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Safe and snug through the car wash

There’s nothing overtly remarkable about the new Britax Roundabout 50. Sure, it is safe for children up to 50 pounds with the 5-point harness. Yeah, it has the Britax patented Versa-Tether strap on the back. And yes, it’s pretty. But those are not the most important things about this car seat, not according to this mom.

It’s easy to install.

How many hours of your life have you spent fighting to get your child’s car seat installed just right? Have you actually driven to one of those car seat safety centers, or sought the help of your fire or police stations? In our family, car seat installation usually includes a lot of sweat, cursing, and argument. There are often rolled-up towels involved.

One the day I wanted to put the new Roundabout into my car, courtesy of Britax itself, I asked my husband to do the deed before he left for work. Of course he forgot, and I forgot to remind him, and I was down one car seat with no choice but to do the install myself. I took a deep breath and went in.

And I was finished in about 30 seconds.

Oh wait. First I ignored the directions, just like a man, and did it wrong. Parents, please read the directions. Learn from my mistake. You will thank me. You must take the LATCH strap from where it is stored in the seat during delivery, and move it to the lower openings. Only then will you be able to stretch the strap long enough to click the latches into both latch loops in your car without using superhuman strength, which apparently I possess because I succeeded in totally doing it wrong the first time.

But! Once I read the instructions I installed this bad boy in about 30 seconds. It is snug, safe, and looks fantastic. And thank goodness it will allow my boy to sit in a 5-point harness for a bit longer.

Recently there was an incident in which a Britax seat saved a child in a crash with a train!  Here is a special video about that story.

It can be tough getting your “big” kid into a booster. For those of us who have kids who regularly measure in the 90th percentile and above for height and/or weight, the booster seat options are not as thrilling. Similarly when you have an older child who ages out of a booster long before they measure out, finding an acceptable solution for them can be tricky.

The Sunshine Kids Monterey expandable booster seat is the answer to both of these common problems. Designed to accomodate kids up to 63 inches and 120 lbs, your little one is not likely to outgrow this carseat. It’s actually large enough for many moms to ride in, comfortably, as our tweenaged tester pointed out.

Simple styling keeps  this booster from looking too “baby” which should appeal to older children who have legally aged out of mandatory boosters but who should still be in a booster for safety.  The seat is extremely adjustible, in the height, head rest angle and back width. It can be completely customized for your rider as they grow.

This booster carseat is very easy to install. Although it can be used both with the back and backless, we’d recommend leaving the back attached. The back portion provides excellent side impact protection, as well as head and neck support for backseat snoozers. The backless option is a good one, however,  for carpooling parents and those who need to switch the seat in and out of the car frequently. Even with the back attached, the seat folds flat for storage and travel.

We love that this booster is latch equipped  – no need to worry about it flying around the back seat.

Our testers fought over this seat. It was very comfortable to ride in for all three of the children we tried in the seat. At ages 4,8, and 12 and ranging in height from 43 inches to 57 inches, and 45 to 78 lbs,  all three youngesters were able to customize the seat for their size and shape.  Everyone appreciated the two recline positions on a long trip. The seat fit excellently in the captains chair of our minivan (Honda Odyssey), and also in a small (Hyundai Sonata) sedan. In the third row of our minivan, however,  the seat was difficult to install in the center latch position of the car. It made buckling the passengers on either side, nearly impossible. Note: This is not unique to the Monterey, we have found the same issue with almost every latch equipped carseat tested in the third row of the Honda Odyssey.

Sunshine Kids Booster seats are slightly “tipped” back. This aligns the child’s pelvis so that the seatbelt rests properly across their pelvis. It is a requirement for European safety standards and reduces the amount of lap belt force in the event of a crash.

Features:

• Child height: up to 160cm
• Child weight: 15 – 36kgs
• Adjustable height
• Expandable width Comfort & Fit:
• Adjustable 12 position headrest
• Expandable seatback width
• Longer seat bottom for leg support
• EPE foam insert cushion under child
• 2 recline angles
• Rubber bottom to grip vehicle seat Safety:
• Deep sidewalls for side-impact protection
• Contoured seat shape for proper fit
• EPS foam protects head, torso and hips
• Reinforced seat bottom for proper positioning
• LATCH connectors (for optional installation)
• Adjuster in front for easy tightening Convenience:
• Extra deep cup holders prevent spills
• Washable cover
• Also use as a backless booster
• Packs flat for storage

Britax has just introduced a new version of their Boulevard Car Seat, the Boulevard CS ($329.99). It has the same features as the Boulevard like True Side Impact Protection, LATCH Connection, a recline feature, body pillow, belt holders, Britax’s patented Versa-Tether, quick-adjust headrest and plus the NEW Click & Safe Harness Adjuster (hence the CS in the name). That means you hear an audible click when the harness straps are snug. This convertible car seat can be used rear or forward-facing with children from 5 to 65 pounds.

My neighbor helped me to install it rear-facing for my 8 month old in our 1995 Toyota Camry. The True Side Impact Protection, with the Boulevard CS’s deep side walls and adjustable head support, was our number one reason for transitioning our baby daughter to this car seat. The body pillow was very comfortable and removable once our baby gets a little bigger. The Boulevard CS is much bigger than the Roundabout and Diplomat — so you should make sure it will fit in your car. The Boulevard CS’s dimensions are W19.5 x H27 x D25.5, which is EXACTLY the same size as the Marathon’s dimensions of W19.5 x H27.5 x D25.5.

The new Click & Safe Harness Adjuster was another reason why we like the Boulevard CS — the mechanism allows me to hear an audible click once the harness is correctly tightened around my child (when I pull the adjuster strap). According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 59% of harness straps on children’s car seats are dangerously loose. Laura Jana, M.D., pediatrician, child passenger safety technician and mother of three said, “The harness straps serve the very important, and ultimately life-saving purpose of keeping children properly positioned and secured in their child safety seat. If these straps are not properly fastened or are loose at the time of a crash, children run a greater risk of being ineffectively restrained or even ejected from their seats – putting them at much greater risk of injury.”   

I really appreciated the tangle-free harness (because I’ve spent too much time untangling harnesses in other car seats – ugh). The easy-turn knob made it so simple to adjust the head restraint and the harness height without unstrapping the car seat. If you’re wondering what the Britax’s patented Versa-Tether is for, it anchors the top of the seat to minimize movent in case of a crash.

This convertible car seat’s weight guidelines are from 5 to 65 pounds and height guideline is 49 inches or less. Use it rear-facing for children who weigh 5 -35 pounds and forward-facing for children who weigh 20- 65 pounds. Because I feel that rear-facing is safer personally, I plan to keep my daughter rear-facing for another 8 months to a year. .

To learn more about the Boulevard CS – go Britax’s site – they have detailed instructions and demos on how to install the car seat rear or forward -facing. If you still have trouble installing it, many police stations or hospitals provide free child safety seat inspections – find one at SeatCheck.org.

The Boulevard CS Car Seat is currently exclusive to Babies R Us (in the Riviera pattern, shown above). Independent retailers and specialty stores will begin carrying it starting mid- October. The fashions available will be Berkshire Tan, Davenport, Lauren, and Cow. The Riviera will remain exclusive to Babies R Us.