.

Look around either way... Amazon has different colors for different prices... the one we went with at the time (3 months ago because we had 20% off for two seats) was $50 cheaper than some of the other colors, and free shipping. And it's not even that ugly.. just plain denim.

[Stormster]

We like the Roundabout and I'm hoping he can go straight to a booster.

[Happy123]

Just save your receipt and the UPC symbol of the box. If you are ever in an accident (hopefully never)..the company will replace it w/ a new one. I just love our seat and are older child has the booster seat too.
Happy123

[SamIAm2]

I have the Marathon and I love it! Natalie is about to turn 3 and is nowhere near outgrowing it. She looks comfy in it and I know the safety features are rated very high.

[babydubs5]

My only suggestion is to remember that the Roundabout has a smaller HEIGHT max, too. Most kids outgrow car seats by height before weight.

According to Britax's website:
Roundabout goes to 40lbs (forward facing, rearfacing is 35) and 40 inches standing.

The Marathon is up to 65lbs forward facing, (35 lbs rear facing) and 49 inches for a height max.

The decathalon and boulevard have the same height and weight max. as the marathon. They just have additional padding, which when we tested them out, weren't as comfy as they looked for DS.

That being said, I bought two marathons for DS because I want to keep him in a 5 pt. harness for as long as possible.

[live4rachael]

We just switched from a Graco infant seat to a Britax Marathon since Bella's getting bigger and I was able to find one at a great price. We love love love it!

Keep in mind that Britaxes are good for 6 years from date of manufacture so it should last you quite a long time!

From another baby board I visit:

Marathon- The most basic model of the three. It harnesses to 65 lbs, rear faces (RF) 5 to 33 lbs. It has a rf tether, forward facing (FF) and rf lockoffs. Has the lever style harness adjuster, 4 harness heights, and the crotch strap does not adjust. It is very padded and comfy just like all the britax seats, and has about a million cover choices. Will last till the child is ready for a booster most likely. Good for children that need to rf still (under 33 lbs).

Decathlon- Harnesses to 65 lbs, rf 5 to 33 lbs. Has rf tether, ff and rf lockoffs. The ff lockoffs may damage seatbelts. It has a push button style harness adjuster, 4 harness heights (rumor is they may be a little taller than the marathon/boulevard), and a three position crotch strap that gives 1 more inch of room as compared to the marathon and boulevard. It has infant inserts so is great for a small baby. It also has a removeable toddler head pillow. It has more limited cover choices than a marathon. Will last till child is most likely ready for a booster. Good for very small babies because of the infant insert but a ma/bv may be a better choice for an older child that won't need the infant insert.

Boulevard- Harness to 65 lbs, rf 5 to 33 lbs. Has rf tether, ff and rf lockoffs. It has true side impact protection (the "wings"). Has a lever style harness adjuster, and instead of having to remove the seat from the car to adjust the harness height you just turn a knob on the side of the seat, and it does not have an adjustable crotch strap. It has a removeable infant pillow so is also a good choice for a very small baby. Will last till the child is most likely ready for a booster. Good seat for any child. Especially one that will have to be on the side of a vehicle without side curtain airbags.

Britax Regent (used to be Husky) KING of car seats is right! Harnesses to 80 lbs. Top slots are 20 inches. Requires a top tether after child is 40 lbs. (unless using a lap-only belt, then it’s required at 50 lbs.), but a tether should really be used all the time. Retails for $220-$260. Not good for children under 2yo. It is FORWARD FACING ONLY.

Britax Frontier For children over 2 years of age and harnesses to 80 lbs. Top slots are 18 inches. Tether not required, but recommended. Harness height is adjusted on back of seat, but there’s no rethreading of harness required. Has a flexible LATCH strap with typical Britax push-on connectors. LATCH may be used when seat is in booster mode. Has 3 crotch strap positions. Nice padding. A 9 year expiration! Deep cupholders that can disappear into the side of the seat when not used. Can be installed with the seat belt using the short belt path or long belt path. FAA approved when used with harness. Converts to a good booster with no weight limit. Replaces the Parkway and Monarch. Retails for $279. FORWARD FACING ONLY.



Have to include my plug for extended rear facing (ERF) and extended harnessing (EH):
CPSafety - Your online child passenger safety resource
Child car seat advice questioned - Growing Up Healthy - MSNBC.com
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI
Rear-Facing Carseats and Safety
The Car Seat Lady - Rear-Facing Seats:
Authors Denise & Alan Fields / Windsor Peak Press Book Forums - Powered by vBulletin
Selecting and Using the Most Appropriate Car Safety Seats for Growing Children: Guidelines for Counseling Parents -- Committee on Injury and Poison Prevention 109 (3): 550 -- AAP Policy
Rear facing in Rear end collisions


A childs' vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old. Before then, he/she is at great risk for spinal injury. When rear-facing in a crash, the forces are spread out among the strong carseat shell and baby's strong back. The harness holds baby down in the seat and he/she is cradled and protected. When forward-facing, the harness holds babys' body back, and his/her head flies forward violenty, putting tremendous stress on the neck.

Here's the catch...the spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches, BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 of an inch before it snaps and baby is gone. This is referred to as internal decapitation. Babys' head will be slumped over like he/she is sleeping.

It's very important to keep babies rear-facing to 1 year AND 20 lbs. (both, not either/or) at the very least. It's actually much safer to rear-face to the limits of a convertible carseat, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. A forward-facing child is 4-5 times MORE likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age...not a risk I'll be taking with my babies.

Check out this video for some great information and crash test footage...you'll see the HUGE difference: http://youtube.com/watch?v=kRP7ynNI8mI

And this one has lots of pictures of older rear-facing kiddos: YouTube - The Importance of Rear-Facing: Version 2

And here’s another great link:
Rear-facing*-*Child Restraint Safety


European study showing that rear-facing is better through age 4: http://www.anec.eu/attachments/ANEC-...8-TRAF-003.pdf

Update: CBB Reader Andrea wants parents to keep their kids in rear-facing car seats longer|Celebrity Baby Blog
www.CarSeatSite.com/rf.htm




Extended Harnessing (aka EH): Why you should consider keeping your child harnessed past age 4 and 40 pounds in a car seat with a higher weight harness.

A younger child doesn’t have the mental maturity to understand that s/he needs to stay still in a booster. The shoulder belt must always stay on the shoulder to keep the child from being thrown forward in a crash. A parent who prematurely moves a child into a booster is often put in the position of constantly reminding (nagging) her child to stay in position to stay safe. The child will eventually tune out the parent and the parent will become frustrated. The child's safety is placed in the hands of the child. A car seat with a properly tightened 5-point harness allows a child to be a child: no nagging to stay in position, no worrying that the child doesn't have the seat belt on or is leaning over to pick up a toy.

5-point harnesses spread crash forces over a larger area and there are 5 points of protection on the child vs. 3 points with a lap/shoulder belt (1 shoulder and 2 hips). A properly adjusted harness is more likely to keep the child contained in the seat and not ejected, especially in a side impact or rollover. Sleeping is easier in a 5-point harness than in a booster.

Compare these 2 videos and watch how the dummy moves in each:

http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_s...cosipriori.mpg

This is of a harnessed seat similar to those sold in the U.S.

http://www.oeamtc.at/netautor/html_s...xicosirodi.mpg

This is of a booster seat similar to those sold in the U.S.

There are higher weight harness seats in all price ranges and some convert to boosters once kids reach the weight limit of the harness.

[mommieof2cuties]

I have all britax and love all of mine

[Fe2002]

Live4Rachael, thank you for the extra information. I was just wondering when/if my DD was ready to be forward facing.

[JustCourtney]

We will not need to upgrade for quite while (our little man is only 13lbs @ 4 months!), but we have the Britax Companion and love it! He has fir snugly since we brought him home, and I really like the additional head support it has. People are always commenting on it, and asking where we bought pad - I just tell them it came with! Even when he falls asleep, it keeps his head from falling too far to either side. It also has a great pad that is under the lock, that prevents any accidently pinching when snapping them in! I never considered it, until I was with a friend who has a Graco and she pinched her baby's tummy while he squirmed! It was horrible!

When he outgrows his infant seat, we plan on getting another Britax!

[JeannineW]

We have bought 2 Roundabouts and 2 Marathons. My daughters who are in boosters used to request them for long trips back when they still fit in them.

My ds is still in a Marathon at nearly 5 and his 2 yo sister is lusting after his carseat. She still uses the Roundabout but she has to ride in his whenever he is not in the car.

I love how securely they hold the child. I watched my friend's daughter in her parked car escaping from her straps the other day. Not my kids. They are snug as bugs in a rug.

[live4rachael]

You're welcome, Fe2002!