Am I a bad parent if I don't buy a Britax?

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earthmama2612

Guest

• May 5, 2008

• #1

I stumbled onto this parenting blog which seems to imply if I don't buy a Britax, I'm a bad parent. I realize it's satire, but it bothered me. I'd really appreciate any feedback.

 

Last edited by a moderator: May 5, 2008

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus

• May 5, 2008

• #2

I moved this post to the Car Seat Chat forum. That's a more appropriate place for this question. :thumbsup:

 

Judi

CPST/Firefighter

• May 5, 2008

• #3

No, the best car seat is the one that fits your child, fits you car and you use properly every time. When I see parents do that, I am happier than anything! There are plenty of seats that are good that aren't Britax.

 

BW1426

Well-known member

• May 5, 2008

• #4

Heck no. There's a handful of reasons why I don't like Britaxes and now there are so many seats that compete that are substantially cheaper. You're a good parent for harnessing your children and keeping them safe in the car. Beyond that, as long as your seat isn't expired, hasn't been in a crash and is used properly every time, you're doing great. I'll choose a child correctly installed in a scenera any day as opposed to a child incorrectly installed in a Britax. Don't be hard on yourself, Mama

 

Mommy2Marcus

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #5

Heck NO! I own 3 seats & only one of my 3 is a Britax. I do not think that your seat has to be Britax to be a good seat or make you a good parent! As the PP said as long as you are installing & using the seat properly then you are a good Mama! I also agree that I would rather see a person using a properly installed properly used Scenera then a badly installed improperly used Britax ANYDAY of the week! Big Hugs! Just the fact that you care enough to ask this question assures me you're not a bad Mama!

 

jdchic3

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #6

Definitely not! Like the PPs have said, the car seat that fits your child, fits your budget and you use correctly every time is the right seat for you. There are lost of great seats out there that you'll see recommended here all the time. That said, the Britaxs do have some extra features that make it easier to use properly, and fun covers, but that's really all the hype is about.

If you'd like some suggestions you could post another thread with your child's age, weight, and seated height and I'm sure there are many here who will give you some great recommendations!

 

carseatcoach

Carseat Crankypants

• May 6, 2008

• #7

Of course not.

With the exception of the Regent and its high height and weight capacities, I consider Britax seats to be luxuries. They are good seats with nice features, but seats costing half or less what they do pass the exact same tests and sometimes even last kids longer.

Not providing expensive luxuries is NOT bad parenting.

 

Melizerd

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #8

Of course not. I do own a Britax but I also own a Cosco Scenera that Gabe is just as comfortable and safe in.

The safest seat is installed properly, fits your child and is used properly every time.

Britney Spears has Marathons and her kids aren't safe in them because they're not even buckled

 

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dhardawa

Active member

• May 6, 2008

• #9

Not at all. While I love my Britax seats and wouldn't trade them for the world and think they are worth every penny, if you will use another seat correctly every time, that seat will be safe too.

Heck, I'm a Britax retailer and can get the seats at wholesale and I just bought my 8 1/2 year old a Clek Olli because I like the features more.

 

Tara

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #10

Oh good gravy...as the others have said...absolutely not.
Britax is just mentioned and recommended here often because of it's ease of use and extra features that add to that...making it a seat that is even easier to use correctly every time. (not to say some still don't make mistakes with it, just saying Britax really seems to make an attempt at making this a fool proof 'anybody can do it correctly' kind of seat) So for those things, you will see/hear a lot about Britax.

But there ARE several other awesome seats out there. More and more higher weight harness seats are coming on the market and getting their 'press time' and rave reviews as well. Britax has just been the leader in that endeavor.

Goodness no you're not doing your child a disservice by not buying a Britax. Just follow the rules stated above in buying a seat that fits your child and vehicle properly and use it correctly each and every time. :thumbsup: That can be done within any budget.

 

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VLsMom

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #11

You're only a bad parent if you don't get your child a car seat!

 

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dhardawa

Active member

• May 6, 2008

• #12

VLsMom said:

You're only a bad parent if you don't get your child a car seat!

Click to expand...

Or if you get the child an inappropriate seat or don't use the seat correctly.

 

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician

• May 6, 2008

• #13

dhardawa said:

Or if you get the child an inappropriate seat or don't use the seat correctly.

Click to expand...

Amen to that! Buying a Britax to be part of the herd doesn't mean much if you use it wrong

 

Adventuredad

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #14

I like Britax seats but think type of brand comes way after proper function and safety.

 

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southpawboston

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #15

i know i'm going to get flamed by britax groupies for this, but britax also has a reputation for putting positive spins on design shortcomings. for example, the HUGS system wasn't conceived as an innovative safety "enhancement" to stay ahead of the safety curve; it was an afterthought, a patch, designed to allow a seat that otherwise failed the FMVSS213 head excursion test to pass. but their marketing expertise is fantastic, because they have parlayed that into a "britax innovation" and most people believe that it is yet another example of how safe britax seats are.

on the other hand, britax does have several true innovations to their credit, such as the LATCH bar and the versa-tether. those are both examples of superior design.

honestly, the best seats are the ones that fit your child, fit your car, are used correctly every time, and pass relevant testing standards. all seats sold in the US pass FMVSS213 standards, so the only remaining variables are fit to the car, fit to the child, and proper use.

 

mish

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #16

I have never owned a Britax seat, and probably never will. It is not because I don't think they are nice seats, I just have been able to find others that I also like. I certainly don't think I am a bad mother because of this. There is so much pressure on mom's that it makes me angry. We judge each other on parenting techniques way too often. I'm sure you are doing great!!

 

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lidarln

New member

• May 6, 2008

• #17

I probably should have posted this earlier but the same new member who posted this here, also posted similar messages on 'another board' referencing homemade baby food IE: 'am I a bad mom because I feed my child baby food from a jar' the original links were left in and they pointed us to a blog apparently the op just wanted some traffic on their blog. FWIW

 

UlrikeDG

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus

• May 6, 2008

• #18

Thanks, lidarln. I'm going to go ahead and close this thread now.