Need to buy DS a convertible ASAP. I plan to keep him rear-facing as long as possible which is what I did with DD. Seemed like her boulevard was just massive when rear facing and it never looked at all comfy for her that way.
Also, can't decide if I should buy the next up for her (the Britax seat that she could use as long as she needs a seat) or buy DS a marathon or boulevard. Thoughts?
Re: Is a marathon any smaller than a boulevard?
I have a Blvd and Michelle is outgrowing it! The straps are just barely above her shoulders. So if you child is on the tall side I would go for the Marathon .....Cant believe I'm saying that because i LOVE the Blvd. Just kinda mad that she's gonna outgrow by the time she's about 3.5 yrs old.
The strap height on the Marathon is exactly the same height as the strap height on the Boulevard. The main difference is the side impact wings.
The Roundabout is a bit smaller but only has a forward facing weight of 40 lbs compared to the 65 lb limit of the Marathon/Boulevard
You can install the britax seats rather upright, which means they take up less space. If you pull the base of the seat back away from the bite (where the seat of the car and back meet) and push down by the crotch strap, it will install it quite upright.
I wouldn't consider the roundabout. It is so short that it's a waste of money. Same thing with the diplomat. I used to love my britax seats--now I think there are a lot of better options out there. However, I think the britax seats have the ability to take up the least amount of space rear facing, so I would go with one. It will get most kids rear facing until 2.5 or 3, or even longer, so unless you're wanting to rear face even longer, I would go with one.