Britax Regent Madison Booster Car Seat

Britax was the first car seat we had. We got it as a shower gift and we loved it. We didn't really want to spend alot on the rest of the seats that we needed. We thought you had to have one for every stage. We didn't know you could buy one for 22lbs-80lbs. We bought 4 car seats for our oldest (one for each stage). Now I know the safest brand around would have allowed me to only buy 3. With the money we spent on the other flimsy brands that were uncomfortable & did not hold up. This seat is very LARGE!!! It isn't made for a compact car. We all love this plush seat. The only thing I don't like is how difficult it was to install. I had to call Britax and get on line to find out how.

I have 2 of these...one for each of my kids. I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey and they work great. Both the seats and the vehicle were bought with SAFETY as the FIRST priority.

Safe?
If your main focus for reviewing this car seat is child safety, this is the one for you. Keep looking if you want, but the Regent is the ONLY car seat on the market that can hold an 80 lb child in a 5 point harness. All others that go over 40 lbs are only functioning as a booster seat using the standard seat belt. Not anywhere near as safe. We initially bought a booster for our first child when he grew out of his 1st forward facing seat, but as a parent, it was obvious that his little body was still not ready for side impacts, collisions, or roll overs. Watch a couple crash test dummy videos out at http://www.iihs.org/ or research your vehicle at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ and decide for yourself. There's no way I was going to risk it for a couple hundred bucks.

Ease of use?
My children have always fallen asleep in car seats...these however they actually appear comfortable. No head nodding as the angle and head wings fit very well.
Kids buckle themselves, and can stay in them comfortably for quite awhile (we roadtrip often). No complaints so far.
They're heavy and bulky. The idea would be to secure then in your car and leave them there...moving between 2 different cars can be cumbersome, but I do it every once in awhile. These seats normally occupy the rear of my wife's Odyssey and side by side you'd be hard pressed to get much in between the 2. They're built very wide and secure. But I also put these in the back of a 4 door Tacoma with top strap and all. Just plan 10 minutes for it and secure them in your 2nd vehicle.

Complaints?
Anything I would complain about (bulky, heavy, cumbersome, etc.) is precisely why I bought it. $30 at Wal-Mart will buy you lightweight convenience, but don't expect the same protection. In fact if they came out with a heavier model that offered better protection, sign me up.

Hope that helps.

This is a great investment. My daughter is able to use this seat for a long time. If you sold a boys one I would buy it the only negative thing is not an easy thing to clean but that is what seat covers are for. This a car seat they can travel anywhere with.

I bought the Regent for my 2.5 year olr daughter who is 37inches and 36lbs. And the instilation wasen't easy but once it was in the 2004 ford escape solid, I fell inlove with it all over again, just like i did with the marathon. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

This will be the last booster seat she will need. She is comfortable and has plenty of room to grow. It is very stylish and will keep her safe...

I love this car seat, it's a bit heavy and more roomy than I expected. It was easy to install in my 2006 Chevy Impala. I was worried about installing at first but once my husband and I got it in the car, it was simple. My 10 month daughter didn't like her other car seat which was facing rear, because she like to see me and look out the windows. But when I put her in this car seat, she was so happy and loved it. She look so comfortable and don't mind riding in her car seat now. Before I couldn't go any where because she would cry the whole ride but now she sits there like a litte angel. This car seat is well worth price. I would recommend this car seat anyone.

I really like the carseat for a few reasons: my daughter loves it so no more battles getting into it, great and comfortable fit, and I have a big SUV.
The only drawback is that it is BIG! If I didn't have my big SUV, we'd have a hard time with it.
I can't imagine putting a 6 month old in it, but can't say I wouldn't have. Wish I'd gotten it sooner so my daughter could've used from say age 2 on up. I like it and feel she's safe in it.
I like that she'll be able to use it to age 8. BUT we haven't converted it yet to the shoulder harness and suspect we'll need to get a seatbelt extender for her to be able to buckle herself in.