Car Seat Questions - Britax

[andreac]

I'm starting to think about moving my 4mo dd out of her infant car seat and into a convertible. My ds (almost 3) is in a Marathon, which we love. What are the differences between the Marathon and the Decathalon (besides price, LOL)?

My first thought was to get another Marathon (or maybe the decathalon) for dd. But then I started thinking...by the time she would outgrow the weight limit on a Roundabout...DS would probably be ready for a booster...wouldn't he? At what age do you typically move a kid into a booster seat?

Also, for anyone who has had a Roundabout, how old was your child when they outgrew it? I know the weight limit is 40lbs, how about height wise?

Thanks for your help ladies!

[psyche]

My son outgrew his Roundabout a few months ago, so maybe 3 1/4 years old. It was a real race to see whether it would be by height or weight, but in the end it was by height (big growth spurt). I'm not sure about the actual height, but it had to do with how he fit into the seat.

[mbhf]

the decathalon is the same seat as the marathon, with a removable infant pad and toddler head pillow. it also has the button harness adjuster, like the roundabout. the button is easier to use, for both adults and children though, some kids learn pretty quickly how to push the button and loosen their harness.

[andreac]

Thanks for the info ladies! So if the RA fit my dd until she was 3, ds would be almost 6...definately ready for a booster by then. Anyone else want to tell me how long their dc were in their RA?

[andreac]

Another question... Are there any benefits to those 3 seats (Marathon, Decathalon or Roundabout) as far as how comfortable they would be for an infant? DD is almost 4 months old.

[mbhf]

we have 2 marathons, but my older son has been in a RA and he had room to grow rearfacing. he is almost 33 months, 28 pounds and 36 inches. we went with the marathons because we liked the higher FF weight limit and higher harness slots.

[mbhf]

Another question... Are there any benefits to those 3 seats (Marathon, Decathalon or Roundabout) as far as how comfortable they would be for an infant? DD is almost 4 months old.

they would all be comfortable for an infant, the marathon and decathalon have taller shells, but they arent bigger in general.

[JamesMama]

Not one of your three but we have a Boulevard, I love it. For the first time in his entire life I'm able to go places without James crying in the backseat! Before (with his Graco ComfortSport) he was hysterical before we pulled out of the driveway, but now I've gone lots of places with him and he's happy as a clam. It's a much bigger seat, goes to 65lbs or 49 inches, RF till 33lbs.

DS is a big kid, 23lbs 31 inches at one year and he fits very well and I'm assuming he's comfortable because he doesn't fight getting in there or being in the backseat alone.

It could be he just grew into riding in the car alone but I'm not so sure. I went somewhere on a Monday with him and he cried, I got the carseat on Wednesday, installed it that day and went somewhere on Friday and no tears. It was amazing.

Good luck to you!

[andreac]

When do you all plan on moving your dc into a booster seat? Assuming dd is about the same size as ds, she would probably fit into a RA until she is somewhere b/w 2-3 yo, which would make ds about 5 yo. Do any of you have a 5 yo still in a 5 pt harness?

[sagewinna]

Our 2 year 2 month old dd is just about out of the Roundabout. She's really tall for her age, and has a long torso. If I had to do it again, I'd choose the Marathon so she'd be in it longer!

[BCmamaof6]

:lurk:

[splash]

I would never put a kid in a booster until at least 6-7 years old. I've had children happily harnessed until ten before, and hope that Charlie can make it to ten in a harness as well. This site (http://www.cpsafety.org/articles/FFalbum.aspx/) has pictures of kids harnessed way past forty pounds. There are also pictures of kids RF until they are 3, 4, 5 years old, which is always safest.

The main difference between the decathlon and marathon is that the DC has the button adjustor and THREE crotch strap positions. The MA has only one strap position and has a toggle adjustor. The MA also has a double strap latch, while the DC has a single strap.
I've seen kids last until three in a roundabout, and I've seen kids out of them by their second birthday. I don't think it's worth the money for one, when the marathon is only $40 more in most cases. And the longer a kid is in a harness, the better. And most kids are fine with it.

[SomedayMom]

I'd probably buy her the bigger seat from the get go because your Marathon (assuming it's already 2-3 years old) will be close to expiring 3 years from now anyway.

I also really love my Boulevard. It's the same shell as the Marathon/Decathalon but with side impact protection...my son loves the wings, sleeps well in there :)

As for the booster, I'm assuming I'll switch at 5-6, but we'll see. Absolutely no sooner than 4 and 40 lbs.

[andreac]

Thanks for all the advice ladies! I completely forgot about seats expiring, thanks Somedaymom for bringing up that point! I think I'm going to go for the decathalon...it's not that much more than the marathon and I LOVE the cool prints!

[thepeach80]

My kids will be harnessed forever! lol My 2.5yo is 32# and still rfing and will be till he outgrows the seat he's currently in at 35#. Evan will be the same, but it will take him longer I think. AJ also has a new carseat (that Evan is in now, lol) that goes to 65# harnessed and then we'll see what happens when he outgrows that. I'm hoping to have a minivan by then so I can put AJ in the Britax Regent which harnesses till 80#.