Thursday, September 11, 2008

Britax Companion Infant Car Seat Onyx



Britax Companion Infant Car Seat Onyx

Other products by Britax USA

List Price: $209.99
Price: $174.99

See More ... Cheap Prices for Britax Car Seats by amazon.com

Product Description

Your little will enjoy a safe, smooth ride with the Companion Infant Car Seat.

Features:

  • Adjustable fabric canopy
  • Smooth, contoured adjustable carrying handle with soft grip
  • Vehicle belt path so carrier can be used without base
  • Tangle-free, polyester 5-point harness, three harness heights
  • Patented anti-rebound bar
  • Expandable head pad with True Side Impact Protection
  • Comfort foam and EPS protective foam
  • Comfort pads and belly pad for comfort and protection
  • Larger cradle for infants up to 30"
  • Removable, washable fabric cover
  • Infinitely adjustable base height
  • Flexible buckle LATCH system
  • Rear-facing only -- for infants 4 to 22 pounds, up to 30"

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description
Help keep your infant safe, secure and comfortable while riding in the car with the Companion infant car seat from Britax. Made for babies weighing four to 22 pounds with a height up to 30 inches, this rear facing seat is easy to install and remove, and it's loaded with features designed to protect, support and cushion your baby when traveling.

From the Manufacturer
Loaded with Britax patented safety features, the rear facing Companion infant car seat is renowned for safety, comfort and convenience and for the ability to keep your child in a harnessed child restraint. True Side Impact Protection with deep side walls and head support to provide advanced protection in side impact collisions. The patented anti-rebound bar stabilizes the child seat and reduces movement of the child during vehicle impact. The head support cradles the child¿s head and maintains proper positioning. The push-button LATCH connectors provide a quick, simple and tight installation. Additional features inclue multiple recline positions and built-in vehicle belt lock-offs. The tangle-free polyester 5-point harness with 3 harness heights helps to effortlessly secure your child every day. The Companion also offers soft shoulder pads, belly pad, sun canopy, and a plush & washable seat cover for that ultimate comfort experience for children rear-facing from 4 to 22 pounds or up to 30 inches tall. This infant car seat is compatible with Britax appropriate strollers as a travel system. The Companion infant carrier is made in the USA with U.S. and global components.


Customer Reviews

Very nice car seat.4
My husband and I really liked this car seat. It easily snaps in and out of the base, and it does make an audible click, contrary to another review saying that it doesn't. If yours doesn't click when placing it in the base, you are probably doing something wrong. It was nice to be able to keep our daughter in the seat while running errands instead of having to constantly strap and unstrap her. Especially since most babies tend to fall asleep in the car.

The seat fit extremely well in our Dodge 3500. If you tried to aggressively move/wiggle the car seat, the truck would move instead.

The head pad/support is superior to any other car seat's. It is also adjustable via a little built-in finger pump. We never had any problem with her little head flopping around like I've seen in some other car seats.

A couple of things that prevented me from giving it a five star rating. The chest clip is not as sturdy as I would like. After a year of use ours had bent out of shape. However, a new chest clip only costs $3 on Britax's USA website, and I would highly recommend buying one or two extra and replacing them as needed. I am thinking that the reason they continue to use it on the Companion is because it seems like it is more comfortable than the bigger, sturdier clips that are used on Britax's other car seats. This chest clip is flexible and conforms around the baby's chest instead of pushing into it like the more durable ones might.

The other thing that I didn't like was that the Companion was advertised as being suitable for children from four to twenty-two pounds. But, if your child is less than seven pounds, you have to purchase the "Low Birth Weight Foam" and put that in the car seat, THEN it will actually be good for a smaller baby. Our daughter weighed less than seven pounds for her first few weeks, and she always seemed to be a little scrunched in her car seat during that time. We didn't realize until much later what the problem was. It does mention the need for the foam in the user guide, but we either didn't pay attention to it thinking that our baby would be an 7+ pounder, and/or we forgot about it. My recommendation is that you purchase the additional foam, use it if you need it and return it if you don't. That way you'll be prepared if you have a skinny baby.

Our daughter is pretty tall, so we had to switch to the Britax Marathon at 11 months, which is another great car seat.

Would we use this car seat again? Absolutely. We've already refurbished our original one by completely washing it and replacing the chest clip and adding the Low Birth Weight Foam. It's ready for our next skinny baby. :)

Britax Companion Infant Car Seat Base



Britax Companion Infant Car Seat Base

Other products by Britax USA

List Price: $69.99
Price: $61.07 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.

See More ... Cheap Prices for Britax Car Seats by amazon.com

Product Description

The Britax Companion Infant Restraint Base is perfect for a second car or to leave with a caregiver. The height-adjustable base features Britax's upscale LATCH connectors, complete with LATCH storage right on the base. The base includes an angle recline adjuster to help you achieve the perfect angle for your vehicle and the anti-rebound bar helps to reduce rebound movement in the event of a crash. In addition, built in lock-offs are designed to offer you a better installation, without having to worry about losing any parts!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description
Made for babies weighing up to 22 pounds, and ideal for additional family cars or leaving with caregivers, the Companion infant restraint base from Britax is made to be used with the Britax Companion rear-facing infant car seat. Weighing a compact 8.3 pounds, and featuring the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system for a flexible fit, this height-adjustable base also allows you to remove a sleeping baby from the car without disturbing his nap time.

From the Manufacturer
Loaded with Britax patented safety features, the rear facing Companion infant car seat is renowned for safety, comfort and convenience and for the ability to keep your child in a harnessed child restraint. True Side Impact Protection with deep side walls and head support to provide advanced protection in side impact collisions. The patented anti-rebound bar stabilizes the child seat and reduces movement of the child during vehicle impact. The head support cradles the child¿s head and maintains proper positioning. The push-button LATCH connectors provide a quick, simple and tight installation. Additional features inclue multiple recline positions and built-in vehicle belt lock-offs. The tangle-free polyester 5-point harness with 3 harness heights helps to effortlessly secure your child every day. The Companion also offers soft shoulder pads, belly pad, sun canopy, and a plush & washable seat cover for that ultimate comfort experience for children rear-facing from 4 to 22 pounds or up to 30 inches tall. This infant car seat is compatible with Britax appropriate strollers as a travel system. The Companion infant carrier is made in the USA with U.S. and global components.

Customer Reviews

Very easy to use and extremely well built5
We used this for our first child (along with the Britax infant seat) and was amazed at how easy it was to install and how safe and snug it was for our baby. I have to question the intelligence of anyone who had problems installing this seat because it is not difficult. If you are buying the Britax infant carrier, this extra base is a must-have for your second car. I also compared this seat and base to a different brand that our friends had for their baby, and I was so impressed with the quality of construction and materials that Britax uses. I highly recommend this seat and base to anyone who has an infant.

Base for a great car seat5
I have used the Britax Companion with my first child and will use it again with my second child. Buying extra bases makes it easy to move the carrier from car to car. This car seat has great side protection and the anti-rebound bar is a great feature. Don't know what the previous reviewer had in mind, but it is #2 out of 11 infant car seats on that famous consumer reports web site.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Britax Boulevard Convertible Car Seat Onyx


Britax Boulevard Convertible Car Seat Onyx

Other products by Britax USA

Price:$309.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.

See More ... Cheap Prices for Britax Car Seats by amazon.com

Product Description

Transport little ones safely with this car seat that can be positioned facing forward or backwards. Adjust the set up to match your child's stage of development.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description
The Boulevard from Britax offers a host of comfort and safety features designed to keep your child secure while traveling in the car. Made to accommodate your child throughout his or her infancy, the Boulevard can be used as either rear facing for babies five to 35 pounds and a standing height of 49 inches or less, or forward facing for those babies weighing 20 to 65 pounds, with a standing height of 49 inches or less.

The Britax Boulevard offers:
  • HUGS system for maximum safety.
  • True Side Impact Protection.
  • 5-point harness for a secure fit.
  • Deep side walls and head support.


The HUGS system exceeds US safety standards. (Onyx shown.) View larger.
Quick and Easy Installation
Designed to install quickly and easily, the Boulevard features an easy-turn knob that immediately adjusts the headrest and harness height so you don't have to continually uninstall and reinstall the seat. The tangle-free, durable polyester, five-point harness system ensures a snug and secure fit without unnecessary or uncomfortable pressure on your baby's body. You can also take advantage of the belt holders to keep the harness to the side while you're placing the baby in the seat. Lock-offs tightly secure seatbelts--and since they're built-in, you won't have to worry about losing parts!

True Side Impact ProtectionTM for Peace of Mind
The Boulevard also gives you additional peace of mind by featuring engineered True Side Impact ProtectionTM. Deep side walls and head support provide advanced shock-absorption and cushioning in side impact collisions, helping to reduce the risk of injury. Additionally, EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) impact foam lining around the baby's head and torso absorbs energy in side and rear impacts, cradles baby's head to keep it away from protruding parts, cushions violent side to side movements, and creates a comfortable resting spot.

Customer Reviews

Comfortable and safe5
We were not really able to use it rear facing for our 13 month old daughter in the BMW 325 (E46) - there was no space for her legs between the seat and the rear seat. However, it was just perfect forward facing. She is always quite happy in it - the straps only occasionally get twisted and even then are quite easy to sort out. I like the added stability from the top tethers. Quite happy with this seat

Very big, somewhat hard to use, better alternatives must be out there3
Got two of the Britax Boulevard Convertible car seats; one for my ten months old and one for my three year old. I have used Takata seats in the past so I know that child seats can be bulky but these seats where just massive. Especially when in the rear-facing position. When I drive; the seat is up against my headrest actually forcing me to sit in a more upright position than I would normally do. (And this is in a van.)
In terms of usability I do appreciate the adjustable back harness but the crotch strap is positioned so that the kids end up sitting on it in 90%+ of cases making it a hassle to get the kids seated.

In sum, the safety that this product provides is probably good but I am sure that there are better alternatives out there. For rear-facing I have yet not tried anything else but for forward-facing I would definitely recommend the Graco Nautilus product Graco Nautilus 3-in-1 Car Seat in Matrix, which I have recently switched to for my older kid.

Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat

Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat

Other products by Britax USA

Price:$229.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.

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See More ... Cheap Prices for Britax Car Seats by amazon.com

Product Description

This convertible car seat gives your little rider a safe, smooth ride in cushioned comfort.

Features:

  • Patented Versa-Tether
  • Removable, washable fabric cover
  • Belly pad for comfort and protection
  • Built-in lock-offs
  • Sculpted base for a perfect fit on most vehicles
  • Flexible Buckle Latch System
  • Comfort foam and EPS-protective foam
  • Tangle-free polyester and 5-point harness
  • Belt holders keep belts aside for boarding
  • Push-button harness adjuster
  • One-hand recline adjustment

  • Rear facing: holds infants 5 to 33 pounds
  • Forward facing: holds babies 1 year-old and up to 40 pounds

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Product Description
The Roundabout from Britax is a sturdy and reliable restraint system that helps protect your child in the car. Designed for children rear facing from five to 35 pounds and forward facing from at least one year old and 20 pounds to 40 pounds, with a standing height of up to 40 inches for both positions, this convenient seat features a versatile, contoured base that fits in almost any car.


Customer Reviews

Over 75,000 Miles of Use! Love it!5
We purchased this car seat back in 2004. (This is written in 2008.) Our daughter has used it almost daily since then, including on those really long family trips. She's almost 5 yrs old now and nearly 40 lbs. (The max weight limit.) We will be purchasing another Britax. (Most likely the Britax Regent for youth.)

This seat has several wonderful qualities:
1. Easy to wash. I just take off the cover, put it in the washing machine on normal wash, and then dry it for about 30 mins. It gets washed about 3-4 times a year.
2. Simple to install. One of our vehicles doesn't have the latch system. It's still a piece of cake to tighten down on the car's seat. (For a really tight fit with the latch, I sit in the carseat and pull up on the latch straps. She's now forward facing.)
3. Comfortable. Our daughter has never mentioned any aches, pains or irritations while riding in this seat. (The only hot metal parts clip into the buckle. No accidental burns!)
4. No overt wear. Through washings, spills, smears, crumbs, etc., the seat still cleans up like new. No frayed edges, bald spots, twisted trim, or tears.
5. Very adjustable. As our child has grown, we've been able to adjust the shoulder straps to meet her needs. The 5-point harness is simple to put on and take off. The main buckle is just stiff enough to be too tough for her to undo alone. (Thank goodness.)
6. Safety. Side impact protection was almost unheard of in carseats when we purchased this one. It's part of why we did. Consumer Reports' high ratings also helped.

What I would change:
1. When the seat is out of the vehicle (usually removed because our child is sleeping and I want to keep her that way), it is tippy. It needs to be propped up against a wall or sofa.
2. A better storage pocket on the back for the instructions and extra tie-down straps. The one that we have is too small for the instructions and the straps always seem to be on the verge of falling out.

(Just a heads up, this carseat will not fit in the rear seat of quadcab Dodge Rams.)

So, with over 75,000 miles of use, we'd buy this carseat again. It has served us well and kept our daughter safe.

Love the fabric love the carseat!5
We have the LATCH system in our car, so this car seat is a cinch to install. My son is very small for his age, but he's quite comfortable in this seat. I love the little bits of velcro that help (not perfect, but a nice effort) to keep the straps out of the way when you seat him. I love the fabric - it's fun to look at, and the velour is nice and cozy. There don't seem to be any parts that can get really in the sun (not that it's hot here).