# I hate my Britax Boulevard!! What am I doing wrong??



## Chamomile Girl (Nov 4, 2008)

OK, a recent thread that discussed Britax seats inspired me to ask you ladies for help as most folks do not seem to have the issues with their seats that I do with mine.

My kid is only 5 months old, but he's big...pushing 30 inches...so the bucket seat is uncomfortable for him. We got this Britax as a gift (because its what I asked for) before kidling was born, and before I knew anything about babies or carseats. I installed it about two weeks ago and have had nothing but grief from it ever since.

Here are a couple of pictures of the current installation.

Problem one: Its so bloody big that it seriously cramps the front seat room. Both my husband and I have long legs so now we fight over who gets to drive.

Problem two: The "wings" of the seat seriously impede getting the kid into it. Its really hard!

Problem three: The seat part is so deep that kidlet doesn't really fit down into it with his cotton diapers on. Nor with pants that fasten in front, although that is easier as I can unfasten them. He is only comfy with a slim insert diaper over soft pants.

Problem four: Getting the darn thing buckled (and unbuckled!) is an Olympic sport. The buckle part that goes between his legs is way too short (cloth diapers again?) and the straps tend to twist (which I hear is an issue with all seats), plus I have already broken two nails trying to push the buckle release button down. grrrrrr....

This fiasco is all taking place in a 96 Honda Accord without latch (if that makes a difference).

Help me Obiwan MDCKenobe! You're my only hope!


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## Aliyahsmommy (Sep 9, 2008)

I own the same seat...different fabric...and love it.
Problem 1 you would have with almost any convertible rear facing as they need to be reclined...nothing you can do about it. Sorry








Problem 2 cannot be solved until he is a little older and can climb in himself around age 1 1/2 like my daughter does. Again I do understand, but the wings do provide extra protection for his tender little head so it is probably worth the hassle in the long run. Sorry








Problem 3 and 4 can be solved by having him sit fully upright in the seat when you are buckling as I seem to have a harder time if my daughter is slouched. Also it is a lot easier if you loosen the straps considerably and thereby give yourself more slack for reaching the crotch part. I have no idea why your straps are twisting as I absolutely never have that problem and it is a huge car seat pet peeve of mine...maybe try moving the HUGS harness higher on the straps to avoid this. I also have no trouble with the buckle release button, but also do not have long nails...maybe some WD40?...no clue lol








No car seat is perfect, but I do find that my Boulevard avoids many of the issues I have with other seats especially as far as twisty straps go. It certainly is not as easy to buckle and unbuckle as the cheap $40 one my sister has in her car...but it is by far safer and on the bright side your toddler will not be able to maneuver out of the straps or undo the buckles himself mid-drive.
Sorry I couldn't offer you more solutions, but I don't think any others exist









Quote:


Originally Posted by *Chamomile Girl* 
OK, a recent thread that discussed Britax seats inspired me to ask you ladies for help as most folks do not seem to have the issues with their seats that I do with mine.

My kid is only 5 months old, but he's big...pushing 20 inches...so the bucket seat is uncomfortable for him. We got this Britax as a gift (because its what I asked for) before kidling was born, and before I knew anything about babies or carseats. I installed it about two weeks ago and have had nothing but grief from it ever since.

Here are a couple of pictures of the current installation.

Problem one: Its so bloody big that it seriously cramps the front seat room. Both my husband and I have long legs so now we fight over who gets to drive.

Problem two: The "wings" of the seat seriously impede getting the kid into it. Its really hard!

Problem three: The seat part is so deep that kidlet doesn't really fit down into it with his cotton diapers on. Nor with pants that fasten in front, although that is easier as I can unfasten them. He is only comfy with a slim insert diaper over soft pants.

Problem four: Getting the darn thing buckled (and unbuckled!) is an Olympic sport. The buckle part that goes between his legs is way too short (cloth diapers again?) and the straps tend to twist (which I hear is an issue with all seats), plus I have already broken two nails trying to push the buckle release button down. grrrrrr....

This fiasco is all taking place in a 96 Honda Accord without latch (if that makes a difference).

Help me Obiwan MDCKenobe! You're my only hope!


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

Can you move the seat to the center of the back seat? or would that make it too difficult to get him in and out? We dealt with my son being in the middle when we had just one kid. But I have a Saturn VUE so I wasn't bending down and in, just leaning in.


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

This is probably a typo, but is he really 20"? If so, he probably does not fit properly.


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## nummies (Jun 9, 2007)

Did you mean 30 inches?


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## Chamomile Girl (Nov 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *nummies* 
Did you mean 30 inches?

Yup...sorry. He is almost 30 inches.


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## Natsuki (May 4, 2004)

Is it possible that part of the crotch strap is pulled shorter by the seatbelt installation? That is a common mistake and if you can get it loose and not pulled down you'll have more room.

I don't think you need the HUGS when rear-facing so I'd just take them off - they are required for FF though so don't lose them.


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## Maedze (Dec 16, 2008)

You can remove the infant insert. It will make buckling and unbuckling easier.

Also remove the rubber HUGS and put them in a safe place. They are only required for forward facing. That will make placing the harness and tightening simpler.

You can probably install it a bit more upright







, but it doesn't look like it's taking up a huge amount of space.


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## indie (Jun 16, 2003)

I hate my Boulevard too. For other reasons though.


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

we have a BLVD in a 99 accord with no latch. When my DD was RFing we had her in the center, it made it easier to get her in and out and allowed us both to push our seats all the way back. You can install you seat more upright - when installing it, instead of pushing it against the seat back, instead pull the bottom a couple of inches away from the seat bight (the place where the back and the bottom of the seat meet) and push down really hard on the seat while tightening the seatbelt (it is easier with 2 people). The edge of the seat where the harness adjuster is will end up pushed against the seat back and the bottom of the base will be a bit back from the back of the seat and it will be more upright. We still had problems with ours reclining more over time, so I had to reinstall every few months, but that was with a 3 yo pushing her big old feet up on the back of the seat. For the crotch strap problem, make sure the seat belt isn't over the crotch strap as someone else said, the seat belt should be in front of the crotch strap (closer to the back of the car's seat) and under the foam if that makes sense. Also you can take off the HUGS and take out the infant insert and see if that makes the fit better. We did both with ours.


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

The other crotch belt problem often is that children are sitting on the belly pad. The cloth belly bad (that matches the seat) should either be up on the child's belly/crotch or it can be removed. I see alot of people whose child sits on the belly pad, making the buckle portion shorter. Good luck! It really is a very good seat. A center install could really help with the space issue. As baby gets older, you can install more upright. That will help too. Good luck


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## deditus (Feb 22, 2006)

Yup, I hate my BLVD, too. What a waste of $.


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## SamiPolizzi (May 23, 2009)

I had/have a boulevard and I had all the same problems as you except the third one. In addition to that, my DS cried almost anytime he was in it and not asleep. I didn't think that had a lot to do with the seat, I thought he just didn't like car rides in general. (I was wrong.)
Anyway, I ended up buying a Radian 80SL for the higher rear facing limit and so that I wouldn't have to do anymore seat juggling between mine and my sister's car when she babysits. Suddenly DS is totally content in the car and we're both so much happier.

Radian FTW.


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## BetsyS (Nov 8, 2004)

I have two marathons, and on one of them, the straps twist, and on the other, they don't. Similar seats (different prints), but I don't even pretend to understand.

I think straps twisting are part of the mystery of carseats.


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## Kiddoson (Nov 19, 2001)

would second installing it in the middle. that would solve a few of your problems.
Kim


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## bobandjess99 (Aug 1, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Aliyahsmommy* 
I. It certainly is not as easy to buckle and unbuckle as the cheap $40 one my sister has in her car...but it is by far safer









Okay, OP, it sounds like you have gotten some great ideas. The only additional idea i have for you is to have the adult who is not driving sit BEHIND the driver, instead of in the front passenger seat. It's safer, and more comfortable.

but, i wanted to touch on this statement by another poster.

There is NO evidence, none whatsoever, that a "cheap $40 seat" is any less safe than a $300 britax boulevard. NONE. What matters in terms of safety are that the seat is installed correctly in the vehicle, the child is strapped appropriately in to the seat, and the seat is appropriate for the child, with rearfacing until age 4 being by far the safest choice, period, you can make.

There are way too many variables to know which seat is "safer". ALL seats sold pass federal regulations. We do have some access to crash testing, and the result of same. We do not know whether or not that crash testing correlates to real world crash safety or not. (Coincidentally, the britax seats were some of the WORST performers in the testing, and if I were using crash test data to choose a seat, I'd pick a $40 seat over a britax, since the $40 seat performed better!!!)


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## chickabiddy (Jan 30, 2004)

Yes.

The "cheap $40 seat" passed. The Britax Boulevard passed. Because the crash test data is just a few snapshots of how seats perform under certain conditions, we can't draw conclusions about which seats are safest in the real world -- but there is also no way, no how, no chance of concluding that the Boulevard beats the "cheap $40 seat".


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