Britax is no stranger to the car seat world, and I’ve had the pleasure of using and reviewing a number of their car seats over the years, including the Advocate ClickTight, Marathon ClickTight, Boulevard Clicktight, Advocate G4, Frontier 90, Pinnacle 90, Pioneer 70, Parkway SGL, and B-Safe. All of these seats have been high quality devices, and I’ve been equally thrilled with their B-Agile Double Stroller. As a result, when Britax let me know that they were on the verge of releasing both an update to the B-Safe and a new B-Safe Elite, I couldn’t wait to take a look at an early version of it. You can pick up the B-Safe 35 Elite from Amazon here.

2018 update: Years later, the B-Safe 35 is still a great choice for parents looking for a safe and affordable infant seat. There have been no significant changes since its debut.

Britax B-Safe 35 Elite – What’s the big deal?

The B-Safe 35 Elite is an updated version of Britax’s popular B-Safe infant car seat. Britax is releasing two versions of the B-Safe; a regular, newer B-Safe 35, which features a 35 pound weight limit instead of the prior 30 pound weight limit and the B-Safe 35 Elite, which adds a number of safety technologies, including SafeCell Impact Protection, Side Impact Protection PLUS, and an Absorbing Base. What does that all mean? We’ll go over it down below in the “Using” section. However, a bit of background first…

The B-Safe 35 Elite is an infant car seat, which means it’s designed to be used rear-facing only, and that it can be the very first seat your baby uses right out of the hospital. Being an infant seat, you can’t use it to forward-face; you’ll either need a convertible seat or a combination seat for that. The advantage of infant seats is that they’re much, much lighter than convertible seats; the disadvantage is that you can’t use them as long.

B-Safe 35 Elite Limits for Weight and Height

Rear-facing: 4 to 35 pounds. Children should be shorter than 32″ in height and their heads must be at least 1″ below the top of the seat. The child can have a seated shoulder height between 6.5″ and 11.” Of course, you’ll want to rear-face your child until they reach the weight or height limits, and not forward-face them until then. Personally, I’d use the seat for as long as possible and then switch to a convertible seat like the Advocate ClickTight or Marathon ClickTIght or Boulevard ClickTight. Alternatively, I might just buy one of those from the start and call it a day. The main point is to learn from the Swedes, who have the lowest child crash fatality rates on Earth, and rear-face for as long possible.

Dimensions of the Britax B-Safe 35 Elite

The B-Safe 35 Elite is 17.75″ wide, 26.5″ deep, and 25″ high. The back of the seat is 20″ high and the seat area is 13″ deep and just under 9″ wide. The shoulder width is 10″ while the buckle strap depths are 4″ and 6.” There are 6 harness slots that range in height from 5.5″ to 11.” The seat itself weighs 11.5 pounds while the base weighs another 9 pounds. At 11.5 pounds, it’s definitely not the lightest infant seat out there, but it’s still lighter than any convertible seat, and it’s also narrow enough to work well in almost any car, truck, or SUV with 3 car seats.

Buy the B-Safe 35 Elite on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Installing and Using the Britax B-Safe 35 Elite

The Britax B-Safe 35 looks strong and sturdy out of the box and feels smooth and well designed. Installation is possible both through LATCH anchors and through a seat belt installation. One of the features of the Elite designed to make the installation process easier is SafeCenter LATCH Installation, which basically means you get a set of center-pull straps that make it simple to install your LATCH straps. There are also Easy-On / Easy-Off LATCH connectors that click when they’re correctly anchored to your vehicle and are released simply by pushing a button.

Of course, you can also install your B-Safe 35 Elite through a good old fashioned seat belt, especially if you happen to have a vehicle that doesn’t come with LATCH anchors or if you simply don’t want to use them. When you use the seat belt, you get built-in lock offs to reduce the effort needed to get a nice tight installation. I generally prefer using seat belt installations whenever I can help it, as that makes it easier to achieve 3 across installations. However, if you aren’t planning on setting up 2 adjacent car seats beside your B-Safe 35 Elite, I’d suggest going with the LATCH setup if you can just because it’s so darn easy.

Base, Harness and Fit

The base for the B-Safe 35 Elite looks sturdy and feels even sturdier. You can buy extra bases separately and install them in additional vehicles, which saves you from having to use a seat belt baseless installation if you want to use the B-Safe 35 Elite frequently in multiple vehicles. There is a spring-assisted recline foot and a pair of level indicators to help you get the right installation angle in your vehicle. I found both easy to use and had no complaints in the installation process.

The harness for the Elite is adjustable in 6 positions with heights at 5.5″, 6.5″, 8″, 8.75″, 10″, and 11.” The harness is described as a Quick-Adjust Harness, which means it’s basically a no-rethread harness. I love no-rethread harnesses because they take one more step out of the process of car seat adjustment, which results in safer children. You simply push a button and move the harness up or down as needed. Remember that when rear-facing, the harness straps should always be either at or below the child’s shoulders.

Fit-wise, the rating down to 4 pounds in weight indicates that the B-Safe 35 Elite can be expected to fit newborns and premature infants, which is always a relief since we never know exactly how large (or small) our babies will be until they arrive, no matter how many times we go through the pregnancy and delivery doors. I tested it with a full term 8 pound doll and a 5 pound doll and was able to achieve a good fit with both, especially with the additional head supports.

Safety and the Britax B-Safe 35 Elite

Safety-wise, I’m a big fan of the impact-absorbing base and steel frame, as when I’m driving with my little ones I want as much protection as I can afford. The head restraint is designed to absorb additional energy to help protect your baby’s head and neck, the two most vulnerable areas of the body. The side impact protection is something that only Britax and private companies can test, but given Britax’s track record in attention to side impact force mitigation, I’ll trust their results and analysis.

Buy the B-Safe 35 Elite on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Why Buy the Britax B-Safe 35 Elite?

I’m a fan of the Britax B-Safe 35 Elite for a number of reasons. First of all, I like that it features an increased level of rear-facing ability through higher weight limits than those found in the previous generation of the B-Safe. I wish the height limits had also been extended, but having the higher weight limit is a good first step.

What’s important is to keep rear-facing as long as possible, which means that the B-Safe 35 Elite should not be the only rear-facing car seat you buy if you choose it; 35 pounds won’t get children to age 4, which is where I believe we should be aiming for as parents when rear-facing. You’ll want to combine the B-Safe 35 Elite with a seat like the Advocate ClickTight, Marathon ClickTight, or Boulevard Clicktight if you’re looking to stay within the Britax family, or one of the other high weight convertible seats I’ve reviewed (here are the ones that allow rear-facing until 50 pounds).

Besides the rear-facing capabilities, I’m also a fan of the extensive side impact features built into the B-Safe 35 Elite, since side impact crashes, on average, are far more likely to be fatal to adults and children alike than front or rear-impacts. More broadly, I like the fact that the fabrics are comfortable, that the seat is compatible with a number of Britax strollers including the B-Agile Double, and that it’s made locally in the United States and approved for aircraft travel by the FAA.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Britax B-Safe 35 Elite, which you can buy here in Cactus Green, Cowmooflage, Domino, Red Pepper, and Vibe.

If you find my information on best practices in car and car seat safety helpful, you can do your shopping through this Amazon link. Canadians can shop here for Canadian purchases. Have a question or want to discuss best practices? Join us in the forums!