The Most Tested Car Seat On The Road (Britax Eclipse Si)

Member Name: fooyoo

Product:	Britax Eclipse Si
Date:	17/09/05 (3012 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well priced, well known brand name, good safety features

Disadvantages: Slightly bulky if you have a smaller car

Time has gone so quickly since our second daughter was born, and last weekend, the time came to choose her ‘big girls’ seat. She has been using the rear facing seat that came with the Graco travel system we bought, but her feet were hanging over the edge, and once they weigh 20lbs it is advised you move to a bigger seat which is generally front facing. After some less than encouraging experiences with our local Toys R Us, we decided that Mothercare or Halfords was probably the best bet, especially as we wanted advice on which seat would be most suitable for our car, and then expert advice on fitting the seat. We didn’t make it to Halfords because Mothercare had a very comprehensive range of seats on offer, and as it was safety week, they were offering discounts on many of the seats we were looking at. We were driven slightly by price as the money tree we planted last year has failed to provide a cash windfall, so we narrowed it down to a Mothercare own make seat for £69.99 and the Britax Eclipse Si, which was originally £99.99 but reduced to £79.99 for the safety week event. Both were suitable for children aged approximately 9 months – 4 years, or 9 -18kg in weight. The consultant in the shop was happy to take both seats out to fit them in our car (Picasso) to check which one was best. She was able to fit the seat quickly and easily, however checked that we had seen what to do and also urged us to read the instruction booklet when we got home.

They were both one piece seats, in that there was the actual car seat but this was attached to base unit which was secured by the car’s seat belt, rather than seat belts having to go across your child which can be awkward at the best of times. This means that you just clip and unclip your child in the seat when you want without having to ensure the seat is correctly positioned and secured each time you travel, although I would recommend you do check this every so often as the seat belt in our car has been knocked by other passengers before and the belt securing the base came loose. The base is quite bulky but no wider than the seat, and on further investigation, Britax claim it is a slim base to fit into the increasing range of slimmer cars available. We decided to try the seats in the back of the car, however they can be fitted if you disable any airbags, but I just feel safer with them in the back.

The side wings which are the side impact protection on both seats were sufficient, however the Britax offered more bulk and in my eyes protection, and I was sure our daughter would be safer in this seat should the worst happen. The rest of the seat appears to be equally well padded, ensuring maximum comfort for our daughter. The child safety straps (2 over shoulder and 1 crotch) are also padded so that they do not dig into the chest, shoulder or crotch area, which are small but very important details. This harness is also height adjustable to ensure it can accommodate your growing child. Also, as our daughter is still so young, she tends to fall asleep quite often on car journeys, and this often means children her size sleep with their heads flopping forwards which must be uncomfortable, and with this in mind, Britax have a 5 position recline facility on this seat. It is a simple pull handle at the front of the seat, and it can be reclined without disturbing your child.

Our daughter immediately seemed at home in the seat, and it’s high position meant not only could she see us better, but she could also see out of the window, which has amused her a great deal so far. We were happy and reassured by this and also when our research showed that Britax seats are the most thoroughly tested out of any car seats available at the moment. We have previously used a Britax seat when we had our first daughter and were impressed with the features it offered, albeit on a rear facing newborn seat, so we were confident that chosing the Britax brand meant we would get a quality product which fulfilled our requirements. This belief is backed up when you read the details on their website.

The seat comes in many colours, whilst the design is always a check from what I have seen. The one we chose is a grey checked design, although my first choice was the charcoal fleece lined model (Stirling), but this was an extra £20, and I could not justify it. The covers are removable and washable which is ideal, otherwise the seat would look grubby within a few weeks. I would recommend the seat for a number of reasons:

1. It comes from a good brand name who are open about the tests they do on their seats.
2. It is in the mid price range so should suit most budgets
3. It is easy to fit and use on a daily basis
4. The features such as the recline make sure your child is very comfortable
5. The covers are washable!!

I am happy with the purchase and will update this should anything change.

Summary: A well priced, well thought out car seat.