Choosing between Britax MA and RA

[baby_mis1]

I am over 1 hour away from the nearest store that sells Britax, and am ready to move up to a convertible seat in my 2001 Nissan Quest minivan (with Latch). We already have a RA in my husband's car. We were planning to buy another RA with Latch for the minivan, but now I'm reading all these posts about the MA. I would like to just buy one on-line so I don't have to spend a whole day just to purchase the seat, but I'm not sure..... Here are some questions I have:

1) How much harder is the harness adjuster on the MA? I read somewhere that it is a lever rather than a button? What is the "trick"? The thing I hate most about the current infant seat is the difficulty adjusting the straps. This is a very important criteria!!!

2) What is the probability of one or the other fitting better in my car? It looks like the Marathon is bigger, but it has a smaller base? We currently have the infant seat installed in the passenger-side position of the middle bench seat. In that location, it bumps up against the back of the passenger seat when it is pushed back (dh is 6'5"). I'm concerned this could be an issue again (although the woman at BRU told us it was OK to have the passenger seat in contact with the car seat if it was tethered??)

3) I like the height advantage on the MA - my 7 mo old son is about 90% on the height charts. If I go with the RA, what is the typical age that he would probably be able to make rf (I think I read 14 mo?)?

Thanks in advance for the help. This site has been full of lots of useful info!

Valerie - Mom to Jonas 7mo.

[tobymc]

You'll want to read the other posts I just did comparing the RA and the MA (as well as the Alpha Omega and the Comfort Sport to the MA).

But here are some answers.

1) The harness adjuster appears to be a tad harder to use than the RA, but not as hard as the other brands. I didn't find the MA adjuster harder at all, but folks who've used it more than I do say that it is a little harder. Instead of a button to push, there is a lever to tilt, sort of.

2) The MA is bigger but does have a smaller base. It IS fine to brace it against the seat in front. So far, fit feedback is very positive. But I'm expecting that it may have some rear facing fit issues in small cars.

3) I like the height advantage for your son too. You can check some growth charts to get an idea of how fast he'll grow height wise (www.keepkidshealthy.com is one site) but no site tells torso + head height, which is what is most important rear facing. But it is clear that the MA gives more height room, both rear and forward facing.

Hope that helps.

[lisa_ga]

Here's a website that is currently offering free shipping on the Britax car seats. The MA is $239.

www.babycatalog.com

Lisa
Mom to Marcus