You can't put a price on a baby's life (Britax Roundabout)

Member Name: vincent.buchan

Product:	Britax Roundabout
Date:	30/11/01 (715 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: safe & comfortable, durable, has different looks

Disadvantages: can be hard to install when rear facing, the price

The Britax Roundabout is advertised as being the safest carseat out there, its highly rated by consumers too. My mum found this very useful, most of all, felt safe, but was a bit of a challange to learn how to fit.

We had heard the buzz about the Roundabout, and this is the baby seat my mum bought after a great amount of research. She liked that it could go from infancy to toddler. That made the price easier to swallow. Yep, it's expensive (I can't remember the price as I didn't buy it but my mum say's it was). It is a lot for a carseat, but you can't put a price on safety and a life of a relation. My little sister's definitely worth it (and more) to me!

The Roundabout is a convertible seat, which means it can be used both rear and forward facing. The seat can be used both rear (5-30 pounds) and front facing (20-40 pounds). I like this, because some of the seats I looked at only went up to 20 pounds in the rear facing position. Also, the infant seat that we were given at a babyshower only went up to 20 pounds, and my sister being 9 pounds at birth outgrew it by 3 months! The Roundabout provides a safe rear-facing option for us.

Britax uses a "versa-tether" - meaning that it can be tethered while its rear or forward facing, and it can be tethered either to the back or to the front of the seat. What I learned is that how you tether it not only impacts the safety of the seat, but also how secure it will fit in your car.

The seat has a sculptured base for an "easy fit" in most vehicles. You probably won't need to put things under it to prop it into the right angle although you should never do that as it will make it very unsafe. This makes it very useful for cars with bucket seats or seats that have a strange shape.

The feature my mum liked the most was the EPS side impact liner that surrounds the child's head and torso. This is the same kind of material put in bicycle h
elmets to absorb the impact of the crash and keep your head safe. Not only does the Roundabout have this EPS lining, but it also has a layer of foam. All this is UNDER the seat cushion, meaning the child is protected from the ESP making it very comfortable.


Overall I like this Carseat because it is:

-Safe, Durable and Comfortable

-The seat comes in a variety of upholstery. We purchased a "rugged" Denim pattern.

-Accomodates a forgiving Weight Limits: Five to 30 lbs. rear facing/20-40 lbs. front facing. This means we are going to get some good lasting long-term use out of the seat.

-This seat has velcro Anti-tangle belt holders. It really helps make it easier to get the child in and out of the seat and avoid twisted straps! You don't have to route around under your child for the strap, because its held open by the velcro fastener. This is a big plus for me and for anyone with a child.

-It seems rather durable, but she still is around 5 months old.


Things I would improve
-Try to make it easier to install as it is rather mind-bending. Once you get it in, you don't know is it properly fitted or not.

-A "spirit level" to make sure that its the right angle when its rear-facing. If seats are at the wrong angle then they aren't safe no matter what the seat is rated at as far as safety goes.

Summary: