is britax a good brand?

beachgirl1977 · May 2011

I was just reading about the "britax bubble" and was wondering if it really is a good seat or over hyped? I know you have to have it installed properly and used correctly for it to work.

I had a marathon but after a tractor trailer accident (we were extremely lucky no one killed) I told my in laws from my hospital bed to go out and buy a new britax for my oldest. My newborn was in a snugride which we replaced with another snugride but upgraded him to a britax boulevard like his brother.

my 4 yr old is stil in a convertible and will be for a while I think and the baby will be rear facing till 2 (if he's ok weight wise).

I think I am partial to britax and snugride because of my past experiences and I am anal about having them tightly in with no coats! (although a pita in the winter!)

JOEBunny · May 2011

Yes, it is good, but not because it is safer, but because it is easier to clean and holds up well. Most other seats are = as good in an accident, maybe just don't have the easy install, the nice fabric, or the straps that are "nicer" when plugging the child in.

Halo79RN · May 2011

britax is consistently rated well in studies like those by the insurance institute for highway safety and consumer reports. not to say that there aren't less expensive seats that rate well in safety. there are slight differences that are conveniences that aren't necessities... like w/ the boulevard, you don't have to take the seat out to adjust the shoulder height of the straps. just turn a knob. it's ease of use has been a consistent pro I've seen listed online. I've also seen raves about less expensive seats. you get what you pay for. we've been pleased with our kids' britax seats and have gotten them on sale with coupons through dh's amazon account. no complaints. not sure which booster seat we'll buy yet.

shouldbworkin · May 2011

the Blvd is nice b/c you don't have to take the seat out to adjust the straps. We live in a cold place, so I wouldn't be too happy if I had to readjust straps in the middle of the winter without that knob. We don't travel with them, though. We have equally safe, but less cushy seats for travel. So, you can still be safe for less. But, you have less bells and whistles. All depends on what's important to you. If you have 3 kids, you might want to look into a sunshine radian. They're narrower, which helps with trying to fit 3 kids across one row.

SuperCuteBenz · May 2011

I love my Britax seats. They are super easy to clean and really easy to install. I don't see how anyone could mess up.

I just wish that they would make a few adjustments such as more leg room for rear-facing kids.

emiliemadison · May 2011

They're great seats, but there are other seats that are JUST as easy to install, easy to adjust, easy to clean, easy to buckle, have the same RF and FF weight limits, have higher height limits, and are half the price. 5 years ago Britax had the corner on the market, but that's just not the case today.

SuperCuteBenz · May 2011

emiliemadison:
They're great seats, but there are other seats that are JUST as easy to install, easy to adjust, easy to clean, easy to buckle, have the same RF and FF weight limits, have higher height limits, and are half the price. 5 years ago Britax had the corner on the market, but that's just not the case today.

I agree, but I have never paid full price for mine. I paid $135, $140 and $48 for my 2 Marathons and Roundabout 50. So, for those prices I love them more than the others. Wink

karen6784 · May 2011

I am thrilled with my Blvd. DD is still in it (very small in both weight and height). The $300 I spent on the seat equals pennies a day over time. She has used this seat everyday since 8/07. Once DS is old enough, I'll be spending the $300 to get him the same seat.

ghm · May 2011

I definitely agree with emilie. I rarely recommend britax seats. They certainly have some great qualities, but there are seats I prefer over them.

By the way, consumer reports and the IIHS studies mean nothing. Consumer reports tests are flawed and IIHS only rates ease of use.

BTW, there was a canadian study which showed that seats like the marathon and boulevard that sit high on a base are not as safe for older/bigger children. I wouldn't personally use one FF past 4 or maybe 5, depending on the size of the child.

SuperCuteBenz · May 2011

ghm:
I definitely agree with emilie. I rarely recommend britax seats. They certainly have some great qualities, but there are seats I prefer over them.

By the way, consumer reports and the IIHS studies mean nothing. Consumer reports tests are flawed and IIHS only rates ease of use.
BTW, there was a canadian study which showed that seats like the marathon and boulevard that sit high on a base are not as safe for older/bigger children. I wouldn't personally use one FF past 4 or maybe 5, depending on the size of the child.

Do you have a link to this? I am interested, because I had planned to use ours until they expire. I don't see my kids outgrowing them, or not my daughter anyway.

My daughter is 36 inches and 27lbs. So, what would you consider too big?

ghm · May 2011

Way bigger than 36 inches! I'll go look for the study. I know I have it somewhere. The dummy was about as big as the seat could handle.

ghm · May 2011

https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/safedrivers-childsafety-programs-testing-harness-marathon-928.htm

Start here. I'm looking for what I've read about it.

SuperCuteBenz · May 2011

ghm:
Way bigger than 36 inches! I'll go look for the study. I know I have it somewhere. The dummy was about as big as the seat could handle.

Holy crap! That dummy is huge!

Angela814 · May 2011

SuperCuteBenz:
ghm:
I definitely agree with emilie. I rarely recommend britax seats. They certainly have some great qualities, but there are seats I prefer over them.

By the way, consumer reports and the IIHS studies mean nothing. Consumer reports tests are flawed and IIHS only rates ease of use.
BTW, there was a canadian study which showed that seats like the marathon and boulevard that sit high on a base are not as safe for older/bigger children. I wouldn't personally use one FF past 4 or maybe 5, depending on the size of the child.
Do you have a link to this? I am interested, because I had planned to use ours until they expire. I don't see my kids outgrowing them, or not my daughter anyway.
My daughter is 36 inches and 27lbs. So, what would you consider too big?

Annalise was still rfing in her Marathon at that size. I think she outgrew it ffing around 44-45" and maybe 43 lbs. She was still no where as big as that crash test dummy.

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