Britax convertible carseat

[mtjoya]

I am in the market for a new car seat and I would like to purchase a Britax but am getting confused on which model to buy. I wanted to get the Blvd. but then started to check out the marathon.

Does anyone have either of these models, which one do you prefer etc.? BRU is having a sale and this other site has the marathon for $209.

I am

Thanks!

 

[fieryred33143]

I don't have either but I did research them when I was looking for a seat.

The main differences in the older models:

-The blvd had a no rethread harness. This is one of those features that you have to personally decide if it's worth it for you. It is for me since we have had to adjust a number of times. Essentially what this feature allows is for the adjustment of the headrest/straps without having to remove and replace the straps.
-They both have the side impact technology but blvd had the "true" side impact technology which keeps the head from bouncing side to side.

Now the new marathon has almost the exact same features as the blvd except for the true side impact. If it's a matter of choosing between the older marathon vs. blvd, I personally would go with the blvd. If it's between the new marathon vs. blvd, I would go with the marathon.

Also as a side note, I personally would skip the "click and safe" (CS) models as it is pretty useless and a bit misleading (i.e. not worth the extra money for it).

 

[TravelingGal]

Agree on CS models...a waste. I have it on my Advocate and it never clicks with any consistency.

I only know the older models. And there are some sales on it. The Boulevard CS was $199 on albeebaby a couple of weeks ago. I bought the older model advovate for $219. No tax (if you're not in NJ, I think), free shipping.

 

[mtjoya]

Thank you very much ladies for your input!

fiery-I think marathon it is!

TGal-thanks for the review on the CS I am eyeing this one and it's on sale!

http://carseats.babycatalog.com/infant-to-toddler-convertible-car-seats/marathon-70-car-seat/e9lbm70.html?source=k236198&kw=Smile%20Kids%20World

 

[Mara]

We have a Blvd and and honestly I don't even know if it's that much 'safer' seeming. It does have the side wings and it was super easy for G to install, but it just looks awkward to me and J looks awkward in it. Who knows. 20/20 hindsight I'd prob get the Marathon if I was purchasing again. But we haven't been 'unhappy' with the Blvd, but just not sure I'd pay a lot more for it.

BTW there was a site like car seats org or something where they had the black marathon for like $179. That is what i was eyeing up to buy before the FAO sale came up and I got our Blvd for $130.

 

[TravelingGal]

Mara, as he gets older, it will seem less awkward. Plus it's worth it's weight in gold because you can easily adjust those straps. Not that the marathon is a lot harder, but I love the BLVD compared to the marathon we have. On the rare occasions she falls asleep in the seat, the side wings make for more comfy head support.

Just to be sure, you have him in the correct recline for the rear facing position?

 

[Mara]

TG honestly I don't know, Greg read the manual and installed the carseat. He seems really upright to me. But I saw that it said that 'RF this line should be parallel to the ground' and it IS parallel so I think it's right. But it's def not the same recline as his infant car seat has, this is more upright. He also seems so tiny in it! And the side wing insert thing at his lower back leaves a space at the top of his back...I was going to ask Greg about that. Do you know if we just remove the side wing insert as he outgrows it?

 

[fieryred33143]

Mara-I would have it checked out. We had an issue with her seat being too upright. Whenever she would fall asleep, her head would move forward to where her chin would be on top of her chest. We adjusted it so that it reclines back a bit more and now there are no issues.

Do you need a noodle with the britax? My safety first requires a noodle (or rolled up towel) underneath in order for it to recline properly.

 

[TravelingGal]

Mara, get it checked out. I'm going to have our advocate checked out in the next week (TGuy and I are not sure about the tether issue).

IIRC, the seat should be reclined 45 degrees? The reason I ask is that our blvd (which was checked by a certified technician) was fairly reclined...in that even in our big car, I had to move the front seat up a bit in order to have clearance between seats (which it must have). I know your car is smaller, so the big boulevard should be taking up a lot of room in the right position. There are two positions for the seat, and the recline is obvious.

 

[Mara]

yeah I think we'll get it checked out. There is a place local to us. Fiery...when he naps his face isn't on his chest but the recline is def diff than his infant which is what I noticed right away.

 

[TravelingGal]

Mara, I recall our experience, and I noted that Amelia appeared LESS reclined, but not drastically so....

 

[fieryred33143]

Mara, I recall our experience, and I noted that Amelia appeared LESS reclined, but not drastically so....

Same with us.

The issue we had with our seat is that the car seat tech was not too familiar with it. The good thing about brands like britax is that all of the techs are familiar with is so they can spot instanly when something seems off or isn't done correctly. It took my tech 40 mins to install this seat because she wasn't too familiar and wanted to read over the manual. It seemed a bit off to me but I left it like that for about a month. When we traveled, I decided to recline it back a little more and it has made a HUGE difference.

 

[Mara]

at lunch i looked at the seat and it is reclined but still less than infant. now i am really curious about the side wing insert thing though. i wonder if it's meant for smaller babies.

 

[TravelingGal]

I think I used the side wing thing for about 15 minutes....

 

[Mara]

umm ok so that is the INFANT BODY insert. Greg told me to not mess with it when I expressed surprise that J looked stuffed into it. Now I know why--he's not a tiny infant anymore! i just read the entire Britax manual online and we're going to look at the seat again tonite. it may be reclined fine but it could be the insert that was throwing me off. he just looked so awkward in it!

 

[TravelingGal]

lol Mara, that's why we didn't use it for longer than 15 minutes (if ever). Amelia was 7-8 months when we put her in and we thought right off the bat we didn't need it, but I tried using it when I first put her in because I "paid" for it.

 

[qtiekiki]

I still have the side wing in Meena's Blvd and Jaron's Diplomat. She seems fine with it, so I just left it.

 

[Mara]

haha QT i can't believe that! i took it out and J seemed soo much more comfy in it. i was like what is wrong with this carseat. I think it bothered me more than him haha.

so apparently our car does not rear face tether, only FF. and it's reclined as well. removing the insert makes it seem so much better. we'll still get it checked out but i feel better about it!