An excellent and safe convertible carseat
Written: Aug 17 '08
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Very safe, high weight limit, LATCH, did I mention safe?
Cons: TSIP limits child's visibility, strap holders don't hold, a little large in smaller cars
The Bottom Line: If this seat works for your vehicle, I would definitely consider the Britax Boulevard or Boulevard CS for a convertible car seat.
|
|
|
| nateman7's Full Review: Britax Boulevard - Regal Convertible Car Seat |
When our first child was born in early 2006, a doctor gave us this great advice: Make an investment in your second car seat, the idea being that your child will grow so fast they won't be in the infant carrier very long. Now that our son is 2 1/2 and 40 lbs, I have found this to be right on spot. Before his first birthday, we found ourselves researching forward facing car seats. We settled on the Britax Boulevard convertible child seat. Following is our review, in the order of features we considered important:
Features
Since our child is large for his age, we wanted to find a seat with the highest possible weight limit, which would allow us to use this seat as long as possible. The Boulevard has been tested up to 35 lbs for rearward facing installations. Like all child seats, the Boulevard may be installed forward facing once your child reaches age one and twenty pounds. You should consult the laws in your state for specific requirements. In my research, the Boulevard has among the highest rated weight limit for forward facing seats: 65 lbs. The Boulevard is worthy of consideration especially if you have a larger child like ours.
Britax is known for their safety, and one reason is the inclusion of True Side Impact Protection(TM)(TSIP), a feature that Britax innovated. In layman's terms, the TSIP is a head restraint that reduces the lateral forces and movement of a child's head in a side impact crash. By Britax's estimation, one third of fatal accidents fall into the side impact category. Perhaps you have noticed the addition of side impact beams in doors and side curtain airbags in newer model vehicles. Britax has followed suit by including the TSIP in every seat they manufacture. This head restraint can be (and should be) adjusted up as your child grows. We are all concerned about the safety of our children, and Britax seems serious about safety, judging by the crash testing of their car seats.
Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) connectors are found in cars 2002 and newer. The LATCH connection system was important for us, to help us install the seat properly, and allow for quick transition from one car to the next. The Boulevard offers LATCH connectors as well as seat belt anchors. Britax recommends that you use the seat belt in your car once your child reaches 48 lbs, unless your specific vehicle has been approved for greater weight with LATCH installations. LATCH connectors, if your car has them, make for a quicker and easier installation, which means correct and, by nature, safe.
The harness is a five-point harness, with the Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS), which distributes the stress from the straps over a greater area in the event of a collision and reduces or prevents injury. Knowing from personal experience the bruising that can take place from seat belts in an accident, I found the addition of these buckles helpful not only from safety, but I feel they make the straps a little easier to buckle as they do not tangle so much. Britax has designed the bottom buckle so that it can be removed for cleaning--an important feature once your child begins eating and drinking in the car.
Colors
When we purchased the Boulevard, there were two colors available--we opted for the beige/black combination. Now there are six colors available, two exclusively through Babies R Us.
New Model
Britax has introduced the Boulevard CS which includes an audible "click" when the harness has been tightened properly. Had this feature been available when we purchased ours, I would have opted for the Boulevard CS.
Minor Complaints
One of my complaints about this seat has been answered by the advent of the Boulevard CS--I find myself double- and triple-checking to see if I have adequately tightened the harness. The audible click would help assure parents. The remaining minor (and I stress minor) complaint I have is that the velcro strips to hold the harness straps up and out of the way seem to be improperly placed and consequently do not do their job. Perhaps this is particular to our seat, and not the overall design of the Boulevard. The HUGS buckles make it easy to pull the straps out, however.
Conclusion
We are very pleased with our purchase of the Britax Boulevard and will be buying a combination booster-type seat by Britax to take our son to preschool in our second car since he is now in the stage where we can use this type seat safely. We would recommend the Britax Boulevard or the Boulevard CS to anyone considering a convertible car seat. However, you should consult various website databases for information on whether the Boulevard works well with your vehicle. This is of primary importance. If the seat doesn't install--or isn't installed--properly in your car, all the safety features in the world will be nil. Most retail stores will allow you to check the fit in your vehicle before purchasing. Also, check to see if there is an installation inspection station (usually at a fire station) nearby where you can schedule an inspection of your installation.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 285
Age Range of Child: 12 to 36 Months
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
nateman7
|
|
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.