Car Seat Safety :: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt Them — So Britax is Raising the Bar

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Nashville Moms Blog is excited to join forces with our partners at Britax to bring you information about the newest technologies in car seat safety, including the re-designed Britax Advocate and the brand-new Anti-Rebound Bar. We enjoyed the privilege of hosting a learning event for a few of our team members, as well as local bloggers, sponsored by Britax and The Painted Cupcake. We had representatives from Britax on hand to demonstrate Britax’s many innovative safety features, answer all our questions, and even demonstrate correct installation of the Advocate Click-tight seats. (They even helped us each install them in our cars!)

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96% of us believe we are installing our child’s carseat correctly. 75% percent of us ARE NOT.

I’m going to pause a moment and let that sink in, ok? Three out of four of us are not buckling out babies’ seats in safely. Makes your heart stop, doesn’t it?

Seriously, though. The first time I ever installed a convertible car seat, it took me over an hour. I cried, cursed, and destroyed several fingernails. When I climbed sweating from my car, I prayed fervently that the installation was correct. Having given up on the latch method, I wasn’t confident in my use of the seat belt either. My confidence plummeted further the first time my husband installed the seat—my toddler was sitting sideways the first time I went around a corner. No bueno.

Click-Tight Technology

Enter Britax and their click-tight technology. Y’all. It’s practically magic. They’ve taken the guess work completely out of buckling your child’s car seat into your car. You open the click tight panel, run your car’s seat belt through the designated slots, then push the panel back down until — click! — your carseat it locked safely into place. No more tugging and tweaking and hoping. You’ll know it’s installed properly because you won’t be able to move the seat an inch in either direction. (PSA – Never use the latch system with the seatbelt. It compromises the integrity of both systems!)

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Additionally, the good folks at Britax have made it super-easy to know that your child’s harness is tight enough. You simply pull the strap at the bottom of the seat until you hear — you guessed it — a click. The phrase to remember? “Don’t pinch an inch.” If you can squeeze the strap horizontally enough to pinch an inch between your fingers, it’s too loose. Also? Your child’s harness naturally loosens over time, so check it periodically. Who knew?

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Rear-Facing Laws

In case you hadn’t heard, Tennessee car seat safety laws changed recently. Your child is now legally required to be rear-facing until the age of two. I had read some studies indicating that rear-facing was safer, so my big boy was rear-facing until he was two and a half. However, what I didn’t know is that rear-facing is five times safer. Yes, you read that correctly. FIVE TIMES SAFER. No wonder they changed the law, right? Once again, Britax takes safety one step further. Recently, they introduced the anti-rebound bar (ARB) which absorbs impact on the rebound in the case of a collision. (Check out how easily this ARB bar is to install and remove.)

Layers of Safety

As long as we’re discussing impact absorption, I want you to know that your Britax carseat has literal layers of safety. This carseat is not light. (Yes, I DID choose my baby’s bucket seat based on weight. Don’t be me.) When you peel back the layers of the Britax Advocate, you’ll find layer upon layer of impact absorbing materials and a framework of steel.

Plus, this seat is comfortable. Baby girl has seriously cried markedly less (and slept more easily) since switching to the seat. Her big brother loves his as well. My husband swears he has more legroom now. Admittedly, I haven’t measured to be sure whether or not he’s imagining things.

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Things to Remember

  • Register that car seat. I know, I know — I thought it was a waste of my time and probably going to load me up with a bunch of spam emails too. Turns out that registering your car seat allows the manufacturer to notify you in the event of a recall. So you’re making it that much easier on yourself to keep your kiddos safe.
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  • Read the manual. It’s another thing that we just don’t do. But that manual is chock full of information that you need, mama. From how to clean your car seat properly to how to set the incline on the seat. You need this info. Trust me.
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  • Check out the sale. This month you can get 25% off at participating retailers during the All About Baby Safety Event! Don’t miss out — this seat is 100% worth it.
This post is sponsored by Britax, but all opinions are 100% our own. Affiliate links may be present.

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