Saying a baby product is “a life saver” is a cliche but in the case of Britax car seats, it is the literal truth. I accidentally crash-tested our children’s Britax car seats a couple of years ago and, thankfully, the children emerged without a scratch.
Later, I visited Britax’s factory and saw how dedicated they are to keeping our children safe. From their product development, personnel training, quality control, and even their marketing, safety is their number one priority. Britax wants to know how they can get parents to use car seats correctly, first and foremost.
As part of their commitment to safety, Britax is offering one Britax Advocate 70 CS as a giveaway to our readers and will also donate one seat to Babby Buggy. Founded by Jessica Seinfeld, Baby Buggy is a not-for-profit dedicated to providing families in need with essentials for their children aged 0-12.
Rear-Facing Until At Least 2 Years Old
Britax sent me the Britax Advocate 70 CS, a convertible car seat that can rear face from 5lbs to a whopping 40 lbs (perfect given the new AAP guidelines to keep children rear-facing until at least 2 years old) and forward face up to 70 lbs.
Since my two youngest are big boys (one was almost 10 lbs at birth and the other was over 10 lbs), it is important to me to have seats with high weight limits. My 1 year old is is 25 lbs and I will be able to continue keeping him rear-facing to at least 2 years old.
So you can start using the Advocate 70 CS from birth, they sell an infant positioning insert for the car seat–a better option than after-market products that have not been tested by the company.
With those weight limits and the Britax “next generation” car seat service life of seven years, Britax seats are a good investment.
Protect the Head
The most important part of the body to protect is the head and neck. Britax has made a number of innovations to improve head and neck protection.
At the Britax factory, I learned that one of the biggest risks is the forward movement of the seat and child during a crash. This video is a pretty amazing introduction to some of their safety features.
Britax has developed SafeCell Technology, integrated steel bars, and Energy-Absorbing Versa Tether, to keep the seat put and your child safe.
The most deadly crashes for children are side-impact so Britax has also made innovations to protect the head in these accidents. The Advocate 70 CS features “True Side Impact Protection” and “Side Impact Cushion Technology”.
Ease of Use
I am not an engineer, though I know that Britax is the industry leader according to the real safety experts. What I am is a mom who wants to keep her children safe. Britax told me that “everything is a safety feature” and they make a lot of sense. If a seat is easy to install and use properly, I am more likely to use it correctly and safely.
Britax has a number of self-check features that make me confident that I am using the seat correctly and also make me more comfortable sending my kids off with other trusted adults.
Even my older kids, ages 5 and 3, know that they are strapped in correctly when they hear the click of the “Click & Safe Snug Harness Indicator”.
You can even take these seats on a plane. We love to travel but finding safe seats can be difficult if you need to call a taxi cab at your destination. Bringing a seat can be a little challenging but it will keep your child safer on the plane and you will not have to stress about finding a cab with the correct seats.
We can also adjust the shoulder height of the harness on the Britax Advocate CS 70 without removing the straps.
The more comfortable we can make our children, the more safely I can drive.
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WANT IT: Find the Britax Advocate 70 CS ($370) everywhere Britax is sold, including Amazon.
WIN IT: Britax is giving away one Britax Advocate 70 CS (ARV $380), pattern subject to availability, to a lucky Mamanista reader.
To enter, leave a separate comment for each method of entry:
- First, mandatory entry: In the comments, share a memorable moment from your car travels with your kids–funny, frustrating, or heartwarming!
- Optional additional entries: Share this contest on your blog or any public profile for any social network where you are allowed to do so–up to once a calendar day. Leave the permalink URL for your post or status update as your website in your comment. Leave a separate comment for each entry. Sample tweet: Enter 2 #win @Mamanista – @Britax Advocate 70 CS convertible car seat w/ advanced safety technology! http://ow.ly/bcPhK #contest
Contest Ends 11:59 PM EST, June 11, 2012. Winner chosen at random. US Shipping Only.
Disclosure: Winner chosen randomly using “…And the Winner Is” plugin. My daughter’s first convertible car seat, purchased with my own money, was a Britax. Since then, I have worked with Britax on several reviews of car seats. As of June 2010, I am a member of the Britax Blogger Advisory Board. I do not receive any monetary compensation from Britax. My opinions are always my own.
