my daughter is 2.5, and refuses to wear her straps in her current car seat-britax marathon. Is she too young for this booster? She is less than 40 pounds, but shes not getting much protection in her carseat now, since she refuses to wear her straps. Thanks. my daughter is 2.5, and refuses to wear her straps in her current car seat-britax marathon. Is she too young for this booster? She is less than 40 pounds, but shes not getting much protection in... » Read More my daughter is 2.5, and refuses to wear her straps in her current car seat-britax marathon. Is she too young for this booster? She is less than 40 pounds, but shes not getting much protection in her carseat now, since she refuses to wear her straps. Thanks. « Show Less
915005
If your daughter is 2.5, she is too young for a booster. You want to keep her in a convertible car seat (Britax Marathon) or a harness seat (Britax Frontier or similar).
915006
Yes, she is too young! If my child refused to buckle up, he wouldn't go anywhere!!! I'm pretty sure most boosters start at 40 lbs and a certain height.
566471
How does she refuse to wear her straps? To me, it isn't negotiable. You strap her in properly, period.
915007
HiMy five year old daughter unclicks the seatbelt all the time. I am always concerned about if she is safely strapped. I don't think it is the ideal booster for a such young child. If strapping is what bothers her, you would have a bigger problem.We love the booster seat and we had also transitioned from a Britax marathon. But it would suit better a older child. Hope this helps!
915008
she is safer kicking and screaming buckled in properly than in a booster that is not meant for a child her size/age. if you did put her in a booster, she would probably wiggle out or unbuckle herself, etc. sorry, but kiddo has probably another 2 years in the car seat. i say this knowing exactly what you are going through, and unfortunately my three year old is often just that, kicking and screaming, but at least he is safe. as long as i don't drive off the road trying to ignore him!
915009
I wouldn't recommend moving her up to the Britax Parkway SGL just yet. My son was 4.5 and in the 85th percentile for height and barely 40 pounds when I moved him up to the Parkway SGL. After a while some kids find the Marathon uncomfortable, but at 2.5 I would suggest perhaps trying the Britax Frontier, which has a bit more room in the 5-point harness than the Britax, so thte straps might be a bit more tolerable for your little one. And once she is ready for a booster, the Frontier will easily convert.
915010
who is the boss? I believe the parent! NO ROOM FOR NEGO ABOUT SAFETY! imagine when she'll be a teenager!
1931606
The strap is short enough that this seems like an unlikely scenario. Additionally, the support within the booster seat itself (higher walls), plus the added padding we usually put (blankets around her) seem to help. Whenever my dog is in the car, I drive more carefully as well.
1131788
Hi there. I have used it for my 2yr old since he was around 25 pounds and it worked fine. The seat comes with an extra lining/padding for the seat, intended for keeping the child firmly in place which I used for like 2 weeks and never needed it again.Alternatively look at the britax marathon or whatever the newer version is called. It will not last that long buy then again whenever you need a booster, these are pretty inexpensive. Hope this helps. Best
1694585
My four year old still fits in it but I don't make her wear the seatbelt because it seems like its uncomfortable. She's old enough to know not to jump out of it and still fits in the seat.
1415176
My very tall 6-next-week-year-old rides by herself and it's roomy (several stuffed animals can ride with her). It's a wide carriage, but unless they are good buddies who like to cuddle (or the 6yo is smallish), a 2yo and a 6yo aren't going to be comfy in the trailer together. With the strap division right in the middle the 2yo will be OK, but the 6yo will likely be squished.You may want to find a local bike shop and see what trailer models they carry to help you better envision the seating situation of the Burly Bee, but my unscientific opinion is: whatever kids ride together in this trailer will touch no matter what, and a couple four year olds seems like the max limit for a squish-free ride. My very tall 6-next-week-year-old rides by herself and it's roomy (several stuffed animals can ride with her). It's a wide carriage, but unless they are good buddies who like to cuddle (or the 6yo is smallish), a 2yo and a 6yo aren't going to be comfy in the trailer together. With the strap division right in the middle the 2yo will be OK, but the 6yo will likely be squished.You may want to find a local bike shop and see what trailer models they carry to help you better envision the seating situation of the Burly Bee, but my unscientific opinion is: whatever kids ride together in... » Read More My very tall 6-next-week-year-old rides by herself and it's roomy (several stuffed animals can ride with her). It's a wide carriage, but unless they are good buddies who like to cuddle (or the 6yo is smallish), a 2yo and a 6yo aren't going to be comfy in the trailer together. With the strap division right in the middle the 2yo will be OK, but the 6yo will likely be squished.You may want to find a local bike shop and see what trailer models they carry to help you better envision the seating situation of the Burly Bee, but my unscientific opinion is: whatever kids ride together in this trailer will touch no matter what, and a couple four year olds seems like the max limit for a squish-free ride. « Show Less
1549914
I wouldn't recommend to use it if your child is not 40lbs yet. You are using your regular car seat belt with this booster and it may not be safe for her to use it if she is not meeting the weight requirment. Before I switched to this one I had the Britax Frontier which has the 5-point harness and can be used with younger children. I would recommend the Frontier for your child.
2226594
I've had both. I found the marathon most easy to work with, but the advocate has more safety features. One thing to note about the advocate is the Britax unadvertised policy of providing that seat with straps suitable only for a child of 20lbs or less. It's up to the owner to inquire when they notice their 20 pounder apparently outgrowing a 65 pound seat, then Britax sends the bigger straps at no charge. After replacing the straps I found they were stiffer and harder to work with than ever. Safety trumps everything in my case though, so I prefer to suffer through it.
2105371
No booster is appropriate for any child under 40 lbs. The Bubblebum is a great option for squeezing between 2 other seats, etc, but if they don't fit in it and sit in it properly, it is not safe. I concur with all the other answers already posted...
2228853
Most recommend 12 months and up, and up to 40 lbs. My daughter was 18 months and 21 lbs when we started using one - so weight-wise your daughter will be fine but the hard part might be finding a helmet that fits. We had to adjust the smallest one we could find even smaller for her (average size - 50% percentile) head. The 12 month age recommendation is probably for head/neck control - much like a forward facing car seat the main concern is safety in the event of an accident. The "seat" itself is more like a hammock or sling - just a piece of fabric - so if the child can't sit up properly the seat won't work well. Most recommend 12 months and up, and up to 40 lbs. My daughter was 18 months and 21 lbs when we started using one - so weight-wise your daughter will be fine but the hard part might be finding a helmet that fits. We had to adjust the smallest one we could find even smaller for her (average size - 50% percentile) head. The 12 month age recommendation is probably for head/neck control - much like a forward facing car seat the main concern is safety in the event of an accident. The "seat" itself is more like a hammock or sling - just a piece of fabric - so if the child can't sit up... » Read More Most recommend 12 months and up, and up to 40 lbs. My daughter was 18 months and 21 lbs when we started using one - so weight-wise your daughter will be fine but the hard part might be finding a helmet that fits. We had to adjust the smallest one we could find even smaller for her (average size - 50% percentile) head. The 12 month age recommendation is probably for head/neck control - much like a forward facing car seat the main concern is safety in the event of an accident. The "seat" itself is more like a hammock or sling - just a piece of fabric - so if the child can't sit up properly the seat won't work well. « Show Less
185653
The front of the Instruction manual says age 3 or over, 30-100 pounds, 38-57 inches. There are car seat safety guidelines on different websites (highway patrol,consumer reports, etc) and car seats are still believed to be safer. We waited to switch over until our son was 40 pounds, over 40 inches and almost 4 years old. We are pleased with the booster and it is easy to use.
81898
We tried a Britax Marathon on an airplane in coach and one big concern we had was that our daughters's legs we very close to the seat in front of us. If that person quickly pushed back their seat with a lot of force it appeared that her legs would have been crushed (between the seat and the bottom of the carseat). Thankfully my in-laws were in the seat in front of us so it wasn't an issue, but I would be very panicked of her being injured if somebody put the seat back. The Marathon is smaller than the Boulevard so I think the issue would apply here. From now on we will use one of the harness solutions when we fly. We tried a Britax Marathon on an airplane in coach and one big concern we had was that our daughters's legs we very close to the seat in front of us. If that person quickly pushed back their seat with a lot of force it appeared that her legs would have been crushed (between the seat and the bottom of the carseat). Thankfully my in-laws were in the seat in front of us so it wasn't an issue, but I would be very panicked of her being injured if somebody put the seat back. The Marathon is smaller than the Boulevard so I think the issue would apply here. From now on we will use one... » Read More We tried a Britax Marathon on an airplane in coach and one big concern we had was that our daughters's legs we very close to the seat in front of us. If that person quickly pushed back their seat with a lot of force it appeared that her legs would have been crushed (between the seat and the bottom of the carseat). Thankfully my in-laws were in the seat in front of us so it wasn't an issue, but I would be very panicked of her being injured if somebody put the seat back. The Marathon is smaller than the Boulevard so I think the issue would apply here. From now on we will use one of the harness solutions when we fly. « Show Less
1759491
It depends on what kind of harness you want. I wanted my 4year old in a 5 point harness for as long as possible, so went with a seat that converts form a 5 point harness to a booster with seatbelt. The harness mode is good to 90lbs ( can't remember height limit) once over 90lbs you can remove the harness and use the seatbelt mode (there are guides to hold the seatbelt at the correct position). I am very happy with the seat, it is very well made and my son loves it.
1907162
Recommend 5 point harness carseat until at least 6. Booster until at least 8. 90 lb weight limit.
259265
answering my own question: i called britax customer service. they confirmed that the child needs to be 2 years old in addition to weighing 25 pounds--the reason is that he needs to develop the necessary bone density to prevent severe injuries in the case of impact while in this seat.
68767
Forward-facing they can stay in this car seat until your child is 49 inches tall (which they usually outgrow height before weight). I would keep my child in it until they reach that height then move on to a 5-point harness booster when they are about 5 years old.
916283
Hi Kelly!The owners manual doesn't recommend running with an infant until 8 months of age. We waited until our child could sit up by herself at 6 months before just using the stroller by itself.I'm not sure of your situation but, the best set-up would be a Bob Stroller with a Britax adaptor and Britax car seat for the first 6 months. After that you would just use the stroller by itself. The stroller is awesome, we used it for walking around stores when she was a newborn in her car seat and now we run with her in the stroller. It's definitely worth the money, especially of you plan on having another kid. Hope that helps! If you have any more questions feel free to ask! Travis Hi Kelly!The owners manual doesn't recommend running with an infant until 8 months of age. We waited until our child could sit up by herself at 6 months before just using the stroller by itself.I'm not sure of your situation but, the best set-up would be a Bob Stroller with a Britax adaptor and Britax car seat for the first 6 months. After that you would just use the stroller by itself. The stroller is awesome, we used it for walking around stores when she was a newborn in her car seat and now we run with her in the stroller. It's definitely worth the money, especially of... » Read More Hi Kelly!The owners manual doesn't recommend running with an infant until 8 months of age. We waited until our child could sit up by herself at 6 months before just using the stroller by itself.I'm not sure of your situation but, the best set-up would be a Bob Stroller with a Britax adaptor and Britax car seat for the first 6 months. After that you would just use the stroller by itself. The stroller is awesome, we used it for walking around stores when she was a newborn in her car seat and now we run with her in the stroller. It's definitely worth the money, especially of you plan on having another kid. Hope that helps! If you have any more questions feel free to ask! Travis « Show Less
635475
As others have stated, it depends on the height and weight of your child, not their age for appropriateness. You should also be sure your child meets the laws in your state to move from a car seat to a booster seat. Some parents feel safer using the boosters that have a back; amazon sells those too. They're called "Graco Highback TurboBooster Car Seat" (amazon link: http://amzn.com/B004GEC8LU).