car seat safety– better to have a more custom fit or more side impact protection??

i'm trying to decide between the Britax Decathlon & the Britax Boulevard. they have the same ht & wt requirements, and are very similar.

i'm going to be using the seat from day one with my newborn, (which will probably be above average in size for a newborn--certainly not smaller than average) and trying to weigh the safety of the SIP (Boulevard) vs. the safety of having a more custumizable fit (Decathlon)...

the Decathlon has an adjustable crotch strap & infant posistioning system, as well as having an adjustable fit for older babies.
the Boulevard has more side impact protection & "wings" on the headrest.

anyone know any other differences?
anyone have any experience with either of these?
recommendations?

thanks!
the main thing is-- i'm wondering if having a more customizable fit would add to the *all around* safety of the seat, and therefore, may be a better choice than the extra (more specific) protection from *side* impact collisions...

Comments

3 Responses to “car seat safety– better to have a more custom fit or more side impact protection??”
  1. Olivia's Mama! says:
    March 31, 2010 at 8:51 pm

    If you can have the car seat installed in the centre of the back seat all the time then you don’t need so much "side-protection" features. They are more important if the child is going to be near the windows.

    I would go with the Decathlon if you are going to use it right from birth and always in the centre of the back seat. I think having a good fit is very important. All the Britax seats have excellent safety ratings!

  2. Doodlestuff says:
    March 31, 2010 at 8:51 pm

    I would personally select the one that has more safety features unless you expect your child to be a different shape than average (very petite, very long – basically thin children tend not to fit as well in seats). ALL of the seats will fit all children.

  3. jaidensmommy says:
    March 31, 2010 at 8:51 pm

    honestly with Britax i don’t think you could go wrong. they are safe seats, easy to use, and comfy.

    i have the Fisher Price Safe Voyage Convertible, which is manufactured by Britax and modelled after the Marathon. the seat fits so secure, even when I have to use it in my mom’s car which doesn’t have Tether.

    if you have a local store that sells these seats it is a good idea to look at it in person. i read the descriptions on their website prior to answering this and it seems like they are both very good seats. i would probably choose the Roundabout out of the two. however, have you thought about the Marathon at all? The weight usage is higher? Just a thought.

    Good Luck.


 
Powered by WordPress Lab