We have used a Decathlon for our 21 month old son for the past 1 1/2 years. Yesterday, after our Stroller Strides class, we were loading up, and the harness adjustment broke as I was tightening the harness. Up until this point, we have had no problems with the Decathlon. I was surprised that such a top of the line seat would up and break on us. We drove immediately to Safe and Secure Baby, here locally, and were told that the seat was broken and it was a manufacturing problem. This morning, I called Britax and they are sending me a new car seat along with a return shipping label to return to them my broken Decathlon, even though our one year warranty expired five months ago. Now, that is good customer service! Needing a car seat immediately, we purchased a Boulevard yesterday, and am completely happy with it. Initially, I was concerned about the "crotch strap" as noted earlier, but it doesn't matter, because the maximum length of the "crotch strap" on the Boulevard is the same as the maximum on the Decathlon. So, I don't know why the reviewer on the other page was concerned about her son outgrowing the car seat. He will outgrow them at the same rate - since the crotch strap maximum is the same.
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br /I was SOLD on the Boulevard when I was asked, "If you were in a car accident, would you rather have your son's face hit the side impact protection (on the Boulevard) or the window (on the Decathlon)". I didn't realize that when in an accident, the car seat (any car seat) can move quite a distance. Then, I was concerned that my son may fuss over the slightly more limited view when using the Boulevard with SIP. But, it hasn't affected him one bit. He didn't care at all, and it made a nice head rest for him when he napped off in the car today. Britax is replacing our broken Decathlon with a Boulevard. It's worth every penny! and comes with great customer service from Britax, too.

We needed a new car seat for my 1 year old and I knew Britax was the only way. We have owned a Roundabout in the past (as well as an Eddie Bauer that I HATED). My other 2 outgrew the 40 lb. weight limit Roundabout quickly so I opted for a larger weight limit this time around....which brought me to the Marathon, the Decathlon and the Boulevard. I read and read about each of the seats and finally I went to a store that sold all 3 and tried them out in person. I settled on the Decathlon for 2 reasons. The first is the adjustable crotch strap which neither of the other 2 have. After years of digging for that silly piece under my boys on my Roundabout, I knew this was a must! The other feature is the Push Button Release as opposed to the metal lever on the other 2 seats that is hidden under a fabric flap. This might not be huge to some, but as a mother of 3 that is always on the road and taking my 1 year old out of her car seat several times a day, every second seems to count! This Push Button just seems faster and easier to work with than the lever. Before purchasing, I went over and over the descriptions of each of these car seats trying to figure out the major differences, and if I'd read a Review like this in the beginning, I'd have saved a lot of time! Of course I love this car seat for all the same reasons as everyone else, but I am hoping this review will help someone like me who couldn't decide on which Britax was right for us. Oh, and a footnote. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the yellow flowered fabric on the car seat is actually a light lime color. Read this in another review somewhere, and I have to agree!!!!

I had this seat for about 2.5 years. At first, I loved it. Then the straps started getting harder and harder to adjust. It would take both my husband and I pulling on it to get them to budge and even then we could not get them tight enough to really be considered safe. I called Britax (they have the best customer service), I explained my situation and they agreed to replace my seat free of charge with either a Marathon or Boulvard. I chose the Boulevard and I am so happy that I did. It is a fantastic seat and I would highly recommend that anyone looking at this seat consider the Boulevard instead. It is only slightly more expensive but it is much nicer. I also have the Regent which is another fantastic seat and I would highly recommend that seat to anyone with room in their car (because it is huge) and with a child over the age of 1 - it is forward facing only. Britax is the best but unfortunately there is a design flaw in this seat in the way that the buckle is made.

I researched a few different seats to put in our new Odyssey van in September (07). Our daughter just turned two and we wanted to get a new car seat for her so her Evenflo Triumph could go in my husbands car. She had been using the Triumph since she was about 9 months (rear-facing), and then forward facing from about 14 months. We really loved the Triumph, but I wanted something she could grow into. Meaning - getting the most out of a car seat height and weight wise for the longest period of time.
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br /Britax was one of the only ones I found, that actually makes a heavy-duty quality seat that I knew would last. Sure, I looked at a few others that ranked up there with height and weight (i.e. Eddie Bauer, Cosco, and Graco), but none of these compared in quality and durability! We made the trip to Babies r Us so we could "test" the few different seats I had chosen from Consumer Reports ratings. The Eddie Bauer deluxe booster was out because the first time I snapped the metal part into the crotch strap I pinched my daughters skin and she screamed like crazy! I felt so bad, and my husband immediately said, "That's it for this one!" and put it back on the shelf.
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br /The Eddie Bauer would have been the only other one we would have considered because it was more durable and sturdy than the Cosco and Graco. We did try the Britax Boulevard, but found it rather cumbersome to adjust the head rest and my daughter's head seemed to lean too far forward with the pillow being there. Overall, she looked uncomfortable in the Boulevard. We also tried the Britax Regent. Talk about a monstrosity of a car seat, but we both loved it, especially my hubby! It held my daughter in snug and secure and was easy to install into the test seat they have at the Babies r Us store. My taller than average daughter looked dinky in the Regent! The only reason we decided not to get the Regent was because our daughter still sleeps in her car seat on longer trips and the Regent just wasn't going to give her the head support and comfort level I wanted her to have while snoozing. By not buying the Regent as opposed to the Decathlon, we only gave up a 15 pound weight and 4" height ability and we knew our daughter was going to outgrow the height limit WAY before she outgrew the weight limit. When that happens we'll probably just go to a standard backless booster that she'll use with the seatbelt from the car.
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br /Well, BrU didn't have the Decathlon at the store, and it wasn't one I was considering. I had researched the Marathon on Amazon and liked the reviews, but after comparing numerous reviews of the two seats. I decided on the Decathlon for three reasons: 1) It had the infant padding for rear-facing which will be good for our next child that comes along; 2) It had the toddler pillow; and 3) It had the adjustable crotch strap which I knew I would need for my daughter (she's in the 97th percentile for height, being 36" tall at 24 months!). Essentially, the Decathlon and Marathon have the same seat structure and height and weight capacities, but the Decathlon has the "extras" I mentioned. Also, the Decathlon has a push-button strap release and tightener. The Marathon has a clasp crimper to hold the straps tight. Knowing the seat structures were basically the same, I toted my daughter over to Target and tried her in the Marathon, and I liked it, so I bought the Decathlon on Ebay.
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br /It is so easy to install once you've looked over the directions. Of course, at first it took some time, but now it's a breeze. The thing is rock solid in the captain's chair of our Odyssey. With the anchor belt and the tether anchor attached this baby isn't going anywhere unless the whole captain's chair comes off! Even without the tether anchor it still didn't move. The material is nice and heavy and the seat is adequately padded. It sits up high so my daughter can see everything outside. I love the "hugs" system the straps have because it makes my daughter fit snuggly into the seat.
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br /I only have two complaints about this seat, which really aren't that bad, just annoyances - 1) Sometimes the straps do twist a bit and I have to untwist them, especially with an independent toddler who wants to push their own arms through the straps and 2) It does take a little bit of strength to tighten down the straps with the push-button strap holder. I usually pull it as tight as I can and then if it still has too much slack I push the button with my left thumb and pull the strap with my right hand until it's tightened to my satisfaction.
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br /Overall, I've been very happy with the Britax Decathlon car seat. It was a good investment and as many of the reveiwers have stated - the price is worth every penny knowing that your child is protected very well. One bit of advise I'd give to anyone considering ANY car seat - GO TO A STORE WHERE YOU CAN TEST THE SEATS OUT ON YOUR CHILD! All children are different shapes and sizes and the seats are different. We are so glad we took our daughter to BrU and put her in each seat we were considering - and look, we didn't even buy any of the seats we were originally considering based on the Consumer Reports ratings I looked at! You just never know!
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br /Update - November 11, 2008
br /Still loving this carseat. I had to take everything apart to clean it a couple weeks ago. It was a time consuming task, but not hard. The seat cover cleaned up beautifully and it looks brand new! Unfortunately, my daughter is now three and just about to outgrow the top slots (she's 41" now!). She probably has another couple months in it. I'd really like to keep her in a harness for a lot longer, so I'm now checking out the new Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 carseat that's on the market. It's getting awesome reviews and it's a fraction of the cost of this seat or any of the other Britax's. Baby #2 will be here in December, so this one will be put away for when he/she is out of the infant carrier and this seat is big enough to keep the new little one rear-facing for a longer time!

Our almost-three-year old has been in the Roundabout since he came home from the hospital, but we recently bought him a Britax Decathlon since we are expecting another baby in two months. We have always LOVED our Roundabout! It has been the perfect car seat! But, we have had trouble with the Decathlon since it arrived. After removing the infant padding, we were left with the Marathon. The picture showed an extra head pillow/padding that does not exist in our car seat. And, the straps were almost impossible to work when we first put the seat in our car. No amount of pulling would tighten them. After a frantic call to the helpline, we removed a plastic guard from the back of the seat, which helped slightly, but I still have to climb into the backseat (7 months pregnant) and put my knee on the car seat, in order to get enough leverage to tighten the straps. We wanted a seat that would last another couple years, but this one has been trouble from the start. I give 5+ stars to the Roundabout, and when the straps are tightened in the Decathlon, I know it's the safest ride for my son, but it's definitely too much trouble for the money. Get another seat!

We bought the Decathlon as our main carseat, and a few months later needed another carseat and purchased the Marathon. The padding in the Decathlon is nice especially for the smaller infant. I love both carseats but find the harness tightening mechanism much easier on the Marathon. The button mechanism just isn't as easy on the Decathlon.
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br /The Decathlon requires an amazing amount of strength and several pulls to get the harness secure around my child. Also the straps are supposed to be non-tangling but I find that every time I put my child in the seat I have to untwist the straps and follow the strap all the way around to ensure it isn't twisted. For some reason my Marathon straps never twist and the harness mechanism is much much easier.
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br /The Marathon has replaced the Decathlon as our main carseat.

I did a lot of research on the safety of convertible car seats for my daughter as she was outgrowing her infant car seat. I looked at the Britax Marathon Boulevard but I went with the Decathlon since it was the only one that offered the 3 adjustment positions for crotch strap. My daughter is big and tall (in the 98% for her height) and I know that she will grow out of the seat as fast as possible, so I had to find one that was the most adjustable size wise. I have already had to change the crotch strap to the second position as the first one was snug for her. I did sacrifice the Side Impact wings that come with the Boulevard model. I really wish that Britax would make one seat that offered all the features in one seat.

After buying two cheaper car seats with no luck (my son would SCREAM when we put him in them) we decided to try a Britax since they had great reviews. We chose the Decathlon because my son is 5mths old and already 22lbs! He's in the 98th percentile for his age and the other seats didn't adjust to fit his size comfortably. The Decathlon does this quite well! The crotch adjuster is the best! I don't know how we lived without this before. AND he LOVES the seat! The only Con I have is the size. We have a Toyota Corolla and it is quite a scene to watch my husband put the car seat in. We can't put it in the middle seat due to it's size. So we put the passenger seat all the way up and I sit in back when we travel together. Which is ok...but I would prefer to have the seat in the middle.

This review is for those of you out there with tiny babies with acid reflux. Our baby started showing signs of this at 3 weeks and screamed the entire time he was in his infant carrier (whether it was a 5 minute trip or 40 minute trip). I had heard this was true for many babies with acid reflux in that it apparently crunches them or hits them in the wrong place making the pain more intense. I got a few reccomendations that I move him into a rear facing convertible car seat (they often start at 5 pounds) and read a review from a woman on Amazon that they had bought this seat for the same issue. We decided to just spend the money (it is rather pricey) in that we'd eventually need one for him anyway. He has not screamed since which is a miracle for me, my husband, and 2 year old daughter. We do lose the convenience of moving him around from place to place in the infant carrier but when he's screaming he's not sleeping anyway! Now I just keep a Baby Bjorn in the car and carry him upright in that while shopping or at the park. I just wanted to write this for any other mothers looking for a solution to that problem...Buy the seat, it's entirely padded and the crotch strap is adjustable to pull the harness away from a tiny baby's face toward his chest where it should be. That is the problem with cheaper convertible carseats...the buckles are under their necks. I hope this is helpful to someone, somewhere!

So I'll say right off the bat that we really like this seat. We first bought the Boulevard and loved everything about it except for the non-adjustable crotch strap. So we returned it for this model (decathalon). I'm not sure why they can't make one seat with all of their features on it (especially for what they charge for them) But even with all of that we're happy with the seat and will tell everyone about them and possibly get another one in the future. The only real complaint I have is that when we ordered the Marathon is was about $220 and then the very same day that the Recaro seats (Britax's only real competition) were subjected to a re-call on some clips for them, the prices on all the Britax seats went up. So we ended up having to pay more to return our "top of the line" model for a lower level product. That was kind of oppourtunistic of them but whatever.
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br /Cheers,
br /Joel

This is our third Britax (also own roundabout, and marathon). This seat is bigger than the Marathon. Not sure if the extra strap space in the crotch area really offers much more room than the Marathon. We are not using the infant padding or toddler pillow. We also got a diff cover, I did not like the material on the middle part of the seat. We prefer the plusher Britax covers. Very easy to install (Toyota Sienna VW Passat). Remember to install with the car seat belt (not LATCH) when child reaches 40 lbs -call Britax with questions! Our Decathlon had a defect, the push button to release the harness straps would lock up and we could not release it to get our daughter in/out easily. Britax was great to work with, they covered cost of SH both ways, replaced the part and the seat works great. If your Decathlon if tough to operate it is worth sending it in to be looked at by their company. If you have an older child you might want to consider going with the Regent (up to 80 lbs). That will be our next purchase from Britax. Great car seats, easy to use, kids NEVER complain while in seats, lots of padding, worth every cent!!! Wouldn't buy another brand.

I drive a '03 Sunfire and this car seat fits HORRIBLE in it! It's nothing but a 100% pain and so I am returning it. I haven't had it for over 24 hours and I already want to throw it out window. It's hard to tighten the straps because the car seat in rear facing is jammed into the seat. Even the firemen that put it in for me told me to take it back because it was not going to make me happy. Sure enough they were right.

I purchased this car seat after hearing so many rave reviews about how safe it is. I am amazed at the difference between this car seat and my Graco. I decided to switch after speaking with a woman who lost her grandson in a car accident (he was not in a Britax seat) and she emphatically recommended that I purchase nothing other than a Britax. She also happend to be a police officer. The padding on the Britax is definitely better than that in my daughter's Graco. She looks much more safe and secure. The only problem that I had with this seat is the directions. I am a single mother and by myself I could not get the carseat installed. I took it to the police station (where they install it for you for free!) and the officer got it in in about 1/2 hour. She had to use a cyclindrical foam ring to get the seat at the correct incline but she said that was common. I have a Nissan Altima and the seat is so large that the passenger seat has to be moved forward quite a bit, also.
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br /So, basically, it is a great car seat with tons of support and padding but the instructions were difficult to follow (for me at least) and you may need a foam swim ring (I don't know what you call these so I hope everyone knows what I am referring to). I definitely recommend this car seat. Also, it's made in the UK not in China!!!!!!

No doubt this is a great seat, but it isn't made for infants, no matter what the description says. Even in its most inclined position, it isn't comfortable, legs are at a 90 degrees angle which is horrible for a newborn, and the baby's head is never well supported.
br /Better buy a Maxi Cosi or an other infant seat !

I love this seat! I had the Roundabout with my first child. When the second came I needed another seat so I looked at the Boulevard, Decathlon, and Marathon. My friends were unhappy with their Boulevards and I liked the Roundabout, but it wouldn't last as long with the weight limits. The Decathlon has the same push button release for the straps as the Roundabout, which is super easy to use. The Decathlon also holds a child to 65lbs. It also is the only Britax seat with an adjustable crotch strap. Hind sight is always 20/20...I would never have bought the Roundabout and I would now own 2 Decathlons!

We all know Britax is known for superb safety, so I'd like to comment on the day to day of this seat.
br /My son has been in his decathlon since he was 6 months old, due to his size. He is now 22 months old and is still very comfortable in his seat. I removed the extra padding around the crotch strap because I had issues with it being in the way. My son doesn't mind a bit. The buckles are so easy to deal with. They are secure enough my son can't work them, but easy enough for me to be happy with them daily. The crotch buckle holds in the 1st buckle while you put in the 2nd one. The latch then clicks when you have both inserted correctly. I like the "click" telling me my son is safe. I find that the chest clip's squeeze latch is much easier to disconnect than the push button one on my husband's Alpha Omega Elite Car Seat. (The Britax didn't fit well rear facing in his 1997 Saturn. We haven't tried it front facing.)
br /The seat sits up very high. When I installed it rear facing in my Honda Pilot I had some trouble manuvering around to install it correctly. Once I turned the seat forward the seat has been a dream. My son loves sitting up high and being able to see. A silly problem that we have had is my son loves buttons and with the seat sitting so high he fights getting buckled because he wants to turn on and off the lights on the ceiling of my car! A second minor issue with the height of this seat is my son cannot climb into the seat by himself. I am getting quite the biceps from hefting him in to the seat everyday. So far he is my only child and it is ok, but I don't look forward to doing this when we have a 2nd child.
br /Overall, I absolutely love this seat! The safety of the seat far outways the minor troubles I have had.

Honestly, I wish I had gone with this carseat from the beginning, instead of the infant seat (which I could only use about 4 months). It's held up really well, my son is 3.5 and he's really tall for his age, and he still seems comfortable. One thing to note that if you are using this seat in rear-facing mode it's really large (which is ok for me in Jeep, not so ok in the Chrysler PT). Once it's forward facing, it wasn't a problem in the car either. It's held up, I've washed the cover in the machine and it came out perfectly.

Pros: crotch strap has 3 settings. Cons: too hard to adjust strap, cover doesn't come off. Recently spent months and months researching car seats for my growing son. I finally decided on the Decathlon - even though I had heard bad reviews regarding the adjuster strap. I had tried it out in my local baby store and had no problems so I felt it safe to go ahead and purchase it. Big mistake - once the car seat is installed, it's next to impossible to get the adjuster strap positioned correctly. I have a large SUV and even with the roomy interior, you can't pull it hard enough without being a contortionist. I even read the Britax FAQ advising to make sure you're pulling straight out (not from a side angle) and to make sure the strap isn't twisted and so on. Even so, both my husband and myself could not get it positioned properly without breaking a sweat. Also, I didn't realize that since the new model has a push button control for the strap, it's sewn to the fabric, therefore you can't take it off and wash it. I have since returned it and am desperately looking to find something equally as safe but easier to use. I loved the fact that the crotch position was adjustable - unlike the other Britax models. I wish they could combine the good things into just one car seat!
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This car seat is nice and sturdy. Easy to put together and install. But the buckles don't click properly. We sent the buckle back to Britax and they sent us another one immediately (customer service is great), but we still find a problem with the buckle. Also, it's so difficult to tighten the belts.

Almost everything is perfect: fine quality velour fabric , very adorable floral print, super soft and comfortable cushion and infant-positioning-pillows system. We have a Honda Accord and the chair fits comfortably in the back seat (we have a 3 months old girl). Ofcourse my husband and I are not very tall and we don't need to move our front seats further back so it still has enough room for the chair in the reclined rear-facing position (I can see that it would be a hassel for tall people who sit in front with any rear-facing chair right behind their backs). I find the 3-point-harness-positioning buckle EXTREMELY helpful which the Marathon and the Boulevard designs don't have (the Marathon also doesn't have any infant-positioning-support pillows and with the Boulevard, the body-support pillow is too big for infants and the head-support-wings block the side-views of todlers). Our daughter is only 13 lbs but I have to move the harness buckle to the middle position already for her to be comfortable. The chair is also easy to install and stays sturdy. I really love it except 2 things which I'm not so fond of: 1/ the comfort pads are too short to keep the baby's chin and neck from touching the edge of the harness straps. I had to buy a different pair of pads to use instead. 2/ It's a little bit difficult to tighten or loosen the harness straps. I have to push the button really hard to make it work. Maybe I just have to get used to it. Overall, it's still a very good chair and the reward is that our baby doesn't cry any more any time we take her out for a ride now. It's worth the money.

First, I must say this car seat is solid, and plush. My daughter loves the seat...assuming because she falls right asleep when we put her in it. Previously we had her in a Graco SnugRide and she didn't sleep as much in the Graco.
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br /I like the availability of the 3 crotch strap positions...we had to start off with the middle one. I also like the strap on the top-back of the seat which you can use to anchor the seat to the the floor (when installed in the rear-facing position). This strap is optional, but when I tried using it, the car seat installed rock-solid. Nothing is going to move that seat now.
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br /My biggest complaint is with the installation manual. I can see why 9 out of 10 car seats are installed incorrectly...because the manuals are very poor. And when I went to Britax's web site, the only help I could find was to download the very same manual in PDF format. Fortunately, I found some forums on the Internet where people had posted pictures of similar Britax car seats and after piecing many pictures together I figured out how I needed to install the seat in my specific car.
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br /On final note/suggestion. When mounted in the rear-facing position, the front of the seat (where your child's feet will be) is right up against the back of your car seat. In other words, their shoes are able to kick the car's seat back. So I recommend buying a car seat protector mat (one that protects your car's seat) so your child's kicking feet don't damage your nice car's seat. The protector we bought was a "Prince Lionheart 2-Stage Seat Saver" which you can find locally or on Amazon.
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br /I rated this product 4/5 stars due to the poor manual, since a "product" is the sum of all its parts including all supporting material. However car seat alone I would probably rate closer to a 5/5.

I bought one to use as rear facing for my 6 mo old was so impressed with how easy it is to install, I bought another for my 2 year old. The straps do twist badly the seat is so soft that it is bulky- making it harder to find every twist in the strap. Also, these seats are HUGE. I drive a Crown Victoria there is no room for a middle passenger in the backseat. I often bump the kids' head when getting them out of the carseat. That being said, my 2 year old LOVES being able to see out her window. She is 25lbs very short, but could easily enjoy Christmas lights this year! All in all it's a super comfy seat they no longer fuss like they did with the Cosco. However, it is very annoying that the straps twist so badly.

I loved this car seat so much that we bought the exact same one for our second child. It was easy to put in, the straps do not get tangled, it is easy to clean, it is durable, and seems to be comfortable for the kids. Most of all I feel it is a very safe car seat. I would strongly recommend it.

First off, I used to hate it when people rated Amazon on a product page, but please be careful when ordering this particular product. I ordered the seat on November 4th, it never shipped, and I eventually had to cancel when my son grew too big for his infant seat and needed a convertable seat NOW! That was today, December 16th. I've looked at this seat before, and it is comparable to my daughter's marathon, but don't buy it here. I was given four new shipping dates, and my order went immediately into the "shipping soon, can not cancel" status, yet it never shipped. All of this while it never entered a "backordered status" on the product page. And what could customer service do? Nothing! I understand if the product is on the dock, going onto the truck within hours, but they should be able to cancel an order if it isn't shipping that day (or that week).
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br /I've been a shopper with Amazon for a while, purchasing a stroller, movies, books, camping supplies, and other stuff. But, due to their customer service's inability to provide any service what so ever, they've lost me. Amazon, if you've gotten too big for your customer service folks to be able to service customers, maybe you should focus some capital on improving you company's internal networking before you focus on further growth at the expense of service. You haven't just lost me, you've lost everyone I talk to about this!

I purchased this car seat as my son approached 12 months of age and installed it rear facing.
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br /First, in regards to quality, there's no doubt that Britax makes the best and safest seats out there. The material is soft and there are some nice features that make this a more comfortable seat. First, anywhere the strap can come in contact with bare skin (neck, crotch), there is padding to go between the baby and the straps. This is especially nice for the crotch, as many car seats dig into the child's legs. I've seen complaints about the buckle digging into the kid's legs even on this model, but if you are using the seat properly this would not happen.
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br /Another neat feature that is unique to this model is an adjustable crotch strap. Much like the shoulder straps need to be adjusted as your child grows, this seat allows the crotch buckle to be moved out as your child grows.
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br /I should mention I would not put a newborn infant into this seat. Not because it won't work, just because I love the carseats that are removable so you don't have to wake the baby if he's sleeping. I really can't imagine not having this feature in a newborn carseat.
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br /I should also mention that I was not in the market for a Britax, they were out of my price range. I was planning on buying the Evenflo Triumph. However, I was able to get this seat at $100 off plus free shipping here on Amazon, which would be about $50 more than the other seat. At only $50 more, it was worth it to get the added safety and comfort features of Britax.
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br /In terms of features, this model does not have some things common to other seats such as cup holders. But, one cool thing is that pretty much everything is removable and washable, unlike the Triumph where the straps cannot be removed and cleaned.
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br /Now, onto installation....I read over and over again how easy this seat was to install. I am fairly capable when it comes to these types of things, but I must admit I had a very difficult time figuring this seat out.
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br /One highly annoying thing is that the instruction manual is small and permanently attached to the carseat. The reasoning is that the company wants the manual to always remain with the seat. However, this made referencing it very hard! Because it is a small book, every time I put it down (it hangs on an elastic string from the front of the seat, but not far enough to set it down on the floor) to look at something on the carseat, I lost my page. So, I was constantly trying to re-find my page. So, my first advice is to visit the Britax website, where they have video demonstrations. I did not find these until well into my installation process when someone told me they existed. Things would have been 100% easier if I had known about these in advance.
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br /Back to the installation...Up until this point, I had only installed an infant seat, which was relatively easy. I expected the same of this seat given the reviews I'd read. But, I would say this installation took me 2 hours to get it right. I can't list all the challenges here, but I first had it in my living room and put my kid in it to get the strap length approximately right. This involved re-threading the shoulder straps and moving the crotch strap. This took a while to figure out how to do each part.
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br /Then I moved out to the garage (I have a Dodge Grand Caravan, I installed the seat in the 2nd row passenger side. The front passenger side seat was able to be moved all the way back and inclined comfortably, which is nice. This wasn't possible with my previous infant seat). My first challenge came in finding the latch connectors. The seat is not shipped ready for rear-facing latch. I probably searched this seat for 15 minutes, turning it upside down and all around. Then I wondered if maybe my model didn't have LATCH. Then looked at the box and it said it did. Anyhow, finally, I discovered I had to take the cover off...they were hidden behind the cover, near the back of the seat totally out of view! One other thing is that they had to be rethreaded to ensure the LATCH strap went in front of the crotch buckle under the cover (this probably doesn't make sense until you see it, but wasn't very clear in the directions and I would guess that many people miss this step because unless you read the instructions closely you won't realize it is installed incorrectly). Once I had this figured out, the LATCH connectors are easy and the front tether is fairly easy as well. The last steps were a piece of cake, but getting there was the challenge.
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br /So, this product gets a definite 5 stars for quality, but 3 stars for ease of installation and quality of the instruction book.

We did a ot of research on car seats. After all, they are expensive and you'll own this one for a long time compared to the infant seat. We had narrowed it down to the Marathon or Decatholon but decided to go with this one because one review said it was better with babies with chunky legs and allowed for adjusting of the crotch strap. Since I have a baby boy who weighs 23 pounds at 8 months I valued both options. He fits very comfortably in the car seat and I have not adjusted anything yet. I did read that the buckles get a little hard to release, and they definetly do not snap on and off easily, but I can live with it. I certainly wouldn't want anything that he could undo! I highly recommend this seat.
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br /I ordered the sand color and it is beautiful and very plush. When you look at car seats, push on he seat itself; many brands look very plush on the sides but your baby ends up sitting on what feels like plastic covered fabric. The decatholon has a plush seat, making long road trips manageable, and with rear and forward facing options up to 65 pounds, we'll be logging quite a few miles with him in this seat!

Great product, my 4 month old fits in it great. The only drawback is that there is no level to tell you if the carseat is installed at the right angle. Other than that great!!

We had 2 Decathlons (Tiffany and Hampton prints) for my daughter, and I loved them. The material is plush, the buckles are easy to click in, and they are just nice seats. I bought 2 more in Sahara for my son, and it STINKS. The material is so flimsy that it feels like some cheapo thing without padding and the buckles stick when trying to click in or out. Had I know that the material was different, I would never have purchased this pattern. Shouldn't the material be the same quality over all their carseat fabrics??? What a waste of money since I now have to buy different covers. I won't have my son sitting in what feels like flamable material for the next 4 or 5 years.

ok well i too have had the problem of the straps not tightening even when i pull my hardest, i dont even pull the tightening strap because i have heard others say they pulled really hard and the button in the front of the seat broke apart when they pull, so this what i do i put the child in then i reach all the way under the seat and pull the straps till my child is snug and secure then i pull the front strap it totally upsets me i spent 285.00 on this seat and it doesn't even work as promised so i needed another seat and i went to buy a boulevard and to my disappointment the crotch strap is so short and close my 20 pound baby was smashed in i bet in a month or two he would be sitting on the strap is britax kidding my baby is 20 lbs there is NO way that seat will fit any 65lbs child so here iam forced to buy another decathlon because of the 3 position crotch strap any way i would rather haft to use my hand to tighten the straps on the decathlon then buy the boulevard and by 30 pounds have him grow out of the boulevard in my opinion the only way to insure i get the most time out of the seat is the 3 position adjusting crotch strap it is too bad that we spent almost $300.00 in my case almost $600.00 and and get seats like this but we all keep buying them so why should britax change

I first heard about the Britax brand through some people at our church and decided to check into the ratings and reviews. I had heard great things about Britax and decided that Britax was the best car seat for our little one. He originally had a Graco Snug Ride and it worked great too, but the Decathalon is by far a suburb seat. I had it professionally installed (just to make sure I was doing it correctly) and feel completely comfortable moving it from car to car. I decided to buy through Amazon b/c the price was good and it offered the brand and model I wanted. I will certainly buy Britax again and again. I feel that the promise to have above average safety standards to protect our precious little ones speaks for itself. I urge you to try the Britax Decathalon, I am very pleased!

My son loves this seat and sits in it for long rides without complaining. it allows him to stretch out much more than the starter Graco car seat we had up to 26 lbs.

I did a lot of research before buying a car seat and this one is top notch. It has one of the highest safety ratings. I love this chair. My son loves it too. It not only looks good but is comfy too. It's easy to install, we have several vehicles and have had no problems installing it in any of them. My son is a big baby. This chair has the capacity to hold up to 65 lbs vs. a lot of other chairs which only hold up to 45 lbs. It is a bit pricey but well worth it!! This is a great car seat!

I was very happy w/ our Britax infant carrier and when my daughter outgrew it, I was a bit overwhelmed with all of the convertible seat options. I asked friends and fellow parents and they all said Britax is the best. I looked at online reviews and safety ratings and after having my daughter try out different seats from Britax and other manufacturers, the Britax Decathlon was the best choice for us. I love the head support and the convertible features. My mom bought one too so she could have it available for various grandchildren.

I did a lot of research before I purchased such an exspensive car seat and this was the one I chose. I really love it and think it is WELL worth the money. Easy to use, very soft and safe!!

After months of research and indecision, my husband and finally decided to go with this seat and it's great! Amazon got it to us (we are stationed overseas in the military)within a week. It was in fantastic shape and the colors were just as pictured. My son fits in it perfectly and he is a big boy, at 8mths he weighs 22lbs and is 31.5 inches long
br /Because of his size however we couldn't use any of the padding and that was one downside, the only other is that it doesn't have a cup holder like many of the others too.
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br /We have the Britax Parkway Booster in Tiffany for my 5 yr old daughter (Amazon purchase!) and I love the fold away cup holders in that.One other major thing I was worried about was it fitting in our truck, we have an 05 F150 and it fits in the middle perfectly - rear facing of course.
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br /Oh and the only other thing I could think of that no one else really mentioned was that although this seat has the adjustable crotch strap, we had to put it out at the furtherest space, and this is the same spot that it is located on all the other seats that don't have adjustable ones. If I had of known this I probably would have gone with the Marathon because I LOVE the All Star Blue print! I may have to purchase it later when we move back to the States!
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br /Overall a great seat and considering what it's carrying well worth the price! Oh and if you hold out you can get free shipping and sometimes up to 22% off like we did!

I love how this seat looks, feels and it is so easy to install! If we even need another seat for another child, I am getting a Britax! I think they are worth the money and my 7 month old loves snoozing in the car with her soft comfy seat.

We were not sure we really wanted to spend the money but after buying the Evenflo Titan and having to return that for a defect that severely compromised safety and reading so many scarey reviews about other seats we just gave in and bought this one. WE ARE SO HAPPY WE DID! This seat is AMAZING! It was VERY easy to install and it is clearly not moving! It is VERY secure. TEN STARS FOR BRITAX!!!! Our little girl used to scream and cry every time we'd put her in her carrier but she is all smiles when we put her in this seat and start to secure her in it. It is so soft and plus I've been tempted to crawl in it and try it out myself but I just know I'd never fit. We are extremely careful spending money and are always trying to save money so I have to say we have NO REGRETS. There is no price tag on the life of our children and this seat will NOT disappoint you. There are no substitutes out there. Just GET THIS SEAT! IT IS AWESOME!

We bought this car seat for our first daughter when she was 10 months old and have loved it from day one. She will be 2 this month. We have another baby girl who is 4 months old and I have purchased a matching seat for her already. These are the most versatile, comfortable, user friendly car seats that we have found. The "extra" seats we have which are also Britax but the roundabout are great but no as easy to buckle and are not as roomy as the decathlon. The Tiffany seat covers are beautiful and have withstood many washings. I recommend these to everyone I know and have had several friends purchase them and all have loved them.

Love this car seat. Very comfortable, easy to use and clean. We've had it for 2 years now, never had any problem with it. The greatest thing I love about this car seat is that it provides great head support for a sleeping baby/toddler. It's very easy to remove the cover for cleaning or adjusting. I even machine wash the cover (delicate cycle). It's the best car seat I've ever had/tried/seen! :)

My daughter is so comfortable in this carseat! This is the second Britax for our family and I would recommend it to others.

Wow. Just bought the Decathlon for my 2nd child and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Our first carseat was one of the top rated seats 2 years ago, but the Britax blows it out of the water. I can painlessly and correctly install the Britax in under 5 minutes. This alone makes it worth the money. The harness straps are nice and wide and have velcro strips to hitch them out of the way when you take your child in and out of the seat - this means finally, no more tangled straps! The cover is so plush and comfy, and the padding underneath looks super comfortable. Thinking about getting a second Britax to replace the older car seat. This is well worth the money.

I bought this seat since November 2006 but started to use it in April 2007 because we had to left a seat for the baby's day care until she turned 1 year old, and the graco snugride we borrowed was better for that purpose.
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br /When we moved her to the britax seat we felt the difference, it is sooooo comfortable the baby goes asleep every time she takes a ride for more than 20minutes. The Tiffany print is just adorable,and it was easier to put in place than we thought.
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br /I hope fabric cover could be machine washable and put to dryer for a faster cleaning process.
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br /And keep in mind before you buy this seat is that it's really bulky so if you drive a car you'll have to place it in the middle back seat and it won't fit small cars.

My husband is very picky when it comes to car seats and when he saw the Decathlon he knew it was the right one for us. (We didn't want the Boulevard because of the ear flaps bits.) Anyway, this car seat is extremely comfortable, the material and quality are exceptional. We were a bit concerned on the price but now we see first hand that it is worth every cent we spent on it. A definite must have car seat!

**WARNING**SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW ON THIS PRODUCT**
br /Unfortunately, we missed looking at these reviews before purchasing TWO of these seats (twins). We have had the same exact problems as many of the other reviewers: the seat is just not made for a small infant (4-12 months old). First DESIGN FLAW: THE SHOULDER STRAPS DO NOT TIGHTEN EVENLY NOR PROPERLY. We brought both seats and babies to a car safety check and they told us there was a problem with the straps because one shoulder strap would always be loose while the other one tight...no matter how hard you pulled or how far you got into the car and leaned on the seat to try and tighten it. We called Britax at least 4 times. They claim no knowledge of this being a problem. They told us to remove the plastic piece in the back; that didn't work at all. They sent us new straps, but one pair wouldn't even work with the buckle, so we couldn't use those and the other pair had the same exact problem. THERE IS A SERIOUS DESIGN FLAW WITH THIS SEAT: it is not able to securely hold in small infants contrary to what the manufacturer says.
br /Second problem: this seat is just too big...we bought them thinking that we would have one seat for each of our twins until they went into a booser seat...unfortunately, like with many "all purpose" or "one size fits all" products, it is not great in any of its uses, but rather mediocre or flawed for each use...the seat is so large, you can't even carry it down the isle of a plane without lifting it over the seats. The seat barely fits in a car seat bag (there are several models of car seat bags that this seat cannot even fit in).
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br /In hind sight, we should have purchased a smaller seat that only lasted a year, instead of trying to find one seat to last us for many years. Stay away from Britax.

How many problems do I need to have? Sure I wanted the Britax it looks good and it is THE car seat to have.
br /The tether is sooo hard to adjust and has been they dont care and then all the sudden i get a recall notice in the mail....for the exact problem.
br /Then the top clips just wont clip anymore?????????
br /After 40 MINUTES waiting they tell me that makes no difference in the safety and some people actually take it off? Was she serious. I told her "Ma'am I highly doubt there are many parents out there TAKING off clips from their car seat." Whatever the clip is being sent UPS ground it will be here in 7-10 days...until then she assured me it was safe. THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE ever. I purchased a double jogger 2 years ago and it has had a few problems...brand new one fedexed out to me but a problem with a car seat? I won't be buying anymore Britax items and I suggest nobody else does either.

This is a very nice, lare comfy car seat. My son (3 1/2 months) seems to really like it, however, I went to the Sherriff's dept. today for a car seat check by a professional and she had a LOT of info for me. First of all, I THOUGHT this car seat was very easy to install. Both my husband I have MBA's, we thought we could handle it we followed the instructions to the TEE, yet the officer said it was in totally wrong b/c the instructions DON'T tell you the proper way to install it. She had to make TONS of adjustments to make it safe. Before I went in today it seemed like I had it done perfectly my son had no problems in the seat. I did a tremendous amount of research before I bought this to make sure I bought the best safest seat I could. The officer said this seat is good IF installed correctly, BUT that is is SOOOO difficult for any person not trained in car seats to install that she would not recc. it. She suggested the Gracco seats b/c they are safe AND very easy to install correctly. That being said, I loved this seat before she installed it, and I love it even more now that I KNOW it is safe. If you get this seat just make sure you have someone trained in child safety to install it!!

I purchased a Britax Decathlon about 18 months ago for my second child.
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br /From the very start, the harness adjustment strap was difficult to adjust. It would bind up and no amount of pulling would budge it. After about six months of this, I just stopped using the seat. I went back to my first child's Britax Marathon, which I found much easier to install correctly due to the double LATCH straps--one per side (the Decathlon has one, running behind the seat). Additionaly the adjustment of the shoulder harness was smooth and easy.
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br /After about six months of sitting in my garage taking up space and collecting dust, I tried pawning this thing off on my SIL for her son, who was moving out of an infant seat. She accepted my donation, placed it back in its original box and then put it in HER garage, then went out a bought a Britax Roundabout.
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br /Finally, almost mercifully, I received a recall notice asking me to install three small pins to prevent the adjuster from coming apart and possibly failing--an ungood thing and a definite safety hazard.
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br /As I had no intention of attempting "home repair" on this seat, I called the nice folks at Britax and asked them if THEY could repair this seat so perhaps someone could get some use out of it. I described my situation and the seats lack of use due to it being impossible to adjust, and they agreed to replace the seat with a new one free of charge.
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br /So my lovely little daughter is riding around in a brand new Britax (NOT a Decathlon, thank you very much). My older son is in his booster and now we have a Britax Mararhon sitting sround the garage taking up space and collecting dust.
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br /I'd sell to someone cheap, you know, in case they need a seat in a hurry because they bought a Decathlon with a funky adjuster, but I'm afraid the Car Seat Gestapo--and you know who you are--would come and have me arrested or something.

I ordered this item almost two months ago and have not received it. I owned a Britax already so no problem with the product itself. It is the service by Amazon that is less than unsatisfactory. While their website may say that their product(s) is in stock, it is actually not. I got an email almost everyday telling me the product is on backorder and will be delayed. When I contacted Customer Service, I get nowhere because there is nothing they can do. Even their computer system says the item is in stock. On several occassions, I was promised a follow-up by phone or email but no one has contacted me to let me know what's going on. All I get is an email telling me that I need to approve a new shipping date. I am very disappointed that such a prominent online business treat their customer like this. Unless you plan on taking the chance to wait for your product, I suggest shopping somewhere else even if you have to spend a little more.

Bought it, but decided to return it because of the recall. It was very nicely padded and seemed like it would have been great, but the recall freaked me out so I returned it and got a Marathon instead. Britax.com website has info on the recall. Not a big deal, but enough to put doubts in my head.

We got two Britax car seats for both our cars. One car seat went in quickly, about 30 minutes. The second seat was a mess. The hold down straps were reversed. It took a little while to figure this out, but the left side strap was on the right side and the right strap was on the left side. The only way we were able to figure this out was because we had another seat to compare to. In my opinion, this is a major flaw in quality control and would have been an easy catch on the assembly line, IF SOMEONE WAS PAYING ATTENTION. I don't know how many other straps are out there that are reversed, but if we didn't swap them, I would have had to twist the straps to make it latch. This would make it difficult or impossible to tighten snug. We bought our seats because they were highly rated in Consumer Reports, but based off of our personal experience, half of the seats out there could be defective.