Is Britax the Safest?

[JacksmomSeattle]

Is the Britax just the best quality in terms of convenience, fabric, etc. only or is it really the safest? Does any org crash test car seats? We just purchased the Marathon for our 3-mo son who is already 26" and 16 lbs. Like many , we have 2 cars and plans for another child. At $249 ea = $1000. Friends are happy with less expensive brands (Cosco, Century, etc.) and thankfully have never been in an accident to test the difference. Any knowledge on this is appreciated.

[joodyjr]

From what I understand, all car seats are very safe IF they are installed CORRECTLY! That means the $50 car seat is just as safe as the $250 Britax. The hefty price tag is the result of: EPS foam, no twist straps, extra padded seating, front harness adjuster, no re-threading harness height adjust feature (which others, not just Britax, have). The more you pay, the more convenience features you get.

Personally, I would sell my clothes to buy another Britax if necessary. Yes, that's a bit extreme, and thankfully I don't have to do that, but you get the idea. I love Britax, and I'm now the proud owner of a Marathon that my lucky son gets to cozy back into! They install wonderfully in my car and fit my children well. That's the bottom line, does it install correctly in the car and fit your children. All car seats are safe otherwise they wouldn't be allowed on the market.

We also have the Roundabout for DD, who simply hated her infant seat and would just cry and cry the whole trip. I took her for our first outing in the RA last night, we can actually travel again, she slept for almost the entire trip! I have a Britax King in DH's truck for DS.

[Joolsplus2]

I agree with the above...Britaxes are about the easiest seat to use CORRECTLY and seats used correctly provide better protection than seats used INcorrectly (like the 80%-95% of seats on the road). Britax seats fit very tightly in a large range of cars, they have built in locking clips to ensure a very tight fit to the car to reduce movement in a crash, the harnesses are easy to adjust...what good is a loose harness in a crash? the answer is, not much. If you use LATCH, Britax has a much-easier-to-get-it-tight system than other seats: it has separate belts that can be adjusted independently rather than one belt that has to be tightened on one side, which can be more difficult than getting a tight seatbelt-installation. The nice, thick, non-twist harness straps are both easier to use and safer in a crash, because twisted straps reduce the surface area that absorbs impact...just imagine if instead of nice thick seatbelts, we had to use thin nylon ropes...ouch. So, yes, all seats must pass rigorous government testing or they would not be on the market, but they can be very difficult to install and use correctly unless you are very vigilant, and that's where Britax takes the glory. If I have to put a baby in a seat every day for 4 or 5 years, I want it to take only a minute or 2 to install tightly, and I want it to be effortless to get a snug harness fit, and I'd also like an extremely durable cover and easily replaceable parts...all of which will cost a little more, but will add to MY ease-of-use...call me selfish, but I have two kids in seats, and my time is worth more than having to fiddle with difficult harness adjusters and twisty straps...the plush covers and extra padding are nice for my kids, too, but my main objective is MY ease-of-use, lol :) Julie (Who struggled with 6 less expensive seats for 5 years before finally breaking down and getting a Marathon and a Super Elite)

[Joolsplus2]

Of course, I have no problems using less expensive seats, either, they just take more time to get right. Since you need other seats for a second car, there's not going to be anything wrong with using a Graco ComfortSport or Evenflo Triumph (which also has the EPS foam that the Britax does), and then getting a Graco Ultra Cargo or Nextstep or an Evenflo Express....they ARE just as safe, just harder to use correctly. But, now that you're aware of that, you can take steps to avoid misuse :). www.nhtsa.gov is a treasure-trove of information about seats and cars, and you can find crash testing numbers there for some of the older models of seats, but it's not the clear-cut absolute answers about seats you are hoping to find. good luck!