This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Britax. The opinions and text and stories are 100% mine.
My husband keeps asking when we get to turn Gavin around in his car seat. Our one and a half year old is still rear-facing while the rest of the family all looks forward, watching the world go by through the windows of our van.
My generation of parents – those of us with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers – seem to be in an in-between stage when it comes to car seat safety acceptance. Some parents are still turning their children around as soon as they reach the minimum requirements and “Extended Rear-Facing” (ERF) somehow still conjures up an image of a crunchy mom with a kindergartener attached to her breast. (Pro tip: Extended Rear-Facing is not at all the same thing as Extended Breastfeeding, not that either of them are wrong. In fact, they are likely both healthy.) Transport Canada now recommends extended rear-facing, however, car seat retailers still report that a majority of parents are still turning their kids around as soon as they reach the minimum requirements.
Because infants and toddlers have large heads compared to the rest of their bodies, their spines need a lot of protection and rear-facing is the safest position for them to be riding while in a vehicle. I know there are so many reasons to want our children to grow up and progress to new stages as soon as possible, but isn’t their safety a good reason to hold off on turning them around?
Choosing the right car seat is a daunting task. There are so many options and safety features to compare that it can seem absolutely overwhelming for a new parent. Personally, my strongest suggestion is to find a car seat that will keep your child safe for the longest amount of time. You do not want to turn your child around or take him out of a five point harness before you need to because he has outgrown his car seat. We have had great success with convertible car seats that will take our children from rear-facing infancy to forward-facing childhood without needing to purchase a new seat. Our household currently has two brands of car seats and both can hold infants as small as 5lbs and will keep them rear-facing until 35-40lbs and forward facing until 65lbs (and 50 inches). Once you have narrowed down your search to car seats which will keep your precious children safe for as long as possible, then you can start focusing on the other safety features.
Safety matters when it comes to car seats. One of our favourite seats is the Britax convertible car seat, which we have just had the pleasure of trying out recently. Britax convertible car seats have more safety features than any other brand. They certify to strict global safety requirements and are fully loaded with the best-in-class safety features that far exceed federal standards, which totally gives me a peace of mind as I strap my children into the van.
I think my two favourite safety featured on our new Britax Pavilion 65-G3 car seat are the head restraints and the Britax HUGS™ Chest Pads with SafeCell Technology®. The head restraint may look a little restrictive at first, especially since my family is accustomed to car seats without these, but it also looked incredibly safe and quite comfortable. Approximately one in four motor vehicle crashes that involve children occur from the side, so it is important to keep the spine aligned while driving in a car. As for the three year old, he loved these head restraints and even talked about how cozy they would be to rest on whenever he fell asleep in the car.
The HUGS™ Chest Pads were something I had never seen before but they are really cool. It is so easy to get the placement of the chest buckle wrong while buckling up your child but these chest pads sit straight and firm on the body, they are engineered to ensure proper positioning, and the SafeCells compress to manage energy and reduce forward movement. This all sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, but what every parent needs to know is that they can reduce the risk of head injury.
Practically, this seat works well for both of my boys. The base at the bottom of the Britax car seat pushes the seat a little higher and provides rear-facing Gavin with a much better view out the van window. Forward-facing Cameron finds the car seat so incredibly comfortable and I especially love the chest pads on him as he sometimes likes to fiddle with his car seat buckles.
There is one problem with the Britax, however. Now that our home has three car seats and only two children, Cameron is insisting that he needs a little baby sister to fill up the extra seat.
Safety matters when it comes to car seats. Britax convertible car seats have so many safety features. Click here to learn more about Britax safety features. Oh yeah. And? One more thing. You can enter to WIN your very own Britax convertible car seat. Just use the Rafflecopter app below.
So tell me, what safety features do you look for when purchasing a car seat? (This post and its comments are part of a sponsored conversation. By leaving a comment, you’re agreeing that Britax can use your statement in future promotional copy. Thank you!)
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Britax. The opinions and text are 100% mine.
We chose the Britax Marathon when we were ready to move the mogrunt out of his bucket seat. Why? Well, after researching seats of all kinds, we found that, not only did the Britax have a great safety rating, but many people said it fit well into their smaller cars. We were driving a smaller car at the time and that was important to us. We did have to keep the passenger seat a bit further ahead, but the seat definitely fit nicely. We plan to keep him in the Britax as long as his weight and height will allow it and we would definitely buy one again for our youngest.
…and Cameron is a smart little man.
Ariella (2.5)is still rear facing. I would kind of like to turn her around because for daycare I have to take her car seat in and out a couple of times a month. I also find it hard to get her in and out of the van. I think we are due for that conversation again.
Christopher D Drew recently posted..How To Win An Argument
Safety first… she’ll turn around when she reaches the weight or height limit… end of story ;) lol
Great giveaway Laura! I also look for rearfacing, 5 point harnness, convertability, ease of getting into (I returned a carseat because it was too difficult to get her in/out) as well long experation date. 7-9 years ideally. Britax carseats are fantastic and I’d love to win one!
catherine recently posted..The Importance of Saving For Post Secondary Early {Vote for Me!}
With two little girls we look for safety features and comfort!
I turned our first guy forward facing as soon as he met minimum requirements (maybe a tiny bit before!) With our second I was SO much more aware of the risks associated with premature forward facing. Even though he was a sturdy, hefty little boy I kept him rear facing until he was almost two. Baby #3 is going to be the same way! The headrest and soft straps look so comfy on the Britax, I think my kids would love it :)
Emily recently posted..John Amos Vail
Great post on extended rear facing.
I have very strong opinions about ERF and car seat safety :)
We tried out the Britax, and I found it to bulky. But agree it is one of the best seats out there!
A main feature we looked for was a seat with a steel frame and that has a high height and weight limit for my LO has always been over 100% percentile for height for his young age.
Luckily we found a great car seat that has all the features we were looking for and will have our little one rear facing until 45lbs. Couldn’t be more impressed with the Diono.
Writing this had Dan and I talking about when Cameron will need a new seat. Though he’ll be in the weight category for a long while yet (he still has over 20lbs to go), I am sure he will rocket out of the height requirements sooner than later. Those big kids of ours! :)
Laura O’Rourke recently posted..Car Seat Conversations
This is one of the most challenging decisions I feel I will make as a new mother. So many options which multiples the decisions that have to be made. So begins the research!
Caleb wants a sister too. The seat quest will continue for us, but we’ll need a bigger vehicle first!
We have two Britax car seats and love them!!
Tonya recently posted..With Love
This car seat looks soo comfortable! I’ll tweet the giveaway since I’m not in Canada.
Lady Jennie recently posted..Tomates Farcies Over Rice
This looks like a great car seat! We are only new to the world of car seats so I think we still have a lot to learn once the LO gets here! I like alt of the safety features that are listed for the Britax and when we went looking in the stores it was recommended as one of the better brands for sure!
We are out of car seats, but we have the same issue with extending time in boosters. I have a 9 year old who is barely 40 pounds. Technically, she could have been in a regular seat on her 8th birthday, but I’m not comfortable. So, she might still be in a booster for driver’s ed.
Poppy recently posted..In Defense of Yoga Pants
The safety features we look for side impact technology…five point harness to grow with child into toddler/preschool-hood :) We have never owned a Britax system but have heard they are wonderful!!!! Thanks L(
easy to use, reliable, five point harness system that is comfortable around their shoulders and doesn’t chafe into the neck.
candice recently posted..Trading in the running shoes for a yoga mat
It’s a great car seat! We were on a budget so price was the primary reason for choosing this car seat, but it turned out great! The seat fabric might not be as nice and cushy as more expensive ones, but my 6-month-old is perfectly comfortable and well protected in this seat. No unnecessary bells and whistles to make it bulky or heavy!