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View Full Version : Convertible Car Seats -- Britax or Safe Embrace



Maya
12-31-2000, 01:33 AM
I know that there are a lot of die hard Britax RA people here. I am right now considering Britax RA/Freeway or FP Safe Embrace. The funny thing about Britax is that there is no data that it is safer than most others. Yes, people have found it to be effective in crashes, but there's not evidence that other car seats wouldn't have done just as well. In fact, the head of Britax had no good answer for why the crash dummy didn't do well by the CR, more rigorous crash test. He stated that it was better to have the car seat to the side rather than in the middle, although by all standards, the middle position is safer than the either side in the backseat. The fact is, the baby's head moved too far forward, and there is no good answer for why that was. OTOH, FP Safe Embrace did better on Consumer Report's test. FPSE has almost all of the benefits of the RA, but is cheaper and doesn't have a rear-facing tether. Not an issue for us, since we are using it forward facing. Otherwise, the two carseats are very similar, except that the FP withstood the crash tests better. The harness is similar, although it doesn't have the velcro strap holder to prevent tangling. I'm thinking that for $100 and equal safety, I can attach a little velcro myself to either side!

I feel like when people have spent $200 on a carseat, they are bound to ferociously defend the choice as being the "safest" and "best." It does sound like a great car seat, but I
am looking for someone who knows the Safe Embrace and has some feedback on that. I'm especially looking for anyone who has tried both.

Thanks.

rodmar
01-04-2001, 07:06 PM
As I understand the Britax reply to the Consumer Reports test, it was that the seat was tested with a lap belt only, not with the shoulder belt and the tether that it is designed to use. They also criticized the lab where the failed test took place because it was not certified.

That being said, I am also struggling with the same issues that you are concerning the Roundabout and the Safe Embrace. I am still interested in further input on this subject.

Since you are only interested in forward facing, you might want to consider the Britax Freeway, which I understand is similar to the Roundabout, but it is only forward facing and is quite a bit cheaper. I just saw that BabyCenter has it on sale right now.

Best wishes,
Marcia

laclark
01-05-2001, 11:22 AM
Yes the Britax reply did say that it works better with a lap/shoulder belt restraint. In older cars these are only on the rear outside positions, however in newer cars they are also in the middle, and therefore the seat could be put in the middle position.

For more information on this visit the carseat board at parentsplace.com. http://boards2.parentsplace.com/messages/get/ppcarseats182.html
there are many posters there who are trained car seat technicians. They also have a faq which compares the FPSE and Britax RA.

We got the Britax because we do have lap/shoulder belts in the rear of our car in all positions and mostly because the Britax has EPS foam where the back of an infant's head would hit in an accident not just the sides like the FP seat has. Maybe a small thing but I can't stand the thought of my daughter's head hitting plastic covered with just plain padding. EPS foam is the same foam that is used in bicycle helmets and is energy absorbing. Also the Britax has the rear facing tether.

Either way both of them are very good seats, and I think you can be comfortable using either one of them for your child.

Check out the board at parentsplace and good luck making your decision.

Laurie-Mom to Lia Grace (4/26/00)

alandenisefields
01-07-2001, 09:07 PM
Well, here's our take on this----the BEST and SAFEST seat for you and your baby is the one that fits best in your car. We do highly recommend the Britax since it does a very good job if installing TIGHT in most cars. That said, the Fisher Price is also quite good---but as noted here lacks some of the padding/foam that the Britax has. And you've already mentioned the reverse tether thing.

Hope that helps,
Alan & Denise Fields, Authors
BABY BARGAINS

Amanda
01-30-2001, 05:28 PM
We have both, RA in my Honda Accord, & FPSE in my husband's Explorer. The FPSE is a bear to get snug enough- even with the belt that wratchets. We end up tugging on the seatbelts from behind the seat (forward facing) to get the belts snug. This has caused many scraped knuckles, and a few words I don't want my almost 2 year old to pick up. FP assured us we did not have a model # that was involved in a recall - for belt problems. If this is their solution, I'm not impressed. We love the RA, the chest clip stays in place, and my daughter can't open it. We even transfer the RA to the Explorer for 10+ hour car trips, it works well and she's comfy.

Best Wishes,
Amanda

sarsah
02-04-2001, 10:58 AM
I too struggled with this question, but once I went and looked at the actual seats, the decision was easy for me.
The Safe Embrace seat, in my opinion, was awful. The padding was very thin and did not seem like it would be comfortable for my baby for any length of time. The seat was hard to install and hard to get tight, and the seat was ugly <-- not that it matters for safety, but it was a deciding factor for me.

The Britax (I purchased the Roundabout becuase I needed a rear facing seat, as DS was not yet 1 year & 20 lbs), seemed to have much more padding and is very easy to install and get tight.

I would highly recommend the Britax seat.