Convertible Car Seat

I currently drive a Suburban and have my 18month old daughter in a Britax Advocate CS 65(which I recently found out they've discountinued,which very much concerns me) that I purchased feb 2012. The car seat is very difficult to install, seeing as it is in a captain seat, and there is no tether without going over her head, which just doesn't seem right or fezziable for getting her in. We are thinking of switching to a smaller vehicle, and are looking for a smaller car seat. When I originally purchase The car seat, my husband lost his mind-it's large and has air bag looking things attached to the sides,but the lady told me it was the safest-now I think she was trying to get rid of it. My daughter is 30lbs and 35 inches tall at 18months, great fully she is a healthy girl. I've been looking at the new brand clef but I'm not sure if what I should do.
I'm looking for the safest, easiest to install, long term and narrow.
I appreciate any help

I love Britax but at your daughter's size, I would stay away from them. She probably has outgrown it by weight now. Radian would probably be a good seat for her. Or if you decide to forward face her at 2 a Frontier would be a good fit. My daughter is pretty tall and stayed harnessed in her Frontier until 7. Meanwhile my little peanut 5 year old is still harnessed in his Marathon.

Just wanted to say not to be alarmed at the seat having been discontinued. Britax is constantly making small changes and introducing new seats - they are in this to make money, not just to keep kids safe. Unless there has been a RECALL on your seat, your seat is safe. The new seats may have some cool features but that doesn't mean your old seat isn't safe, if used properly.

Who exactly told you that the seat was safest, that you think just wanted to get rid of it?

What about installing it do you find difficult? Britax seats are usually very easy to install but doing a rearfacing install is a little more awkward than forward facing in my experience. I am assuming it is rear facing because you say there is no where to tether it other than over her head which doesn't seem right? You can tether a rear facing seat that way and it is supposed to prevent the seat twisting in a crash but it doesn't keep it from rebounding and it does make the seat trickier to put the child in. There should have been a strap to come with the seat with a metal piece at one end that you can loop around something on the front seats to create a spot to attach the tether. Do you have the strap? Were you unable to find a spot?

None of this helps with what seat to move into but maybe we can help you feel more comfortable using the seat you have until it is outgrown?

Hey! Do not despair!! You have a great seat in the Britax Advocate - I have one for my 16 month old toddler, and we love it. In terms of the installation, rear facing with the tether, we had the configuration you did at first, and were 'posting' him in and out of the tether straps into the seat, which is more complicated than it needs to be. As another poster mentioned, you can secure the versa-tether to a bolted down place on the floor of your car....if you look in your user Britax user manual under versa-tether it gives a very clear visual and description of how to use it (you can google the manual, if you don't have it.) Your car manual might be able to tell you which parts are bolted down, and therefor safe to use. When we discovered that, it made getting our son in and out super easy!! It is a big seat, but the 'extras' that make it bigger, including the side impact protection are so great, and especially if you got hit from the side, your toddler has an extra layer of protection. You can check out the safety festures here, if you are interested and your salesperson didn't do a great job of explaining them. www.britaxusa.com/safetyyoucansee I am a member of the Britax saftey squad but all opinions are my own. Hopefully this is helpful info

Hi and welcome!

As the others have said, just because your seat is discontinued does not make it unsafe. As long as your child is within the height/weight limit, her head is more than 1 inch away from the top of the shell of the seat, it is properly installed, and has not expired (there is a date stamped somewhere on your seat with an expiry date) it is a very safe seat to use.

Britax car seats have fairly short shells compared to some of the other ones on the market, so it will not last as long as some of the other seats out there but it does make it easier to install it in more compact places. Is your seat currently installed at a 45 degree angle? If so, assuming that your daughter is developmentally normal and has good head control, you can install it more upright giving some more room for the people in the front seat or in a smaller car if you decide to get a new vehicle.

What are your rear facing goals with your little one? The recommendations are to keep kids rear facing until at least age 2 and up until age 4 or beyond if they still fit. Having an idea how long you plan to have your daughter rear facing can help give us some ideas as to what seats might work for you. How many inches from the top of the shell is her head in her current seat? Does your Advocate rear face to 35lbs or 40lbs (It should say on the side of the seat and/or in the manual)?

What difficulties are you having with installing your car seat? You don't have to use the top tether when rear facing on your car seat, but if you choose to use it, this is a great guide explaining how it works with pictures: http://carseatblog.com/12749/how-to-use-a-rear-facing-tether/

The safest car seat is what fits your child and can be used correctly and installed correctly every time. Every car seat out there has to pass the same tests so we have no way of knowing if Britax is any safer than Graco, Diono, Cosco, or any others. Keeping your daughter rear facing longer also substantially increases her safety if you were to get in a car accident.

I agree that for now you have a great seat and no need to be concerned. The tether is not required rear facing but I'd definitely look for a place to tether the other way. The 35lb limit and height of the seat may not fit your daughter as long as you'd like, but you can wait and see. My dd is 37" and still has room in her seat that is slightly shorter. A few higher height and weight options are the Chicco NextFit (40lb limit), Graco MySize (40lb but tallest available), Radian (40 and 45lb versions), and Clek Foonf.

The safest seat is the one that is installed and used properly, each and every time. Price means very little, they all pass identical tests and meet or exceed the same set of requirements. I'm a fan of Britax, personally, because they make it so easy to install their seats properly, and are great in terms of ease of use. I've seen so many Classic Marathons and almost all are tightly installed simply because it's so easy to do so, seat belt and LATCH.

Unless she has outgrown her seat in terms of height or weight, she's fine. The Diono Radian R120 or RXT are other great options, which have higher weight and height maximums and will last the average child longer RF.

Britax, like most other Child Passenger Safety companies, are making constant advances in terms of their products and are changing things all the time. The model that you have may be discontinued, but that does not make it unsafe, so long as it hasn't been involved in any type of accident, been recall or is expired.

We're glad to have you here, I hope you stick around