FAVORITES: Car Seats!

On our way home from the park today I glanced back at my two boys in their car seats and knew that I should post something about our love-affair with our Britax car seats. I got turned on to these seats when we were looking for the rear-facing (and beyond) car seat for Ja1, I guess when he was about 6 months old. I think that my friend had already bought a Britax and had told me about how much she liked it. I did extensive searching on the web of reviews and also looked for safety ratings. I think at that time I could access Consumer Reports safety ratings on car seats. I believe you have to pay and subscribe for that now. Anyway, the Britax seats that are available in Canada are the Roundabout and the Marathon. We went with the smaller and slightly cheaper of the two, the Roundabout. This seat has great reviews and great features. One of my favorite features is the push-button strap release! All seats should have this. I will copy the features of both from the website.

Anyway, we really loved our Roundabout and found the size especially handy when we took it on the airplane. The fabric is also awesome. We chose the Denim and it is really neat. The drawback is that it fades over time in the sun. I like it because it is easy to clean. The REALLY great thing about these seats is that the fabric part is simple. There are not a bunch of different inserts and flaps that you often find on other seats. The Roundabout fit snug into our car with the latch system and is VERY simple to install. It is easier to get it in really tight forward facing, but it still goes in nicely rear facing. It also has a special tether system for rear-facing so that you can tether it to the bottom of the front seats in the car. All in all, this seat has great safety reviews, great ease of use reviews and two THUMBS up from me, for sure!!!

Britax Roundabout Seat

[The legendary Britax Roundabout® convertible car seat is renowned for safety, comfort, and convenience.
Rear Facing:5 lbs. to 33 lbs.Forward Facing:1 year old and 20 lbs./ up to 40 lbs.
Unique features including a sculpted base, push button release LATCH system with patented Versa-Tether®, and built-in vehicle belt lock-offs, make a tight installation in your vehicle quick and simple. The tangle-free polyester 5-point harness and push button harness adjuster help you effortlessly secure your child every day. The Roundabout® also offers a cozy, washable seat cover for that ultimate comfort experience for children rear-facing from 5 to 33 pounds or children forward-facing from 1 year old and 20 to 40 pounds.]

Source: http://www.britaxusa.net/products/detail_roundabout.aspx

When it was time to think about getting a second car seat, we were undecided about spending the money on another Britax. I really wanted to, but we thought that we would explore our options first. I did look at Sears and Toys R Us at some of the seats that convert to boosters. We thought that the new baby could use the Roundabout and Ja1 could graduate to one of these seats. I bought a Safety First seat that I have only seen at Sears. It had the simple but sturdy design, which I like. I forget now what it was called, but it is black with some silverish-blueish colouring. The thing I did not like was that it sat really low in the car. We ended up taking it back. When a sale came on at our local baby-specialty shop, my husband lined up at the door and got in to buy our Britax Marathon. Very cool. This seat is bigger than the Roundabout and the child can stay in it to 48 lbs. Also very cool because the 5-point harness is the safest way to go. We bought the seat in Denim blue. The Marathon does not have the push-button strap release, but it does have tangle-free straps. We love both seats. Oh, the kids seem to love them too. They actually look comfortable, and we feel good about the safety features.

Britax Marathon Seat

[The legendary Britax Marathon™ convertible car seat is renowned for safety, comfort, and convenience.
Rear Facing:5 lbs. to 33 lbs.Forward Facing:1 year old and 20 lbs. / up to 65 lbs.
The Marathon is also one of many Britax products renowned for its ability to keep your child in a harnessed restraint up to 65 pounds.
Unique features including a patent-pending rip-stitch tether - reduces G-force effects on the head and body in the event of an impact, a sculpted base, push button release LATCH system with patented Versa-Tether®, and built-in vehicle belt lock-offs, make a tight installation in your vehicle quick and simple. The tangle-free polyester 5-point harness helps to effortlessly secure your child every day. The Marathon™ also offers a patented HUGS™ system, belly pad, and a plush & washable seat cover for that ultimate comfort experience for children rear-facing from 5 to 33 pounds or children forward-facing from 1 year old and 20 to 65 pounds.]

Source: http://www.britaxusa.net/products/detail_marathon.aspx

Please feel free to post your comments about your favorite car seats or other baby gear. "What not to buy" can also be helpful to new moms. For example, I knew MANY first-time moms who HATED the Eddie Bauer car seats in rear-facing position.