UlrikeDG
Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
I realized this week that my final Britax seat has expired.
When Roman was born, back in 1998, I received two used infant seats as gifts. One was a Maxi Cosi (back before MC had any seats in the US), and the other was a basic "institutional" infant seat that didn't even have a handle--no labels, so I couldn't tell you what brand. Neither came with instructions.
I don't remember when I switched him to a convertible, but when that time came, I took the gift cards I'd received at my shower to Baby Depot and picked a seat. I hadn't done any research; I thought people only cared about looks, and I wasn't that shallow. After I chose one, almost at random, my mom said I should get the one with the bar in front, so Roman could play with toys on it. I thought that was stupid (the bar was flat, but angled such that toys wouldn't stay put on it, so a lap would probably be better), but not worth fighting with my crazy mom over. And that's how my son ended up riding in an Evenflo Ultara I overhead shield seat. We turned it forward facing the Saturday after his first birthday.
Then I "met" Defrost online. She had done some research. She shared that overhead shields were less safe than 5-point harnesses, among other safety facts. When Eva was born, I bought her a Britax Roundabout. Holy cow! was it easy to use! Built-in lockoffs, a harness adjuster that worked, and yes, a 5-point harness. I could install that sucker in seconds, all by myself. I loved it so much I immediately ordered a Britax Freeway for Roman (for those who don't remember that far back, the Freeway was identical to the Roundabout, except it was FF only).
We were in Germany when Britax released the Marathon. I ordered one for Eva, so she could stay rear facing longer. Then I got a 2nd Marathon for Roman, so he could stay harnessed longer. Nadia rear faced in the old Roundabout.
When we flew back to the US in 2005, it took several weeks for our Honda Pilot SUV to catch up with us. We borrowed a small station wagon, but there was no way to fit the 3 harnessed seats in the back of it. Off I went to purchase two of the narrowest HBBs on the market at the time: Britax Parkways. When we moved into our new house in 2006, FIL bought two more Parkways for his car.
By the time Kira was born, in 2007, the original Roundabout & Marathon had expired, and Nadia was riding in the remaining Marathon. When I found a Roundabout on clearance at Sears, I pounced on it. Kira rode in that until she got too tall for it rear facing. It expired before I turned her FF.
Meanwhile, Roman & Eva outgrew their Parkways, Nadia's Marathon expired, and she moved into a Parkway. When the Parkways expired, I took one of FIL's (since I only had one kid in a booster, he didn't need two for his car). Well, that seat has expired.
Kira's almost 6 and still fits in both the Evenflo Symphony and First Years True Fit. I don't see myself buying her another harnessed seat. Nadia's Clek Oobr will be passed down to Kira when the time comes. If I have to buy a spare HBB, it will probably be something less expensive.
Over the years, my four kids have used a total of NINE Britax seats.
I know some people like to mock the "Britax Bubble". I think those who are new to CPS don't realize just how innovative and impressive Britax seats were back in the day. When I bought my first Roundabout, most convertibles had 20 lb or 22 lb rear facing limits! Compatibility issues were common. NO ONE else had EPS foam inside their seats. Harness adjusters were hypothetical; good luck accessing them and getting them to move once you do. Yeah, rear harness adjusters were the standard. No one made a seat that harnessed beyond 40 lb, and many of those were too short for the average 4 year old anyway. When the Parkway first came out, shield boosters were still popular. LATCh was nothing more than a gleam in some engineer's eye--an engineer who worked for Britax.
When Roman was born, back in 1998, I received two used infant seats as gifts. One was a Maxi Cosi (back before MC had any seats in the US), and the other was a basic "institutional" infant seat that didn't even have a handle--no labels, so I couldn't tell you what brand. Neither came with instructions.
I don't remember when I switched him to a convertible, but when that time came, I took the gift cards I'd received at my shower to Baby Depot and picked a seat. I hadn't done any research; I thought people only cared about looks, and I wasn't that shallow. After I chose one, almost at random, my mom said I should get the one with the bar in front, so Roman could play with toys on it. I thought that was stupid (the bar was flat, but angled such that toys wouldn't stay put on it, so a lap would probably be better), but not worth fighting with my crazy mom over. And that's how my son ended up riding in an Evenflo Ultara I overhead shield seat. We turned it forward facing the Saturday after his first birthday.
Then I "met" Defrost online. She had done some research. She shared that overhead shields were less safe than 5-point harnesses, among other safety facts. When Eva was born, I bought her a Britax Roundabout. Holy cow! was it easy to use! Built-in lockoffs, a harness adjuster that worked, and yes, a 5-point harness. I could install that sucker in seconds, all by myself. I loved it so much I immediately ordered a Britax Freeway for Roman (for those who don't remember that far back, the Freeway was identical to the Roundabout, except it was FF only).
We were in Germany when Britax released the Marathon. I ordered one for Eva, so she could stay rear facing longer. Then I got a 2nd Marathon for Roman, so he could stay harnessed longer. Nadia rear faced in the old Roundabout.
When we flew back to the US in 2005, it took several weeks for our Honda Pilot SUV to catch up with us. We borrowed a small station wagon, but there was no way to fit the 3 harnessed seats in the back of it. Off I went to purchase two of the narrowest HBBs on the market at the time: Britax Parkways. When we moved into our new house in 2006, FIL bought two more Parkways for his car.
By the time Kira was born, in 2007, the original Roundabout & Marathon had expired, and Nadia was riding in the remaining Marathon. When I found a Roundabout on clearance at Sears, I pounced on it. Kira rode in that until she got too tall for it rear facing. It expired before I turned her FF.
Meanwhile, Roman & Eva outgrew their Parkways, Nadia's Marathon expired, and she moved into a Parkway. When the Parkways expired, I took one of FIL's (since I only had one kid in a booster, he didn't need two for his car). Well, that seat has expired.
Kira's almost 6 and still fits in both the Evenflo Symphony and First Years True Fit. I don't see myself buying her another harnessed seat. Nadia's Clek Oobr will be passed down to Kira when the time comes. If I have to buy a spare HBB, it will probably be something less expensive.
Over the years, my four kids have used a total of NINE Britax seats.
I know some people like to mock the "Britax Bubble". I think those who are new to CPS don't realize just how innovative and impressive Britax seats were back in the day. When I bought my first Roundabout, most convertibles had 20 lb or 22 lb rear facing limits! Compatibility issues were common. NO ONE else had EPS foam inside their seats. Harness adjusters were hypothetical; good luck accessing them and getting them to move once you do. Yeah, rear harness adjusters were the standard. No one made a seat that harnessed beyond 40 lb, and many of those were too short for the average 4 year old anyway. When the Parkway first came out, shield boosters were still popular. LATCh was nothing more than a gleam in some engineer's eye--an engineer who worked for Britax.