Britax

reneepruitt

Everyone seems to have Britax seats.  We need to buy one more.  What's the big deal with the Britax seats? 

MrsG NC

They have some of the top rated car seats. I couldn't find many that compared to the safety ratings and consumer ratings of the Britax seats. I researched for 6 months and found that they manufactured some of the best, so that is what we went with. 

wife1014

It's the ease of use. The safest seats are ones which are installed and used properly. Britax makes that possible. Worth the money, imo.

Wufroggy79

I used the Baby Bargains book for all of my big purchases. They do consumer testing with families in their decisions in addition to cost anaylsis and safety. Several Britax seats were at the top. I have a Marathon, and I love it so far. The velco on the sides to hold back the safety belts as you put LO in the seat are genius, considering she sat right on them EVERY time we had loaded her into the Graco Snugride. That's not a reason to spend a bunch of money on one, but it is a nice feature. We also have a Graco Myride 65 for the grandparents, and it is a nice seat as well.

Temp994124375009771

All seats sold are safe when installed/used properly.

Britax seats sell well because they are safe (like all other seats), they are comfortable (nicer material, padding imo), they are easy to install/directions are easy to follow, they are now actually smaller than many other seats out there (this use to not be the case-in past years they were bulkier than other seats).

We bought a Britax Boulevard 70 and are very happy with the purchase.  It was easy to install, DD seems happy in it, and the features are easy to use (the tighening strap is in a convenient location and not smashed up against the cars back seat like some in some seats.

We paid $220 total for the Boulevard 70 at Buy Buy Baby with a price match from amazon so I didn't feel like I was paying too much for it.

 After doing some research, buy whatever seats makes the most sense for you, your car, and your family.

emiliemadison

They're typically the most expensive, so people tend to assume that means they're the "best". 5 years ago, the Britax seats allowed for longer RF and higher FF weight limits and were very easy to install, so they lead the market in those respects. But in the last 3-4 years, other companies have come out with seats that have higher weight limits, are just as easy to install and half the price. There's nothing safer or "better" about Britax seats, it's just about preference and also the fact that the Britax name is well known. 

emiliemadison

MrsG NC:

They have some of the top rated car seats. I couldn't find many that compared to the safety ratings and consumer ratings of the Britax seats. I researched for 6 months and found that they manufactured some of the best, so that is what we went with. 

THere is no such thing as a safety rating for car seats (there are subjective "ease of use ratings") and consumer ratings are good for most things, but NOT for car seats. BEST = what fits your child, your car, and what you can install properly. Sometimes that might be a Britax. But all seats out there pass the exact same safety standard testing. Britax adds some extra features (none of which "add" safety, btw), but there are other seats that offer the same sorts of features and are absolutely just as safe and easy to use.

SnoopyLuv

emiliemadison:

They're typically the most expensive, so people tend to assume that means they're the "best". 5 years ago, the Britax seats allowed for longer RF and higher FF weight limits and were very easy to install, so they lead the market in those respects. But in the last 3-4 years, other companies have come out with seats that have higher weight limits, are just as easy to install and half the price. There's nothing safer or "better" about Britax seats, it's just about preference and also the fact that the Britax name is well known. 

I agree with this. I went with what fit in my price point, car and style. I also liked the side crash ratings on my Evenflo and ease of use.

They all have the same minimum safety ratings so I don't see the need for it.

LittleGus

I personally feel like Britax is a "Bump Trend", which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but do your own research.  We got an Evenflo.
 

sillypit

wife1014:

It's the ease of use. The safest seats are ones which are installed and used properly. Britax makes that possible. Worth the money, imo.

We bought a Britax and my DD hated it, she screamed bloody murder everytime we put her in it.  So we returned  it and got the Evenflo Triumph LX.  Turns out I find it far more user friendly than the Britax was and it's one of the top rated seats by Consumer Reports.

SuperCuteBenz

I love my Britax seats, but I found them on super clearance. Otherwise, I probably would have gone with either a True Fit or the Triumph.

MrsG NC

emiliemadison:

MrsG NC:

They have some of the top rated car seats. I couldn't find many that compared to the safety ratings and consumer ratings of the Britax seats. I researched for 6 months and found that they manufactured some of the best, so that is what we went with. 

THere is no such thing as a safety rating for car seats (there are subjective "ease of use ratings") and consumer ratings are good for most things, but NOT for car seats. BEST = what fits your child, your car, and what you can install properly. Sometimes that might be a Britax. But all seats out there pass the exact same safety standard testing. Britax adds some extra features (none of which "add" safety, btw), but there are other seats that offer the same sorts of features and are absolutely just as safe and easy to use.

I absolutely disagree. You cannot tell me that a $100 Cosco carseat is as safe as a $250 carseat. Just because they pass the "same exact safety standards" does NOT mean they are equally safe. Those standards are extremely low. I am not just looking for a carseat that just keeps my child from fatality in a car  accident I am looking for a carseat that is more likely to keep her from ANY type of injury during an accident.

 This debate has gone on for years on this board and I have yet to change my position on this. IMO the more expensive carseats ARE safer than the less expensive seats. The designs are better, the materials are better, ect. I won't risk buying a cheaper and possibly less sturdy and secure seat just because "it passed the same safety standards as all the others". No way in hell.

 I am not saying Britax is "the best out there" but after doing my own research I was impressed with them and found that they manufacture some of the best on the market. I do agree you must go with what works best for your car, family, budget, ect..but I do not think that all carseats are equal just because they pass the same safety standards.  

emiliemadison

MrsG NC:

emiliemadison:

MrsG NC:

They have some of the top rated car seats. I couldn't find many that compared to the safety ratings and consumer ratings of the Britax seats. I researched for 6 months and found that they manufactured some of the best, so that is what we went with. 

THere is no such thing as a safety rating for car seats (there are subjective "ease of use ratings") and consumer ratings are good for most things, but NOT for car seats. BEST = what fits your child, your car, and what you can install properly. Sometimes that might be a Britax. But all seats out there pass the exact same safety standard testing. Britax adds some extra features (none of which "add" safety, btw), but there are other seats that offer the same sorts of features and are absolutely just as safe and easy to use.

I absolutely disagree. You cannot tell me that a $100 Cosco carseat is as safe as a $250 carseat. Just because they pass the "same exact safety standards" does NOT mean they are equally safe. Those standards are extremely low. I am not just looking for a carseat that just keeps my child from fatality in a car  accident I am looking for a carseat that is more likely to keep her from ANY type of injury during an accident.

 This debate has gone on for years on this board and I have yet to change my position on this. IMO the more expensive carseats ARE safer than the less expensive seats. The designs are better, the materials are better, ect. I won't risk buying a cheaper and possibly less sturdy and secure seat just because "it passed the same safety standards as all the others". No way in hell.

 I am not saying Britax is "the best out there" but after doing my own research I was impressed with them and found that they manufacture some of the best on the market. I do agree you must go with what works best for your car, family, budget, ect..but I do not think that all carseats are equal just because they pass the same safety standards.  

You dont have to agree, but that doesnt make you right. Car seats and child passenger safety are my job as a car seat tech. It's what I do for a living. As in, I have all the latest data, crash test results, real world statistics, consumer info, manufacturing processes, etc and believe me, if the more expensive seats were truly SAFER, I would be telling every parent to buy them and I'd use them myself. The fact is, those seats truly are just as safe when used properly as every other seat.

The more expensive seats offer more comfort and ease of use features, and sometimes those features CAN help parents install and use the seat correctly more often. So perhaps in a way, you could say that some of those features help parents use them more safely. But a $300 seat and a $50 ARE just as safe IF used and installed properly.

The most important components of car seat safety is the harness and the way the seat is installed in your vehicle. As long as your seat is not defective, the harness, the correct installation AND the direction the seat is facing (RF is safer if the child meets those RF limits), then the cheap seats will protect a child just as well as the expensive ones. 

As I said, you dont have to believe it (and Britax will hope you dont!), but both clinical and real world data have proved that you dont have to pay more for safety.  

wife1014

sillypit:

wife1014:

It's the ease of use. The safest seats are ones which are installed and used properly. Britax makes that possible. Worth the money, imo.

We bought a Britax and my DD hated it, she screamed bloody murder everytime we put her in it.  So we returned  it and got the Evenflo Triumph LX.  Turns out I find it far more user friendly than the Britax was and it's one of the top rated seats by Consumer Reports.

My mom has the evenflo in her car. I like that seat too! 

To whomever it was who said it was a bump trend, yea that is not true. I wasn't on the bump when I had daughter #1.  I only played on the nest.  It was just the highest rated car seat at the time.  Because I loved it as much as I did, I've stuck with the brand.  There is something to be said for a quality product.

I will add, a good friend of mine has a Recaro and I think that is a superb seat. 

 

veronicacorningstone

I bought it for most of the reasons stated.  

Also, with the Boulevard, you don't have to rethread the harnesses as your child grows.  Yes, I pay more for the convenience. 

DMD1029

Based on teh research we did when we were buying car seats (11 months ago now), Britax was the best and may still be the best.  They do have some features which make it safer, like there's a piece that fits on the back of the seat of the car that will stop the baby car seat from flipping up if you're in a wreck.  I agree that you don't necessarily have to buy THE most expensive car seat to have one that is safe, but that being said, I do think that Britax has a well deserved reputation for being the best.  It was also a personal decision for us.  We know of a mother who was in a horrible car wreck and died and the baby was absolutely fine.  The police at the time said that the Britax was the only reason that the baby survived that particular car accident.