Which Britax should I get?

[jhrabosk]

Sorry...I know this gets asked repeatedly, but I wanted to see if anyone had a specific recommendation for my car.

My DD is almost 4 months and still has a little while before she officially outgrows her Snugride (she's around 16.5 lbs, 25ish inches), but I don't think she's very comfortable. We're driving to VT in a month (approx 5 hour trip), so I thought we'd upgrade her before then so she'll be happier for the long ride.

We have a 1999 Subaru Forrester. Any suggestions which Britax will fit well? I'm willing to buy the most expensive one if it will fit and is the best for her safety.

Also, I don't want grandma to have to invest $300 for the occasional short trips in her car. I'm seeing suggestions for the Cosco Scenera as a good inexpensive 2nd seat. Any additional suggestions?

TIA,
Jessica

[o_mom]

Any of the large Britax would be good. They will last until around age 5, when you can move to a booster. You may not be able to get a great recline with them in that car, however. Our 99 Outback cannot handle the DC at a 40-45 deg recline unless the passenger seat is moved forward, but the Forrester may have more room. Here is a comparison of the features on the three larger ones (Marathon (MA), Decathlon (DC) and Boulevard (BV)):

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=13&topic_id=32426#32513

You could also consider the Roundabout (RA), which only goes to 40 lbs, and will probably be outgrown around age 3, when you would need to buy a bigger seat. If you will have another child to hand it down to, that may not be such a big problem, but just plan to buy at least one more harnessed seat. We were able to get a 40 deg recline in the Outback with a RA, without moving the front seats.

The Scenera is a great choice for a second seat - easy to install and has a high back so it will last quite a while - you will get $40 worth of use out of it.

[duvie]

Unfortunately, Subarus are not the most carseat friendly cars. We have a 2005 Outback wagon and found that we couldn't get the Marathon to fit properly RF in the middle (maybe because of the hump in the middle of the seat).

After much fretting on my part about safety, we put it RF on the passenger's side and got a VERY tight fit by using the tether. I would rather have DS in the middle, but feel good that the seat doesn't budge at all and we have side airbags. We have been happy with the Marathon.