Britax Advocate CS Carseat Review (Giveaway!)
Car accidents are the number one cause of death for children. That is a frightening statistic for any parent. Carseats are essential in protecting children in the event of a car accident and while there are many safe car seats available, Britax car seats have long been known for their commitment to safety. We have consistently used Britax carseats for our own children over the years because we trust them to keep our children safe on the road. The new Advocate CS from Britax takes side impact protection to the next level with side impact cushion technology and can give parents some extra peace of mind.
True Side Impact Protection
The Advocate has a similar appearance to many of the previous Britax styles but has additional cushions on either side of the seat. The cushions are designed to reduce side impact crash energy by 50%. When you consider the fact that 1 in 4 car accidents is a side impact crash and that side impact crashes have higher fatality rates than front or rear crashes, that number is huge.
The side impact cushions that are on either side of the Advocate CS provide a crumple zone that is otherwise non-existent in a side impact protection. Front and rear impacts can use the hood and trunk of the car as a crush zone but the side of a car offers very little protection. The Britax True Side Impact Protection system includes far more than simply the side impact cushions. The head restraint protects the child’s head and prevents the neck and spine from being thrown around in a crash. The deep side walls of the seat protect the child’s body from the force of an impact and from broken glass and other loose objects that have potential to cause serious injury to a child during a car accident.
Comfort
One of the unexpected benefits of having a carseat with side impact protection is that the head restraint makes a wonderful pillow for sleeping kids. When we bought our first Britax with side impact protection I had reservations. I didn’t think the seat looked as comfortable as some of the more traditional seats but my husband insisted on the safest seat available. I was pleasantly surprised that rather than being a nuisance, the adjustable head restraint provided great support if a child fell asleep in the seat. I have never had one child complain about the head restraint, but rather, they complain if they ever have to ride in a seat without it because they don’t feel like they can comfortably put their head anywhere. The padding in the Britax Advocate CS is thick and plush and while it is soft, it feels firm enough to hold up to long term use.
Ease of Use
The 5 point harness on Britax seats have always impressed me. The straps themselves are wide and feel very secure but the buckles are what really sets them apart. I’ve tried the chest clips from several other car seat manufacturers and the Britax chest clip is by far the easiest I have used. The two sides are easy to match up and slide together and once you have aligned them they go straight in and latch securely while some others will slide in at an angle and have to be pulled out again in order to get the clips to snap together if you don’t match up the angle perfectly. The button on the 5 point harness is easy to push, but requires more pressure than a child is able to use so it prevents kids from getting out of their own car seats. My 6 year old can close all the buckles but cannot release them which I think is really the perfect balance.
Britax’s push-button lower latch connectors make it easy to install the Advocate CS without requiring you to contort into strange positions and scraping off the skin on your hands (yes, we’ve used car seats that have done that). The push-button works like a seatbelt and only opens when the button is being pushed so it’s really simple to make sure that the latch has been installed correctly. The straps can be loosened during installation to provide some extra wiggle room but are easily tightened afterwards to put the car seat into the correct position.
Advocate CS Specs
The Britax Advocate CS is a convertible car seat so it can be used rear facing for children that are 5-35 pounds, and forward facing up to 65 pounds. The Advocate itself weighs 21.9 pounds, making it a fairly heavy seat but it is well worth the weight when you consider all of the safety features that are built into it.
Enter to win
Busy Mommy Media is so excited to offer one of our readers the chance to win the new Britax Advocate CS convertible carseat and keep a child just a little bit safer. The winner can select their choice of fabrics (anything except Moonstone which is a Babies R Us exclusive). This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada and will end on December 3, 2009.
Enter the giveaway by making a commenting on this post about why you believe carseats are important.
Please see our site’s Terms and Conditions for a complete list of our contest and giveaway rules.
In compliance with the new FTC Guild lines, please note that this is a sponsored post. I was given a Britax Advocate to test and review free of charge. However, I was not paid for the review and the opinions are my own.
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Here are your random numbers:
141
Timestamp: 2009-12-05 20:20:04 UTC
Congrats Idaho Jill!
Busy Christmas Giveaway Event
The Annual Busy Christmas Giveaway Event is featuring so many great products this year that we had to start it early!
Visit the Busy Christmas Giveaway Event page to see all of the giveaways and find out how you can earn extra entries into this giveaway, and every other giveaway during the Busy Christmas Giveaway Event from October 1 – December 11.
About the Author Rachel is the mother of 4 boys ages 6, almost 4, almost 2, and one angel who passed away at birth. Rachel is the creator of Busy Mommy Media and works as a freelance writer from home. Read more from this authorRelated posts:
The roads are so busy it is important to do whatever we can to keep our little ones safe.
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know carseat are a lifesaver. It also important that they fit a kid right and that’s what I like about The Britax Advocate CS is a convertible car seat it is convertible car seat so it can be used rear facing for children that are 5-35 pounds, and forward facing up to 65 pounds. It
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rajee´s last blog ..Reminder – 9 fabulous giveaways that end on December 5, 7 & 8, 2009
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rajee´s last blog ..Reminder – 9 fabulous giveaways that end on December 5, 7 & 8, 2009
Carseats are important because it keeps our little ones in a secure place, especially during a sudden crash where the littlest things (especially children) get flung around, in a 5pt harness, children stay safe and prevent worst outcomes from occurring. Always a current carseat, properly installed should be your choice for the safety of your child.
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Would love to have this for my son!