Thoughts on Britax travel systems?

montella1064 · May 2014

I'm a STM but 5 years ago I don't remember this brand being popular. What are your thoughts on Britax travel systems? Which model do you prefer? If you prefer another brand please give me your thoughts on them as well! There are so many choices! Thanks!

missnacholover · May 2014

DH is Mr. Research when it comes to all the "big ticket items". Because if it was up to me, I'd be all "That one's cute! Let's get that one!" and he's Mr. "We must get the one with the best safety reviews." So it works well. He's pretty much picking out all that stuff whereas I get to do the fun stuff like the nursery, sleep sacks, toys, etc.

Anyway, that being said, we are registering for this one - https://www.buybuybaby.com/store/product/britax-b-safe-infant-car-seat-in-black/1018368536?skuId=18368536&registryId=11051092

abbyful · May 2014

We have the Britax B-Safe infant seat and B-Agile stroller. Love them both!

DH gave me grief about the price of the stroller, then when DS arrived and we started using it, he was like "ok, you're right, this stroller is awesome!". It is lightweight, folds and unfolds easily, easy to maneuver. It also reclines so DS can nap in it while we're out-and-about.

carcrashheart · May 2014

We considered britax. We drove both the britax b agile and the city mini and ultimately liked the city mini better. We felt it was a smoother drive and navigated better. You have to buy the adapter for the city mini but I didn't buy it until after DS was born so it wasn't a big deal. I wanted a graco car seat based on their weights. It was the lightest and I knew that those things would be fucking heavy once a bigger baby was in it and didn't want to make it worse with a heavier to begin with car seat. If we hadn't received the city mini as a gift I probably would have bought the britax travel system since it would be cheaper than buying the city mini and car seat and adapter.

missnacholover · May 2014

carcrashheart said:

We considered britax. We drove both the britax b agile and the city mini and ultimately liked the city mini better. We felt it was a smoother drive and navigated better. You have to buy the adapter for the city mini but I didn't buy it until after DS was born so it wasn't a big deal. I wanted a graco car seat based on their weights. It was the lightest and I knew that those things would be fucking heavy once a bigger baby was in it and didn't want to make it worse with a heavier to begin with car seat. If we hadn't received the city mini as a gift I probably would have bought the britax travel system since it would be cheaper than buying the city mini and car seat and adapter.

We're actually going this route - city mini with the adapter. I agree with you, just seems smoother!

abbyful · May 2014

I had the opposite opinion when I test-drove the City Mini & Britax B-Agile, I thought the B-Agile was smoother. (And at the time, that actually disappointed me because it was before B-Agile came in more colors, I wanted the fun colors of the City Mini! Luckily the B-Agile came out in Kiwi Green before DS was born, so I still got a fun color. )

wildflower75 · May 2014

We got the Britax B-Safe infant car seat so that it could go with our Britax B-ready stroller (which we got because it can be expanded into a double stroller). The infant car seat is really nice and easy to use and the stroller is so durable, we've even used it on the beach. LOVE THEM BOTH!!

I can't wait to get the second seat and use the stroller as a double this fall!

We'll be installing the Britax convertible car seat this weekend, hope my DD likes it!

By the way I hear they are doing an event in Sept...!

PennyLane26 · May 2014

I am obsessed with Britax. We have the Chaperone infant seat, Boulevard convertible car seat, Marathon convertible car seat, B-Ready stroller (including the bassinet) and the B-Nimble umbrella stroller for air travel.

IMO the car seats are the absolute safest and worth the bit of extra $$. From my understanding, they are one of the few (possibly only) car seats that you do not need to toss after a minor collision. We loved the chaperone infants seat but it is pretty large and bulky. We switched DD to a convertible at 8 months but she is tiny and can still fit in the infant seat at 13 months if necessary. My SIL has the B-safe, it is smaller, but does not have the extra safety bar across the front.

We love both the Boulevard and Marathon convertibles, I would suggest the Marathon as it is cheaper and just as good as the Boulevard IMO.

The B-Ready is my dream stroller. We loved the bassinet config when DD was a newborn and now plan on getting the second stroller seat for baby #2 to use as an inline double. It is HUGE though, so if you live in the city or have a small sedan, probably not the best option.

Because the B-Ready is so big, we purchased the B-Nimble for vacations and quick trips (doctor/mall/etc). It is also technically part of the Britax travel systems because you can attach an infant car seat, which is amazing, not many umbrella strollers offer that option.

missnacholover · May 2014

abbyful said:

I had the opposite opinion when I test-drove the City Mini & Britax B-Agile, I thought the B-Agile was smoother. (And at the time, that actually disappointed me because it was before B-Agile came in more colors, I wanted the fun colors of the City Mini! Luckily the B-Agile came out in Kiwi Green before DS was born, so I still got a fun color. )

I definitely need to test drive again. We only checked them out when we were on a random BRU/TRU trip. So many different options out there!

abbyful · May 2014

missnacholover said:

abbyful said:

I had the opposite opinion when I test-drove the City Mini & Britax B-Agile, I thought the B-Agile was smoother. (And at the time, that actually disappointed me because it was before B-Agile came in more colors, I wanted the fun colors of the City Mini! Luckily the B-Agile came out in Kiwi Green before DS was born, so I still got a fun color. )

I definitely need to test drive again. We only checked them out when we were on a random BRU/TRU trip. So many different options out there!

====

And this was back in 2012, so I don't know if the companies have tweaked their designs since then. I know City Mini came out with the City Mini GT, but I don't know if the standard models have changed.

montella1064 · May 2014

Thanks ladies! Looks like I'll be purchasing a Britax!

kaimom2 · May 2014

Love, love, love Britax. We have the Chaperone infant seat, 2 of the pavilion car seats and the b-ready stroller. Worth every penny. The stroller is AMAZING! We have older kids so we are on the go A LOT to various sporting events and the mall and anywhere else my Tweens drag me. The B- Ready + mommy hook holds everything! And it is easily dismantled. Highly recommend!

momtojad · May 2014

We are a Britax family and are very brand loyal.. I love my b-agile travel system and all the accesories. We also have Britax car seats that are great.

MrsDL · May 2014

I didn't do a travel system with DS, we got an Uppa Baby Vista stroller with a Chicco infant seat because the Chicco keyfit had great reviews for infant safety at that time and used an attachment to use the infant seat with the stroller (but we rarely used it anyway). We did get DS a Britax Advocate car seat when he outgrew the infant seat (which was around 6 months) and I love it. I'm also now a fan of Britax, I have had really good customer service experiences with them. The company does get great ratings on their products.

abbyful · May 2014

One thing about Britax convertible seats, if you have a tall kiddo, they can be outgrown faster because they have shorter shells. I originally wanted a Britax convertible since we were happy with our infant seat by them, but my kiddo is in the 75th+ percentile for height, so I looked at other options for his convertible seat. (We went with Chicco NextFit.)