Very safe, but inconvenient to use
Written: Mar 08 '01 (Updated Mar 08 '01)
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Pros: EPS foam, tether, built in locking clip
Cons: inconvenient belt path, flimsy chest clip, very shallow
The Bottom Line: The shallow construction and belt path over the seat makes it hard to buckle baby in, but for me the superior safety features were worth the inconvenience.
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| nursing3's Full Review: Britax Handle With Care Infant Car Seat |
I did a lot of car seat research before deciding on a car seat for my sixth baby. I ended up buying the Britax Handle With Care, because it is a very safe seat. It is very well made, feels sturdy and is light weight. It is easy to install in the car.
What I like about it
1. The EPS foam. Instead of hitting a hard plastic shell in a crash, your baby's head will be hitting the EPS foam, which helps to absorb the crash's forces. This is an important safety feature, which weighed heavily in my decision process.
2. The rear facing tether. The seat has a tether, which gets attached to a tether anchor at the bottom of the car. This helps to minimize movement in case of a crash.
3. The five point harness. Most infant seats have a three point harness, I like the added safety a 5 pt harness provides, by making it harder for the baby to slide or wiggle out.
4. Installs easily. It was easy to install the seat in the car and it has a builtin locking clip, which I like instead of having to use a separate locking clip.
5. Handle can be left upright while driving. For all the other infant seats on the market, it needs to be down, since it might break off and hurt your baby in a crash. The Britax handle is sturdy enough that that won't happen.
6. Sun shade can be moved. The sun shade can either be used over the 'head part' of the baby or over the 'bottom part'. This means it is easier to keep the sun out of baby's eyes.
What I do NOT like
1. Very shallow. The seat is very shallow, which makes it hard to get the baby in and out if you don't re-install the seat every time. It wouldn't be an issue if you did that. But I leave the seat in the car and only get the baby out. When I try to put him in again, I need to slide him underneath the belt path of the car's seat belt and try to buckle him in there. This is very inconvenient and sometimes hard to do.
2. Small. The seat is rather small, which means you usually can't use it for the whole first year of your baby. For me the added safety was worth getting this seat anyway and by the time Erik has outgrown it, he should fit in a Britax Roundabout.
3. Flimsy chest clip. The harness has a chest piece, for pre-crash positioning of the harness. I found out yesterday that the seat originally came without the chest piece, and could be used without. But it gives me peace of mind to use it anyway. It is a pain though, the chest piece has two paperclip parts and keeps falling off when I take the baby out. Then it is somewhere next to the seat or on the floor and it takes me ages to find it again.
Conclusion
The Handle With Care is a very safe seat and I chose it because of those safety features. I have found in using it that it is less convenient than you might expect for the money you spend on it. That is why I rated it 4 stars instead of five. I would still choose the same seat if I had to make the decision again, because I can live with the inconvenience as a price to pay for the added safety compared to other infant seats.
But I wish Britax would have designed the seat so that it would be easier to get the baby in and out while it is installed!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 110
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
nursing3
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Member: Karen Plomp
Location: New Hampshire
Reviews written: 62
Trusted by: 39 members
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