This car seat makes the other two I have seem like crap. I was given a Safety First Alpha and Omega, it's ok but it's hard to install correct and currently it is slanting to the left, I have to figure that out. I also bought a cheaper $40 Cosco Scenera from Walmart as a back-up car seat to go to my mom's. It is hard to get tight and it moves a lot front to back.
I had looked for a car seat for a couple weeks. I read review after review. Anytime one had a negative review I debated whether I should get that car seat or not. I started getting a bit paranoid about getting the perfect car seat for my daughter. I mean she is my most precious cargo.
First off, SIZE: my HUGE concern when getting a convertible seat was that it would fit in my Mazda 3 rear-facing. Many reviews of car seats I was interested in mentioned how huge they were and how difficult to fit in a smaller car. Some reviews mentioned how well this (Britax) fit in cars so I decided to give this one a try (because it also had great reviews based on safety and comfort etc...)It fits beautifully. If you install it directly behind a seat you'll probably have to move the seat up just a bit, but not bad. I like to put the seat in the middle though because that is the safest place. It fits perfectly. I can move the front seats back as much as I like. This was a huge selling point for me, and I know that when I was reading reviews it was something I was specifically looking for. I want to keep my daughter rear-racing as long as I can, so I needed it to fit nicely. I also love that this seat has a higher rear-facing weight limit of 40 lbs.
INSTALLATION: It took me a little bit at first but that was only because I was reading the manual carefully and familiarizing myself with the parts of the seat and the parts in my car. It was actually quite easy though. And now I could do it pretty fast for the second time. I used the LATCH system and it was pretty straightforward. But with every other car seat I have had I have used the seat belt. That way didn't look bad either. What I really liked about installing it with the seat beat route is that it has a locking mechanism under the car seat fabric that actually will hold the seat belt in place. You won't have to use those metal locking clips. The best part was after it was installed the car seat did not move! AT ALL! It didn't move side to side or even front to back it was solid. Another thing that I absolutely love about this seat is that I didn't have to use a stupid pool noodle to make it level. That always seemed lame to me that so many car seats are level on the floor, but most vehicles seats are slanted. Adding a pool noodle or rolled towel has always bugged me.
I love the material, it really feels nice and comfortable. The seat is also padded nicely. The velcro on the sides is nice because it holds the straps up so they don't get tucked under my daughters bottom. I also love how there is padded material that goes behind the buckle. This is nice because the straps won't dig into her chubby little legs.
I only have one negative thing to say, and that is more about the instruction manual. When it mentions the tersa tethering, I was a bit confused. I didn't understand based on the manual how to tether rear-facing. It was very vague. One thing, is you don't have to tether rear-facing it's optional (the manual made it sound like you had to) the other thing I thought is I needed an actual tether thing on the floor (like the one on the backs of seats). But you can tether using anything on the floor of your car that is bolted down. I used part of the track to move the front seat forward and back.
I love this seat and I would recommend it to anyone!
| Product Dimensions | 21 x 18.5 x 26 inches |
|---|---|
| Item model number | E9LJ53R |
| Minimum weight recommendation | 5 Pounds |
| Maximum weight recommendation | 70 Pounds |
| Material Type | Foam |
| Material Composition | Toddler |
| Additional product features | Washable FabricRemovable Seat Cushion |
| Number Of Items | 1 |
| Style | Marathon |
| Batteries required | No |
| Orientation | Forward / Rear Facing |
| Rear-facing minimum child weight | 5 Pounds |
| Forward-facing maximum child weight | 70 Pounds |
| Harness type | 5-Point |
| Seating capacity | 20.00 |
| Item Weight | 22.4 pounds |
