Which Britax car seat should I get...Regent or Boulevard?

[JGib]

Ok, my "little" boy is growing faster than anticipated and will outgrow his Graco Snugride in the next couple months. He is 4 months old right now and is almost 18 pounds and is about 25.5". He's is actually not very fat, just very compact and solid. I know I want a Britax convertible seat. I'm wondering if I should get a Boulevard or a Regent. I'm leaning towards the Boulevard with the thought that once he outgrows that, then he can probably go to a booster. By the way, what is the normal age a child goes into a booster?

Thanks for any help!
Jody

[Aunt to sweet baby boy]

Your DS must be RF to a minimum of 1 year and 22 lbs. If possible i would keep him RF as long as he can. I would reccomend the BV in your situation because it can be RF to 33 lbs and then FF to 65 lbs.

Most children are ready to go into a booster between the ages of 4-5.

My DN avi is now FF in a Decathalon at 17 months because he is over 33 lbs. He was RF until two weeks ago. I think he will have about a year left in this seat and then he will move into a Regent. I want to keep him in a harnessed seat for as long as possible.

HTH

Ilana

http://lilypie.com/pic/060218/pBEG.jpg[/img]http://b2.lilypie.com/wepom8/.png[/url]

[JGib]

Can the Regent not be RF? I didn't check that.

[SusanMae]

The Regent is a FF ONLY seat, so I wouldn't even consider it at this point. The Marathon, BLVD, or the Decatholon seats would be best in your situation.

Susan

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, it's FF only 22-80 pounds...so you can get it when your ds is about 6 and too big for the Boulevard (but actually, you can move to a booster after the Boulevard...and use a booster till about age 8-12, depending on the kid and the car and how the seatbelt fits).

:)

Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx

[momtoB]

We have the Boulevard and love it. DS seems very comfy in it and I love the true side impact protection and the fact you don't have to rethread the harness to adjust it. The Regent is a great seat but you can't use it until your ds is big enough to face forward. If you can't afford a Boulevard and then a Regent later on, then I recommend buying a Cosco Scenera for about $40 which r/f's to 35lbs, use that until you dc reaches the r/fing weight limit, then switch to the Regent.

hth!

Cheryl
ds-4/03 (still r/fing in a Britax Blvd @ 28lbs)

[Kat_Mom2D_J_andRuthie]

I completely agree... if you can only get one britax, get the cosco scenera and then the Regent.

otherwise, the blvd is the way to go while he needs to be r/f... until 33lbs.

kat

[Valerie99]

Maybe you are thinking of the Roundabout, not the Regent? The Roundabout is the one that can be used RF or FF and 5lbs-40lbs. At any rate, I'd choose the Blvd over the Roundabout. It's about $80 more, but you get an extra 25lbs in the weight limit and 9" in the height limit which translates to about 3 years additional usage. If your ds continues on his same growth curve, he would likely outgrow the Roundabout at 3-3.5 years, too soon for a booster, but would be able to use the Boulevard for a full 6+ years (I believe car seats expire at 6 years, but it may be 8, a CPS tech would know for sure). If you plan to keep him in a 5-pt harness as long as possible, you could go with the Roundabout now and switch to a Regent when he outgrows the Roundabout around age 3. Or you could use the Blvd for 6 years and then transition to a booster.

[Joolsplus2]

Right, Britaxes are good for 6 years, Fisher Prices were good for 8, and there are a few brands here and there good for 7. The manual will state it, or there may be a sticker or plastic stamp on the seat somewhere.

:)
Julie CPS Tech and mom to 3 in seats
http://www.cpsafety.com/articles/RFAlbum/SarahMA.aspx