Tag Archives: booster seat

Britax Frontier 85 Booster Seat Review

Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Age 5-7, New posts, ,

When my daughter left the hospital she was placed in a Britax car seat like this one.  She rode in that seat, safe and secure until she was over 5-years-old.  Some people say that was too long but I wanted to ensure that she was safe and she never complained about comfort so I kept her in it as long as I could.  At a little older than 5-years-old she became a bit too tall for that car seat. I wanted to continue using a 5-point-harness on her until she was about twenty or so but she grew a little too tall and I realized that she would be plenty safe in a booster seat at her age and height.  I recently received a Britax Frontier 85 booster seat to review and I am very pleased as is my daughter. I am very happy with the safety features and asthetics while my daughter loves the dual cup holders, arm rests, and high back.

Britax Frontier 85 booster seat review
Britax Frontier 85 Booster Seat

Every parent wants their child to be as safe as possible in the car, and that’s the result with the Britax Frontier 85 Booster Seat. The Frontier 85 is designed for children that are 2 years old and a minimum of 25 pounds and 30 inches. The Frontier 85 will seat children to 85 pounds and 57 inches with the 5-point harness, and it then converts to a booster seat for children 40-120 pounds and 42-65 inches. The seat allows for the highest seated shoulder height available, which is 12-20 inches with the harness and 13.5-24.5 with the booster.

Britax designed this booster seat with several top-quality safety features, and their dedication to keeping children safe with an easy to use Harness-2-Booster seat shows that they are leaders in the industry.

I had the Frontier 85 out of the box and installed in my car within 15 minutes. That 15 minutes included removing the harness straps from the booster seat as she is using the lap belt, adjusting the back height, snapping the LATCH connectors into my car’s seat, and once I had the seat in the car I made sure that the Versa-Tether was very tight.

Britax Frontier 85 booster seat
My daughter in her Britax Frontier 85 booster seat.

The Frontier 85 has lots of features to help prevent injury.

The Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether slows forward movement, reduces the force caused by a crash, and includes a two-point attachment which anchors the top of the seat. The Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS) and Tangle Free Five-Point Harness works with the tether to reduce movement of your child and protect them. HUGS are located on the chest area of the harness straps and work with the higher center of gravity of larger children to keep your child safe as they grow. The Tangle Free Five-Point Harness has 10 height positions and three buckle positions to help transfer crash forces over the strongest parts of their body. These leading safety features reduce the risk of injury and leave you with peace of mind.

Britax’s Frontier 85 Booster Seat also lets your child ride comfortably, with features such as armrests and integrated cup holders. The cup holders do not increase the width of the seat and will hold common beverages such as a 20-oz water bottle. Keeping mom’s comfort (and sanity) in mind, Britax designed the seat with a washable cover.

If you’re looking for a Harness-2-Booster seat, the Britax Frontier 85 is the ideal seat. No parent should have to worry about their child’s care or comfort while driving, and the Frontier 85 eliminates all concerns.

If you aren’t sure when your child will be ready for a booster seat, take a look at Britax’s Booster Basics page where you will find detailed information about how to tell if your child is ready for a booster seat or not.

Connect with Britax:

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Disclosure: As stated above, I received a Britax Frontier 85 booster seat for review purposes at no charge.  All opinions are 100% my own and honest and were not influenced in any way.

Choosing The Best Infant Car Seat For You and Your Baby

Age 1-3, New posts, Pregnancy, , , ,

best infant car seatsChoosing an infant car seat is one of the most important tasks of expectant and new parents.  Researching infant car seats can be frustrating and overwhelming to some pregnant moms.   With so many car seats on the market, how do parents know which infant car seat is right for their child? Below are some tips for buying a quality infant car seat.

New and expecting parents have asked me how I chose my kids car seats over the years.  My answer.. I consulted Consumer Reports magazine and bought the car seat that was rated highest.   I didn’t care about looks but was most focused on safety.  Britax car seats have been very reliable for us and they have had fabulous safety ratings over the last 12 years that I’ve been buying car seats.  I know that researching via Consumer Reports’ magazine or website might not be ideal for parents who don’t have a subscription though so I am sharing with you a few of my favorite tips and car seat options.

 

Research The Options

Parents shopping for an infant car seat should research the many options on the market. Expectant parents can research car seats on sites like ConsumerReports.org, which provides detailed car seat reviews. These car seat reviews are useful because they offer expectant parents a detailed account of what other consumers liked and hated about each specific infant car seat.

Consider These Infant Car Seat Choices

 

Parents who are up to date with reading car seat reviews will recognize the strong consumer following of these three seats.

Britax B-SAFE infant car seat1. Britax B-SAFE
The Britax B-SAFE is one of the top rated car seats on the market. Sold as a travel system or as just the infant car seat, this product is easy to take in and out of the car, making it a great option for parents on the go. The front harness adjuster allows for easy strap adjustments, and the high weight capacity makes this the perfect car seat for infants up to 30 pounds.

 

Chicco KeyFit 30 infant car seat2. Chicco KeyFit 30
The best rated car seat by ConsumerReports.org, the Chicco KeyFit 30 holds babies from the tiniest to the heaviest weights approved for infant car seat use. Keeping babies safe from 4 pounds to 30 pounds, this car seat has one of the easiest adjustment systems available on the market and is compatible with a variety of strollers.

 

 

Safety 1st onBoard 35 infant car seat3. Safety 1st onBoard 35
The Safety 2st onBoard 35 is one of the most modestly priced car seats on the market with the ability to rear face up to 35 pounds. With front end harness adjustment, this seat makes it easy for parents to give their little ones a snug fit, keeping them safe and secure.

Car Seat Recalls

Parents should be sure to keep up with infant car seat recalls to make sure that their product remains safe even after purchase. Parents are encouraged to check for infant car seat, big kid car seat and booster seat recalls often.  Aside from recalls, it is also important to research the crash protection of an infant car seat, its ease of use, and vehicle fit.

Good luck with your car seat shopping.  Please ask questions or leave comments below!

Disclosure: I was not compensated by any of the brands featured in this article. 

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Evenflo booster seat – Big Kid AMP no back booster seat review and giveaway

Age 5-7, Contests, Travel, , , ,

My now 10 year old son rode in a booster seat until relatively recently.  The safe ‘no booster seat’ age is 10-12 years old.  He actually liked sitting in a booster seat because he could see out the window better.  I am 5’1″ and often joke that I should still sit in a booster seat.  I’ve spent about a week reviewing the Evenflo Big Kid AMP no back booster seat and have really enjoyed it.. as has my daughter.  She is too young to use it in the car but has found many uses for it around the house including ‘teacher seat’ and as a ‘booster seat highchair’.. on the floor.  I don’t recommend using a booster seat as a real high chair as it could slide off the chair.

Features of the Evenflo Big Kid AMP no back booster seat include:

  • a cup and a snack holder both with an elastic band so they can hold cups and snacks of just about any size!  Love it!
  • softtouch armrests
  • removable, washable, and wipeable black seat pad
  • soft seat pad
  • available in bright pink, red, and blue

You can buy an Evenflo Big Kid AMP no back booster seat for $25 – $40+ here at Amazon.com.  Watch an interactive demo of the Evenflo Big Kid AMP no back booster seat here.  Learn the booster seat laws of your state here.  You’ve got to love Evenflo for giving parents easy access to booster seat laws for their state.

GIVEAWAY!

We are giving away an Evenflo Big Kid AMP no back booster seat!  Simply leave a comment below telling me what your favorite available color (link opens a new window so you don’t lose this page) is and why you’d like to win this booster seat and get an extra entry for Tweeting about this giveaway.  Make sure you follow @mommyinsider and mention @mommyinsider in the Tweet so I know you Tweeted!

P.S. Follow @mommyinsider on Twitter to learn about new posts and giveaways as they are published!

My review of the new Evenflo Symphony 65 car seat and a giveaway

Age 0-1 year, Age 1-3, Age 3-5, Contests, New posts, Travel, , , , ,

I know you’ve heard it a million times… 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly according to a recent NHTSA study.

On with the good news..
Evenflo Symphony 65 convertible car seat
Evenflo’s new Symphony 65 car seat features the exclusive SureLATCH system, designed to provide a super-fast, tight and safe installation every time with a simple Click, Click, Push.

My experiences with and thoughts about the Symphony 65

Latch System

With SureLATCH, the Symphony 65 car seat is properly installed in 3 steps. The SureLATCH is easier than our pre-Symphony 65 car seat with the latch system. I don’t have to put my knee in the seat and push down like I’m trying to squish an elephant in order to get the latches in and the car seat tight to the seat. If your car doesn’t have the Latch system, you ca install the Symphony 65 with the seatbelt and given that it is installed correct, it will be just as safe.

Infinite Slide™ Harness Shoulder Straps

I love this feature! I don’t have to take the seat cover off to re-lace the straps as Madelyn gets taller. The Symphony 65 car seat straps slide up and down on a rail system (Infinite Slide) and I can easily adjust the shoulder straps while Madelyn’s in the car seat. “The Infinite Slide Harness Adjustment System makes for easier height adjustment with no rethreading.”

Seat Tilt and Headrest Adjustments

Changing the tilt of the car seat is easy as is changing the height of the headrest. Both are one-handed operations.. unless you try to do both at the same time in which case you are a great multi-tasking mommy and I envy you.

Protection and Comfort

The Symphony 65 car seat features energy absorbing foam liner and side impact protection. The pieces in the headrest that round out for side impact protection also keep Madelyn’s head from falling to the side when she falls asleep in the car seat. Madelyn has enough room to sit ‘criss cross apple sauce’ as they say in school, proving that the Symphony 65 is a very spacious yet safe car seat. Great for long road trips. Comfort Touch fabric makes the seat both aesthetically and physically pleasing for the adults driving the car as well as for the child sitting in the seat. Energy absorbing foam liner.

Evenflo Symphony 65 convertible car seat

Cup Holder

A cup holder is something that I believe no car seat or stroller should be without. Madelyn can reach the Symphony 65’s cup holder unlike with our Britax.. which didn’t have a cup holder. Granted, the seat is almost 3 years old. Before using this car seat she had to put her cup in the actual seat’s cup holder but then couldn’t get it back out! You think she would have figured out that she shouldn’t do that, but she kept trying. The Symphony 65’s repositionable cup holder folds up small so it’s not in the way or bulky and best of all, Madelyn can reach it.

Age

The Symphony 65 accommodates children from 5-35 pounds and can be used rear or front facing. This could be the only car seat your child needs.

Design and Style

The Evenflo Symphony 65 is available in two stylish designs, one great for cars with a grey interior and the other for beige.

The Symphony 65 is larger than my old Britax which I think is fine but it doesn’t fit well in my husbands Volvo sedan which has bucket seats. In his car, the car seat comes within about 6 inches of the front seat so the person sitting in front of Madelyn may get an back massage in the form of tiny feet kicking the seat.
Buy the Evenflo Symphony 65 Convertible Car Seat at Amazon.com for $199 or less.

GIVEAWAY!

We are giving a lucky reader an Evenflo Symphony 65! Leave a comment below (jump link) telling me why you want to win a Symphony 65. Winner will be chosen at random. Entries accepted through December 17th. Re-tweet this post then fill out the comment form a second time with your Twitter ID for 2 extra entries!