I need to buy new car seats for my 33", 25lbs, two year old (girl) and 42", 40lbs, four year old (boy). Any advice? What would you buy?

I guess the budget is not an issue, which feels really weird to say.

Help me please!

Britax Marathon for your DD so she can still be rearfacing, and a Britax Husky/Regent for your son so he can be harnessed as long as possible.

Britax Marathon for your DD so she can still be rearfacing, and a Britax Husky/Regent for your son so he can be harnessed as long as possible.

:nod I agree if you have the room in your vehicle and can afford them.

A little cheaper option is either the Radian or the Apex 65, both have high weight limits for 5 pt harnesses. But if you want to have your 2 yr old rear-facing then I'd go for Britax. But I would for sure keep your 4 yr old in a harnessed seat... way safer than a belt positioning booster :)

The marathon and regent are both what we're had in mind for them, especially dd. Ds has been in a highback booster with belt positioning (all dh's doing) and I wonder how well he'll do transitioning back (change is very hard for him) but I know it's safer and it is my intention to switch him back to a harness type.
Do you think I need to have dd rearfacing? I was looking at the marathon again today and eralized that she could go rear facing and wondered if that's what I'll want to do. Any input? How much safer is that for her? She's been forward facing for nearly a year now, but than, she's been in this crappy cosco seat too, and I now realize it's not as safe so I am open to change, I'm just not sure how much I actually need to change, yk?

Oh yeah, and I've been watching the thread here about the Radian, mostly because it's cheaper. My big concern is the shoulder straps twisting (that's been happening on the one we have now) which is clearly very dangerous, and the only seat I see with a good solution for this is britax. So it doesn't seem worth it to me to save money but lack what's needed. Any thoughts?

If you have the money I'd go for Britax, just because it's more well known and has been tested and reviewed longer than the radian.

As far as your 2 yr old rear-facing, I don't have any links but it has been proven to be safer. I know in other countries children stay rear-facing until 3-4 yrs old. I'm sure a car-seat tech or someone could give you more info. Somewhere I saw a video of crashes and how the body handles it in both positions.

I also had my 4 yr old in a belt positioner (graco turbo booster) for some time as it was the only way we could fit 3 seats in the back of a sedan and their wasn't as many options as their is now. We recently bought the apex 65 and she has not complained once about being harnessed. I think she likes it cause the seat is much more comfy than her other one. I feel so much safer now (she's 5 yrs old now and 44 lbs) and I know it will keep her harnessed for a while longer.

I'd go boulevard (rear-facing) for the 2 yr old and regent for the 4 yr old.

-Angela

I've always been told rear-facing is safest. We have the Marathon and have been very happy with it. It fit my very tall dd until she was 4. Ds (2) is using it now. I have a smaller car so the husky was not an option.

I've heard so often that rear-facing is better, I've just never been sure of exactly why. But it does make sense. I don't think dd will care either way. ds is the picky one.

alegna, why the boulevard over the marathon? I'm not even sure what the difference is.

another question, is the marathon a better choice than the decathlon? I can't really tell what the difference is between all these seats. I think I've just looked at way too many car seats.

Oh yeah, and Drummer's Wife, I looked at the apex 65, and that looks like a really great seat. I think I like that better than the parkway for ds, but I'm not sure if I like it better than the regent. I like the price better, though, ann for dh that may make a huge difference. Any thoughts?

two big differences between the marathon and boulevard- one important and one just nice:

important reason- side impact protection
nice reason- dial to move straps, SO much easier than rethreading.

Do a search here for a link to a site explaining why rear-facing is TONS safer.

-Angela

Oh yeah, and Drummer's Wife, I looked at the apex 65, and that looks like a really great seat. I think I like that better than the parkway for ds, but I'm not sure if I like it better than the regent. I like the price better, though, ann for dh that may make a huge difference. Any thoughts?

yeah it's definitely cheaper and lighter and more narrow. That's why we bought it over the regent/husky. It was the only way to fit 3 carseats in the back of our small sedan and have all three kids harnessed (we have a rf marathon, a graco cargo, and the apex 65) The regent is huge, like it takes up a seat and a half but if you have the money and the space I would go for it over the apex which is made by safety 1st/cosco.... big difference in quality. Also the Britax will keep your child harnessed until 80 lbs and the apex only goes to 65.

I am however happy with ours, it's comfy and easy to use... and it was affordable. We did just buy a minivan though and I am dying to replace the graco seat with the Regent.

Sorry to jump in here. I really do not have much advise on brands and styles but it I know it is safer to be rear facing longer. Please beware, for years I have seen so many people get so caught up in the more expensive is safer mind set that they don't pay attention to the actual fit of the seat. All carseats do not fit all cars the same way. The majority of car seats are not installed properly and that is the real problem. Fortunatly the discussions I have seen on MDC show that the mothers here are aware of this but unfortunatly irl I have run into too many people who think thier kids are safer because they spent more money, even though the car seat was falling all over the place barely buckled in. Sorry I guess I was just venting about some things I have dealt with recently. Anyway, what ever seat you choose make sure you try it out in the vehicle you are going to use it in. I actually found that my 8yo's $30 booster seat was much safer than a $100 one I tested out since it really didn't fit my vehicle very well. Plus it was much better on my wallet but of course there is no price on safety.

I deff. plan to have the new car seats profesionally installed this time. We thought that was no big deal before, but we also thought it was no big deal to have the less safe seats.

Thanks, alegna, I didn't realize that the marathon didn't have side impact protection, I thought it did! and I had no idea about the dial to move straps, that sounds great! I just had to change the straps on dd's old carseat because she's not wearing her winter coat anymore - what a pita! Does the decathlon have either of those features?

lunar forest, the boulevard is what Sebastian has - it has those weird wing things on the side - that's the side impact protection as opposed to Aleks' marathon which just looks like an ordinary seat. you've seen them right?

I recommend the Boulevard for your dd (she is the exact same size as my DS, who is in a Wizard, the older version of the new Boulevard). It has the side impact protection and dials for strap-moving. The Marathon/Decathaolon (older and newer model of the same seat) are nice, but they don't have those two special features. My son is rear facing and very comfy and happy that way.

And the Husky/Regent for your ds (older/newer modesl of the same seat:))

thanks Anna, that makes sense. They all look the same online in those little pictures! So, Anna, do you like one of those better than the other? And do you think a bigger kid would be bothered by all that extra stuff going on in the boulevard? (or me putting that big kid in and out of it?)

Ok, so I googled the seats I like, and I found both the Boulevard and the decathlon at baby center (whatever that is) and I can get them both with side impact protection, for appox. the same price (just under $300.) with free shipping. I can get both of the in the colors I like, I can also get the decathlon in "tribecca" which I like best of all and it's on sale for about $50 less! How it looks isn't a huge deal, but a pretty seat makes a difference to me - I mean, I have to see it everyday!

Boulevard Park Avenue: http://store.babycenter.com/product/britax/7365?sku=208168&intcmp=Store_ProductPg_Swatches
Decathlon Hampton: http://store.babycenter.com/product/britax/7608?sku=208164&intcmp=Store_ProductPg_Swatches
Decathlon Tribecca: http://store.babycenter.com/product/britax/12557?intcmp=

What do you think?

I don't think the Decathalon has the side impact protection like the BLVD.

At any rate, there is a better deal at http://www.specialtybaby.com/britax.html where some of the less-popular BLVD patterns are on sale for $259 with no tax and free shipping. The Decathalon in Tribeca is $235

I think the side impact protection is fine. Sebastian can still see around it and the wheeled-adjusting is nice.

the decathalon doesn't have side impact protection.

-Angela

Ok, dh has wiehged in and he ONLY likes the boulevard. He LOVES the wheel adjuster thing (he's usually the one who has to adjust the straps) and he said if he's going to spend so much money he wants it to look like it's going to do some good. I think he means the side impact protection.

Also, we looked on ebay (which I thought was a bad idea - "I'm NOT getting a used car seat!!!") and they have a whole bunch of new (in the box) britax car seats. They're not that much cheaper, but enough cheaper that maybe we could get a boulevard for each kid. (I was leaning towards the apex 65 one for ds.)

Thanks for the link, Throkmorton, those prices are much better than the ones I was looking at. It's about the same as the ebay prices.... or maybe ebay is a little cheaper (it's so hard to tell on there, because it's not a set price.)

be careful of ebay - they like to charge an arm & a leg for shipping, which I always forget to check!

I am the biggest ebay idiot... however, steve is a genious, and very ebay savvy. He says we wil only bid on the free shipping ones.... and we can't bid on them now, we have to wait until the auctions for the ones we want are almost over (within minutes) and then we bid. He says this always works. We'll see. The reason I'm thinking we can afford two car seats is that he is selling something on ebay that is worth a lot. again, we'll see.:lurk:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/CPS/CSSRating/Index.cfm

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/babies-kids/child-car-booster-seats/child-car-booster-seats-505/ratings/child-car-seats.htm

here are some ratings charts. helped me narrow my decision. i didn't really put a lot of thought into it, just chose a consumer reports best buy.

ended up winning a evenflo titan 5 off of e-bay for slightly less than retail including shipping. haven't recieved it yet though so i can't say how i like it yet.

hope these links help. you may have to click around a little on the cr one to get the info you want.

eta- as far as bidding and e-bay i have found that i tend to watch for a few days or a week and see what things generally go for then decide how much i'm willing to pay then bid my maximum till i win one but i make my bid as early as i can. although i may go up by 5 or 10 dollars if i see lots of bids on the item. i always feel like i pay more than necessary when i bid at the last minute. "bid early, bid often"

I would feel that way, too, hellyaellen, but dh does it all the time, so I think he has some kind of system. He tried to explain it to me, but I didn't get it. He says I "bid with too much emotion." whatever that means

:thumb Before buying a car seat on ebay, make SURE that they are authorized Britax dealers. Some people quick to make a buck will sell carseats that were supposed to be destroyed and weren't, 'fell off the back of a truck', or were returned from an original customer.

Britax will only honor their warranty if you buy from an authroized dealer, AFAIK, there are none on ebay. We're getting a Regent for AJ next year hopefully and pass our Radian down to Evan who's still in a crappy seat, poor baby. :) We really like our Radian and it's probably one of the only reasons I can fit 3 harnessed seats in the back of my car, which is a must if we don't get a van before the baby comes. The straps aren't twisty on the Radian and it has a lot of features like the MA. If $ is no problem though, might as well get the BV and a Regent. The Apex is nice, but has to be used w/ headrests, which I think a lot of people miss when buying it. Definitely get your seats checked! In our area more than 90% of people are using their seats wrong, and that's just the people who actually use seats. :( www.seatcheck.org

babysurplus on ebay is an authorized retailer. They are actually albeebaby

two big differences between the marathon and boulevard- one important and one just nice:

important reason- side impact protection
nice reason- dial to move straps, SO much easier than rethreading.

Do a search here for a link to a site explaining why rear-facing is TONS safer.

-Angela

Are you referrig to the EPS foam as side impact protection, b/c the Marathon does have that, or is there another feature I need to consider with carseats????

The head wings on the Boulevard are the side impact protection, EPS foam is different (but is also a good feature).

I'm also shopping for my 2 1/2 year old twins, almost 40 lbs. I like the Regent since it goes up to 80 lbs. for the 5 point harness, but I think that car seat only goes to 80 lbs. total (can't use the seat belt at all). Also, it doesn't have any arm rests. And the price is outragous when buying 2!! So, any ideas for a seat that will last until they outgrow boosters too? I don't want to have to buy any more seats! This will be our 3rd set of seats!!

The regent should last until they're out of carseats. 80lbs is pretty high weightlimit wise. It is spendy though when buying two....

-Angela

A Regent is cheaper than a Marathon, because it only forward-faces.

Yeah, I agree the 80lbs. is a lot! Do you think that they will double their weight before the outgrow the need for carseats? I even think 65lbs is probably enough.
They are pricey, especially when buying two! dh said that at that price they should last forever - like a family heirloom!:lol

I'm also shopping for my 2 1/2 year old twins, almost 40 lbs. I like the Regent since it goes up to 80 lbs. for the 5 point harness, but I think that car seat only goes to 80 lbs. total (can't use the seat belt at all). Also, it doesn't have any arm rests. And the price is outragous when buying 2!! So, any ideas for a seat that will last until they outgrow boosters too? I don't want to have to buy any more seats! This will be our 3rd set of seats!!

If you have headrests, you can get the Cosco Apex, it goes to 65# and turns into a booster. We're getting AJ a Regent next year hopefully after we get a minivan.

Yeah, I agree the 80lbs. is a lot! Do you think that they will double their weight before the outgrow the need for carseats? I even think 65lbs is probably enough.
They are pricey, especially when buying two! dh said that at that price they should last forever - like a family heirloom!:lol

Carseats are outgrown by height before weight at least 75% of the time.

I fully agree. My 8 yo is almsot as tall as me (4'11") and he is maybe 50lbs on a good day. He is almost outgrown the back portion of his booster so I am going to have to remove that soon. His booster goes to 100lbs and he will never be able to fit by then. I think the high weight limit car seats and boosters have beenthe results of childhood obesity issues that the US is facing. If you have an over weight child or they are just big due to genetics, look for the higher weight limits on boosters.

The Radian car seat has a lot to offer. And the price is better. My boys have always been right in the 50th percentile for weight, but their father was chubby as a child, so not sure what to do about weight/harness issue. Thanks for all the info with weight! Warmly

I fully agree. My 8 yo is almsot as tall as me (4'11") and he is maybe 50lbs on a good day. He is almost outgrown the back portion of his booster so I am going to have to remove that soon. His booster goes to 100lbs and he will never be able to fit by then. I think the high weight limit car seats and boosters have beenthe results of childhood obesity issues that the US is facing. If you have an over weight child or they are just big due to genetics, look for the higher weight limits on boosters.

At that tall, he probably doesn't even need a booster seat. Not using a booster and having the back of the seat to protect his head would be better than using a backless booster w/ nothing behind his head. http://www.carseat.org/Boosters/630.htm

No, he still needs a Booster. He looks like the child in the first picture when he goes without. At least in my minivan. The seat backs are very high in my van and either with or without the back of the booster his head gets the support behind it. It is just the belt crossing in the correct place and his legs fitting comfortably. He tends to slide forward to get the edge of his legs to fit the seat if he doesn't have the booster. He can sit perfectly in my dad's Taurus without anything and the belts all fall in place correctly. Unfortuantly I think I need a booster seat since I can never get the belt to fit me correctly, LOL. Those belt adjusters just do not work very well. Thank you for the advice though.

You're welcome. You must have a torso kid. AJ will be in a booster forever (when he gets there) just b/c his legs will never be long enough to reach over the edge of the seat. :lol