Questions for those of you that have Britax Boulevard or Marathon

[MNmomtobe]

I read an old post here with reports of their toddler undoing the harness straps on the Marathon. Was this problem fixed? I believe these posts were from 2005.
Those that have the Boulevard- are your kids (especially older kids) bothered by the head support wings on this model?
Thanks!

[o_mom]

The problem has never been fixed. The harness release lever is positioned in such a way that some kids can reach down and pull the lever. Most kids will never figure it out, and older ones can be made to understand not to do it. You can also pin the cover shut over the lever.

[duvie]

My friend's DD (17 months) does not like the Boulevard's head wings... my friend wishes that she had gotten the Marathon. Maybe her DD won't mind them when she gets older, but for now she doesn't like not being able to see around them.

[kellyotn]

Yeah, the MA is just designed in such a way that IF they figure it out, some can reach it and pull the lever up towards them. I rarely adjust the straps myself (I just wrestle it clicked, where others loosen and tighten every day) so DD (3.5 years) doesn't know its even there.

My (older) Fisher Price seats were the same way, and there was no cover to sew shut.

If a kid figures it out, sewing the cover or covering it with cardboard under the cover should end the problem. It would definately be annoying!

[MMEand1]

My DS just recently figured out how to unlatch the chest clip. We put a piece of the rough side of velcro around the one side of the chest clip that the other piece slides into. It has worked so far.

My DS (3 yo) is in the Wizard and has never had a problem with the head wings. My DD (13 mo) is in the BV and she, too, has never had an issue with the wings. The wizard wings are closed together than the BV, but has never bothered my DS. We did not get this seat for him until he was 2-ish, so it's not like he had this seat from the beginning.

Mariah P.

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

my biggest recommendation is positive reinforcement... teach the dora mantra of "seatbelts... so we can be safe!"... i also modify it with carseats in place of seatbelts.

but if nothing else fails, showing crash test videos and doing the living room (or in car) crash simulation is helpful

let the child loosen the straps or you loosen them... then, if in the living room, take the seat and slam it forward, holding onto it, of course, but enough that the child feels the difference when you do it again with the belts tight.

in the car, just loosen and then put your hand behind the back... and push hard.. then show how, with belts tight, you can't push or move him/her at all.

this cured it for Damian when he first asked me why he had to be so tight (he'd gotten used to the booster) all over and now he will ask if he can loosen himself (I taught him how so he can get out of the seat more easily and buckle himself more easily) before he does it... and he will bug the heck out of anyone to tighten him as soon as he's buckled... no matter what... you kinda have to stop whatever conversation you're having sometimes, because he's one of those kids that gets anal about safety once you get the why part through.

My other boy has never asked to be loosened when we put him back into a harness from a booster... he says it's a carseat hug.

for younger kids, sewing it shut is definitely a good idea...

and pulling over any time they loosen inappropriately to correct them.

Oh, and the new fisher-price seats have a much smaller opening and the metal clip is so hard to reach I had trouble finding it in the store... so if you have a kid who likes to escape and want to harness past 40lbs, that's your answer.


Oh, and the Husky/Regent is even easier for kids to loosen... both my boys can do it... though my 4.5yr old needs help... me pushing him forward.

I think Britax might have done it all on purpose for older kids so they can do it all themselves, except for tightening.

I know that, with 3 harnessed seats in two rows in my van, it's a BIG help that my oldest (the one in the third row, where there's only 1 tether anchor) can buckle himself