Convertible Car Seat

Emery is officially in her big girl car seat! Yesterday, I posted this picture of her testing out her new ride & got lots of questions on what kind of car seat it was. So, thought this would be a good time to let you know what I've researched about Convertible Car Seats.

The most important thing I was looking for was safety. Naturally this was where I started. Every year Britax is ranked as one of the safest car seats, if not the safest. Once I decided I was going to go with a Britax I quickly realized that they have a TON of options for Convertible seats. It was just a matter of narrowing it down to all the safety bells and whistles. 

I've included prices from www.diapers.com because this is where I have found the cheapest prices with free next day shipping. You can buy them in stores but it can cost you up to $100 more. 

All of the Britax seats I've listed below allow your child to be rear facing up to 40 pounds & 49 inches. This was also important to me because they're now saying the longer you keep your child rear facing the better. Here is more info: Rear Facing Car Safety

Their cream of the crop seat is the Britax Advocate 70 G3. It's a huge seat. It has extra side impact cushion technology on the sides that make it really wide. We didn't go with this seat because it would be a really tight squeeze with two of them in the back of my SUV. Cost around $284.99.

 

Their next seat is the Britax Pavilion 70 G3. This is the one I went with. It has tons of great features! Cost around $254.99

HUGS Chest Pads with SafeCell Technology are affixed to the seat shell to ensure proper positioning while SafeCells compress to manage energy and provide resistance to the forward movement of your child in a crash, reducing the risk of head injury

EZ-Buckle System retains the harness buckle in a forward position and prevents the child from sitting on the buckle when boarding

• True Side Impact Protection is deep side walls with energy-absorbing EPP foam along with a head restraint which offers a double layer of EPP foam to distribute crash forces, shield from vehicle intrusion, and contain the head, neck and body while keeping them “in true” or aligned
  
• Base with SafeCell Technology features SafeCells designed to compress in a crash, significantly lowering the center of gravity and counteracting the forward rotation of the child seat which normally propels the child toward the front seat
  
• Integrated Steel Bars strengthen the connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing of the child seat during a crash
  
• Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether features a staged-release tether webbing to slow the forward movement, reducing the crash forces reaching the child, and a two-point attachment to minimize forward rotation while anchoring the top of the child seat
  
• Click & Safe® Snug Harness Indicator is an audible aid that provides extra assurance when the harness is within range of appropriate snugness
  
• Tangle-Free, Five-Point Harness distributes crash forces across the strongest parts of the body and provides a secure fit
  
• 70-pound Weight Capacity for safety and comfort as your child grows
• Rear and Forward Facing Recline for child comfort and positioning
• High Density Comfort Foam provides an extra layer of padding to gently cushion your child
• Plush, Easy-Remove Cover with matching comfort pads and infant body pillow to provide extra comfort and easy cleaning without disassembling or uninstalling the child seat
• Two Buckle Positions offer a snug and secure fit for your growing child
• Infant Positioning Insert may be necessary for small infants to achieve a snug fit of the harness around your child (sold separately)
• Quick-Adjust, No-Rethread Harness repositions the harness shoulder height without disassembling the harness straps
• Premium Lower LATCH Connectors for a quick and simple installation featuring a push button for easy release
• Built-in Lock-Offs ensure a snug lap and shoulder belt installation with minimal effort
• Anti-Slip, Contoured Base grips and protects the vehicle seat while offering optimum vehicle fit
• Harness Holders keep harness straps pulled to the sides when placing your child in the car seat
• Certified for Aircraft Travel
• Made in the USA with global components

*info. from www.britax.com

Next is the Britax Boulevard 70 G3. It has all the above features except for the Click and Safe Hug Indicator. This is a feature to make sure the child is in the car seat tight enough. Cost around $239.99. So about $15 cheaper to not have the Click and Safe. 

Then there is the Britax Marathon 70 G3. It doesn't have as much side impact as the ones above. It also doesn't have the Click & Safe Indicator or the Hugs Chest Pads with Safe Cell Technology. Cost around $217.99 

There are a few more but they had less features then listed above so I wasn't really interested in them and didn't think they were comparable. 

You may have noticed that all the above seats have a G3 attached to the name. This means it has the two new features: Hugs Chest Pads with Safe Cell Technology and EZ Buckle System. You can still purchase these car seats with out the G3 on the name, it just means it's a later model so won't have those two new features. 

We have had Everett's Britax Pavilion for a few months now and have really loved it! Now I just need to get a picture of both them riding in them!

Hope you find this information useful!