Are you looking for a
car seat? Trying to decide if the
Britax Roundabout is the best seat for your child? Yes, it is a necessary chore to check out what other buyers especially fellow mom and dads like you say about a product you'd like to buy. The
Britax car seats are up there in the popularity list for car seats in the market today. Why? It's because of their safety reputation. But, of course, you've probably seen that its one of the more costly brand. Below, are some of the informative reviews on Britax Roundabout I've seen on the web. Check them out. See if they make sense to you but you be the judge and as George W. Bush said "the decider" if this is the product you like.
Excerpts of
Marytara's review on Epinion, (too long, I got to cut some)
The Britax Roundabout is advertised as being the safest carseat out there, its highly rated by consumers too. Heck! Its #1 on this site for carseats and has had tons of Epinions written about it already.
I'd heard the buzz about the Roundabout, and this was the carseat that I purchased before my baby was born. I liked that it could go from infancy to toddler. That definitely made the 200 dollars it cost less of a blow. Yep, its 200 dollars. Thats a lot for a carseat, but you can't put a price on safety. My child's definitely worth it (and more) to me!
The Roundabout is a convertible seat, which means it can be used both rear and forward facing. The seat can be used both rear (5-30 pounds) and front facing (20-40 pounds). I like this, because some of the seats I looked at only went up to 20 pounds in the rear facing position. Also, the infant seat that we purchased (with the Graco Sterling LiteRider Travel System) only went up to 20 pounds, and my son being 9 pounds at birth outgrew it by 3 months! The Roundabout provides a safe rear-facing option for us.
Britax uses a "versa-tether" - meaning that it can be tethered while its rear or forward facing, and it can be tethered either to the back or to the front of the seat. What I learned is that how you tether it not only impacts the safety of the seat, but also how secure it will fit in your car.
The seat has a sculptured base for an "easy fit" in most vehicles. You most likely won't need to use towels or other padding to get the right angle or to brace the seat into position. This is especially good for bucket seats, or seats that have a recline to them.
One of the best features of this seat is that it has built-in EPS side impact liner surrounds child's head and torso. This is basically the same stuff that they use in bicycle helmets to make them safe and absorb impact during a crash. Not only does the Roundabout have this EPS lining, but it also has a layer of foam. All this is UNDER the seat cushion, meaning that the Roundabout is super-comfy.
****UPDATE**** July 2002 I was involved in a car accident which involved being rear ended by a Lincoln Town Car. My son was 18 months old, forward facing in his Britax Roundabout seat. I am very happy to report that he survived the accident with absolutely no injuries. I, myself, am "ok" too - but got a minor case of whiplash. During our post-accident emergency room visit the EMT said that the safety aspects of this seat, in particular the EPS impact lining was a crucial player in my son getting through the accident completely unharmed. I loved my Britax Roundabout before, now I am in debt to this seat for saving my sons life. Thanks Britax for keeping children safe!
pippadaisy's review on epinion
After the fiasco we had with my daughter's
Graco Smartmove Car Seat, we were determined to never use anything but Britax seats again. When my son Buster was born three years ago, my mother and sister were generous enough to spring for the Britax Roundabout for him, which then got passed down to my youngest, Buster as all my children bumped up a seat in our hierarchy. Now, as I'm expecting baby #4, I actually have no plans to pass down our Britax Roundabout, but will instead be replacing it and giving it to my parents as a substitute for their outdated seats. Here is why:
: Features of the Former Champ The Britax Roundabout still has many features that put it above other car seats on the market. As a convertible seat, it can be used rear-facing for babies from 5 to 33 pounds, and forward-facing for toddlers one year and over, weighing 20 to 40 pounds and up to 40 inches tall. The rear-facing weight limit is still one of the higher maximums for car seats currently on the market, and can come in handy for parents whose children (like my daughter Beanie) hit 20 pounds long before they can be turned around to forward-facing at one year of age.
The Britax Roundabout now has LATCH compatibility for easy installation in cars that have LATCH anchors, but if you don't have LATCH capability in your car, the Britax Roundabout has additional features to help install the seat securely in your car, including belt lockoffs on the sides and near the shoulder area, and a tether that can be used in either front- or rear-facing configurations. It also has a five-point harness, EPS foam around the head and torso area, comfort foam in the seat, a washable fabric cover in several different pattern options, and a padded fabric pad that protects children from the hard buckle, which often gets hot in warm weather.
The Britax Roundabout measures 25 inches high by 18¼ inches wide by 23½ inches deep, and is certified for aircraft use.
: Sounds Great! Why Shouldn't I Buy It? :
Our Britax Roundabout was purchased literally immediately at the same time as the newer LATCH version was being released. At the time, Britax was having trouble meeting demand for the newer version, and were also charging $40 or $50 more for the new LATCH version, and at the time, as we didn't have a LATCH-compatible vehicle, I chose the older style.
In terms of installation, I have had no problems at all installing the car without the added convenience of the LATCH feature. The locking clips give an extra-secure fit when combined with the tether, and I've found that, even though I check the carseat EVERY time I put Bug in it, I can't remember the last time it had to be tightened. In terms of comfort, both my boys have had no issues at all with the seat, including sleeping in the seat. We took a trip to Rhode Island last fall for a family wedding and drove him all night so that Beanie wouldn't miss her first day of school. Utilizing the reclined position, he slept completely through without waking once, and this is a boy who likes his comfort when he sleeps.
After our experience with the denim cover on my daughter's Britax Freeway, we opted for a fabric that I believe was called Windowpane, and is no longer available. The fabric has held up very well through multiple washings, showing very little wear, especially when compared to the denim. In addition, our experience with Britax customer service has been excellent. One of the foam pieces broke on the headwing after our warranty period had expired. Britax charged us a nominal amount to replace it, and shipped it out very quickly.
So to this point, it sounds like I love our Britax Roundabout, and I do, which is why I'm doing the very confusing of giving it a four-star rating but not recommending it. The reason? Both of my older two children have outgrown this car seat BEFORE they reached the 40-inch limit. How is that possible, you wonder? My children seem to have very long torsos that result in their shoulders reaching the top of the seat before they reach the height or weight limit of the seat, forcing me to bump them up to a different seat. Hence, the reason why I'm not even going to bother with my usual "seat bump" that we go through when a new baby arrives. Buster and Beanie are both in belt-positioning seats, Bug will most likely move into our Britax Husky Booster Seat now that he's over 22 pounds, and I'll get a new car seat for the baby that gives us a bigger window for keeping a toddler in a convertible seat.
I still love our Britax Roundabout, which is why I'll happily turn it over to my parents so that I know our little one will be safe whenever he or she rides along in their car. And I'd recommend this seat for anyone for whom past history would indicate that their children won't have long torsos and short legs like mine do (which I'm sure they get from their mother), or who need a smaller footprint in their car, but for us, bigger is better, which is why we will upgrade to one of the newer seats with higher height and weight maximums.
Anne from Michigan on 2/11/2009 from Toys R Us
Pros: Comfortable, Lightweight, Safe, Great Features, Easy to install, Sturdy, Easy to Adjust, Stylish
Best Uses: Infants, Toddlers
Describe Yourself: First Time Parent
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
A friend had recommended this seat to us, but we still tried another before realizing she was right in the first place. This seat is compact and works great for our car. Baby seems to be very comfy and loves her new seat. I love the velcro to keep the straps in place so I don't always have to fish around for them when I'm putting her in. Very easy to use, install and fasten her in securely while also being less pricey than some fancier models.
Love it!
By First time mom from San Leandro, CA on 1/19/2009 from Toys R Us
Pros: Easy to install, Comfortable, Easy to Adjust
Cons: Heavy
Best Uses: Infants
Describe Yourself: First Time Parent
Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
My 5 month old baby outgrew the infant carrier so we were looking for something comfortable for her to ride in. This is a dream carseat. The tan color of the car seat cover will work great in the summer when the heat really hits the backseat. This is a great chair to go from rear facing to front facing in a few months (and a few pounds from now). I love how it is easy to adjust from the front and while it is installed; I don't have to uninstall it and flip it over to adjust any of the straps. My baby seems comfy in it. How can I tell? She is in the seat a few minutes and she falls asleep. She never did that in the infant carrier.
By
S. Long "The Princess's Mommy" (Arkansas) from Amazon
I searched for months before buying this seat for my daughter. I read lots of reviews on the internet and had a hard time deciding if I should spend $219 on this seat of just buy a cheaper one. I am so happy that I went ahead a spent the extra money. This seat is SO worth it. The print is great and the fabric is very easy to clean. My daughter loves to snack in the car and can make quite a mess. I just vacuum the crumbs occassionally and wipe down any other messes with a damp cloth.
The restraint design is great and very easy to access and use.
The straps have never gotten twisted or tangled like some other cheaper seats do. I used this seat in the rear-facing position for about 3 months until my daughter was big enough to turn forwards. It was very easy to use in this position as well. I love the button you push to loosen the straps and it was still easy to use even in the rear facing position (this is a problem in some other convertible seats). I have a Nissan Maxima and the seat fit very well both front and rear-facing in this relatively small car. I highly recommend this product!!!
By
KC-Mama (Kansas City) from Amazon
I did A TON of research on convertible infant-toddler car seats before my son outgrew his Graco SnugRide at 4 months. Consumer Reports gave this and another seat the highest safety ratings (this seat had the highest rating of all Britax convertible seats!) I chose this seat because it has EPS side-impact protection under the carseat cover. It's worth the extra money because it's your child's life! Also, it's really easy to tighten and loosen the straps, and the cover is really silky and comfortable. My son falls asleep within minutes of pulling out of the driveway.
My only gripes are that none of the existing toddler pillow neck/head supports fit into the seat, but that may be a problem with the manufacturers of the supports, not Britax. Also, the straps don't have soft covers to keep them from digging into my son's neck. I just bought some soft terrycloth ones from Babies R Us for $4.99. It works.
Finally,
Make the above
reviews on the Britax Roundabout car seat a guide for you while you make your decision. I've included the sites were I got them. Check them out as well as some are online retailers like Amazon and Toys R Us. Check the actual seat itself too on a brick and mortar store near you. It's better that you see it yourself and compare with other brands. As I said,
Britax car seats are a bit on the pricey side but you should be able to find some coupons or good deal on the net. Compare the prices.
