Britax Laptop: A Great Niche Restraint

The Laptop is a new type of child restraint. Unlike a traditional booster, the child sits right on the vehicle seat and the laptop sits on top of them. Then, you guide the lap belt (or lap+shoulder belt) through the guides to secure it.

<A HREF="http://www.childseat.com" TARGET="_TOP"
><IMG SRC="http://www.childseat.com/images/products/Laptop150.jpg" ALIGN="middle"></A> Britax Laptop

This model is rated from 30-65 pounds. It is great for kids who need boosters, but are in vehicles without shoulder belts in back. It is also ideal for big toddlers above 40 pounds who are still to immature to use a booster.

The Laptop retails around $50 to $60. It's small, light and easy to install. It does have some disadvantages. My full review on this model is posted at Epinions:

<A HREF="http://www.epinions.com/content_68243263108" TARGET="_TOP">Caviller's Epinions Full Review of the Britax Laptop</A>

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<A HREF="http://www.epinions.com/user-caviller" TARGET="_TOP">Caviller's Epinions Profile</A>

Thanks for the information about the laptop. I have one more question. Does "no side impact protection" mean that the child is going to like fly out of the thing or that they will move more in a side impact crash? Thanks

Really, it just means there no hard shell between the child and any possible intrusion. Similarly, other backless and shield boosters also do not provide any signifiacnt side impact protection. Rear-facing restraints provide a reasonable degree of side impact protection. Front-facing carseats and harnessed combination boosters provide some side impact protection, and the 5-point harness will probably keep the child in position a bit better as well. On the other hand, the Laptop should keep the child restrained as good or better than a child using a 3-point lap and shoulder belt with or without a booster. It is certainly much better that a child using a lap-only belt.

Assuming the child is within the recommended weight range, I think the Laptop is an excellent alternative for backless boosters and shield boosters, in any position in the vehicle. It is also a great alternative for almost any carseat when used in the rear center seat. I might not make it my first choice for an outside seating position if my child could still fit in a 5-point harness, especially if I had a small vehicle with poor side impact crash ratings.

Darren