Review by SarahJane "SarahJane" : Good seat with just a couple of issues

So far, so pretty-good with the Boulevard for us. We chose this seat based on CR reviews, Baby Bargains reviews and the fact that it was easy to adjust the straps, both for tightness and height. Our son seems very comfortable in the seat and naps in it with no issues. However, the seat has some drawbacks that really shouldn't exist considering its exorbitant price.

- The seat is easy to install, but very heavy and very large. We have a 2010 Toyota Rav-4, but still think that the seat is overly large. It fits, but I don't think we will be able to use the same model as a second seat in our smaller sedan.

- The straps twist CONSTANTLY which, again, shouldn't be an issue since this was a $300 car seat. Seriously, they couldn't have solved that problem with a small fraction of my purchase price? They are also difficult to keep out of the way while setting my little guy in the seat, so I have to dig them out from under him (before untwisting them) almost every time. They did include velcro on the straps and seat to try to help with this issue, but it is basically useless.

- I don't know if it is due to the overall size of the seat or if it is just a bane of rear-facing seats, but it is awkward to get our son in and out of the seat in the rear-facing position. Even at 10 months, he HATES getting into and out-of the seat, though he is fine once he is in and buckled. I almost have to hold him at arms length, drop him in and then lean around the seat and into the car to fasten the harnesses. Super annoying.

- I have not yet tried to remove the seat fabric for cleaning (and after reading some of the other reviews, I am not eager to try it) but the top buckle is a pain in the neck to clean if anything gets in it. Again, this could be the case with any seat, but after spending 20 minutes trying to scrape out spit-up, I keep a bib in the car to put on my son immediately.

All that being said, I am fairly happy with the seat and since our son is quite tall (almost 34 inches at 10 months), we needed a bigger seat to accommodate keeping him rear facing as long as possible, so this was probably our best bet.

Review by PT : Survived an accident

Recently we were in a car accident, but thanks to this car seat, my 1-year old was untouched. It was also very easy transitioning her from a rear-facing infant car seat to this one - she loves this one! I have owned it for just a month or so and love everything about it.

Review by SoCalMom : Britax Boulevard in Caitlin!

I was unable to tell from the pictures online what the exact color of this seat was. The piping looked BABY BLUE but if you click on the "swatch" photo it shows the piping being purple (on some other sites). I called Britax to verify the color and they told me purple, so I ordered it. I have a baby girl and didn't want blue after 2 boys, lol. The piping is actually the brightest shade of purple, with the leaves being a mix of "dusty purple" or "muted purple" with the other leaves being a nice shade of blue. The background is black and the outer side is grey, not baby blue. the dominant color is definitely purple and since I'm not crazy on pink, this was perfect to go with her Graco Metrolite travel system in "Regal" (purple) along with her periwinkle nursery, etc. ;)

I've had Britax seats in the past: Roundabout, Marathon, Husky and I'm sure this Boulevard will do just fine! :) So glad this pretty style just came out as I was debating for MONTHS which seat with which cushion to get ;) This cushion is not as plush as some others but seems like good quality and like it will be easier to wipe messes off/more stain resistant hopefully!

I took outdoor & indoor photos to show the colors in different lighting, and wrote this review to help others who were wondering about the colors like me! I hope no boy moms order it thinking it's blue, and then are unable to return it! :(

Review by C. Daily : New Boulevard

I own the Boulevard 65 and now the Boulevard 70 and am very happy with both. The benefit of the 70, other than the changed weight limits, is the the more compact size without losing any safety features. Installing the car seat in the middle of the backseat now leaves plenty of space in the backseat for 2 adults. With the 65, which is still an excellent car seat, there was less room and it made it tight for 2 adults in the backseat with the car seat.

Review by luv2fmam : Honda Element

We've been using this item in our 2006 Honda Element for 2 months now. My 10 month old, 20 pound daughter has been using the item rear-facing. This is my only problem with the item. When rear-facing in this type of vehicle, it is an enormous task to get in and out of the car. I have to get into the open back seat with my daughter in order to put her in the car seat. Other than that, everything seems very comfortable & safe. The harness is easy to adjust & don/doff. The Cowmooflage is great!
I hate to admit that I will probably forward face the car seat sooner than I had planned (not before 12 months) just because it is so difficult to get her in and out with it rear-facing.

Review by Ho'omalu : Just bought another one for daddy's car

I was looking for a convertible car seat to replace the infant carrier/carseat for my now 10-month-old son. I was worried that I wouldnt be able to comfortably fit a seat in my 2005 Honda Civic Sedan, and even more worried buying something online that would be more of a headache to return if it didnt fit. Hopefully my review will help someone else decide whether or not to get this seat. These were my concerns:

SAFETY: Having done alot of research as well as actually having seen both a Marathon 70 and a Boulevard 70, the specs are the same, except the Boulevard 70 has the added side cushioning pad around the head (they call it True Side Impact). I put my son in the seat, and having that extra padding means that his little head wont move sideways as much if we get hit in a side impact collision. Of course all carseats on the market must meet the minimum Federal safety standards for car seats, so this extra padding feature is what sold me on the Boulevard (the Advocate also has this plus an additional padding around the side exterior head area but is more $$).

VEHICLE FIT: I am currently using the seat REAR FACING, and it DOES fit in the back seat of my civic sedan. I first positioned directly behind driver seat, which was not good, as I had to push the seat so far I didnt feel comfortable driving (I am about 5'5"), but sliding the seat over toward the middle allowed me to move my seat back to its normal position (I like to have the seat reclined alittle). This works fine for me, as there is still enough room for my 8 year old son to sit. A larger person sitting back there may not be as comfortable though.

INSTALLATION: Compared to other seats Ive used/installed, this one seemed relatively easy to get a tight fit, with very minimal movement (I got it to less that 1/2" movement at the base on my first try). I installed the seat using the lower LATCH connectors, which clicked into the car's LATCH anchors very easy, and clicks like a seatbelt. It was easy to tighten the belt, but NOT so easy trying to loosen it. I did not try using the seatbelt method. At the bottom of the drivers seat (where the seat is bolted to the floor), I popped off the plastic piece to attach the tether. I did put a rolled towel at the crack of the seat to help level it, which is acceptable per the instructions I believe.

EASE OF USE: My back seat is small, so I have to hold my son in a lying position and twist my body a bit to get him in the seat. Uncomfortable for now, but it will be easier when he can hop into the seat by himself in a few months.The quick adjust feature means that I wont have to remove the seat and re-thread the harness straps when my son gets taller (which is a pain to do, and I dont have to worry about it getting all twisted or not securing it correctly). The rubber "HUGS" things attached to the harness is supposed to provide additional torso support in a frontal or rear crash, but I think it also helps keep the straps from getting all twisted. Britax touts having these little velcro pieces on the side of the carseat and on the harness that is supposed to help you by keeping the harness from falling back into the seat (which is a pain trying to pull out from under the baby), but it doesnt help much - the velcro seems too short or positioned in the wrong place or something.

COST: I got my first seat from Amazon for $229.00 with free shipping. The second seat for my husbands vehicle from Amazon for $244.95 also with free shipping. Locally the same seat costs over $300 plus tax. My local Sears is selling the Safety 1st Alpha Omega Elite for about $180, and Walmart is selling the Graco My Ride 65 for about $150. For me, the extra safety and convenience features Im getting with the Boulevard 70 are worth the extra cost.

ARRIVAL: The seat arrived via UPS fairly quickly (it took 4 days from Pennsylvania to Hawaii with free super saver shipping), with no damage to the box or the contents.

I hope that my review may help somebody out there in some way. We all have our own reasons we choose one thing over another, but for me, I am so pleased with this seat that I just purchased a second Boulevard 70 for my husbands vehicle. Sorry I didnt think to take any pictures. Ive seen people putting their pics on here, so if I can figure out how, I will add some.

Review by Monica : Amoooazing!

While $300 is a lot to spend on a car seat, the Boulevard has a bunch of extra features, such as added EPS foam to protect baby's head in a side-impact crash. There's a removable infant pillow so that babies fit more securely in the seat. A belly pad and padded harness also add comfort. I feel like my little guy is completely protected.



pros

* Side-impact protection
* Lots of features
* Easy to adjust
* 70-pound weight limit
*Very sturdy/solid
*Fits perfect in my small SUV(Dodge Nitro)


cons

* Side wings can block child's view
* Heavy and bulky
* Very expensive