GRRR, what is with Britax Hating?

[OKKiddo]

I'm on a facebook group for car seats and they widely love the Radians and Complete Air car seats. In fact, you could say you have a blue midget with 2 heads and ask what car seat would work best and those would be the first two suggestions. If someone should even ask about Britax seats this is likely what you would see:

"I strongly, strongly recommend AGAINST the Britax convertibles, unless you happen to be in position of a very petite, short waisted child. (I'd say, under 25th percentile in height, or, if taller, carrying all their height in their legs.)

People 'love' them....but it's about brand name recognition more than anything. THey are outgrown rear facing waaaaaay too soon, and if I'm going to suggest a 300 dollar convertible to a new parent, it had better keep the average kid rear facing to 3-4 years old.

The new Britax convertibles are simply poorly thought out, poorly designed, and NOT good for safety recommendations.

(Their infant seats, combination seats and booster seats are nice, but not their convertibles.)"

Me? I have 2 sons who made it in Britax seats very well (DS1 until 4 years 1 month, DS2 3.5 years). I love the ease of install, the fit of the seat, and the designs. I love that they come with built in lock offs and rear facing tethers.

Are the newer seats shorter in shell height? Yes. Will this impact how long children can rear face? Likely some. But is it any less safe? No. So why the sweeping comments from people stating that they're less safe? I don't get it. And yet, don't throw out any naysaying comments about Radian's on this board, lol! (eta that by "this board" I meant that facebook group, not you guys, lol!)

[TwoBees]

The new Britax convertibles are simply poorly thought out, poorly designed, and NOT good for safety recommendations.

(Their infant seats, combination seats and booster seats are nice, but not their convertibles.)"



I'm curious, what leads to this type of comment? They don't seem poorly designed to me...

[edurnemk]

Not good for safety rec's?!! Well as the mother of a child who was saved by a Britax Blvd, I beg to differ. My DS is also 75th percentile in height and 50th in weight and he made it RF to 3.5 yo. It's one thing to recommend other seats, but why do they trash the Britax seats?

I have other seats and I much prefer the Britax, not because of the brand but because I LOVE the install, and the harness adjustment, and the headwings that keep my car-napping preschooler's head from flopping. If you ask my 4 yo DS which is his favorite car seat he'll always choose the Blvd, he thinks it's more comfy. In fact I thought of moving him up to the Maestro now that he's FF (mainly because of the base height, me being PG and finding it harder to get him out when he falls asleep), but DS refused.

So in a few words: I'm with you! I :heartbeat: Britax convertibles.

[OKKiddo]

I don't know why they make the comments that they do. Some of them (and the person who wrote the quoted comments) are car seat techs and really push the radians. So much so that when someone complains about their latch straps or comments about disliking radians they're quickly disputed, rudely attacked, and then threads are deleted. I don't know how she came to those conclusions on Britax but I have called them out on their sweeping, aka, blanket statements about safety. The only thing they have to back that up with so far is that because the Britax seats won't keep a child rear facing as long as the Radians or CA's then they're not a good safety recommendation because it would force parents to turn their child too soon. I think that even above average children should fit rf'ing to at least 2 years old in Britax seat (maybe not the roundabout which a few seem to have and use that as their basis for not fitting long enough).

Just burns my butt though, lol!

[arivecchi]

Care to share what fb group this is? ;)

I would be happy to go in there and tell them that my old Radian was much harder to use and we have all been so happy to trade it for a Boulevard (including DS!)! I do not miss the crappy harness adjuster, the meshy fabric or the 1000 pounds that thing weighed. And let's not even get into that little CS/ethical issue that SK had with the loosening LATCH fiasco........

[mom2khj]

Care to share what fb group this is? ;)

I would be happy to go in there and tell them that my old Radian was much harder to use and we have all been so happy to trade it for a Boulevard (including DS!)! I do not miss the crappy harness adjuster, the meshy fabric or the 1000 pounds that thing weighed. And let's not even get into that little CS/ethical issue that SK had with the loosening LATCH fiasco........

I was going to say, I've read horrid things about SK, their CS and their ethical decisions on their products.

I've never read much bad about Britax except when it was a personal preference. And I have a child who likely will not make it to 2yo RF in a new Marathon (or will barely). But I still won't buy a Radian ever again (had one for DD2 for a short while to fit three across).

[infocrazy]

My boys are in the 80-90% height range and we had the RA Classic (with the smaller shell) for them. DS1 lasted until 2.5 and DS2 (longer torso) lasted until exactly 2...and that is with the earlier shell--it actually just expired this month. :-( Loved that it was smaller honestly. We couldn't fit the MA in RF because we just couldn't get them to fit in the CRV we had at the time. DH and I are very tall. But honestly, I likely would have flipped them anyway.

DD is smaller but is now in a RF MA since the RA expired. DH thinks she needs to turn, but she won't since she is such a peanut.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Britax convertibles. I get a very quick, and tight install...and have gotten the majority of mine at Target clearances back when they used to do those!!!

I have to admit, I'm not loving the FR85 so far for DS2 though. The seat cover elastic hook things keep coming undone...annoying...and I thought it took me a lot longer than the other seats to get a tight install.

[queenmama]

I haven't tried either of those "recommended" seats, but DS was in a RF Roundabout until well after his 2nd birthday and he was in the top 90% (at least) for height.

I understand that the shells are different/shorter now, but I will absolutely be using a Britax convertible for this baby. I love the rock-solid install and lock-off clips. (My niece & nephew are both in Marathons so I know that part hasn't changed!)

Sent from my Android phone using Tapatalk

[goldenpig]

I totally hear you. I've been on the forum at car-seat.org and I notice the same anti-Britax bias amongst car seat aficionados. I feel like Britax lovers are viewed the same as people who buy travel systems by the stroller aficionados. I have 2 Britax Diplomats and got a lot of use out of them--DD and then DS rear-faced till almost 2 in them and now DD is using it FF (they're little for their age). And I have a Britax Advocate which I love, but it's a behemoth and is very unpopular with the carseat techs who say it is overpriced and that side impact cushions not worth it (I don't see why not if you have the space, everything helps). I do have 2 First Years True Fit Premiers, which are "approved" car seats, but I just don't like the strap systems and installation as much as the Britaxes.

[hellokitty]

To an extent, I've always dealt with this, since in our area, ppl think it's outrageous to spend that much on a carseat. FWIW, our britax seats were still our favorite ones. We ended up trying the true fit and nautlilus after our marathons expired and they do not compare to the easy of install to the britax.

The thing that is weird to me, is that I see a lot of radian love, BUT I actually know several ppl with radians who do not like them. I think mostly there have been complaints that the seat is extremely tall and that it is not an easy install.

[BabyBearsMom]

My 99th percentile for height 80th-percentile for weight almost 2 yo is RF'ing in a MA70 and a BLVD. She still has PLENTY of room to grow in both seats. In fact, I think she will likely make it to 2.5 to 3 RF'ing in both seats and she is a giant (people are literally shocked when I tell them how old she is because they assume she is 3). I agree with PP that because Britax is a well known brand, some snobby folks look down on it. (I wouldn't compare them to travel systems, because travel systems really are not as good as some other options, whereas Britax seats are excellent). But I don't think there is any questioning the easy of install of a Britax, and ease of install is key for a safe carseat.

[wendibird22]

We love our MA and our Frontier. DH has a TF in his car RFing and he keeps threatening to swap it with the MA in my car because he hates the TF...hard to install, hard to adjust the straps when RF, just overall so much more inconvenient than our MA.

[essnce629]

Personally, I'm not a fan of the new Britax seats and actually don't recommend them any more. ALL the moms in my MOMS Club playgroup have the new Britax seats though and all still chose to turn their kids ff'ing before 2 years old. I don't see the point of paying that much money when you're not going to even use the seat fully. You might as well just by an $80 Maestro or a cheaper convertible if you're only going to just use it rear-facing for less than 6 months before turning it around. I tried DS2 out in the new Britax seats when he was just 13 or 14 months old and was not impressed at all. DS was in the 90th percentile for height at the time, with a long torso, and just had 2" of shell room left. That wasn't enough for me to be comfortable for a 1 year old.

For tall kids that are lightweights, like my DS2, I recommend the True Fit Premier since it has the tallest shell of all the convertibles. DS2 will be three in May, but is still only 30lbs, and has 5" above his head in the TFP.

For tall kids that are average weight or above average, I recommend the Radian, Complete Air 65, and even the new Graco Smart Seat. My DS1 tried out all of these seats (and the TFP) at 7 years old and had "just" outgrown them by height.

I think the new Britax seats and the Graco MyRide 65 are better for petite kids. The MyRide 65 was way too narrow in the shoulders for my kids. DS1 outgrew the "old" Britax convertibles at 5 years old, so I don't see the point of buying Britax when you can get other convertible seats that will last 2 years longer forward-facing.

I do love our Britax FR85 and Regent, and our "old" Britax RA50 (scored for $48 during the Target deal!) was good for when DS2 was under two. I just find there's other convertibles out there that have a lot more legroom and if you're going to be rear-facing to the limits of your seat you need that. If you're turning your kids ff'ing at 18 months like all the moms in my playgroup then legroom is never really going to be an issue. Also, once you turn forward-facing and your kids get older (5+), you need extra shoulder room too. The Britax seats are all narrower in shoulders than the Radian, Complete Air 65, TFP, and Graco Smart Seat. Before buying a seat for DS2, I made sure to try 7 year old DS1 in all the seats to get a view of how long the seat would last overall. The Britax seats weren't cutting it.

[new_mommy25]

I'm not familiar with the new Britax seats, but I loved the ones I had for my kids and would buy them again. My kids are super tall. DS was in a MA until he was close to 5 and then went into a Nautilus. DD is almost 6 and just outgrew her Boulevard. She still fits in her True Fit. What I loved about thr seats was the ease of install. It was so easy and fast, whether you use seat belts or latch. I even travelled with the seat and used it on thr plane because I liked it so much.

[MontrealMum]

Care to share what fb group this is? ;)

I would be happy to go in there and tell them that my old Radian was much harder to use and we have all been so happy to trade it for a Boulevard (including DS!)! I do not miss the crappy harness adjuster, the meshy fabric or the 1000 pounds that thing weighed. And let's not even get into that little CS/ethical issue that SK had with the loosening LATCH fiasco........

:yeahthat:

That sounds like someone with a serious axe to grind. I'd take any of their comments with a grain of salt.

We've had old style MAs and RN XTSLs and I think that both have their pluses and minuses. Yes, my DS was able to make it to 4 RFing in the RN, but how common is it for the average person to keep their kid RFing that long? Also, keeping in mind that my DS is 95% for height and 90% for weight, he made it to 2.5 RFing in the MA. Personally I was not comfortable turning him then, which is why we bought the RN, but making it past 2 years was pretty good, considering.

Also, once we turned DS ffing you can bet I switched him out of the RN and back into his MA (in my car). So much easier for me to use. He's still in the RN in DH's car because he doesn't mind it as much and we preferred the SIP for our less safe car. The RN is a great seat but IMHO much more difficult to use. We've also had a TF which is a very nice seat as well.

DS is larger than most 6 year olds and is still riding FFing in his MA with a bit of room to go. We'll be replacing both seats with the Frontier when the time comes.

[MoJo]

JellyBean (95th % height, 75th weight) was happily RFing in her Marathons until she was 2 1/2. She outgrew it in RF mode by weight, not height. She now loves her Frontier, especially for naps.

Ha is somewhat shorter (75th %) and a lot lighter (25th soaking weight after a big meal). She's now RFing in her sister's MAs, and at this point I wonder if she'll still be RFing there when the seats expire! She's certainly not turning around when she turns two in just over two months.

I don't have any experience with any of the other seats, but I've been very happy with the Britax seats which I bought on the recommendations of the great mamas here!

[AnnieW625]

Prior to getting the new Britax seats I very much had a love hate relationship with the Britax brand. I loved how easy the seats were to install (or DH did, except the Frontier), the covers were easy to remove, but what I hated esp. with our Marathon was that DD1 was uncomfortable in it, and how much space they took up in the car, esp. rear facing anywhere but the center seat. There was no way in he!! we could get a Marathon rear facing in the back of our Corolla, a new Britax BLVD would fit in there with no problem (we have a RA 55 in there though)

I will say though that I still don't love the Britax Frontier as a belted booster for an average size 5 yr. old who IMHO is ready for a booster. DD1 cannot belt herself without help and I don't believe that should be a reason she should still be harnessed.

DD2 has a Britax BLVD, and an RA55 and she is equally happy in them. We are also happy that the smaller Britax seats give us somewhat tall people more leg room in our cars when the seats are rear facing. The new RA 55 is also much easier to travel with than our old Marathon.


Personally, I'm not a fan of the new Britax seats and actually don't recommend them any more. ALL the moms in my MOMS Club playgroup have the new Britax seats though and all still chose to turn their kids ff'ing before 2 years old. I don't see the point of paying that much money when you're not going to even use the seat fully. You might as well just by an $80 Maestro or a cheaper convertible if you're only going to just use it rear-facing for less than 6 months before turning it around......For tall kids that are lightweights, like my DS2, I recommend the True Fit Premier since it has the tallest shell of all the convertibles. DS2 will be three in May, but is still only 30lbs, and has 5" above his head in the TFP.


That is just the culture in Southern California. People just don't know how much safer it is, but the word is getting around because in the last two years there have been two kids at DD2's daycare who have rear faced until at least their second birthday, another is still rear facing and is over 2 and DD2 will be rear facing in my car until she can tell me she is no longer comfortable, but right now 3 is my soft goal. In DH's car that might be sooner because it is harder to get in her in and out because his car is smaller, but for right now DH's goal is her 2nd birthday.

People want safety whether they rear face or not. I bought a Britax Marathon 65 and I turned DD1 at 12 months old (because I didn't know any better) and in the end as I have found out I am glad that she was in a safer seat because I just don't know if I could gaurantee that had we been in an accident she would have been just as protected in a $40 Cosco seat, plus if she threw a fit in a super padded Marathon I just don't know what she would have done if she were in a zero padded Scenera.

I really wanted the True Fit Premier to work for me but I am only 5'7" and I had issues with not having enough rear facing room behind the drivers side of my car because I drive with the seat kind of far back, but not all the way back. We couldn't put the seat in the middle because it would have taken up too much space. The Complete Air had a puzzle buckle so I didn't even try it, plus I am not a huge fan of Cosco/Dorel. The Evenflo seats ended up being too wide. When I was buying DD2's seat for my car she was 85% for height and about 40-50% for weight. My skinny 5 yr. old at the time still fit in the BLVD., and still might fit in it now too.

[Joolsplus2]

I love them. If you are just an average mom shopping at BRU, they are far and away the best option for the most cars and the most kids. It's like all the super advanced safety features of the new models get NO recognition, EVER (by the haters on the other boards). Hello? Rip Stitch tether? Energy absorbing base?Yeah, sure the only thing a seat really has to do is keep the kid attached to the car so the car can do the energy absorbing, but if you can have MORE energy absorbed away from them by the seat, why wouldn't you? I guess the Maestro is flimsy enough to probably bend and flex and do the job, but meh, what if this is the first kid? What if you need a convertible later? 6 months of RF is hecka better than no months rearfacing :loveeyes: When I get people who flat refuse to RF their close-to-one babies, I never "let" them buy a combination seat, I really push a convertible, just so that poor kid is reasonably comfortable for the next 3-4 years when they nap in the car....
For the more advanced shopper doing their online research and able to tackle a more difficult to install seat, I do rather like the Radian, but my kids have never found it as comfy as a Britax, and the True Fit was way too bulky for us :(.

[OKKiddo]

Care to share what fb group this is? ;)

I would be happy to go in there and tell them that my old Radian was much harder to use and we have all been so happy to trade it for a Boulevard (including DS!)! I do not miss the crappy harness adjuster, the meshy fabric or the 1000 pounds that thing weighed. And let's not even get into that little CS/ethical issue that SK had with the loosening LATCH fiasco........

Please do! Car Seats for The Littles is what its called. I'm now under fire because I've called them out and they've all got their panties in a bunch. :)

[arivecchi]

Please do! Car Seats for The Littles is what its called. I'm now under fire because I've called them out and they've all got their panties in a bunch. :)
I'll have to check it out! I love a good car seat fight. :rotflmao:

I am so thankful that Julie is here because she does not seem to have that crazy Radian obsession that most techs have at car-seat.org! :thumbsup: I do think the Radian is a nice seat and the fact that it is so narrow makes it really useful for many, but I just cannot get behind a company whose president writes nasty letters to customers who have valid concerns about their products. Deal breaker. :thumbsdown:

[OKKiddo]

I'll have to check it out! I love a good car seat fight. :rotflmao:

I am so thankful that Julie is here because she does not seem to have that crazy Radian obsession that most techs have at car-seat.org! :thumbsup: I do think the Radian is a nice seat and the fact that it is so narrow makes it really useful for many, but I just cannot get behind a company whose president writes nasty letters to customers who have valid concerns about their products. Deal breaker. :thumbsdown:

That exactly! And the people who have PERSONALLY had problems with their Radian's and mentioned that as a deterrent or cautionary for someone looking to purchase a Radian got ripped big time. I mean every member on there seemed to come out and comment and say that the problem wasn't with the car seat or the company but with the person and their car. Even after the person stated that they'd called/written the company and that they were less than supportive the group still defended SK's and said that they were nothing less than supportive and friendly on their facebook group. Which, didn't I read here that some of you had not so kind or supportive responses there (like deleted comments)?

My blood pressure is boiling over the whole thing. Even the owner/moderator is being rude now, imo. And my children fit beautifully in their Britax Blvd's and rear faced for a long time (DS1 4, DS2 3.5). They still fit ff'ing but I don't like how high they are in my husband's Jeep Wrangler or how they don't have any leg room...but that's his vehicles lacking not the seats. :/

[OKKiddo]

Oh this Joanna person might get a bag of poo sent to her from poopsenders! She's called me a tantrum throwing child for trying to show her what she said is inaccurate (on the poor safety recommendation comment) and that it's only her opinion and not actually backed by any facts or test results. That every person and their situation needs to be taken into consideration individually and not making blanket statements about a brand. Then she went from that to telling me that I need to stop talking (I think she meant typing, right?). So, great, name calling and veiled threats. Yep, that's what you get on that board each and every time you go against their opinion of Britax.

[arivecchi]

They sound insane. I would leave that group ASAP! (Although of course I will check it out when I get home!) :ROTFLMAO:

[OKKiddo]

They sound insane. I would leave that group ASAP! (Although of course I will check it out when I get home!) :ROTFLMAO:

ROTFLMAO!!! The ONLY reason I haven't told them to stick a feather in their hat is because I want to see the sparks after you get finished with them, lol!!

ETA, also, I really don't want to drop to their level and name call but I'm screaming it at home! And my girlfriend is on the same group but she is very much absent from this discussion because she has a Radian XTSL and is very pro-radian and not very happy with Britax (because she bought a used Britax Roundabout and her son didn't get to rear face in it long). She would be singing a whole new tune if she had gotten out of her car and gone to get her toddler out only to find his seat was completely loose from the latch strap. Still, I'm not against the brand--if that's what will fit your car and your child....but I'm leary of going with them if they don't take safety things like that seriously. I have been very happy with Britax customer service, it has been above reproach!

[OKKiddo]

Well, the thread is gone now after the threats and another person posting "sweet Jesus!" This is what happens every time. They get all up in arms about Radian spread inaccurate information about Britax under the pretense that it's factual and not what it really is, opinion. And a couple people will try to set the record straight and all hell will break loose and then the whole thing will get deleted.

Did I mention that this is a break away group that originated from CafeMom?

[Joolsplus2]

CafeMom...<nothing nice to say, so saying nothing at all>:38:

[OKKiddo]

CafeMom...<nothing nice to say, so saying nothing at all>:38:

LOL! Exactly what my Mama taught me. This was a break away group, they were on Cafe Mom and I guess they decided to open their own facebook group so that they could spread their brand of car seat knowledge around and not the brand on CM. I only joined the group because of my girlfriend. She's on there, is now a CPST and feels like she should be on there to help out. I'll be a CPST one day, and I'm still passionate about car seat safety, but I much prefer you guys and the wealth of knowledge here (with only brief forays into car-seat.org). :)

[AshleyAnn]

I'll call myself out and say I am tech and not Britax fan. I can remember a few years back when Britax was THE maker of top seats and others just didnt hold a candle but I think they got complacent and just didnt expect other seat makers to come up with new innovations. But even with the new line of seats I just dont feel like they are the best anymore.

They are over priced IMO and the new seats are smaller and feel flimsy to me. My DD would have outgrown it RF before I was comfortable FFing her. I HATE the HUGS with a passion. Kids can reach the harness tension flap and loosen up thier own harness (did they modify the newer seats, I've never looked). They are too narrow in the shoulders for a larger child to fit comfortably. The customer service can be spotty and you get drastically different answers from different reps. There was also a crash test video from canada released a couple years that showed a marathon having a critical failure, I dont recall the specifics there may have been a reason but it stuck in my mind (jools do you recall this?)

I bought DD a TrueFit Premier for much less than a Britax and feel like it is much more advanced safety feature wise than Britax. It is a bit bulky and the install was tough at first but I can do it in seconds now and the harness adjustor is tough to reach RFing but the TFP foot makes it easier. DD has a ton of growing room and finds it super comfy.


FWIW I would NEVER recommend a Radian unless a special circumstance made it the only choice. I dont like how they handled the superlatch issue and I dont like that they also sell dangerous aftermarket products. It makes me leary to trust any product they sell.

[Joolsplus2]

Yeah, I remember that failure...though oddly it didn't increase the injury measurements except in one case (with the heaviest dummy, which made me a tad leary of saying people should use it to the limits with heavy kids...) (talk about increasing ride down time and lowering forces, eh?)
Anyway, the new seats aren't anything like the old ones, except for the HUGS (Yeah, they are weird, I've been dealing with them since 2002, I'm accustomed to their face, lol). The new seats have wider shoulders, deeper crotch straps, unreachable-to-children adjusters, and just for average parent example, you can buy a non-HUGS RA55 at BRU for less than a Symphony, and you'll get the extra benefit that it's much easier to install, the LATCH switches from RF to FF with absolutely no effort, and it can be RF tethered.
Now, when it comes to us extremists who want to RF as long as possible, yeah, maybe not, that half inch of shell they lost isn't great, but remember that you have to tailor your answer to the person asking...if it's a well informed onliner who really wants to RF to 5, they are going to put up with some other seat quirks to get there (Complete Air? ugh, what a pain to install, and you have to break the 40" rule and the recline rule on most seats to get RF longer--and no anti-rebound features), Radian? solid, but annoying. TF? Why won't they raise the weight limit!?? My 35lb 3 yo had loads of growing room otherwise! But for 99.9% of parents who only want to RF for a couple months, or have to because the law says so, or want to be outstanding and go to 2, the Britaxes fit best/easiest (if a tad upright for younger babies :/) and are comparably priced to other seats on the shelf. :)

[BabyBearsMom]

[QUOTE=Joolsplus2;3463424].
Now, when it comes to us extremists who want to RF as long as possible, yeah, maybe not, that half inch of shell they lost isn't great,[QUOTE]

I would add that while losing a 1/2 in of shell is not great, the smaller footprint on the new seats is clutch. So many of my mom friends say that the reason they had to flip their kids FF'ing at 1 was because their DH couldn't fit in the car with the seat RF'ing. The new seats take up so much less space meaning people who wouldn't have had the space to RF can with these seats. So if these folks had a Diono, I doubt they would be RF'ing to 5 because those seats are so dang tall!

My DH was so funny about this. He couldn't sit in my old car with the carseat RF'ing (honestly, no one with legs could sit in it). Did he complain and ask to turn it FF'ing? Nope! He bought me a new car (Odyssey minivan)! :heartbeat:

[mare_imbrium]

I had large kids. Not off the charts (except when they were born) but they didn't last in an infant carrier past 3-6 months. At the time the seat to get was the a Marathon, because the Roundabouts were not as good for the bigger kids. I was incredibly happy with my Marathon (this was in 2003) and when my younger child was born my older one was still using it so I got the little one a Blvd. They were both RF until they were very nearly 3 (it's hard to remember exactly now when I had to turn them, but I know it was over 30 months old). I am not sure how long it would have been for them to outgrow those seats FF because we were in an accident - not a bad one, but bad enough - and I had to replace them. We did buy at that point the um...I think it was what they had after the Husky. It was FF only and huge. Ah, I believe it's called the Regent, and my older boy used it for a long time and my 6-yo still uses it now. I have always been happy with my Britax seats.

So now I'm pregnant again and when the time came for a convertible I was just going to get a Britax seat again. From reading this thread I can't figure out if that's a good idea or not. RF until 3 or almost 3 was considered great when my other kids were little...

[OKKiddo]

I had large kids. Not off the charts (except when they were born) but they didn't last in an infant carrier past 3-6 months. At the time the seat to get was the a Marathon, because the Roundabouts were not as good for the bigger kids. I was incredibly happy with my Marathon (this was in 2003) and when my younger child was born my older one was still using it so I got the little one a Blvd. They were both RF until they were very nearly 3 (it's hard to remember exactly now when I had to turn them, but I know it was over 30 months old). I am not sure how long it would have been for them to outgrow those seats FF because we were in an accident - not a bad one, but bad enough - and I had to replace them. We did buy at that point the um...I think it was what they had after the Husky. It was FF only and huge. Ah, I believe it's called the Regent, and my older boy used it for a long time and my 6-yo still uses it now. I have always been happy with my Britax seats.

So now I'm pregnant again and when the time came for a convertible I was just going to get a Britax seat again. From reading this thread I can't figure out if that's a good idea or not. RF until 3 or almost 3 was considered great when my other kids were little...

Sorry if I've confused you. I wholeheartedly recommend Britax! :) I get angry about the claims from very non-britax people who say not to use them because they outgrow them rear facing before they feel a child should forward face. Both of my sons made it a good amount of time rear facing. It's really an individual decision because not every car seat will work for every child, every budget, or every car. I think that Britax is a good place to start when looking at car seats though. :)

[mare_imbrium]

I liked their seats because they seemed comfortable for the kids and roomy, were easy to install, and their belts were nice too - I had heard complaints about other seats where belts would get tangled or twisted all the time and I remember specifically people praising Britax seats for this not being an issue. And at the time there wasn't a lot of competition for seats to use if you wanted to do extended RF. We have a minivan so space wasn't at a premium except that my husband is 6'4" and has quite long legs so needs the driver's seat to be back a fair amount to drive comfortably.

I guess my confusion is based on so many people seeming to say that Britax seats have changed and also since people want to RF until 5 (really? 5?) that they're good seats but not great seats anymore? Though it sounds like some of the other seats mentioned here have their own problems.

I guess I have time to think about it because the baby's not due until June and we're getting a Snugride (grudgingly, because I can't justify spending that much money on an Aton) that I assume we'll be able to use for at least six months.

[edurnemk]

They were both RF until they were very nearly 3 (it's hard to remember exactly now when I had to turn them, but I know it was over 30 months old).

My son RF'd in a Blvd 65 (so not the new model) until 3.5 when he outgrew it by weight, but not by height. I think RF until 3 is marvelous and very few people do that, I'd say parents who RF their kids past 1 are still a minority. I also don't think it's realistic to RF until 5, but maybe those people were referring to the total time you can use the seat (so maybe RF until 3, FF until 5?). I can easily see DS staying in the Blvd FF until 5-6.

[swissair81]

I have 2 Radians. The harness adjuster is a disgrace, the piece for rear facing is missing from both, and they are impossible to install. As for Britax seats, my 90th percentile for height son was able to RF in a regular roundabout past age 2. We are currently loving our new Boulevard. I guess I'm just a herd animal.

[mom2binsd]

I've only had the Classic Marathon's and was able to RF both my kids till age 3.5 and 33lbs, at which time I was comfortable turning them (and they weren't tiny kids) so I've never had a complaint there or with any other issues (I broke the lock off on my first seat because wasn't using it right, they sent a new set out right away, no questions).

So for me, I found a seat I liked, I never paid full price, in fact my first purchase was in 2003 and I found one for 180.00 (in was in a baby store that had special permission to put them on sale) and I used that seat until it expired for DD (from age 6 months to 6.5 years) and since then have always found them on sale (and loved the cover choices, and ease of install in all kinds of cars etc.)

[Joolsplus2]

I guess my confusion is based on so many people seeming to say that Britax seats have changed and also since people want to RF until 5 (really? 5?) that they're good seats but not great seats anymore? Though it sounds like some of the other seats mentioned here have their own problems.

I guess I have time to think about it because the baby's not due until June and we're getting a Snugride (grudgingly, because I can't justify spending that much money on an Aton) that I assume we'll be able to use for at least six months.

Oh, Snugrides are really fine. the base of the 35 is very very nice, while the base of the 30 is ok, the 30 is slightly lighter, and both will easily last a year (well, the 30 maybe 8-10 months with huge kids, the 35 lasts a lot of kids easily till 18 months, which can be kind of nice if you have older kids and a lot of places to go and a snap n go to pop it into so you don't have to carry it all the time).
Yeah, the 'ERF' (extended rear facing) thing has gone pretty far lately, since so many seats have higher weight limits for RF, people want to use them all the way. Britax is 40 now, and not quite tall enough for average/skinny kids to get that far. Here's a great blog showing how much better it fits in a car though.. http://carseatblog.com/6583/britax-marathon-70-review-part-iii-installation/