Question which infant seat?? britax b safe or graco snugride 35 lx

I'm struggling with which to choose b/c I am a loyal Britax customer & love their commitment to high safety standards. I'd really like the chaperone b/c of the head wings for true side impact protection, but the base doesn't fit in my husbands vehicle & I don't have faith that he will be able to properly install it every time without that. So, this led me to the grace snugride 35 lx that has the head wings, but with a more manageable base size. My only hesitation is that I'm unfamiliar with the brand & am nervous about it not being a britax. Advice, please!!!

Hi there.

All seats on the US market pass the same stringent testing. Britax is not safer than any other brand. If the seat doesn't fit in your vehicle it doesn't sound like the best one for you.

I'd see which fits better and which your husband can install properly and go that way.

Wendy

I forgot to add to the end that I was trying to decide between the b safe & the snugride, but am nervous about the b safe's lack of head wings...

There are no side impact standards right now. Both seats have high sides, and neither has headwings.

Wendy

Well, the B-Safe doesn't have them, but the snugride 35 LX does http://www.diapers.com/p/graco-snugride-click-connect-35-lx-rittenhouse-777733?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_term=AGO-258&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&CAWELAID=1892800537&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=AGO-258&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}
That's why I'm having trouble deciding b/c my 2 yo's Britax Pavilion has them & I really like them, but the only Britax infant seat that will work for us, the B-safe, does not which led me to the snugride that does.
I'm sure in the next few years Britax will come out with another infant seat with headwings and a smaller base...

Have you tried the Graco in your vehicle? Our first infant seat was a Graco and I liked it a lot. They are safe, too. It doesn't fit as well in the van we have now so I went with a different brand this time. Don't let the branding distract you from choosing the best seat for you. It may not be the Britax this time.

I haven't yet b/c the Graco isn't sold in stores near me. I'm just going to order it and see if I like it. If not, I can return it... Thanks for the input everyone! I'm just nervous b/c the only Graco we have had is the MyRide 65 which just had the buckle recalled. :-/

Unregistered said:

Well, the B-Safe doesn't have them, but the snugride 35 LX does http://www.diapers.com/p/graco-snugride-click-connect-35-lx-rittenhouse-777733?site=CA&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_term=AGO-258&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&CAWELAID=1892800537&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=AGO-258&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw={keyword}
That's why I'm having trouble deciding b/c my 2 yo's Britax Pavilion has them & I really like them, but the only Britax infant seat that will work for us, the B-safe, does not which led me to the snugride that does.
I'm sure in the next few years Britax will come out with another infant seat with headwings and a smaller base...

Click to expand...

I don't have any info about whether the graco has headwings, but in the link you provided, it only said that it has an adjustable headrest. This is a convenience feature, but not necessarily a safety feature. Your 2-yo's Pavilion has an adjustable headrest that has energy-absorbing foam for side impact protection -- aka "headwings" (although as Wendy said, there are no standards to point to for SIP). The headrest on the Graco does not mention any foam and so I would assume it is just for convenience.

Ah, there's the confusion. That's a new Graco seat with headwings I had never seen before. The others are more like this. http://www.target.com/p/graco-snugr...sku=14282471&gclid=CMD24qfG1rwCFY17fgodrQgA_w There's an insert, but like the B Safe it simply is removable.

Neither would concern me in terms of safety, nor side impacts. I believe both would save my child's life provided I used it properly. I have issues with B Safe bases (which is not uncommon), so while I like the seat, that's a big annoyance with me. The Graco bases are pretty easy to use. However, unlike the B Safe base, only some Graco bases have a lockoff. And I do like a lockoff. So there's a trade off either way, and what you find is more important and easier to use is a very personal decision. Potentially completely different from what I would emphasize.

I'd go to the store and play with them both. If that Graco is like I think it is, it'll have a knob or something on the back to raise the headrest/harness together (kind of like the Snugride Click Connect 40). Otherwise it'll be rethread, like the B Safe. But I'd go and play with what you can find, see how you feel about them both, extend and try to retract the foot on the B Safe base (that's the big issue, it getting stuck at a newborn angle. It's perfectly safe, just annoying later, but a lot of parents are looking to switch to a convertible about that time anyway, so again, it depends on your desires and expected use). See if you can try each out in your car. Try bringing a baby doll and buckling the baby into both. Give them as much of a real run through as you can and see which you prefer. I think either is a fine seat and both have pros and cons.

Wendy

Just wondering, what car seat did you use for your 2yo before the Pavilion? Is that seat out of the equation?

I looked up the Rittenhouse on Amazon, and that is a snazzy seat! There is a video product review to show how the headrest adjust works with no rethread harness. Biggest downside, according to some poster, is a huge yellow warning symbol right where the baby’s head goes.

we have the graco snugride 30 and love it, used it for both kids.

I'm back!
I ordered & received the snugride 35 lx & LOVE it! The base has the knob adjuster & seatbelt lock off which was a must for me. It does have an obnoxious sticker on the EPS foam headwing, but that is the only negative I can come up with, so we will live with it. It fits in our vehicles very well & the fabric is so much nicer than the b-safe. I love Britax products, but that seat left a lot to be desired. I agree, the base was a beast to adjust! The display model in the store (BRU) was permanently stuck on one position & the employees said they couldn't fix it. They had tried. I'm so happy I ordered the Snugride 35 LX, its everything I wanted including a gender neutral pattern.
The seat we used for my 2 year old as an infant was an evenflo with a 22# weight limit, no base lock off, & a girly pattern. I had no clue what I was doing before she was born, so I picked a cute seat & that was that. She grew out of it before she could sit up unassisted, so it was a major hassle (for us) having her in a convertible at that early age. I also never felt like we had a truly secure install with that seat.
We love her pavilion & she's still got lots of room to grow in it! Lesson learned for baby #2. Thanks for all the input, hopefully this thread will help someone else, too!

Sounds absolutely fantastic! Enjoy it.

Wendy