Britax Car Seats? - Golden,CO

The Britax Marathon is awesome. I use one for each of my boys and started using them right after they graduated from their small car seats. The Marathon is awesome and is comfy for them.

http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/
We have the Roundabout(DS was RF until 2years old and he used it FF until he was just over 3) and then he got the Regent.

Hi Tracy - the next seat you will purchase will not be one that uses a base like an infant carrier. It will be a convertible seat (one that can be used rear facing or forward facing). There are seats that fit kids up to 40lbs and bigger ones that fit up to 60lbs. The one you choose will probably be determined by how well it fits in your car.

The Snap and Go stollers are made specifically for infant carriers, not for car seats so will need to start stroller shopping as well.

btw - We have 2 Britax Roundabout car seats and we love them! There is a new Roundabout50 coming out that will hold kids up to 50lbs instead of 40.

First I have to admit to not reading hte other responses;) We have the Britax Decathalon, but I wished me would have sprung for the Boulevard, it has a way better strap system. The Britax convertible carseats rearface from 5 to I think 40 lbs, maybe 45? Even though her feet are hitting the seat,keep her rear facing. it is now recommended that you leave your child rear-facing until the age of two or 35(i think) inches...and really if you think about it, there isn't really a magic number...they don't automatically become tougher when they hit a year or 20 lbs. The britax is nice, but I like the new Graco with the removable inserts WAAAy better....I just dont think the usability of the Britax is worth the money.

we have a decathalon and a marathon for our kids. They are convertable seats. Our daughter moved to hers around 10 months and our son 6. They have a special base to make sure they sit backwards correctly and when you turn them around, you just have to adjust the base. They stay in the car, though, so no stroller fit. I would recommend them to anyone. The decathalon just has more comfy bells and whistles.

its recommended to have infants rear facing as long as possible-she is definitely too young (under 1) and does not weigh enough (20 lbs) to turn her. We went to have our seat fitted by Safe Kids (you can also make an appointment with the police dept.)and they recommended having the child rearfacing even longer than that.

I have not used that particular brand. Although I have heard great things about britax. However, the next stage up does not require/use a "base". They attach directly to your seat. We went from the carrier that fit our stroller to a seat that will grow to 5year old. Sits backwards and forwards. From here on forward, you wont find seats that click into stroller.

As long as your daughter is still within the saftey limits of height and weight set by your carseat, you are fine to have her in there AND rear facing.

As mentioned, rear facing is THE SAFEST way for anyone in a car. However, I don't know any adults who can drive that way :) The point is, keep your daughter rear facing as long as you can in the next seat you choose as well. My daughter is 2.5 years old and still rear facing. It is fine for their legs to be "pretzeled" and will not hurt them.

Yep, some of your friends might turn their kids. That is their choice. I know if I was in an accident and my daughter was injured I would live with "What IF" forever if I turned her before I had to.

Please check out this website-- http://www.car-safety.org/ -- for all kinds of wonderful information on car seat safety.

Enjoy! And don't spend the money on the next seat until you have to. (We used our "infant seat" until our daughter was 16 or 17 months old.

Feel free to contact me with questions.

I had a rear facing infant seat and my son's feet were hitting the seat and his head was touching the canopy. Britax was also having a sale, so I got the Boulevard, and put it in rear facing. I had it installed at the fire department and mentioned the feet hitting the seat. One of the installers worked at the hospital and her favorite saying was that their "orthopedic surgeons have a better success rate than their neurosurgeons." In other words, unless the child is really uncomfortable, rear face them as long as possible, and AT LEAST till a year. My son is now over a year and 23 pounds (my carseat is good rear facing up to 35 lbs) and I still have him rear facing, it is really the safest.

I know that One Step Ahead has a shade for carseats that is supposed to help keep them cooler. This is for when the carseat is in the car, and you are not.

The next step up from the companion is one of the convertible models it will not sit in a base like your current one and it will be stationary in your car ie it wont go in a snap and go stroller. If you are wanting something that still goes in and out of your car I would continue to use the companion for a few more months. The feet are allowed to hit the actual seat and sounds like she could have a few more inches to go so she could actually stay in it until a full year. I for one hated those types of car seats and went straight to a britax marathon when both my kids were about 6 months. I would just tote them around in a stroller or carrying them. If you are not ready to do this definitely stay in the seat you have until you are. If you do go with a convertible britax i would still definitely have her rear facing for a bit longer.

I would highly recommend the Britax Marathon. We purchased one when our less than one year old had clearly outgrown the Graco Comfort Sport in the rear facing position. She was not old enough to be forward facing but she was terribly cramped in the Graco. I did a lot of looking around before forking out the $250 for the Marathon but I have had no regrets. This seat allowed her to remain rear facing well past her first birthday and still be comfy.

Once you give up your infant seat, you have to go to a convertible seat (meaning it converts from rearfacing to forwardfacing when your child is older than 1 year old and greater than 20 lbs). These seats do not have a "base" that you click into. You buckle them in and pretty much leave them in place. If you like the convenience of removing the entire seat when your baby is sleeping etc.. than stick with your infant seat until your baby is too tall for it, which for the Companion is 30 inches. Unless she appears uncomfortable with her feet touching your car seat, it really isn't a problem. When you do get your next car seat, I highly recommend sticking with Britax, they are awesome! The Roundabout goes to 40 lbs and the Marathon goes to 60 lbs (definitely more bang for your buck!) If you will be using it rearfacing, go to a store where they will let you fit it in your car. The Marathon is taller, which is why it fits your child longer and some cars don't have room for it to fit in the rearfacing position. When you're ready to buy, bargain shop online! Elitecarseats.com is great to work with and has free shipping as do most of the online carseat sites. Hope this helps!

We have a 1yr old and a two year old. Both are in Britax Marathons and we love them. They don't come out as a carrier - none do over 20-22 lbs, but they are easy to install and adjust. I'd highly recommend them. You can also get a good deal on line - just search for Britax Marathon.

We have just loved the Britax Roundabout seat. I love that it comes apart for cleaning the upholstery, and that the straps never tangle and are simple to adjust. I have friends who use the Britax Marathon and love that one, too, but the Roundabout was a better fit in my car, as my kids weren't especially big. I was disappointed in the Britax selection of booster seats and went with a Recaro, which has been great. Maybe the Britax boosters will be improved before you cross that bridge. I've always like the selection and fast service at www.elitecarseats.com. You can compare comparable models there easily. Best wishes!

I have the britax boulevard and LOVE it! Only infant seats fit into the infant bases.. The infant/toddler seats have their own...

I love Britax and in fact, one of seats is being used for the third time!

My son was a big baby and I had to get a rear facing seat for a larger child, but didn't want to spend the money since he wasn't that far away from being able to sit forward.

I got the Britax seat that can face both ways. It swivels on the base so as they are larger/older, you can make it forward facing. It has been a few years and I don't remember the model.

I was not able to find a seat that worked for us so I was still able to use the travel seat. I had to remove him and put him the stroller.

The next seat up is a convertible like the marathon or decatholon car seats and those are not carrying car seats. You are pretty much done with carrying car seats now you put her in and put of the car seat and just use a stroller that you can put her in. I'm not sure how long you can put her in the companion for but most car seats are between 20 and 25 pounds. I have the chicco that goes to 30 but I take mine out of those car seats around 5 months.

Hi, Tracy! I don't know anything about Britax, but did want to mention that I went to my pediatrician yesterday for my son's weight check (little pumpkin is 18 lbs., 13 oz. at 15-months old!), and I mentioned to her how I couldn't wait for him to be 20 lbs. so that I could get a forward-facing car seat finally. She told me that the new recommendations now are that you wait until 2-years old to switch to a forward-facing seat. What?!?!?! Seems like little ones will be pretzeled up back there, but...that's what she said. THought I'd pass it along.
Have fun with your girl--8 months is a fun age!
S.