Car Seats & Booster Seats

Britax are well-established leaders in the car and booster seat industry; they’ve been making superior quality child seats for many years now and they’re one of the few specialist child care companies that you might have heard of; they’re a pretty big name. Britax can trace their roots back over fifty years, and they specialise in precision engineering, not just car and booster seats – so they know their stuff with many different areas of expertise. They have a vast well of experience to draw from, which means that they make exceptional quality chairs and seats for the most discerning of customers… children.

Britax Booster Seats

Britax produce two main booster seats - the Horizon and the Sprint, both of which are market leading products in their own rights. New legal regulations in the UK stipulate that any child under 4’5” – or 135cm – is required to use a booster seat, or a full car seat if they’re under 15kg. As a general rule, this encompasses most children aged 12 and under (but obviously some children will be taller than others).

The Horizon and the Sprint booster seats are backless: they comprise only the bottom of the seat, and as such they’re intended for larger, older children. This means that they’re completely safe to use with ordinary, adult oriented three-point seatbelts, in fact this is what they’re designed for. The Horizon and the Sprint booster seats can comfortably accommodate children between the ages of about four to about twelve – or from 15kg to about 36kg.

They work by raising – boosting – the child occupant up a little bit, thereby allowing them to fit into the adult seats a little better, and take advantage of the safety offered by a seatbelt without being constrained by a three- or four-point harness found on the car seats aimed at younger children.

Safety & Support

For the record, a child’s booster seat is defined as any seat which is designed to be used with the car’s built-in seatbelts, whereas a child’s car seat is a seat which has its own harness or belts built into it. As such, booster seats can be manufactured with all the safety and support offered by a more expensive car seat, but use the car’s seat belts (which keeps the cost down). Britax’s Kid Plus booster seat is an example of this. This booster seat uses a fully supporting backrest and arms, but is designed to use the car’s seat belts. This means that your child is more protected in the event of a side-impact crash, yet the seat doesn’t carry the higher price tag of a bespoke car seat.

All the booster seats made by Britax can be easily installed and removed, which means that they fit comfortably in most cars and can be quickly taken out for cleaning. They’re fully adjustable to fit most children comfortably, and the designs are innovative and fresh, incorporating things like snack cups and drinks holders, and they’re available in a range of colours.

Britax Car Seats

Baby and toddler car seats are where Britax really excel, and they receive unanimously excellent reviews for each new one they produce, and for each update of an old style. They lead the field in terms of design and manufacture, and their harnessing systems consistently win annual design awards, not to mention the multitude of parenting and babycare accolades they’re given each year.

If you’ve used a Britax car seat, the chances are that you’ve recommended it to someone else. If you’ve never used one, chances are that someone has recommended one to you. If you do any research before you commit to buying a baby car seat (they’re not cheap after all, so it’s a good idea to get some background on them), then you’ve almost certainly stumbled across the countless positive reviews in internet forums and in Which? style magazines. They’re quality products.

Heavy Lifting

One often cited criticism about Britax car seats is that they’re heavy. It’s true, they are heavy, because the materials used to make them are not cheaply moulded plastics and synthetic fabrics. They’re precision manufactured utilities designed to help protect the safety and well-being of your child, and their weight is an accurate indicator of their quality.

We stock around eleven different car seats from Britax, ranging in price from £99 for the Renaissance SI to £419.99 for the world-famous Traveller Plus, although most of the seats in the range are priced around the £110 mark – which is surprisingly reasonable when you consider the prices of Britax’s rivals.

Britax car seats are intended to grow with your chills, but you’ll find that some models are aimed at specific age ranges. Below is a list of the chairs offered by Olivers organised by age group:

From Birth to 6 Months:

• Baby Safe Sleeper – this isn’t strictly a car seat; it’s a carrier which can be used safely in the car, and is designed for very young infants.

From Birth to 4 years

• The First Class SI & Ultra – these are two of the most popular car seats for infants on the market. They can be rear facing for the earliest stages of your baby’s life, but then forward facing as your child grows. It’s fully adjustable, and uses highly padded wings to protect in a side-on impact.

From 9 months to 4 years

• The Eclipse SI – a rare breed of child’s car seat, this is compatible with a lap-strap which means that it can be placed in the middle of the back seats, thereby putting a little distance between your baby and a potential side impact collision. Thanks to the spring-loaded belt locking mechanism, this seat can also be used easily in two-door cars. There’s a five-point harness to keep your toddler safely in place, and a single pull strap for easy adjustment.
• The Explora STS - the STS in the name here stands for Self-Tensioning System; a highly praised, patented design which allows the seatbelt to be automatically tensioned as the seat is installed, offering a highly secure seatbelt arrangement. The Explora STS is recline-able for your child’s comfort, and the sides are padded for their safety.
• The Explora ISOFIX – the Explora ISOFIX is ostensibly the same chair as the STS above, but this one uses the ISOFIX fittings to mount it. The ISOFIX system is being built into most modern cars by their manufacturers to offer some convention to the child car seat industry, but you’ll have to check with your vehicle’s manufacturer to see if your car is compatible.
• The Duo Plus ISOFIX - a deep, luxurious looking chair this one, which also makes use of the ISOFIX mountings on the floor of your car. The Duo Plus is built with protection in mind, setting your child deep back into the seat and offering extensive side protection. The comfortable five-point harness secures the occupant in place and is soft against their skin in case their face should rub against the straps during sleep.

From 9 months to 11 years

• Evolva 1-2-3 – the Evolva chairs have proved exceptionally popular with parents. They’re easy to fit, and include innovative design features such as cup holders and an intuitive seat belt adjuster strap. It’s stylish and relatively inexpensive, plus it conforms to all the latest legal regulations for kids under 12 years old.
• Evlova 1-2-3 Ultra – The Ultra is similar in design to the standard 1-2-3, but the side wings are adjustable to suit your child as they grow, and to offer a little more side protection. The price is a little higher, but not much.

From 1 year to 12 years

• The Evolva 2-3 – much the same as the Evolvas in the last age group, except this time with less consideration for the youngest children and instead with an emphasis on growing children.
• The Evolva 2-3 ISOFIT Ultra – much the same as the last Evolva, except making use of the ISOFIX fittings found in newer cars.
• The Horizon & the Sprint - these are the two booster seats we discussed at the beginning.
• The Traveller Plus – this is the largest and most expensive chair in the range, and represents the very finest the industry has to offer. It’s designed primarily for large children or children with special needs. It’s held in place using the car’s seatbelt, and uses a five-point harness to secure your child. Everything is adjustable on this seat, so every child will find comfort and safety here.
• We should point out that these size guides are approximate and children grow at different rates, but they’re generally accurate. All of the car seats and boosters are available in a range of colours, and many even allow you to choose which material you want the seat finished in; you can choose from deep, warming materials are comfortable, cooling materials, depending on the climate in which you live.
• Britax offer a wide range of child’s car seats and toddler booster seats, all of which are expertly designed and skillfully manufactured. When you buy into the Britax brand, you’re buying into real quality.