 Love the seat! |
| Review Date: May 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Chambers, Boulder, CO |
As the owner of a Roundabout, Marathon & Regent, there was no question as to what manufacturer I was going with when faced with replacing the Roundabout for my youngest (age 2). I admit that I was skeptical after having read mixed reviews on ease of installation, but while at Target today, there was one on clearance (someone must have ordered it from Target.com & then returned it b/c Target does not carry this in their stores) & I paid $20 less than the current promotion of $229 -- even w/ 8.7% tax factored in. My intentions were to just try it out & then return it. Much to my delight, I LOVE the seat & am keeping it!
Pros:
1) Installation: Yes, it is a tiny bit trickier to install compared to the Roundabout & Marathon, but like one reviewer said, make sure you read the owner's manual. In order to get a tight fit, you MUST pull the LATCH straps THROUGH the holes of the seat rather than from the outside of the seat. And honestly, compared to the Regent, this seat is a piece of cake to install (I own a 2008 Honda Pilot & have to use the long route method w/ the Regent). I'm sure that the next time I have to install this seat, it will become second nature & take no time at all. As it is, it only took about 2 minutes for me install to my satisfaction (I will still have it inspected at the fire dept. for peace of mind).
2) Sturdiness - The thing is solid, just like all Britax seats.
3) Size - It's smaller than the Regent yet offers the same weight limit on the 5-point harness, which is very important to me. Will my child reach the height limit sooner than 80 lbs? Probably, but I'm not concerned about it. I know that it will still keep her harnessed longer than a lot of other seats. Plus, I have the Regent (still have 5 years before it expires) that I can move her into & my oldest into the Frontier booster if need be.
4) Expiration: 9 years instead of 6 years.
5) Head rests: The Regent is very big & my oldest daughter will sometimes try to fall asleep in the car but can't quite get there b/c she doesn't have enough head support. The Frontier head rests are very supportive & I'm certain that my 2 year old will have many restful naps while in it.
Cons:
- Fabric. I imagine the mesh fabric will snag & possibly tear at some point. My engagement ring has already almost snagged it, so I will be mindful of that.
- Can't think of any other cons!
As for the twisting of the straps, which a lot of people have commented on: I have no complaints. Again, as the owner of a Regent, I'm used to dealing w/ it, I suppose (though it did take me some time to get to that point). I actually find that the straps on the Frontier twist less than the straps on the Regent. I just hang the straps around the armrests (basically put the armrests through the straps) & that keeps them out of the way.
Bottom line: this is a great seat & is one of the best impulse purchases that I've made in a long time. :)
(And sorry for the many comparisons to the Regent, but perhaps it will help someone who is considering both seats make a decision.)
|
Glad we picked this one!
|
| Review Date: September 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: YHWH4ever, Palmdale, CA |
Well, it was time for another carseat for my almost 4 year old daughter. She had outgrown her Britax Decathlon and I wanted to keep her in a harness for a long time. After researching I found that there really aren't that many seats out there yet that have the higher harnessed weight and height capacities AND converted to a belt-positioning booster, although a lot of the carseat manufacturer's are coming around in this department. Quite honestly, I wasn't even considering this seat because of the price tag. I had my mind set on the Nautilus 3-in-1 by Graco. I tested my daughter in it at Target and it seemed okay to me. I noticed the straps on that seat were placed wrong when I put the head rest in the correct position. Also, the crotch strap did seem a little snug on her. So, I was back to square one.
I did more research and was armed with my list of possibilities. My hubby, daughter, and I took off to "test" out some seats at the stores. We ended up scrapping the idea of any convertible carseats. I was interested in the Radian 65, but couldn't find it anywhere to test out, and I wasn't about to make the mistake of yet another online purchase and not be happy with it (done that before!). We also scrapped the idea of getting seat that didn't convert into a belt-positioning booster. With that being the case, we were left with very few seats to choose from.
Anyway, we tried my daughter in the Nautilus again, and I figured I must have done something wrong at Target, because the one at Toys R Us seemed great. We both liked it. Then, we went down to Babies R Us and looked for some of the other choices and they really didn't have any, but I mentioned the Frontier to my husband. He wanted to try it out, so we did. He really, really liked the Frontier. He thought this was much better quality than the Nautilus. I would have been fine with the Nautilus, but the hubby wanted this one, so it's the one we bought.
Well, I'm truly glad we bought this seat instead of the Nautilus. It's very sturdy and heavy duty. Yes, it's heavy, but that doesn't bother us. It's meant to be for protection. We don't plan on taking out of the van that often, so the heaviness is not a big deal to us. The harness straps are a breeze to adjust. The harness loosens very easily and they wrap around the handles so they are out of the way when my daughter gets in the seat. The crotch strap is on the middle slot setting (there are three slots) and provides plenty of room for my daughter. At 4 years old my daughter is 44 inches tall and weighs 43 pounds and the harness slots are on the third notch down from the top. She still has about 4 inches to grow where she will be able to use the harness. The headrest is comfortable for her and her head does not fall forward when she sleeps. She actually looks very comfortable while asleep. This seat does have a recline block that must be used in the harness mode, which helps while she's sleeping. The cup holders are great too, although they do not fit wide cups. I had to buy some other cups for use in the car.
We have a 2007 Honda Odyssey and I had no problems at all intalling it in the passenger side 2nd row captain's chair. It is installed using the seatbelt because my daughter is more than 40 pounds. I used the long belt path installation with the anchor tether and got an extremely tight fit. The seat does not move at all! You must read the manual very carefully! It can be confusing. I actually got on Britax's website and carefully watched the installation demo video twice before I even attemted to install this seat. It did take me time, probably 30 minutes, because I tried the short belt path first and that didn't do the trick. The seat moved WAY too much! I'm sure as time goes by, I will become faster at installing it. I haven't needed to remove the seat since I installed it the first time about 3 weeks ago. It still hasn't moved or loosened.
The harness straps are a little close together and they seem to sit close to my daughter's neck. A half-inch more on each side would have been nice. Also, the cupholders could be a little more sturdy. They seem somewhat chinzy, but they work. These things aren't that big of a deal to me though. The harness straps do get twisted sometimes and the crotch strap does slide down and my daughter sits on it, but I've learned to grab it and pull it forward before she sits down. The twisting and crotch strap problems are issues I've experienced with every carseat I've owned, even our Britax Decathlon! So, they really aren't an issue. Other than these minor annoyances, this carseat is really great. I'm really glad my husband decided on this seat. He says he doesn't mind paying the cost for safety and reliability.
Update: November 17th
We still really like this carseat. I've moved it a few times now, and as I stated in my original review, it's a breeze to install now. Also, had to remove the cover to clean it (my daughter threw-up in her seat - YUCK!). It was somewhat time consuming to remove and put back on, but not hard. You have to allow approximately 12 hours for the cover to air dry, so don't plan on going anywhere if this is your only seat. It's doing great and we're still very happy with our purchase.
Update #2: January 1, 2010
We are SO happy we bought this seat now. We shipped a Nautilus 3-in-1 to my parent's house in Texas to use while we visited over Christmas (we didn't want to lug the Frontier to the airport and worry about it being damaged or putting it in my parents tiny Caravan). This seat is SO much nicer and roomier than the Nautilus! In the Nautilus, my daughter's head kept slipping forward when she fell asleep, she didn't have as much room to move, her thighs hung too far over the edge of the seat, the straps were thin and flimsy, it was a pain to unlatch the buckle, and she just looked so darn uncomfortable while sitting in it! It was well worth the extra money to buy the Frontier. We will continue to use the Nautilus when we go for visits, but I'm glad it's only for short periods of time. So, if you are still debating between the two, don't hesitate for a minute about this carseat. You won't be disappointed with the Frontier.
Update #3: February 9th, 2010
We had to take the van in for some work, so we had to install this seat into my husband's '98 Ford Escort Wagon, and it worked great too! I really thought it would be too big, but it wasn't. It was a little tricky to get the seat belt snapped, but with a little muscle it snapped and was very, very tight! We couldn't use the anchor tether (which I think you have to with this seat) because the car is older, but it was rock solid. Of course, my daughter didn't have very much leg room, but it's a small car. Anyway, just thought I'd write this, just in case anyone was wondering. Also, I changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars! I am very happy with this seat! It's the best!
|
Great seat!!!
|
| Review Date: January 24, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Emily Bramhall, Maryland |
I bought the Britax Frontier Booster Car Seat for my Son and we both love it! The reason I decided to go with this one is because my Son is 2 (will be 3 next month) and is 55 pounds so I needed a seat that would still harness across the chest at his weight. I did a lot of research and found that most booster seats only harnessed up to 40 pounds and then after 40 pounds you have to just use the seat belt which I am not comfortable with (I saw a video about a little boy that died as a result of his seat belt failing; he and his booster seat were thrown out the window - VERY sad!). This seat has the highest five-point harness seat capacity that allows children to remain harnessed up to 80 pounds or in booster mode up to approximately 100 pounds. It also has headrest pad things that can help keep the child's neck and head protected if you are hit from the side. It also serves as a great pillow when the child falls asleep. You can adjust the height of the headrest to grow with your child. I would definitely recommend this seat!
|
Why we chose the Frontier over the Nautilus
|
| Review Date: March 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Cam's Mom, Arizona |
We were recently in a car accident and needed to replace our Evenflo Triumph. Since my son is 2 1/2 (and we don't plan to have another child) we decided to get a Forward facing/booster seat. I tried the Nautilus for several days and returned it for the following reasons:
1. Head slump - my son is an excellent car sleeper, however the Nautilus pushed his head forward and made it impossible for him to sleep.
2. The buckle was VERY difficult for me to get undone, to the point that I was worried I wouldn't be able to get him out in an emergency.
We decided to pay the extra money and get the Frontier instead and I couldn't be happier! It installed very easily with the LATCH in both our Civic and our VUE. My son sleeps well in the seat and seems very comfortable over all. I also appreciate that my son can remain harnessed up to 80lbs (provided he doesn't outgrow it by height before then). |
Chose over the Graco Nautilus and Recaro Young Sport
|
| Review Date: May 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J.W., Chicago, IL |
| Having outgrown the Britax Marathon (which we loved) I searched for a replacement that allowed the harness mode on my 4 year old for a while longer and converted into a booster later. I looked at the Recaro Young Sport and highly rated Graco Nautilus - all of which are rated well for safety. My decision was made by trying them out. The Graco Nautilus is in many retail stores and I had a friend that has the Recaro. The Nautilus isn't as comfortable and cannot recline as much as the Frontier which is important for me since we go on 3+ hour drives sometimes. But, for the price differential it is tempting. If your child won't be the car for a long period of time, the Nautilus is a consideration. The Recaro is on par with the Frontier but the harness mode only goes to 40lbs. We are extremely happy with the Frontier. Reading the manual is a must for installation as it differs from the other Britax models. We always keep the manual with the car seat so we'll know where it is when we need to adjust anything. It did not secure well with the LATCH in the center seat of my Toyota Forerunner but secures nicely in the side seat. I miss the velcro that held the harness straps aside in the Marathon but I use the armrests for that now. My 4 year old loves sitting by the window like a big girl. She also loves this car seat. On long trips she easily falls asleep and says it's really comfortable. I'm purchasing a 2nd one for my husband's car now. |
Easy install using latch...great seat
|
| Review Date: August 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Matt G, |
| I usually do not write reviews....and almost did not purchase this seat based upon the large number of reviews on the site that suggest extreme difficulty installing this seat. Well, we purchased the seat, installed it using latch in about 15 minutes AND IT DOES NOT MOVE. AT ALL. I think the key to a successful install using latch is to position the latch connectors so they can be pulled tight through the holes in the seat that you would use to pass the seat belt in the "long belt path" install. Pulling the connectors tight through these holes gave me plenty of leverage and allowed me to eliminate all side to side motion. It is unfortunate that Britax does not make this tip available in their install guide. I think it would save many consumers a lot of frustration and bad word of mouth publicity. Hope this is useful information. Feel free to reach out should you require clarification. |
Great Seat so far! Read the Manual!
|
| Review Date: May 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sashwen, Dayton, Ohio |
I have to say this first: The Frontier is a Big Kid seat. I would recommend the Marathon over the Frontier for someone with younger/smaller children. The MARATHON has rear facing capability (which is required for kids younger than 1 AND less than 20 lbs, it is also best for children to RF as long as possible), its less upright (which is good for dozing off), and it is higher up (which allows smaller kids to see out the windows), it harnesses to 65 lbs, and my "will be six in six weeks" son is in no danger of outgrowing it, and of course it has way better fabric options (LOL). I'll say again that I would NOT put a child that was any younger than TWO (or even three!) in the Frontier- I just can't see them being at all comfortable in it. In other words...Do Not buy the Frontier as a replacement for your infant carrier... if that describes you, look at a different seat!!
I have two sons, a 43" 41 lb almost 6 old, and a 39" 36 lb 3.5 year old. Both are similarly sized in the torso, and currently sit an inch or so below the top slot on our Britax Marathon. Both are perfectly happy comfort wise in the Marathon, but that's the problem, because we only have one Marathon (so of course it's the most popular seat in the house- the kids don't understand switching seats). Our other seat is perfectly fine, but it only goes to 40 lbs.
SO, we now have a Marathon and a Frontier in a Honda Accord.
Harness, crotch strap- the harness is incredibly easy to adjust and can go to an almost exact height instead of being an inch or two higher every time you adjust it and there is no rethreading. You can push it up more while the seat is installed in your car, but you can not move it down that way, you have to pull the seat out to adjust down. The crotch strap has three positions, and the second was almost exactly even if not under both my boys. The manual says use the closest one that is not under your kids, so we chose the third position out which is actually quite a bit further out.
Comfort- Both kids love the seat so far and say it is comfortable, however, they have only been in it twice each, and no one has fallen asleep in it yet so I can't say how that would be.
Cup holders- I agree that they are kinda weird and look like the part for the cup is too small to be useful, but my sons have already had two or three different random cups of ours stored in it, so it must be functional enough.
Weight - After reading the reviews online I was expecting this seat to be a 2000 lb elephant when I went to see it in the store. I didn't think it was all that heavy, I lifted it off the high shelf at BRU all by myself. I really didn't think it was any heavier than the marathon, but who really cares anyway? I don't plan to carry the thing around on my back or anything, I plan to attach it to- and leave it in- my car. I also don't see how you pick up a seat built sturdy enough to harness an 80 lb kid and expect it to be light.
Size- as I said I was expecting an elephant after reading the reviews but was surprised to see it was comparable in size in the store when set side by side with the marathon. But in my CAR, however, it looks quite a bit larger, and is deep enough of a seat that it sticks out over the edge of the backseat by an inch or so. (Honda Accord) We had to move the passenger seat up a tad so my son's feet could fit between his seat and the front seat.
Install- It is always a very good idea to READ THE MANUAL prior to purchasing a seat to be sure your car is compatible with whatever seat you are thinking about. (you can read it online- which is also a good idea because it is very difficult to read a manual that is tethered in the seat part of a brand new seat while your kids are all excited and jumping in and out of it). This seat has three methods of install described in the book for harness mode. LATCH, and the long/short belt paths for the seatbelts. (note you cannot use LATCH for any seat after your child reaches the weight capacity your car manufacturer says is the limit on your LATCHes. Most cars are limited at 40 lbs, but some go to 48)
LATCH looked simple enough if you READ THE MANUAL because the LATCHes come out of the back of the seat and you can pull them tight through the seat which looks to me like it would give you a better angle at tightening them, especially if the seat is in your car directly next to another seat. But, My car's LATCH limit is 40 lbs, and my almost six year old is 41 lbs, so LATCH is out for us.
Which leaves, Seatbelt install. I have never thought it was easy to seatbelt any carseat into the car, just because of the nature of getting the seatbelts to lock properly and pulling them as tight as I would like. The MANUAL gives us two options for seatbelt installation with a shoulder belt, long and short belt path (lap belt only was only compatible with short belt path). The manual describes and shows pictures of what type of seatbelt placement is usually best with which belt path.
Short Belt Path- looked compatible with my car from the pictures so we started with that. Easy, right, just follow the LATCH path with the belt, kneel and tighten... or not so easy. The trouble is - for those of you that are wondering- that the belt stalk and the seatbelt connection part have to be SHORT or line up exactly with the hole in the back of the seat, and the head of the belt stalk has to fit into the hole in the seat at the correct angle for you to be able to tighten the belt properly. (but no risk of another child unbuckling your car seat by pushing the button, since the button would be inside the back of the car seat) We attempted (and failed) to line it up and tighten it several times. And honestly it probably was tight enough that there wasn't "more than an inch" of wiggle, but I like my seats in REALLY TIGHT, so...
Long belt path- the trick to this one is having a second person hold on to the belt and keep it from retracting while you are threading it through the holes. (you will need both hands for this.) You need ALL of the belt and if it comes all the way out and starts retracting (and locking), you have to take it out of the seat and start over. Once we figured this out, the installation wasn't so bad, but I have to warn you that the seatbelt in my car (passenger rear) was only about an inch longer than what we needed on this belt path. After that you put your knee in the seat (or sit in it) and you can tighten it.
Was it hard to install? No harder than any other seat I've installed with seatbelts, and it had two belt path options, well maybe a little harder since all the threading for the long belt path. Next time I'm sure we will get it in the car in the usual 5-10 mins. Since we know which method works in my car. Will I be moving it anytime soon? No, but do I usually take any of the seats out unless I have to? No.
Edit to add that yesterday the seatbelt came randomly undone (July 14, 2009). Fortunately I check the seats every time we get in the car (Yikes- a 25 lb projectile with a 42 lb 6 year old attached to it). Anyway, as I was alone and with both of my children, I tried the short belt path again, and I was able to get the seat in quite securely that way. This time I threaded the belt through, latched it, and then moved the seat so I could pull the belt stalk/buckle through the whole in the back of the seat so it lined up properly, then intallation was a snap, and even my husband couldn't get it tighter when we made it home. I'm more comfortable thinking something won't brush the seatbelt button with the beltbuckle inside of the seat.
Also, we have now fallen asleep in the seat and have NOT had head flopping issues. |
Just bought my second one
|
| Review Date: July 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: BillBill, Everywhere |
We bought this item 8 months ago for my first child because we wanted the best car seat we could find. Not knowing that much about car seats we went for an expensive and highly rated seat from Amazon users. I figure the combination of both of those should contribute a significant part to my child's safety. This possibly is not the best way to purchase an item but car seat descriptions are confusing and so full of legalese that reading about each model from a manufactures website is not much help.
Regardless I am so very happy about the first one I bought that i have just ordered a 2nd one for my younger child who in the last 8 months has grown out of his old one. As others have commented it is indeed heavy and not that easy to put in but the end result is a seat that does not tip over when going around corners, does not let the child sneak out of the arm restraints when your not looking, and comfortable for the child so they don't complain about sitting in it for long periods...(not that this changes anything as they are staying there whether they like it or not). but at least they are happy.
Point is buy this car seat, the fact that it happens to be heavy and bit hard to put in has very little bearing when deciding about your child's safety....so suck it up...your baby is safer :) |
The Best and Made in the USA
|
| Review Date: February 19, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Just Anonymous, Georgia, USA |
UPDATE:
Took Munchkin to Disney from Atlanta in this seat - 7 hr drive each way. She loved it!! (we asked). It was comfortable to her (we asked). She fell asleep in the car a few times and her head did NOT fall forward. Overall long trips were one of our biggest concerns with this seat because it didn't tilt back but that concern did not materialize. I'd give this seat 6 stars now.
One other thing I learned is that if you're using latch, the latch weight ratings on different cars vary and you should check your latch ratings and FULLY read all instructions.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
I had no idea that buying a good toddler car seat would be so maddeningly complex and frustrating.
I have a 3.5yr old girl, weights 28lbs, and is 40.5" tall (she's adorable). We had a Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat Onyx before which we loved! We'd had bad experiences with car babyseats before. We had a Graco whose straps were very hard to adjust and that made it a very frustrating car seat....but we loved our Roundabout.
So when we went out to look for the next toddler seat we wanted a few things;
a) 5 point restraint
b) High weight 5 point restraing (more than 65lbs)
c) Easy to Adjust
d) Tilt back mechanism
e) Easy to install, uninstall (travel)
f) Durable (she's going to have it for years
g) Repairable (replaceable seat covers etc
We wound up narrowing it down to two: this Britax Frontier and Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat, Matrix. In the process we wound up abandoning the tilt mechanism because apparently it's not as safe.
PROS of this SEAT:
- 5 point harness ( I have heard horror stories, I'll only put my kid in 5 point restraints and if tanks were legal, I'd transport her in one)
- 80lb 5 point harness (highest in industry...watch for this some 5 point harneses from other brands are only rated to 40lbs)
- Very Durable
- Easy to Adjust (height, one hand)
- Easy to Install (the latch system is great)
- Easy to Travel (the latches snap into their own recesses if you have to drag this through an airport)
- Cup holders (on both sides) fold into the seat very snuggly
- Foldable Armrests (she likes that, it's empowering to her)
- Easy to Adjust straps Pull cord tab in front with easy release for parents (but not so easy for munchkins)
- Three Point attachement to car (2 latches + clip on top)
- MADE IN THE USA .... hey, it matters these days (creates jobs right here)
- her head doesn't fall forward when she sleeps (nice) and she has side headrests
- Side Impact protection (which doubles of headrest)
- She said to me, "Daddy, I can see better out of this seat (compared to roundabout)....that made it worth it"
CONS:
- You do have to loosen up the top back strap on the seat and reach behind to adjust the height (not a big deal but though you'd know)
- It's pricey but you get what you pay for in this case.
- Doesn't recline (but I hear that's not as safe so it might be best if she sits up)
- Not a 3 in 1 or anything like that (but you lose some sturdiness I think....and pedestals are very cheap when she's over 80lbs which is going to be a long time from now)
We wound up buying two of these suckers, one for each car, and we're very happy (if financially ruined).
So overall, I'm very happy with this purchase - I feel my daughter is safe and comfortable and I feel very comfortable that this produce will grow with her for years to come. And that's one thing that I highly recommend you keep in mind --- your child will be in her toddler seat for a long time so if you put her into a sample car seat, don't just picture her as she looks now, picture her how she'll look in 2 or 3 years. That was a big thing about this Frontier and a big selling point over another brand -- I worried that she wouldn't be comfortable in a year or two when her legs get longer, hips get wider, and she gets taller. The Britax has the room to grow with her. The other thing was the construction, it's very sturdy and will last for years, and with the replaceable covers I think it'll serve me for the next munchkin (whose on the way).
Notice: I cannot provide any installation advice (I'm just a dad and wholey unqualified)...I recommend you read all instructions or have your seat professionally installed. It can be a matter of life and death -- be very thorough in your installation process. |
My 5 year old likes it.
|
| Review Date: March 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Condon, Huntersville, NC United States |
| We recently moved my 1 year old into our old Britax carseat (the only brand we buy) and purchased this product for my 5 year old. Lots of his friends are already in standard boosters but as a Pediatrician I know that a 5 point harness is still the safest product for him. I was concerned he would not like another "car-seat" but he likes this one. The easy adjust back is a big plus. |
|
No video reviews found for this product.
The Frontier also gives you additional peace of mind by featuring engineered true side impact protection. Deep side walls and head support provide advanced shock-absorption and cushioning in side impact collisions, helping to reduce the risk of injury. Additionally, EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) impact foam lining around baby's head and torso absorbs energy in side and rear impacts, cradles baby's head to keep it away from protruding parts, cushions violent side to side movements, and creates a comfortable resting spot.
Leave a Reply