Britax Companion Car Seat -- Safety, Comfort and Peace-of-Mind for you and baby.
Written: Jul 17 '06 (Updated Jul 17 '06)
Product Rating:
Durability:
Ease of Use:
Pros: Seriously too many to list
Cons: Very high price tag, weight, makes infants sweat
The Bottom Line: The Britax Companion Infant Carseat sets the standard in ease of use, safety, comfort and convenience for both baby and mommy. This should be the only carseat you even consider!
Needless to say, this was one purchase I thoroughly researched (as should everyone). This is, perhaps, the single most important purchase you will make and it's imperitive you are informed before you decide on a brand. It's actually worthwhile to join Consumer Reports just to receive their crash and safety ratings on car seats (afterall, if I didn't do that I wouldn't have known that the Britax Marathon faired the WORST out of all convertible seats tested... bet you didn't know that). I sent each brand through rigorous tests of safety, colors, ease of use, features and price. I was so impressed with the Britax Companion seat that I actually based my stroller purchase on this car seat (I really wanted a travel system). While that decision wasn't the best in the world, after almost 8 months of use I am still happy I bought the Britax Companion Infant Carseat.
Product Specs
You can find out more information at Britax's website: http://www.britaxusa.com.
The Companion carseat is a rear-facing only infant carrier. It can accomodate infants from 4 - 22 lbs and up to 30 inches. This carseat can be purchased from a range of stores -- but many I found were online. My Target doesn't carry Britax seats in store, neither does the Babies R Us near us. However, I've been told that many of those stores DO have them in stock... just not mine. I have no problem shopping online simply because I don't pay tax (usually), and the stores will often run free shipping deals. I bought my carseat, stroller and Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper (scathing review to come) from BabyUniverse.com and paid nothing for shipping.
Features:
*True Side Impact Protection -- with an inflatable head pad for a customized fit
*LATCH system with storage compartments
*Height adjustable
*Angle Recline Adjuster
*Anti-rebound bar
*Built-in lockoffs (so no parts will get lost)
*Easy to install in car
*5 point harness for extra safety
*Full canopy
*EPS foam around head and torso for maximum protection, comfort foam all over for max comfiness
*Harness pads prevent baby's skin from rubbing against the harness
*Can be used without LATCH base
*Approved for aircraft use and meets the Federal standards for motor vehicle use
*Travel System available
*Many fabric and plastic options available
Ok, easiest thing first... Fabric Options and Appearance
When I bought my carrier, there were few options available... now, Britax has apparently exploded with potential fabrics in a range of colors (though none in pink, I've noticed). Here are the options:
White Plastic Base:
*Cambridge (tan and medium patterned gray color scheme)
*Unity Blue (range of blues from medium to dark)
*Onyx (solid blacks and grays)
*Oxford (a shiny, checkered, light blue and a light gray)
Black Plastic Base:
*Onyx (same as above)
*Cambridge (same)
*Oxford (same)
*Unity Blue (it appears the same, but the fabrics might be a bit darker)
*Monza (Babies R Us exclusive; similar to the Onyx, but the black is much darker and it is paired with silver instead of a matte gray)
I purchased the Cambridge model because the Oxford was delayed in production so long, I wouldn't have had it in time for Aidan's birth (and apparently going home with a new baby and no carseat is a no no). This means the carseat doesn't match the stroller, but hey... I'm not normal anyway, so why would I care?
The Cambridge isn't a bad color scheme -- it isn't pretty by any stretch of the imagination, and other patterns would have been far trendier and cooler, but there are reasons I like it. First of all, I live in Florida. The carseat already gets warm, but could you imagine a dark color scheme? I think I'd have Kentucky Fried Aidan if I put him in a black (or even dark blue) carseat. This pattern is also the most versatile for parents. The Cambridge pattern is masculine enough for a boy, but also pretty enough for a girl (for those parents who want a more feminine look). Personally, I would stick a little girl in black sooner than I would pink... but I know I'm not the majority on this, and I have a feeling most parents of girls will choose this pattern.
The fabric is easy to clean, and it's easy enough to remove from the carrier to wash (if needed). I've only washed it once (from a particularly disastrous potty incident), the rest of the time I just spot clean it. Works out fine. The lighter colors also work well for concealing spit-up stains -- which have a tendency to show up vibrantly against a dark background.
The glut of fabric options (and now plastic options), appearance and quality of the fabrics and the ease of cleaning make me give the Britax Companion carseat an A.
Ease of Use?
As many people know, you could buy the safest carseat in the world but if you don't install it correctly... it's basically junk. The NHTSA has given the Britax Companion carseat an overall rating of "A" in their 2006 Ease of Use ratings. The Companion seat received an A in every category -- assembly, eval. of instructions, eval. of labels, installing features, securing the child. This basically means that the carseat is easy to install, the instructions are easy to understand, the labeling is clear and precise and it's easy to actually strap the child into the seat correctly. All in all, it shouldn't take a mensa to position this seat in the car correctly (actually, you could probably accomplish it if you had the intelligence level of a troll).
Do I agree with this evaluation of the Companion's ease of use? Absolutely. I read through the instructions (which can also be found online) and found the pictures that accompanied the instructions to be easy to understand. I have not tried to use the seat with the LATCH connectors or without the base -- the only way I have installed the seat is using a regular shoulder/lap belt across the base. How easy is it? Slip the belt through the base, make sure the belt is tight, lock it down and... you're done. No extra parts, no slipping through tight spaces, quick and easy.
How about attaching the car seat to the base? Just snap it in and done. To remove the seat from the base, there is a red lever on the back of the car seat... just pull the lever and pick up the seat. Sometimes the locking mechanism does stick, but it only happens every so often and just requires a little more elbow grease to unstick the locks.
It's also easy to strap the child in, though I can't imagine it being hard in any seat.
I wanted to add this in, since I remembered this after I published the review... I have installed and removed this car seat from a variety of cars... I have inserted and removed it from a four door Maxima, two door Civic, two door Monte Carlo and a four door Ford Escape, and the Britax Companion has never given me problems. It is harder to get into a two door model, but I would imagine this would exist with all car seats... not just the Britax.
So for ease of installation and overall usage, I definitely give the Britax Companion carseat a grade of "A".
Safety
In my opinion, this is probably the most important category while dealing with a car seat. Bonus features, fabric options, those are all icing on the cake... this is where the guts come in. According to Consumer Reports, the Britax Companion seat is a Top Performer ('05) and the highest rated infant model tested. It rated 84 points, which is an overall score of "excellent" against manufacturers like Peg Perego, Combi, Evenflo, Baby Trend and Safety 1st.
To me, that was all I needed to see. This car seat is CONSISTENTLY ranked the best in both ease of use and safety categories. In my opinion, one of the reasons the Britax Companion is ranked so highly in these categories are the extra safety features installed.
First let's look at the anti-rebound bar. No other car seat on the market has this feature, and believe me... it should be mandatory. When you lock the Britax Companion into place it doesn't move, not even the slightest inch, because of that bar. The bar is there to prevent the carrier from being smashed against the rear of the vehicle. While never being in a crash, I've attempted on numerous occasions to move the seat and it refuses to budge. This is as opposed to other car seats that will fold into the rear seat when pressure is applied. If I can do it with my hand, you bet it'll happen during a collision.
Now, let's look at the TSIP, or True Side Impact Protection. This is a large, helmet looking thing, that fits snugly around your child's head. This is there to keep it from being thrown from side to side in the even of an accident. What makes this different from the other models? Other car seats have a flimsy (see Graco's Snugride) headrest with a small cushion. Britax's Companion has an actual headpad that will inflate to snugly fit even the smallest of noggins. I haven't seen this feature on any other carseat. It inflates like one of those air reeboks, and deflates with a push of a button -- quick and easy to use. Every single person who has seen my carseat has remarked about the TSIP head support, talking about how much they love the concept. Aidan's head never flopped around when in this seat, making it a great safety concept outside of a collision.
Now, let's talk about the EPS foam. The headpad and headrest are both cushioned with shock/energy-absorbing EPS foam. This helps to prevent the violent side-to-side whiplash that occurs in side and rear impact collisions, and it also helps to prevent the head from coming in contact with any hard or sharp objects (such as the side of the carseat).
Then you have the five-point harness, which helps to cushion the impact of a collision on your child while keeping them belted in safely.
The seat also has angle adjuster to help better fit the seat to your specific car. Sometimes you can't get a seat to sit flat in the back because of the cushions, but if you use the angle adjustor you can get the carseat into the perfect horizontal position in no time.
Would I trust my baby in any other carseat? Absolutely, positively not. Now that I've seen the benefits of the anti-rebound bar and the TSIP head support, I couldn't imagine him traveling in carriers that DIDN'T have these things. My parents have the Graco Snugride and even they feel it pales in comparison to my carseat because it doesn't have either of those safety features. In my opinion, there isn't a carseat out there that could offer you the same safety standards as the Britax Companion. This definitely rates an "A " in safety!!!!!
Ok... easy to use... safe... Is Aidan comfortable in the darn thing?
I would say yes, most of the time.
First, let's get the negative out of the way... The Britax Companion gets hot. Even when the AC is blasting away at 60 degrees, Aidan is sweating his hieney off. Because of all the comfort foam and EPS foam, it really does insulate the heat and cause infants to sweat. I haven't really seen this in the Graco Snugride, so I have to think it's because of all the extra padding that goes into the Britax Companion. This is made even worse because I do live in Florida.
However, there is a plus to this... Even though the padding makes him sweat, it is a very comfy ride. I can tell the quality of the foam padding when I push against the seat. The back and the sides are completely padded, not one part of Aidan's body touches hard plastic. This creates a much smoother and more comfortable ride for my little man. I learned to REALLY appreciate this when Aidan slept in his carseat for the first three months of his life. I don't think he would have slept in something that was hard and uncomfortable, so this car seat saved my sanity while I was battling his reflux in the early months.
The Britax Companion also features an adjustable canopy to keep the sun out, and harnass covers to prevent your baby's skin from rubbing against the polyester straps. These harness covers are especially helpful when I put him in the car seat wearing nothing but a diaper, they keep the straps from irritating his sensitive skin.
Finally, the Companion offers three different height adjustments so the Companion can grow with your child from 4 lbs all the way to 22. It's really easy to adjust the height, so that's a big plus.
For comfort I give the Britax Companion a "B" because it does seem soft, supportive and comfy... but it also makes him sweat like he's crawling an infant marathon.
How about conveninece for mommy?
Well, I wanted to touch on a few points that do make a difference in our purchasing decisions -- convenience for us.
The Britax Companion's LATCH base includes a storage compartment to keep all the car seat documents safe (I LOVE THAT!!!). I was initially worried about carrying the instruction manual around with me (because I lose things... a lot), but I love the stoarge compartment to stick the papers in.
Then, the seat has what are called "built-in lockoffs" which allow you to never worry about losing an important part again. My father's Graco lost the locking mechanism that keeps the seat secured, so it rocks from side to side. I don't ever have to worry about that because it's all built in!!!
Finally, though, all good things much come to an end... This seat is heavy. I'm no weakling, but this darn seat is close to 10 lbs. Hey, it's not so bad when your little bundle of joy is 7 lbs... but now Aidan weighs 18 and that's a LOT to carry around.
In addition, the car seat does weigh in at a whopping $190 price tag -- though you can find bargains online if you are looking at discontinued colors. This is one of the higher priced car seats on the market, however it is worth every penny (unlike the Primo Viaggio by Peg Perego).
So, for convenience... I give the Britax Companion a "B" because of the weight issue and the high price tag.
One last thing before I get into the summary...
Let me just state the that travel system options that Britax offers suck. The Forerunner stroller is such an abysmal failure that places are dumping it for $65 less than a year after it debuted. The Preview stroller isn't much better. The problem is that Britax doesn't offer you anything else...
I would suck it up and just purchase a Britax stroller to make your life easier.... but really, Britax could do better in the stroller department.
Overall... what do you think?
I hope I've been able to give you a good overall summary of the Britax Companion car seat. I thoroughly researched many seats and found this was the best on paper, and I'm very pleased to say that it's the best in real life as well. This seat deinitely makes a grade of "A" overall.
One last thing: please don't let the price hold you back from purchasing this car seat -- it really is the most important piece of baby equipment you can buy. Many people look at the $190 price tag and automatically discount it. If you're tight on cash, save money elsewhere... do you really need a bassinet (just move the crib near the bed or use a pack-and-play), do you really need a fancy pack-and-play or fancy high chair? Those things are luxuries -- the car seat is a necessity and no other brand (IN MY OPINION) can offer you the safety standards and protection that Britax's Companion can offer.
Quick Summary
Pros:
*Three height adjustments
*Overall, VERY easy to use... easy to install, easy to read the instructions, easy to operate, easy to adjust, etc...
*Rated an A for Easy of Use by the NHTSA
*Given an overall rating of "Excellent" as well as a "Best Buy" rating from Consumer Reports
*Built in lockoffs ensure you won't lose any important parts
*Adjustable TSIP head support protects, supports and cushions your child's noggin
*Anti-rebound bar prevents the child from being flung against the back seat in the even of a collision
*5 point safety harness
*EPS foam cushions the head and absorbs energy
*Extra foam padding is everywhere in this carseat
*Harnass pads protect your child's skin from the harnass
*Full canopy protects from sun
*The angle adjustor allows the car seat to better fit your car
*A travel system is available
Cons:
*I'll start with the most obvious -- it costs $190
*The carrier alone weighs almost 10 lbs
*The extra padding makes Aidan sweat something awful
*The strollers that Britax offers suck
**NOTE** Do not purchase a car seat second hand. You don't know if the seat has been in a collision, if any of the parts are warped or if the seat even has all the correct parts. You don't know if the model has been recalled, or if the person has taken good care of it at all. Consumer Reports is alerting that car seats may not be safe even if the collision was considered "minor." In addition, do not use a car seat for longer than 6 years due to the normal wear-and-tear that could cause weakening of important safety systems. It may seem like a good deal to buy one on Ebay, but it really really isn't. Also, take time to register your product. It is the only way you will be contacted in the event of a product recall.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 190.00
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
Loaded with Britax patented safety features, the rear facing Companion infant car seat is renowned for safety, comfort and convenience and for the ab...More at Babies R Us
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