The King Of Car Seats...Britax Regent By nov05mama on - Updated Oct 15, 2011
We LOVE this seat!! It's truly the KING of car seats!!
My son has always been bigger for his age, and he outgrew his convertible car seat before he turned two years old. We were hit with the delima of moving him to a booster seat (NOT safe for a 2 yr old) or finding, by some miracle, a car seat that had a longer harnessing life!
After doing research, we were pointed in the direction of the Britax Regent. It harnesses children up to 80 lbs. We knew this was the car seat for us!
PORTABILITY/COMFORT:
The seat itself is MASSIVE and weighs at least 30+ lbs on its own, so moving it from car to car is not an easy task. It's very bulky, but looks extremely comfortable...it's almost like an easy chair!
INSTALLATION:
The installation was easy, but understanding the manual, at first, took a little time. You are better off finding your install (there are two options based on your child's weight at the time) and highlighting the info you need. Read over it two or three times with the seat in front of you before you take it to the car and try to install it. You will find it much easier to intall that way!
SAFETY:
By far, one of the safest car seats out there. Considering most parents in my same situation (child weighing over 40 lbs) would have moved their child into a booster seat, the Britax Regent offers an unbelievably safer option for parents! Since it harnesses to 80 lbs, my son will be in this seat for a long time and won't move into a booster seat prematurely!
FEATURES:
One negative comment I have about the features is NO CUPHOLDER!! My son loved his cupholder on his previous car seat, but it's not available on the Regent. It does offer nice sized storage pockets which is great for keeping some of his toys within reach. The belly pad is great for avoiding pinched thighs, which is great when you have a fidgety toddler to buckle in! The HUGS pads are also great to keep the complaints about the straps cutting into their neck. They are slightly padded to offer more comfort on the neck.
Altogether, this is a GREAT buy! The negatives about this seat are FAR outweighed by the positives. The price can be a bit shocking at first, but once you realize what you are getting, EVERY penny is worth it!!
Besides, who can put a price on your child's safety?
About The Author:
Britax Regent Purchased at: Baby Universe Price: $260
I'm glad there is another option for those with children who are too large for a regular car seat. I agree that at his age, a booster seat isn't appropriate yet. This looks so comfy and I bet he loves riding in it. I think the weight of the seat is because it was made to be more sturdy for a larger child. I agree with you that you can't put a price on your child's safety. Great job Mom :)
Our son got so big so fast when he was little that we thought we were going to have the same problem with car seats as you did but luckily he leveled off and we did not. This sounds like a great seat for you, thanks for the info.
No cup holder! How odd. I don't think I've ever seen a car seat without a cup holder. Oh well, at least it is a sturdy, comfortable car seat. I'm with you on not moving them to a booster seat too soon. My son was in his car seat until he was 6 and in a booster until just last week (he'll be 9 in May). :0) You can never be too careful with your kids.
I agree 100%. You can not put a price on your child's safety. This sounds like quite the "pimp" carseat! Definitely luxury although I'm surprised there is no cup holder! Glad to hear you were able to find a car seat that fit your son. :o)
Sounds like a great car seat. There is nothing in the world more important then a child's safety. Price means nothing compared to safety. Thanks for sharing this detailed information.
There are so many situations where a child larger than 40 pounds needs to be in a harness seat. Thanks for letting us know of a really good option when that is required.
They have cup holders on car seats? Geez, I had no idea! This car seat sounds so comfy though that I am wondering if maybe someone will invent one in my size. What do you think, Alice? You could even put your cup holder invention on it! ;-)
Wow, that does seem like the king of car seats. How nice! Pretty soon our daughter will be growing out of her seat and I would love to get her one of these. I just don't know if we can afford it.