Customer Reviews

Britax Boulevard Convertible Car Seat, Shannon

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

After many MANY weeks of research, gathering information from several sites, reviews etc I decided that the Britax Boulevard was definitely the safest bet available on the market. The things that sold me: All the safety gadgets that other seats don't have like the side impact wings, the HUGS system, the LATCH system and 5 point harness and also the fact that it lasts up to 29Kg.
My toddler was using a Cosco seat which I really didn't feel comfortable with, it moved pretty easily in the back seat, it was near impossible to remove the fabric covers if I wanted to wash them ( which is often with little hands rubbing bits of biscuits into the seat, dropping raisins and drinking juice in the car) and IF and when I decided to go ahead and wash it, it would take more than 30 mins to get it all back together again. It was time for a change.
I did most of my research on the net, picking my top 3 choices I went and had a look at them in the shops. I looked at one the Graco Comfort Sport, the Britax Boulevard and the Decathlon and Marathon seats. By far it seems that Britax have the upper hand safely wise on the market, many professional reviews and crash tests agree on this so Britax was the clear choice for us.
If you are spending money on the safety of your kids I really believe that $300 is not a high price to pay for peace of mind. Obviously I think this the THE factor which makes parents doubt if this is the right seat, but look at how long the seat will actually last, if you opted for any other seat, you'd soon have to buy a second one when the child outgrows it.
I have the seat front facing in my Camry (2007) I worried about the size of the chair from reading other reviews but that is NO problem in my car, my son has plenty of leg room and can see perfectly out the window. He is nice and high up which is a bonus and when he falls asleep the side wings serve as support for his head whereas normally it would flop about with his old seat. Installation is not a problem, I suggest reading the instructions all the way through a couple of times first though because as with all things that require instructions, the first time I tried to install it got carried away and started doing things before reading the next step so do make sure you're not too overly confident!! I did actually put a small towel under the seat's base and removed the back headrest from my car to stop the leather from getting damaged. The seat is quite tall, although visibility isn't a problem, the marks on the leather could be.
I have yet to wash the covers but the onyx material is really plush and soft and the whole cover looks easy to remove. I could go on and on about how much I love this seat. We have had it for over a month now and have NO complaints and my 2 year old son is happy in it and a lot more safe. If you are worried about the size of this seat it's really not as bad as people say it is. In fact, the base of the seat is actually smaller (narrower) than the Cosco and you can still fit 2 regular sized people in the back of the car. It's just taller to accommodate taller children. The harness lengths are fine in my opinion and all the padding looks comfortable. Instructions are reasonable and with a couple of practice runs it's easy enough to change from car to car. CONCLUSION: If you're in doubt over the price, it's well worth it.
Pro's:
* The amount of safety features this car seat has
* It's unbelievably secure once installed ( it doesn't budge)
* The quality of the Onyx material is great along with the HUGS system, lips and padding
* You can adjust the height of the harness and side wings WITHOUT removing the seat and without any hassle. It has a sliding rail here which allows you to change the position of the harness and wings without pre-set holes, so it will always be just right for your child.
* The side wings move with the harness so you don't have to worry about whether they're at the right height or not.
* It will last you child a lot longer than any other convertible seat on the market

Con's:
* The price is higher than any other chair on the market
* It's really rather heavy, it's FAA approved but I can't imagine carrying it on a plane... although I have seen some celebrity photos of their kids in these seats and some sort of trolley you can get to wheel it around on. Have no idea where you can get them though!

I have made this as detailed as possible, I hope it helps with all your shopping decisions!

The Britax Boulevard car seat in Brownstone is an excellent car seat. Yes...it IS expensive, but it is worth every penny. Not only is this one of the safest car seats available b/c of TSIP (total side impact protection), but it is also one of the most comfortable.

We bought this car seat as a "big boy" seat for my son when he was 6 months old and about to reach the weight limit for his infant seat (Eddie Bauer travel system in Manchester). We were a little worried that he wouldn't like the new seat so we were pleasantly surprised when we strapped him in and two minutes later - before the vehicle ever moved - he was sound asleep!

PROS

1. The "wings" that provide TSIP make an excellent headrest for a sleeping child. They are not restrictive in any way. Not one time has my child's head "slumped" while sleeping.

2. This seat has a knob on each side of the seat in the back that turns easily to reposition the harness moving it up or down with a simple turn. This is one of my favorite things about this seat! There is no rethreading the straps as your child grows - just turn the knobs and the straps move with the headrest. What an idea!!! VERY EASY TO ADJUST!!!

3. Yes...this seat IS big, but it fit easily into our Mountaineer and our Accord even in the rear-facing position. There were no problems installing it, and it is VERY secure.

4. Excellent padding provided for entire seat. Not only is there an infant pillow that is very easy to remove, but this seat also provides a belly pad to protect the child's legs and belly when buckling them in. In addition there are also protective shoulder pads over each strap of the harness.

5. Not only is this seat safe, but it is also one of the most attractive seats on the market. Unlike most seats - it isn't "babyish" looking. It is a nice pattern!


CONS

1. If I read my manual correctly, the seat cover must be spot cleaned and can't be machine washed. I think that this seat would be perfect IF the cover was machine washable.

Hope this review helps you with your decision to buy. You can't go wrong with a Britax Boulevard in any pattern! :)

I did a lot of research before purchasing this car seat. I have a 20 month old and a 5 month old. We just purchased a new vehicle which has side curtain airbags. I wasn't so worried about a side impact crash since your much more likely to hit head on or be rear-ended. My main concern was when the side air bags deployed would the Alpha Omega my toddler was in withstand that kind of blow, probably not, especially since I could never get that seat good and snug. The wings on the boulevard look like they would protect your child's head from a side curtain airbag. (Airbags can cause a lot of facial damage) I was worried the wings would be too big that my kids couldn't see out the window, but she can. I love this car seat, I purchased 2, one for each of my girls. [...] It took me more time to take out the Alpha Omega than it did putting the Boulevard in forward facing. I just attached all 3 latches, sat on the seat and pulled each of the lower LATCH anchors at the same time. It is so tight! It doesn't budge. Plus it's so easy to remove the LATCH as well. Just remember that when your child hits 48 lbs to anchor the seat with the seat belt and not LATCH. It sits up a lot higher than the alpha too, which is good if God forbid you did get hit from the side, the car seat would be higher than the on-coming cars bumper. I also like that you don't have to take the seat out to raise the shoulder belt height, super convenient for growing infants. The wings are also nice headrests for a sleeping child. On the alpha omega my toddlers head would always flop down in an unnatural uncomfortable position. I really like the Hugs system which prevents children from pulling the chest clip down. On the Alpha Omega my toddler was able to push the chest clip down to the buckle and pull her arms out of the straps! I haven't yet installed the other one for my infant, still using the peg infant carrier. I will review it again as rear facing. These seats are pricey but I will pay anything to make my girls as safe as possible. If you have a toddler and are thinking of this seat the Wizard is the same, it just doesn't have the infant body pillow, plus it's much cheaper. I would have gotten one for my toddler but it didn't come in the onyx color, just blue or navy. I could not imagine ever purchasing a different seat and urge you to get this seat for the safety of your children.

Wow, what a carseat! Our city fire department does free carseat installations, and even the firefighters who installed our Britax Boulevard (Brownstone) were impressed with all the safety and convenience features.
We bought the Boulevard ultimately for the True Side Impact Protection (TSIP) because the Britax Boulevard is the most advanced in TSIP, according to this site. It's worth the extra money to feel that your baby has that extra protection and is safe as possible while on the road. (We got the Brownstone to match the interior of our car.)
The seat is gorgeous and has an infant body pillow that fits our 7-month-old daughter really well. Her head hasn't slumped yet while she's sleeping (a big problem in her infant carrier.) The seatbelt and head rest are lowered and raised with a knob, and the straps don't get twisted. The straps are really secure and the hooky-things at the legs are easy to access. The seat is cushiony and soft, too. My daughter goes straight to sleep in it.
About the size: We have a 2005 Toyota Corolla and the seat is in the rear-facing position. This is a larger carseat but it fits in our backseat. This is one great seat!

I just received the Britax Boulvard as a replacement for my Decathalon which was recalled. Britax has the best customer service. I called them to explain that it was nearly impossible to tighten the straps on my Decathalon (which I had for almost 3 years) and Britax offered to ship me a new seat of my choice, free of charge. I chose this seat in the Barrington Pattern and I am so glad that I did.
When the seat arrived, I noticed that it seemed a lot more sturdy than the Decathalon. The fabric was plush and looked so comfortable. I put my son in it to adjust the straps and he just loved it.
The seat was so easy to install and I love the way the latch is positioned on this seat. You can get the seat so tight in your car that it is as if the seat were a part of the car.
My son loved riding in the seat. He used to cry in the Decathalon, which seemed lower that this seat. Now, he is higher up and looks much more comfortable. I love this seat and I love Britax.
We also have the Regent for our 2 year old and we love that seat as well. I highly recommend Britax all around. If you are debating between this seat and the Decathalon or Marathon, I would say go with this seat - the Decathalon is not of the same quality as this seat and the Marathon does not have the same features. There is only a slight price difference so I would go with this one. Also, the pattern on this seat is much nicer in person!

I did lots of research about which convertable car seat to buy. My daughter was 6 months old when we switched from her infant carrier; she is a big girl (about 19 lbs. @ 6 mos.) and she fits wonderfully in this seat! She looks SO comfortable and hasn't fussed once since we have put her in it, she used to fuss quite often in the carrier. This seat has plenty of room to grow and makes me feel safe with her riding in it, this price is on the high side, but how could you compromise the safety of the most wonderful thing you have?!

I must abmit that the seat is quite bulky and probably wouldn't fit great in a small car, but I think it is perfect for our 4Runner. I have seen friends with other seats and I must admit that there is a definite difference in quality; Britax spared nothing! I wouldn't think of putting my daughter in anything else after owning this seat!

Our car was rear-ended yesterday. Thankfully, as always, my two young daughters were safely strapped into their car seats, which happened to be a Britax Wizard and a Britax Boulevard. My 1.5 year old actually slept through the crash, which was a miracle, and shows how securely the seat held her. My 3.5 year old was startled, but in a few minutes was asking when the police officer would come so she could say hello. She said that nothing hurt and she was fine. I, on the other hand, who was only wearing the standard 3-point adult seatbelt, am now having neck and back pain. My point is that the Britax seats are well worth the money. They are expensive, heavy, and can be a pain to install rear-facing, but they are SAFE. I am writing this because I am about to purchase two new seats to replace the ones that were in the crash. Oh, and if you get into a crash, be sure to ask the insurance company about replacing the car seats. They'll reimburse you - and if they don't, Britax will exchange the seats if the vehicle has frame damage. You'll need to take pictures of the vehicle pre-repair, though.

I did a TON of research before buying this seat, and we LOVED it so much we bought another! It is by far the easiest to use (I've used A LOT of car seats!) and has the best features. I really like that you don't have to take the seat out to adjust the harness height. The fact that this seat can be used forward facing up to 65lbs and 49" is what sold me on it the most. I wish this seat had been around for my first child, who was off the charts for height, we had to put him in a booster seat at age 2 because he was too tall for any car seat we could find. The total side impact protection is another BIG selling point, no other seat has that! it is easy to install, rear and forward facing-I have used it in an explorer, escape and tahoe with no problems. People have said it is bulky, but it is not really any larger then other seats, just taller. Compare them side to side at the store and you will see :-) The seat is also very comfortable on long trips (8hrs with no complaints!). Another thing I really like about this seat is that the straps don't get twisted! We had a Alpha Omega and the straps were forever twisted and were such a pain! We have been using this seat for a year with no complaints what so ever. There are so many wonderful things about this seat I could go on all day. I had the seat inspected and the person told me that Britax IS THE BEST, far exceeding US safety standards. It is well worth the price for the peace of mind you will have. We also have the Britax Parkway booster seat with the total side impact protection and love it as well!
PS- I have read from others that the seat cover is not machine washable, I washed it on delicate in cold water and it did no damage-looks as good as new!


***UPDATE*** We have been using this seat for two years now and still love it. Our son is comfortable, no complaints about the crotch strap, it has been so easy to wipe spills from the fabric, simple to install and no problems with the shoulder straps twisting like on other seats we owned in the past. So comfy in fact that even at this age he has no problem sleeping in it. We will be using this seat for a very long time!!!

My 3 year old (38 inches tall, 30 lbs) needed a new car seat since his younger brother was in need of the other convertables we have (an Alpha Omega Elite and an Evenflo Triumph V). I did oooodles of research and this Boulevard seat looks very comfortable and I liked the height/weight limit. Only my son hates it. The issue is with the crotch buckle. It's not that it's anymore further back than others, it's just that it's too short. There needs to be an extra two inches of strap beneath it, like practically every other carseat on the market. He grabs at his crotch (he doesn't wear diapers) and says "ouch" when I buckle it and/or refuses to get in the seat without a struggle. The little pad thing they have attached doesn't appear to do all that much.

I did try this rear-facing to see if my 8 month old (29 inches, 20 lbs) had any issue with comfort and he didn't appear too. It seemed fine for him.

The latch straps, which shouldn't be twisted to attach, have to be twisted in order to attach to the seat in my minivan (there's only one way it fits). I'm not impressed with that and will probably use the belt if we keep this carseat.

Also, something that bugs me is the buckles that snap into the crotch buckle, only one of them actually "snaps" in, the other doesn't give that "it's buckled" snap like its partner no matter what I do. After all the Britax hype I've read, I really expected a little better. I like the lever adjustment on the Alpha Omega Elite's headreast versus the knob on this one.

While this carseat looks cushy and nice, and I'm sure safety wise it's top of the line, I think we're going to sell it and just get another Compass booster seat like I bought for our husband's car (my son LOVES that seat). We've never had trouble getting my son to ride in a carseat until I bought this one and I can't wrestle a 3 year old several times a day into a car seat. If you're buying this for an older child, you might want to have them try it out first to see if they find it comfortable.

I got this car seat for my 10 month old daughter. I was concerned that it would be too large for my car (I have a Honda Civic), but it fit just fine. Rear-facing you would need to put in the center of the back seat, so if you have 2 kids, you would have to put the seats up further, but if you are short, that will likely not be an issue. I had it installed at the fire station and it fit in perfectly -- he installed it in minutes and did NOT need any foam pieces to make it fit properly! It was a perfect fit on its own.

Pros:
1. it is the best car seat you can get!
2. has side impact protection -- also makes a good headrest when baby falls asleep
3. the adjust knob for the harness is awesome to adjust especially over large coats
4. the seat is very well cushioned, soft fabric
5. fits fine a small car even rear facing (I have a Civic)
6. it's heavy so its not going anywhere!
7. works for up to 65 pounds, so we will get a lot of use out of the seat
8. she loves it!

Cons:
1. it is large/heavy (though it is staying in my car so heavy is not a problem)
2. the strap to tighted the harness is a little tough to pull tight on a smaller child, but you need to pull straight out and not up
3. it is expensive

I highly recommend this seat (we have the Onyx fabric). It is large, heavy and expensive, but it is the best!! I had buyer's remorse for a few minutes, but I figured it is the best seat on the market right now and $300 is a small price to pay for protecting my daughter. I did a lot of research before buying and felt confident in my decision and in the seat! Very pleased with this seat! Also, please make sure you get your seat installed by a certified technician (Check with your local Children's Hospital). Improperly installed car seats and improper use of car seats is the leading cause of death among children and infants. Something very easy to prevent!