What is the best Britax car seat for safety, form, fit and function?

Question

I want to buy one for my 4 month old daughter for when she outgrows her bucket any moment now.

Answer 1

The 3 Britax 'bigger' convertibles (I don't usually recommend the Roundabout, it doesn't last much longer than the 40lbs Walmart seats and yet its much more expensive)  are all built on the same shell - they are the same seat essentially, with different features. So pick which features are important to you.

THe Marathon is the base model - no frills except the fact that the Marathon has the most cover choices. :)

All 3 - Marathon, Decathalon, Boulevard harness to 33lbs (newest ones made after Feb '08 go to 35lbs) rear facing, and 65lbs forward facing. 17" tall top harness slots (slightly lower in the Boulevard b/c of the infinite adjust harness).

The Decathalon is a great seat, but many people have had trouble with adjusting the harness, so I'd be a little tentative to get it. The Boulevard has true side impact protection (TSIP) in the form of EPS foam around the child's head. The only problem is that some children HATE those foam pillows and scream in the seat b/c they can't see around them and they push their head forward some. But, other kids don't mind them at all. Definitely try before you buy if you want a Boulevard to make sure your baby doesn't mind them.

You can compare the 3 on Britax's website:

http://www.britaxusa.com/products/compar...

Main differences:

Boulevard has harness you never have to rethread, Decathalon/Boulevard have infant inserts (for smaller babies), Decathalon also has toddler pillow, Decathalon crotch strap has 3 positions, Boulevard/Marathon have 1, Marathon/Boulevard have lift lever harness release, Decathalon has push button.

All are the same size - will fit same in the car. You can't go wrong with a Britax! So just pick the one whose features you like best. Remember: the infant carrier is outgrown when:

1)weight limit is reached - 22lbs

           OR

2)there is less than 1" of seat above her head

But, when you move her to a convertible car seat keep it rear facing as long as possible! Its not outgrown rear facing until:

1)the weight limit is reached (33-35lbs, check your manual)

        OR

2)less than 1" above head

Turning kids forward at 20lbs/1year is an outdated practice that could cost you your child's life!

1)A forward-facing child under 2 years old is 5 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a crash than a rear-facing child of the same age.

2)A child's vertabrae do not fully fuse until 3-6 years old, before then, she is at great risk for internal decapitation. The spinal column can stretch up to 2 inches in a crash BUT the spinal cord can only stretch up to 1/4 inch before it snaps and baby is gone.

3)Current research suggests that children under the age of two years are 75 percent less likely to die or be seriously injured when they are riding rear facing.

4)In a recent article from Injury Prevention, it was found that the odds of severe injury to forward facing children age 12-23 months old was 5.32 times higher than a rear facing child. (Car Safety Seats For Children: Rear Facing For Best Protection; Injury Prevention 2007; 13:398-402.)

It works this way: when you get in an accident and run into something, the car stop suddently, but everything and everyone in the car keeps moving in the direction the car was moving when it stopped, in most accidents, this is forward. So in an accident with a child in a forward facing seat, his head, the heaviest part of the body on babies and toddlers, flies forward very forcefully and easily snaps. If that same child is in a rear facing seat, his head tries to fly forward but is supported by the back of the rear facing seat, so there is no stress put on the child's neck and spine.

Check out this photo album exclusively of rear facing kids, many of them much older than 12 months: http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum...  There isn't a single documented case of a child breaking their legs b/c they were rear facing in an accident. There are, however, lots of cases where children have been killed and seriously injured where a rear facing seat would have protected them better.

Once you do turn her forward facing, then keep her in a harness as long as possible before putting her in a booster.

Answer 2

Try this site it is very helpful...............

http://www.carseatdata.org/

The Britax Roundabout has a 5 star rating ( FYI ).

Answer 3

We have 2 Marathons and love, love, love them!  

This was written by a tech on Baby Bargains (FYI - the new models rearface to 35lbs instead of just 33lbs):

"What is the difference between the Roundabout, Marathon, Decathlon, and Boulevard..."

The roundabout is a 5-40 pounds convertible seat. It has a single anchor strap routed through the belt path. It can be tethered rear facing and rear faces from 5-33 pounds. It can also be used forward facing from 20-40 pounds AND over a year old.

The marathon, decathlon, and boulevard are all 5-65 pound convertible seats.

The marathon is the first and most basic. It features 4 harness heights, double straps anchor attachments with bars (instead of using the belt path). It can be tethered rear facing and used rear facing from 5-33 pounds and forward facing from 20-65 AND over a year old.

The decathlon features additional infant padding that makes this a very plush seat and very supportive for newborns. It use a single anchor strap routed through the belt path. It has 3 different crotch strap settings and 4 harness heights. It can be tethered rear facing and used rear facing for 5-33 pounds and forward facing 20-65 pounds AND over a year old.

The boulevard also has additional padding for infants, as well as side 'wings' marketed br Britax as "True Side Impact Protection." These EPS lined wings help to contain the child's head in a side impact crash. The harness on this seat is adjusted with a k**b and can be adjusted 1/16 of an inch at a time, allowing for a perfect fit every time. It has double anchors straps that are hooked to bars and not routed through the belt path. It rear faces from 5-33 pounds and forward faces from 20-65 pounds AND over a year old. It can also be tethered rear facing.