As the parent of a two year old and as of this month, a newborn, there’s absolutely nothing that’s more important to me than my kids’ safety. When driving, this translates directly to my vehicle and the car seats my kids are in. With my first son, I spent hours researching brands and their corresponding safety and features for his car seat, and the brand that consistently rose to the forefront was Britax.
With my new daughter arriving, it was time for another round of car seat shopping, so I thought now was the perfect time to share my recommendations for those of you contemplating your own car seat purchase. For my daughter, the choice was easy, as Britax currently offers a single infant car seat: the Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat. As for my son, I opted for the Britax Advocate 70 CS Convertible Car Seat, and I can say with complete sincerity that I’m completely confident both my kids are as safe as possible when they’re traveling. If you’re in the market for either an infant or a convertible car seat, I’ll save you the trouble of conducting your own hours of research and get straight to the point: if you want the best, buy one of the Britax. It’s impossible to put a price on your kid’s safety, and you can’t get better than the Britax.
Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat
There’s a host of reasons to opt for the Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat, starting with the unsurpassed amount of safety built into it. The Chaperone (and the Advocate 70 CS) both feature what Britax calls True Side Impact Protection – a safety technology exclusive to Britax. Side impact crashes are especially dangerous for children, with 1 in 4 crashes occurring from the side, and 30 percent of fatalities the result of side impacts. The major dangers of a side impact collision are the lack of crumple zone between the child and vehicle door, contact with intruding objects (glass, metal shards, etc.) during the collision, and the acceleration of the body followed by a sudden halt.
To address the inherent dangers of a side impact crash, the Britax True Side Impact Protection system features two key structural elements: a rigid seat shell featuring deep sidewalls lined with energy-absorbing foam, and secondly, an adjustable head restraint that’s also lined with energy-absorbing foam. With True Side Impact Protection, crash forces are distributed away from your child; your child is shielded from vehicle intrusion; your child’s head and body are contained in the seat; and your child’s head, neck and spine are all kept in alignment, limiting movement in the event of an impact.
In addition to their side impact technology, another feature exclusive to Britax is the addition of anti-rebound technology on all their rear facing car seats. If you’ve ever seen a car seat crash test, following a front impact collision, car seats rebound back, with the top, unfixed portion of the car seat (around your child’s head) flipping up, and your child’s head potentially hitting the rear seat. Similarly, in a rear end collision, the first tendency of the car seat is to flip up, with your child’s head again potentially striking the rear seat. To combat this movement, Britax has incorporated an anti-rebound bar on the base of the Chaperone, which creates a solid, L-shape structure to combat this movement, minimizing rotational forces on the seat and keeping your child significantly more protected than in conventional car seats.
These are just two of the Chaperone’s great features – from here, the list is extensive. I love the Chaperone’s quick adjust five-point harness, which allows you to adjust the shoulder height without disassembling the harness straps. It also has a weight limit of 30-pounds, which lets you keep your child in the seat longer than most other brands. From a comfort standpoint, I can’t speak for a newborn, but I will tell you that it looks incredibly comfortable, and my daughter sleeps exceptionally well in it. There’s a layer of high density comfort foam to provide extra padding, the cover is built from a perfectly plush, high quality fabric, and there’s a foam insert that provides an extra secure fit for children weighing between 4 and 11 pounds. And from an adjustment standpoint, getting your child perfectly secured (and unsecured) is exceptionally easy, thanks to built-in lock-offs which ensure a snug lap and shoulder belt installation as well as a front harness adjuster offering easy adjustment when loosening the harness system. Other features include:
- Energy-Absorbing Foam Liner (EPS) absorbs and distributes crash forces
- Large multiple position canopy
- Ergonomic Carry-Handle designed to contour to forearm to allow for more comfortable carrying of child in carrier
- Premium Lower LATCH Connectors for a quick and simple installation featuring a push button for easy release
- Easy-to-Read Level Indicators (on base) provide quick reference for proper angle of recline
- Easy-to-Install Seat-to-Base Design self-guides carrier into proper locked position
- Easy-to-Install Base with LATCH Connector Storage (Included)
- Height Adjustment Knob (on base) for proper seat angle and positioning
- Certified for Aircraft Travel
- Stroller Compatible Design works with BRITAX B-READY, B-NIMBLE, B-SCENE strollers, using the integrated CLICK & GO adapter system, and CHAPERONE stroller to create a convenient travel system. Also compatible with other major stroller brands when used with BRITAX adapter strap (included).
- MSRP (USD) $229.99
For more info detailing the Britax Chaperone, you can the complete details at the official Britax website. You can also purchase the Britax Chaperone infant car seat at Amazon.com f
Britax Advocate 70 CS Convertible Car Seat
While your choice for Britax infant car seats is limited to the Chaperone, your options for a Britax convertible car seat are a little more diverse, with Britax offering a range of 5 convertible seats. As I noted at the beginning of the article, it’s impossible for me to put a price on my kids’ safety, so I made it easy and opted for the top of the line Britax Advocate 70 CS. Reiterating the statistics in the Chaperone infant review, side impacts pose a substantial threat to children, with 1 in 4 accidents being of the side impact variety and 30 percent of fatalities coming from side impacts.
The Britax Advocate 70 CS offers an unparalleled level of protection against side impacts, thanks to its unique side impact cushion technology. Simply put, energy-absorbing cushions on the exterior of the child seat divert crash forces away from your child, reducing side impact crash energy by 45%. It’s the only technology that diverts crash forces before they reach your child, and it’s the only technology that extends the full length of the seat, protecting your child’s head, neck and torso. In addition, the cushions also offer additional protection to other passengers, an especially important feature if you have more than one child in your vehicle. The Advocate 70 CS is the only convertible car seat to offer side impact cushion technology.
In addition to its tremendous protection against side impacts, the Advocate 70 CS (along with the full range of Britax convertible car seats) feature industry-leading protection against head injuries, thanks to what Britax calls SafeCell technology. With conventional car seats, children still have the potential to be propelled forward, to the point their head comes into contact with the seat in front of them. With SafeCell, the car seat’s center of gravity is significantly lower than with other seats, and in the event of the crash, the base is designed to compress, limiting the seat’s movement. In addition, Britax has incorporated integrated steel bars to their convertible car seat construction, strengthening the seat’s connection to the vehicle and reducing forward movement.
Mated to their SafeCell technology, another feature unique to Britax is what they call Versa-Tether, a system designed to further improve energy absorption. During a crash, the tether that secures the car seat to your vehicle is released in stages, slowing forward momentum in steps and minimizing the seat’s forward rotation. Together, these two technologies offer a significantly higher level of head protection than any other car seats, keeping your child secure and their head securely away from the front seats. If this all sounds overly complex, Britax has a fantastic video that you can find on this page, highlighting all the aforementioned technologies and showcasing precisely how they work together.
If you still haven’t grown tired of reading about the the Advocate 70 CS list of features, I could quite literally go on all day describing them. As with the Chaperone infant car seat, the Advocate 70 CS features the Britax True Side Impact Protection system, utilizing an energy-absorbing layer of EPP foam. Your child’s head, neck and spine are kept in alignment, deep sidewalls protect from vehicle intrusion, and your child’s head, and body stay contained within the car seat, reducing the chance of injury. When securing your child with the tangle-free five point harness system, the Click & Safe snug harness indicator gives an audible aid that provides added assurance your child is within the correct range of snugness. And in terms of comfort, high density foam provides an extra layer of padding, while a plush, easily removable cover with comfort pads and an infant body pillow ensure your child is at least as comfortable as you are. Speaking from experience, my son has spent tremendous lengths of time in his Advocate, including three 24-hour road trips, and he’s handled them all superbly, so there’s no question the Advocate 70 CS is a remarkably comfortable seat. Other great features of the Britax Advocate 70 CS include:
- Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS™) provides resistance to forward movement in the event of a crash
- 70-pound Weight Capacity for safety and comfort as your child grows
- Rear and Forward Facing Recline for child comfort and positioning
- High Density Comfort Foam provides an extra layer of padding to gently cushion your child
- Plush, Easy-Remove Cover with matching comfort pads and infant body pillow to provide extra comfort and easy cleaning without disassembling or uninstalling the child seat
- Two Buckle Positions for your growing child
- Infant Positioning Insert may be necessary for small infants to achieve a snug fit of the harness around your child (sold separately)
- Quick-Adjust, No-Rethread Harness repositions the harness shoulder height without disassembling the harness straps
- Premium Lower LATCH Connectors for a quick and simple installation featuring a push button for easy release
- Built-in Lock-Offs ensure a snug lap and shoulder belt installation with minimal effort
- Anti-Slip, Contoured Base grips and protects the vehicle seat while offering optimum vehicle fit
- Convenient Harness Holders keep harness straps out of the way when placing your child in the car seat
- Certified for Aircraft Travel
- Made in the USA with global components
For more info detailing the Britax Advocate 70 CS, you can find the complete details at the official Britax website. You can also purchase the Britax Advocate 70 CS from Amazon.com
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s as simple as this: if you’re driving a Mercedes-Benz, you already know the importance of safety and engineering in a vehicle. If you have kids, it’s only logical to extend this safety and engineering to your kids, and there’s no better way to do so than with Britax range of car seats. They’re the world leader in car seat technology, and they’ve done an incredible job at identifying the risks to your child in the event of an accident and creating solutions to minimize these risks. If you, like me, are seeking the absolute highest level of safety for your child, buy the Britax, and don’t look back. I did, and I can say with one-hundred percent certainty that my kids’ are as safe, comfortable and protected as I can possibly make them.
