Keeping My Babe Safe and Snug

While working on a Mother’s Day project last year in preschool, my son was asked a host of questions about his Mama, including this one, “What is your Mom’s job?” His answer, “to do her best to try to keep us safe.” I smiled when I read it, mainly because it was evidence that some things we say to our kids really do sink in. Admittedly, it’s something I’ve said to my kids quite often over the years, whether I’m commanding them not to run into the street or saying no to riding their bikes down a huge hill which bottoms out into a rock-ridden lake. Why not, they ask. "Because it’s my job to do my best to keep you safe,” I say. Kids need adventure, yes. And I can’t protect them from everything, but I will do my best to keep them safe in the places where I can.

As parents, there are so many things having to do with our kids that are beyond our control. But when it comes to safety, we do have some choices to make. So, you can understand why I was thrilled to participate in an event hosted by Denver Metro Moms Blog where we had the opportunity to learn from the team at Britax about their revolutionary Click-Tight car seats, the Britax Click-Tight Advocate in particular and the many new safety features it includes. I’m a Consumer Reports girl, so when I’m looking to purchase something new like a car seat, I first check out the safety ratings of the various brands. When the boys were in Convertible car seats, we chose the Britax Boulevard for each of them because it had top safety ratings. So, while I’m no newbie to the Britax brand, I sure learned some very useful information at this event regarding their newest technologies which have only made their car seats even safer.

Did you know 75% of car seats are installed incorrectly but 96% of parents believe they have theirs installed right? So, what’s going on? Well, for starters, let’s talk about the latch system. Did you know that all latches have weight limits? Usually, it’s 65lbs, including both car seat and kiddo. So, come to find out that we were using the latch system unsafely. We were still using the latch system for our boys when they weighed 40 lbs and their car seats weighed 30 lbs, meaning we were exceeding the weight limit for the latch system. But let's be honest, we like the convenience of the latch system. While still often requiring the strength of professional weight lifter, the latch system is way easier than trying to blindly wrestle the car seat into the car while using the belt system. Until now. 

Britax Advocate ClickTIght Advocate 

Britax’s revolutionary Click Tight Technology eliminates the need for the latch system and makes using the belt system so much easier and more convenient. No more spending unnecessary time and sweat equity trying to wrestle the car seat into the car. No more reaching blindly through the belt path trying to find the buckle or using your knee for leverage as you yank the belt tight. Instead it simply involves a mere twist of a dial to lift the seating area, exposing the belt path. There is both a forward-facing and rear-facing belt path. Run the belt through, lower the seat, and wait for the click. You don’t have to tension the belt, you only need to run it through and make sure there’s no excess slack in the path. When you close the seating area it cinches the belt for you, tightening it automatically. SO easy. SO safe. 

Did you know that the #1 cause of death in crashes is head injury? As a leader in car seat safety, Britax addresses this issue with various different technologies, all of which work together to keep the head as far back as possible in effort to minimize forward head movement.

• Steel bars that run along the sides of the carseat - prevents the seat from flexing forward
• Red components in the back reveal the energy-absorbing base. As the car seat is moving forward, those components compress to counteract the forward head movement and drops the center of gravity to keep the head in place.
• Patented V-shaped design tether for when seat is forward facing to further manage the energy with staged-release stitches that slow and reduce the forward movement during a crash
• Specially designed chest pads that act like brake pads to once again slow that forward movement
• The Anti-Rebound Bar (ARB) - a padded, steel bar that attaches to the front of the seat when rear-facing. In U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) testing, Britax found that the ARB reduces rebound rotation by 40% and stabilizes the car seat during frontal, rear-end, and side-impact crashes.

And last but not least, there are a few other bonus features that make this Mama particularly happy:

•  Side impact protection to limit lateral head movement. The Advocate has a third layer of side impact protection with a vented pad, releasing air through the vents in a crash, absorbing energy from the impact.
• the way you adjust the seat height. Rather than having to remove the material and straps, you simply have to pull the handle on the back of the seat to raise or lower the height.
• There’s a compartment on the back of the seat to hold the tether straps when not in use. It used to drive me bonkers when I would have to move the car seats or take them on a trip and the super long tether straps would be dragging everywhere, flapping about. It’s little details like these that I love.
• All Britax car seats are made in the USA.

To learn more, be sure to check out the All About Baby Safety Event where you can also save on select Britax products from 9/1-9/30. 

Thanks to the team at Britax for the opportunity to learn more about Britax car seats, their ClickTight Installation system, and SafeCell Impact Protection. Now, I can drive my newest little addition around with the peace of mind that comes from knowing she is snug, comfortable, and well protected.