Britax. There is no substitute.
Written: Apr 12 '04 (Updated Aug 19 '04)
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Pros: Safety, plush, comfortable, easy to install.
Cons: One pattern; crotch strap.
The Bottom Line: There is no price on Safety, and Britax has proven to be a safe, quality car seat.
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| cubmomma's Full Review: Britax Advantage |
Britax. When you only do one thing, you do it right, and Britax is no exception. Before purchasing, I checked with Consumer Reports online to get an idea about Britax. They have a good reputation for quality, safe car seats that are easy to install.
WHY BRITAX? We chose two Britax car seats (one for each car), the Roundabout and the Advantage (my child usually only rode in one car, so I didn't want to spend the extra money for two Advantages). I was very impressed with both of them as they are similar, but the Advantage has better features. We only used this car seat for forward facing, so I cannot make any comments about the rear facing features.
FEATURES: The Advantage is a 5 point harness system, convertible child restraint car seat that comes out of the box ready to use. Rear facing, it can go from 5 to 33 lbs., and forward facing 20 to 40 lbs. The advantage to the Advantage is the Height Adjuster Knob. This is Mommy's best friend! This feature is so good for all those quickly growing babies. This feature allows the harness straps to be adjusted higher simply by turning the knob on the side of the seat. There is no need to remove the car seat, take out the straps, put them into the next notch, and then reinstall your seat. It always seems that you notice your child has grown and you need to adjust the height of the straps just as you're in a rush to be on your way and you simply don't have time to take out the car seat to do the adjustment. So it gets put off...and put off. With this knob, when you put your child in the seat and all of a sudden you notice he/she has grown yet another half-inch, you give a few turns, and the shoulder straps rise, along with the headrest. Then you're on your way. Simple.
Versa-Tether: This is the strap at the top of the seat that you can hook to a secure place in your car to keep the seat extra steady. Most new cars these days have an area installed in the back-dash where you can attach these hooks. Of course, my older Camry did not. Even though this car seat can be used without having to use the Versa-Tether, I wanted my child to be extra safe. I had the attachment installed in the back area of my Camry, between the speakers. I am glad I did. Along with the seatbelt, using the Versa-Tether makes this seat un-movable. It does take some time at first, adjusting the Versa-Tether to get the right length for your particular car. Once the length is set, there really nothing else you need to do.
Recline: The Advantage does have an Easy Recline Adjustment Handle, that I personally find not-so-easy to use. It is a handle in the front of the seat that you can lift up slightly to recline or sit up the seat. I find it difficult only because of the Versa-Tether. You can't recline or sit upright the seat unless you unhook the Versa-Tether and readjust the length and then re-hook it back up. It's not worth the time. I always keep my Advantage in the Recline mode anyway (I never know when my little one will decide to nap while I'm driving), so I never fuss with the recline feature.
Anti-Tangle Belt And The Buckle: The Anti-Tangle belt is a fancy name for Velcro. There are one inch Velcro squares on each strap, and on the seat. When you take our child out of the seat, the straps attach to the seat with the Velcro, so the straps stay open. Very convenient for the next time your put your child into the seat. You don't have to search around for the straps. Also, the straps have a quick Adjuster Button in the front of the seat. You can simply press the button, and pull on the straps to make them longer, get it the right length, and then you can pull on the strap in the front to tighten it up. This is good for those days that your child is wearing more clothes than usual, or a coat.
On my particular Advantage, the buckle and tongue are tricky. The two tongue parts from each strap is a puzzle that you have to put together before you can insert it into the buckle. Don't be discouraged, as this puzzle takes some practice getting used to. In about 3 days, you'll have it mastered. I also like the little round plush Belly Pad that sits behind the buckle to protect your little one in case the buckle has gotten hot from the car sitting in the heat. Nice little touch.
Pattern: Britax offers several patterns and fabric for their OTHER car seats, as many as 20, like the Big Cat print, or Cowmooflage or Denim. The Advantage car seat has only ONE fabric in a solid blue color. It's called the Marina Plush fabric. You can only get this fabric on the Advantage. It really is soft to the touch and easy to wash.
INSTALLATION: My Advantage is about 2 years old, so mine did not come with the Latch system, so I cannot comment on the Latch system or how it works. I need to use the seat belts that are in my car for my Advantage. My Advantage has Lock-Offs, one on each side of the seat. This makes installation super easy. You simply put the seatbelt through the back of the Advantage where indicated, and then thread the shoulder section of the seatbelt into the Lock-Off on the side of the Advantage to "lock" it into place (this is instead of using those H-shaped brass seatbelt holders that come with most carseats). The way you thread it is you push the Lock Off down and this opens the lock. Thread the belt through, and release. This pinches the seatbelt, so it does not go anywhere. It does allow you to pull it tighter, but has a rough edge so it cannot pull loose. It is very simple to use. I have gotten very fast at installing my Advantage. Since I like to get my car washed quite a bit, I am always taking out my Advantage to get the upholstery vacuumed (got to get up those chicken nugget and French fry crumbs). Today, my best reinstallation time is 53 seconds. I guess practice makes quickness.
ONE LITTLE ISSUE: I have an issue with the crotch strap, and this is the only reason that I rated my Advantage 4 stars and not 5 stars. There is only one option for the crotch strap, and that's it. As this car seat is made for children from 5 to 40 pounds, you would think there would be a second slot option to expand the strap as your child grows. When my little girl was almost three years old and about 28 pounds, the crotch strap was simply too close to her crotch. She would grind her crotch on the strap. I've gotten to the point that I try to distract her with toys and such as I'm driving, but I think I need a new seat. She is now 3, so I'm looking to get a new booster-only seat for her, possibly the Britax Starriser.
WHERE TO BUY: I bought my car seat at an online store, but these days I've seen them at Toys-R-Us. I bought mine for $229, but paid no sales tax since I bought it out of state and got free shipping. You can also go to Britaxusa.com and click on Find A Retailer to see if there is a local store in your area that sells their seats.
UPDATE: I contacted Britax directly (888) 427-4829 to inquire more information about this car seat. I was informed that this seat is no longer manufactured. The nice representative said that is was a management decision, and not because of any trouble with the seat or any recalls. They replaced it with one called The Wizard, which is similar, but holds a larger child and also has extra side impact protection on the headrest.
©Sherri (cubmomma) 2004
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 229.
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
cubmomma
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Member: Sherri
Location: Southern Calif.
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 27 members
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