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  1. #1
    doremesa Guest

    Default Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    I am a FTM - due in Nov 05. I am thinking whether I should skip the infant carseat and use a Britax Decathlon covertible carseat from the beginning.
    Is this a good idea ?

    Thanks.



  2. #2
    GroversMom Guest

    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    Even though my DS was big and outgrew his snugride by 3 mos... it was well worth it for us to have it. It was incredibly convenient. Newborns sleep a lot and they can't sit in grocery store carriages so the snugride makes it a lot easier to be mobile early on.

  3. #3
    Mommy to a sweet baby boy Guest

    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    I had a infant carseat for my ds and i hated it. He hated it as well. Even how alot of people say it is helpful at the grocery store i and my son like to use the bjorn which is quite easy to put on and off once you get the hang of it. I was wondering if where you live will be cold in Nov. If it will be and you will not be able to warm up your car before getting in-like if you have an attached garage- I might suggest getting an infant seat soley for the purpose of being able to bring it with you so that you do not need to put a newborn in a freezing cold car. I live in CA and the coldest it gets in winter is around 50 degrees so for my next child i will deff. not use a "baby bucket". If you decide to go straight to the decathalon i would make sure to either have a friends infant car seat available or to have a model picked out in case your dc is smaller than 5 lbs at birth because that is the minimum weight for the decathalon. In case your dc is to small this way someone could go either pick up a carseat from a store or if you know of someone who recently had a baby who could lend you the carseat for the short amount of time that you would be using it.

    I would also like to tell you that if you use the decathalon from birth one of the great features with britax is the rf tether which you can use to make sure your dc is at enough of a recline, which is esp important with newborns.

    Also if you do end up getting an infant carrier i will suggest that you do not keep your dc in it for any longer than necessary. When i say necessary i do not mean if they are sleeping and you do not want to wake them up, i mean keep your dc in it in the car and take your dc out when you get out of your car. Use it like any other carseat, not like a place to let your dc sit all day while you are doing whatever you need to do. Babies like to be held in a sling or otherwise or put on their back in a stroller.

    Hth- let us know if you need more help

  4. #4
    MamaParis Guest

    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    After two kids and 3 infant seats - I'm TOTALLY planing on skipping the infant seat next time around!

    I'm planning to just start with either the Boulevard or Decathlon - although I will have a back up plan (infant seat picked out and waiting in the wings) just in case I have a preemie or smaller baby that doesn't fit well in the convertible from the start.

    But my DS rode in my DHs vehicle from the start in the Marathon and did perfectly fine in it.
    I had the infant seat in my car - and we used it a few times in DHs truck - but I liked the Marathon in there full time - and DS did wel in it - so its stayed like that.

    I personally totally don't see the need for an infant seat. its INCREDIBLY unsafe to prop them on grocery carts and so on (I've seen a fair share of them actually tip the basket or fall off!)
    And its highly recommended that babies not spend more than 20 min in one outside of riding in the car.

    IMO a GOOD body carrier for the baby and a GOOD stroller and a GOOD convertible carseat is the way to go. Thats just from my experience. :)

  5. #5
    melbb is offline Silver level (200+ posts)
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    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    I am considering skipping the infant seat as well. What I am wondering, does anyone have any idea how much of a difference the infant insert makes in the decathalon vs not having the insert with the Marathon, in terms of baby being too small for a convertible?

  6. #6
    MamaParis Guest

    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    Well, you can't use any kind of body support in the Marathon because it didn't come with the seat and therefore hasn't been tested.

    Also the Decathlon has an adjustable crotch buckle - so accomodate the smaller as well as bigger kids ...

    The infant padding in the Decathlon is also in the bum area which will help to lift the baby and cradle the baby better IMO.

    BUT like I have said before - we did put our DS in a marathon as a newborn and he did just fine with rolled up rec. blankets and so on.


  7. #7
    annasmom is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    Hi, I just wanted to tell you that I have used my Decathalon for my ds from the time he was about 2 months old, and considering the fact that he was seven weeks early, he was pretty little at the time. I had the PP Primo Viaggio and I hated it. I could never get it installed really tight. The Decathalon (as with all Britax carseats) was easy to install and has been great. I will say that when asleep my ds does slouch a bit. He is now 6.5 months and 15 1/2 pounds. (I was actually coming onto these boards to post a question about that) But overall he does seem very comfortable in the seat.

    I will say that with my dd I used the infant carrier (also the PP) all the time and it was great. That time I was able to get the base installed really tight. This time however, I just never felt that it was secure and I didn't find the carrier very convenient with 2 really little ones. HTH!

    ETA: I just wanted to be clear that what the previous posters stated is true - with a preemie an infant carrier is what is recommended.
    Eileen

    DD - 6 y.o.
    DS - 4 y.o.
    DS - 2 y.o.
    DD - 8 months

  8. #8
    kijip is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    I think skipping the bucket is fine from a safety perspective. As for convenience, I never found moving a sleeping Toby any harder than lugging the bucket. With a front carrier or a sling or a stroller, you can be super mobile while skipping the infant carseat.
    Katie, mama to a pair of boys.

  9. #9
    melbb is offline Silver level (200+ posts)
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    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    Thanks for all of your responses. I really appreciate it. Can I ask another question that is semi-related, for those of you that skipped the infant seat? I know that if you go to the grocery store or whatever, you can put the baby in a sling/carrier, but what do you do for example if you go to a restaurant? Put them in a sling then, too? Some people think it is convenient to have the baby in the infant carrier for these situations (yes, I am aware of the issue with leaving them in the car seat for too long). TIA!

  10. #10
    MamaParis Guest

    Default RE: Britax Decathlon for a newborn ?

    OK I just wrote a whole post and its gone! I hate when that happens!

    Anyway ...

    for us - we did one of the following ..

    a - wore baby in sling/carrier/etc

    b - Put baby laying flat in stroller (usually something low profile like the P3 or Zooper - but I've seen people with joggers in restaurnts before! lol) anyway, we just put the baby in there and roll him or her up to the table.

    c - at about 5 months and up we use a cart cover/high chair cover - padded and nice!

    d - my personal fav ... we have one of those travel booster/high chairs that RECLINE! I added a snuzzler in it and it made a nice little seat for the baby that I could attach to teh seat and not worry about someone knocking my carrier over or the carrier or stroller stickingout in the aisle and so on ...

    Something like this ...

    http://www.babyuniverse.com/pro.asp?...67357&id=67357


    and honestly - most people don't go out to eat that much with a baby under 4-5 months old.
    My dh and I are BIG into going out to eat - we average about 3 times a week for dinner - BUT when the kids are newborn - we stay home. More comfortable for us and the baby to be home and relaxed.
    Most parents are already sleep deprived and going out to eat is the last thing on their mind. :)



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