2020 Update: Diono’s gone on a renaming rampage. The Radian R120 is now the Radian 3RX. Practically speaking, it’s the same seat. Buy it here and enjoy extended rear-facing ang a good amount of forward-facing time in one of the absolute narrowest convertibles on the market.

2018 Update: The Radian R120, as well as all other Diono convertibles, were recalled in late 2017 by Diono and new versions were released addressing a potential safety issue involving top tethers. Every seat manufactured from October 2017 onward has been modified to resolve the issue.

Diono has released a number of high quality car seats lately, with their current flagship being the Diono Rainier. However, there are other, older convertibles by Diono that are still available and capable of keeping many children safe through extended rear facing. Today we’re going to take a closer look at one of them: the Diono Radian R120 All-In-One Convertible Car Seat.

Compared to the RXT and R100, it slots in the middle with the weight and height restrictions of the RXT but with the shape and lack of protruding headwings characteristic of the R00. Overall, it’s a blend of both seats and still one of the finest examples of an extended-rear facing seat capable of fitting in any vehicle on the market in 3 across configurations. You can read my full review below, and you can buy the Radian R120 here.

Diono Radian R120 – What’s the big deal?

Everyone today is talking about the Diono Rainier, Pacifica, and Olympia. However, before they came out, Diono had already been establishing a tradition of narrow, high-weight car seats that are still worth considering even if they aren’t the newest seats on the market anymore. The Diono Radian R120 is an all-in-one convertible car seat, which means it can be used in several configurations, including as a rear-facing infant seat, a forward-facing seat, and as a booster. Despite its age, the Radian R120 is a car seat that should be on every parent’s shopping list. It’s essentially the same seat as the RXT but without the added head and side support, so this review will be quite similar besides a discussion about the parts not included in the R120 compared to the RXT. Skip down to the “Why Buy the Diono Radian R120?” section for the juicy bits.

Diono Radian R120 Limits for Weight and Height

Rear-facing: 5-45 pounds, and up to 44″ in height. Your child’s head should not reach past 1.5″ below the top of the headrest. This is a standard requirement among the Diono all-in-ones.

Forward-facing: 20-80 pounds, and up to 57″ in height. Your child should be at least 1, and it’s recommended that s/he is at least 2. Of course, research into car safety indicates children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible (the average is 4 years in Sweden, which posts the lowest child fatality rate on Earth), and after rear-facing, the child should remain forward-facing as long as possible.

Booster mode: 50-120 pounds, and up to 57″ in height. As with the latest Diono seats, the shoulders of the child must at least reach the 4th pair of harness slots. Remember that children should remain in booster seats until their seat belts fit them over the shoulder, across the chest, and flat on the upper thighs. This is known as the 5-step test, and your child should not leave a booster seat without it.

Buy the Diono Radian R120 on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon.

Dimensions of the Diono Radian R120

The seat is 17″ wide at its widest point, which is at the shoulders. The seat weighs 26.5 pounds. Inside, it is around 14″ wide at the widest upper portion at the shoulders and slightly larger at the thighs.

Using the Diono Radian R120

The seat arrives folded nicely in a box that seems well designed for it. The seat arrives in a collapsed mode, so you can hook straps up to it and tote it around as a backpack, which works really nicely if you’re planning on taking it on an airplane. It’s also airplane compliant, which is great for travelers. All of the LATCH straps are held in the back, including seat belt clips that may be needed for older cars.The engineering of the seat is solid, and you can see where the newer generations of Dionos came from when you look at the Radian R120.

You might need to adjust the straps out of the box, but the learning curve is gentle. Keep in mind that you cannot install it in the center of your vehicle with a LATCH set up unless you have dedicated LATCH hookups there; this is common to almost every car seat on the market today in the United States. This means you’ll need to use a seat belt installation along with a locking clip for a middle seat install, and this might be a bit troublesome.

The Radian R120 is highly adjustable thanks to the harness range

There are 5 shoulder harness positions that range from 9″ on the low end to 17.5″ on the high end. The recline base must be used when the seat is in a rear-facing position. Because there are 5 different slots for harness height, most children are going to find a position that fits them comfortably for as long as they use the seat. You adjust the harness height from behind the seat by removing straps from the splitting plate and rethreading them into the desired slot. If your child is rear-facing, the slots need to be at or below the shoulders, while they need to be above for forward-facing. Diono is unique in that they do allow you to have forward-facing children with shoulders above the top shoulder harness slots as long as these children stay within the forward-facing weight limit and have the tops of their ears below the top of the car seat.

There is an angle adjuster that is frequently sold alongside the Diono line, as it helps cut down on the extremely large amount of space that the seat can take up when used in the rear-facing configuration. Depending on the size of your vehicle and the amount of space you need in the front seats, you may want to consider purchasing this. This is likely to be the case if you set the seat up directly behind the passenger or driver seats in the first row.

Buy the Diono Radian R120 on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon.

Why Buy the Diono Radian R120?

This is the meat and potatoes of this car seat. The Radian R120 is one of a handful of seats in the United States that allows you to rear-face a child for up to 45 pounds. It’s not as good as it gets anymore, but it’s pretty close. Every pound is precious, as the longer you rear-face, the safer your child is. In the US, parents tend to turn their children around into the line of fire at 1. In Sweden, this typically isn’t done until 4. Children in Sweden are far less likely to die in car crashes than children in the US. It makes that much of a difference. This alone is reason enough to buy the Radian R120.

Besides that fact, the Radian R120 also includes a steel frame, although it does not include an aluminum reinforced headrest for reinforced head support or EPS foam around the child’s head and body to increase levels of side impact protection. The sidewalls are not as deep as those in similar Diono models, including its RXT sibling, which means you get slightly less side side protection. To be honest, this is the only real difference between the R120 and the RXT; if it matters to you, get the RXT. If it doesn’t, then the R120 will get the job done just as well.

The R120 might be a better Radian than the RXT

Some people even prefer the R120 to the RXT because some of the RXT wings had a bad habit of sliding down due to braces that were too weak to hold them in place over time. If you buy the R120, you never have to worry about this issue, much as people with cars with manual windows never have to worry about their window regulators going bad and leaving them with windows that won’t wind up in the middle of summer / winter / rainstorms / bad neighborhoods.

Finally, the Radian R120 is also simply an easier seat to install than most, due to its narrow width of 17 inches. That means it’s actually possible to install 3 across in a number of smaller vehicles. I also like the fact that it has a 10-year usable life when used as a booster and an 8 year life when used with a harness (remember, car seats do expire eventually), which is still among the longest in the industry right now, although not as long as the booster limits in the newer Dionos, which are 12 years. I also like that it is certified to use on airplanes when used with the harnesses.

What About the Newer Seats? – the Rainier in Particular?

The newer Diono seats are definitely flashier, come with longer product lives, and in the case of the Rainier and Pacifica, higher RF limits. However, none of this changes the effectiveness of the Radian R120. If you don’t need the newer belts and whistles or are looking to save a bit of money, I’d suggest looking seriously at the R120 alongside the newer Dionos.

The width point is particularly important to consider, as that’s an area where the R120 is clearly superior to the newer Dionos. I’ve compared both during installations, and there’s no question that the flaring out design of the sides of the newer Dionos makes them more difficult to puzzle with other car seats when trying to set up 3 across installations. It’s still possible to do 3 across with a new Diono, but not to the degree that it is with an older one like an R120 or an RXT. Keep this in mind if you’re driving a small class vehicle like a Prius, Civic, Corolla, Cruze, or any of the others I’ve reviewed here for 3 across compatibility.

The Radian R120 is an excellent car seat and, in my opinion, still one of the best currently available in the United States for children between zero and five.  You can buy the Diono Radian R120 in the three colors above here. Canadians can buy the Radian R120 here.

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? Send me an email at carcrashdetective [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Graco 4Ever All-In-One Convertible Six-Position Car Seat is a seat that many of us in the car safety community have been waiting for for a long time; an attempt to create a seat that parents could use for a long, long time without compromising the safety of their children, with enough versatility to enable extended rear-facing and rapid, secure, installations. When I finally had the chance to pick one up and review it, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

2018 update: It’s been a few years since the 4Ever came out, but it remains one of the best all-in-one seats on the market. Nothing has changed in weight or height limits, but many more fabric options are available and the price has dropped significantly. I still recommend it heartily for parents looking for a “one and done” approach to car seats.

Graco 4Ever All-In-One – What’s the big deal?

The Graco 4Ever All-In-One is Graco’s second attempt at a “forever” car seat, and in terms of functionality, this is one of the most impressive seats on the market from one of the most established names in the field. It’s a convertible “4 in 1” car seat, which means it can be used in several configurations, including as a rear-facing infant seat, a forward-facing seat, and as a high back and backless booster. The Graco 4Ever All-In-One is designed, per Graco, to be the only child car seat parents ever need. That’s an awfully big promise to make to parents. Is it worth it? Read on to find out!

Buy the Graco 4Ever on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Graco 4Ever Limits for Weight and Height

Rear-facing: 5-40 pounds. Your child’s head should not reach past 1″ below the top of the headrest. There is no given height limit for the child besides the 1″ rule. The shell extends to 27″, which is very impressive.

Forward-facing: 20-65 pounds, and between 27″ and 52″ in height. The tips of your child’s ears need to be below the top end of the head rest. Your child should be at least 1, and it’s recommended that s/he is at least 2. Of course, research into car safety indicates children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible (the average is 4 years in Sweden, which posts the lowest child fatality rate on Earth), and after rear-facing, the child should remain forward-facing as long as possible.

High back booster: 30-100 pounds, and between 38″ and 52″ in height. I always suggest children are at least 8 years old before switching from forward-facing into a booster.

Backless booster: 40-120 pounds, and between 40″ and 57″ in height. Most children will typically not be ready to move out of a booster until they are at least 4’9″, or 57″ tall, although the typical range is between 4’9″ and 5.’

Dimensions of the Graco 4Ever All-In-One

The seat is 20″ wide at its widest point and 24″ high. It is around 21.5″ long. It weighs 23 pounds and has a 10-year product life. The lowest harness position with the included infant insert is 6″, while the highest is 18″ and the highest booster position is 19.”

Using the Graco 4Ever All-In-One

Many companies, including Graco, have tried making “forever” car seats for a while. Generally, all-in-one car seats tend to have strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Dionos are great RF and FF but aren’t very useful as boosters if you maximize their FF potentials. Similarly, the Foonf is great RF but can’t be used from birth, and also has a much narrower FF range than the Dionos. This is a good example of the ‘jack of all trades; master of none’ expression. However, when I had the chance to try out a 4Ever All-In-One, I couldn’t pass it up.

The seat arrives almost ready to use from the moment you unbox it, which was a welcome surprise. The cupholders are the only significant part that aren’t attached, and this was probably done to save a bit of space in the necessary box size. The manual includes instructions for attaching them, of course.

I’ve looked at the Smart Seat, Graco’s prior “all-in-one” seat, and it’s clear that Graco learned from the mistakes they made with it. This seat strikes me as a cross between a Snugride, a Size4Me, and a Nautilus, and a pleasant cross at that.

There are six recline positions available; the first three are used while rear-facing, while the second three are used while forward-facing. The fourth recline position is necessary when a forward-facing child weighs 20-40 pounds while the sixth is solely to be used as a booster. A recline indicator is available. There is also a no-thread harness present, which is always a blessing when making adjustments.

When used as a rear-facing seat, the Graco 4Ever All-In-One is rather compact; I was able to fit it in smaller sedans (e.g., Honda Civics) without too much trouble. It features an extending head restraint so the seat stays small by moving upwards instead of out and back. I like that.

The manual for the Graco 4Ever All-In-One is detailed and there is even a storage slot in the back of the seat for it. I like how the manual refers to the AAP recommendation of RF for kids under 2, although we know it should be far beyond that. The shell of this seat is tall enough to permit virtually all children to reach 40 pounds while rear-facing, which is good.

Something I’ve become more impressed about over the years are car seats that do well with smaller infants, as the best car seat is useless if your children can’t sit safely in it. The Size4Me is rated down to 4 pounds. I can verify that it works well with 4 pound newborns or preemies, although you need to remember that whether it fits a specific newborn or premature infant will depend on the child. Keep in mind that a number of convertible car seats don’t work well with newborns, so this is something to be lauded in the Size4Me.

4Ever-All-In-One LATCH and Seat Belt Installation = Easy

Installation of the Graco 4Ever All-In-One is rather basic; you can use lower LATCH anchors, which, of course, you tighten until you have 1″ or less of side to side movement, or you can use a seat belt installation, which I prefer. To do that, you simply store the LATCH connectors on their storage bars and run the seat belt through the belt path for rear-facing.

When rear-facing or forward-facing, keep in mind that you can only use LATCH anchors if the child weighs less than 42 pounds. This again makes it a good idea to just start with the seat belt instead of worrying about needing to switch later on. When forward-facing, Graco recommends you always use the tether, which is best practices for all seats when forward-facing.

Something I’d like Graco to change about the 4Ever All-In-One is their low minimum weight for the high back booster configuration of 30 pounds. There’s no reason for a 3-year old (e.g., a 30 lb child) to ever be in a high back booster; best practices suggests children shouldn’t enter these until they’re at least 8 years old. Hopefully Graco raises this minimum, especially given that the seat can easily fit older children (up to 65 pounds, in fact) while harnessed forward-facing.

High-Back Booster Mode = Useful

At any rate, once your child is too big for the harness (at 65 pounds and 52″ in height with an 18″ shoulder height), s/he should be able to fit for another year or more in high back booster mode, since the shoulder belt adjuster is another inch higher at 19.” By the way, I like that the harness can be stored within the seat while it is in booster mode; this makes it a lot harder to lose. There is a small storage compartment behind the seat pad that takes care of this. Little touches like that are part of what makes this seat so good.

Something else included by Graco is the capacity to use the lower anchors as well as a tether when the 4Ever All-In-One is used as a booster. However, remember that if you don’t set it up this way, that the buckle needs to be buckled every time it’s in your vehicle, regardless of whether a child is inside it or not. That keeps it from turning into a deadly projectile in a collision.

Finally, the 4Ever All-In-One can be used in a backless booster mode if your child outgrows it in high back booster mode. Keep in mind that your vehicle needs to offer head support if you wish to use it this way, and that it should only be considered as an option if your child is capable of sitting correctly 100% of the time, including while asleep. Of course, if your child isn’t ready for that, s/he’s not ready for a booster to begin with; try the 5-step guide to be sure.

Buy the Graco 4Ever on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Why Buy the Graco 4Ever All-In-One?

This is the meat and potatoes of this car seat. The  Graco 4Ever All-In-One is one of several seats in the United States that allow you to rear-face a child for up to 40 pounds. This isn’t as good as it gets anymore, but it’s still decent. Every pound is precious, as the longer you rear-face, the safer your child is. In the US, parents tend to turn their children around into the line of fire at 1. In Sweden, this typically isn’t done until 4. Children in Sweden are far less likely to die in car crashes than children in the US. It makes that much of a difference. This alone is reason enough to buy the Graco 4Ever All-In-One.

Let’s be honest: the Graco 4Ever All-In-One is not going to win any awards for uber-long RF weight among its fellow convertibles. However, it’s designed to fill a niche, and in that respect, it does so well. It’s a great seat for parents who want a seat that can realistically take their children from birth to booster age and in some cases to the point where they no longer need a car seat at all. This, for me, is the biggest reason to buy the Graco 4Ever All-In-One.

However, there are other reasons to consider. It’s also a good seat for parents of tall, skinny kids, and it also works well if you don’t have a child who’s high in the weight percentiles, yet still want him or her to rear-face until kindergarten. It’s also reasonably skinny, so you will be able to fit three across, whether with this or with other car seats, in most vehicles that are mid-sized or larger. I also love the fact that it has a 10-year product life in all settings, which beats even the Dionos with their 8-year harnessed lives.

What are the biggest disadvantages of the 4Ever All-In-One?

The biggest strike against the Graco 4Ever All-In-One is the fact that there are seats that allow you to RF longer by weight. However, this seat isn’t meant to lead the class there; what it’s meant to do is to simplify the process of safely transporting a child in a vehicle for years to come. This is the best thought out “forever” seat I have come across, and for parents who are looking for a seat to stay with their child for a decade, there is nothing better out there right now. In that sense, it’s the best seat I’ve reviewed.

I’m looking forward to more manufacturers following their market, as it’s quite possible that this might be the only car seat a child ever needs, especially if you have a taller child who reaches the 4’9″ to 5 foot range where children typically no longer need boosters by age 10.

I recommend the Graco 4Ever All-In-One wholeheartedly. You can buy the Graco 4Ever All-In-One here in a range of colors.

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!

2018 Update: The G1.1 update to the Parkway SGL hasn’t changed anything significant besides print options; the SGL continues to be one of the best budget high-back booster options currently on the market.

Britax Parkway SGL G1.1 – What’s the big deal?

The Britax Parkway SGL continues a tradition of versatile, high weight and height car seats by Britax that makes this one of the more impressive booster seats on the market. It’s a dual mode booster car seat, which means it can be used in two configurations: as a high back booster and as a backless booster. For parents of booster-age children, the Britax Parkway SGL is among the best boosters on the market.

Britax Parkway SGL G1.1 Limits for Weight and Height

High back booster: 40-120 pounds, and between 38 and 63″ in height.  The seated shoulder height of the child in terms of the belt guide can range between 15  and 21.5.” Your child should be at least 4 years old. Of course, research into car safety indicates children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible (the average is 4 years in Sweden, which posts the lowest child fatality rate on Earth), and after rear-facing, the child should remain forward-facing as long as possible before switching into a booster.

Backless booster: 40-120 pounds, and the height limits will vary with the head restraint included with the vehicle. Your child should be at least 4 years old.  Remember that children should remain in booster seats until their seat belts fit them over the shoulder, across the chest, and flat on the upper thighs.

Buy the Britax Parkway SGL on sale with free shipping at Amazon here.

Dimensions of the Britax Parkway SGL G1.1

The seat is 18″ wide and 15″ deep, and ranges from a height of 28″ to 35.” The seat weighs 12.5 pounds in high back mode, making it the lightest booster seat I’ve reviewed so far. The seat is 12.5″ wide internally at the shoulders while the seat area is 11″ wide and 11″ deep.

Why Buy the Britax Parkway SGL G1.1?

I’ve had the privilege of reviewing some pretty awesome car seats over the last few years, both as a parent and as a grizzly guy writing a car safety blog. I advocate rear-facing to the limits, forward-facing to the limits, and only then switching to boosters. I prefer convertible seats to infant seats and combination seats to boosters, simply for efficiency. Dedicated boosters, in the end, are designed to do the same thing as combination seats in booster mode: to properly position seat belts on children who are old enough to sit in them. So if there are combination seats that do as good of a job as dedicated boosters, why would I review and even suggest a dedicated booster?

First of all, it includes an ISOFLEX system. This is a fancy name for a LATCH attachment that keeps the Parkway SGL stable while children are getting into and out of it. Similarly, when no one is sitting in it, it keeps it from becoming a potentially lethal flying object. If you buy a booster without such a system, you need to remember to buckle it whenever driving. The ISOFLEX system takes the thinking out of that, as it’s an easy stem to use where you simply pull on a strap to tighten the attachments.

Buy the Britax Parkway SGL on sale with free shipping at Amazon here.

Is that alone enough of a reason to buy the Parkway SGL? Well, for me it wouldn’t be. However, there are several other reasons that add up to convince me. For example, you’re looking at a seat that includes a very good range to fit a wide range of kids until they were capable of sitting safely without boosters. Similarly, the side wings are large, high, and deep, which keep the head and torso well protected and supported. I also like that it can be used as both a high back and as a backless booster, although I don’t think children should ever be in backless boosters if high back boosters are available. I’m also a fan of the Secure Guard clip that is designed to keep children from sliding beneath the lap portion of the lap belt, or submarining, during a collision. This reduces the risk of serious injuries to the abdomen. To me, this alone is reason enough to invest in the Britax Parkway SGL.

Finally, I also like that the high back mode is usable in seats where head restraints are not present or in situations where the head restraint needs to be unscrewed so the booster will sit flat, the way it needs to, against the vehicle seat.

The Britax Parkway SGL is a solid car seat and, in my opinion, one of the best booster car seats currently available in the United States for children above the age of 4.  It’s likely to be the last seat your child needs before s/he is ready for a regular adult seat belt. You can buy the Britax Parkway SGL G1.1 in a range of colors here. Canadians can buy it here.

The Britax Pioneer G1.1  is one of the best options for front-facing and boostering currently on the market. This was the case in 2014 when I initially reviewed this seat, and having used the latest version of the seat, I can confirm that it continues to be one of the best options for combination seats on the market today. Even though it’s not as feature-filled in terms of height limits, weight limits, or side impact protection as its siblings the Frontier and Pinnacle, the Pioneer is still well worthy of consideration for parents interested in a safe and effective front-facing and booster seat for their children. Let’s take a closer look at it together.

2018 update: Britax updated the Pioneer 70 and renamed it the Pioneer G.1.1. The height and weight limits (as well as the dimensions and weight) of the seat remain the same. It’s still one of the two best combination seats on the market, as well as one of the better booster seats on the market.

Britax Pioneer G1.1 – What’s the big deal?

The Britax Pioneer G1.1 continues a tradition of versatile, high weight and height car seats that makes this one of the most impressive combination seats on the market. It’s a combination car seat, which means it can be used in two configurations: as a forward-facing seat and as a booster. Released by Britax as a lower-cost alternative to its high weight siblings the Frontier and Pinnacle, the Pioneer is a combination car seat that should be on every parent’s shopping list.

Britax Pioneer G1.1 Limits for Weight and Height

Forward-facing: 25-70 pounds, and between 30 and 56″ in height.  The seated shoulder height of the child can range between 12.5″ and 19.5.” Your child should be at least 2-years-old and weigh at least 25 pounds.

Of course, research into car safety indicates children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible (the average is 4 years in Sweden, which posts the lowest child fatality rate on Earth), and after rear-facing, the child should forward-face until they’re mature enough to use boosters (at which point, both are equally safe). Also note that using a harness is required when using the seat in harnessed mode if the child weighs more than 65 pounds, although Britax recommends it in every installation.

Booster mode: 40-110 pounds, and between 45″ and 60″ in height. The seated shoulder height of the child can range between 15″ and 22″.” Remember that children should remain in booster seats until their seat belts fit them over the shoulder, across the chest, and flat on the upper thighs.

Buy the Britax Pioneer G1.1 on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Dimensions of the Britax Pioneer G1.1

The seat is 19″ wide at its widest point, which is at the shoulders. The seat weighs 21 pounds. Inside, it is around 15.5″ wide at the widest upper portion at the shoulders and 12″ wide in the seat area. The harness slot heights range from 12.5″ to 19.5″ in 8 steps one inch apart.

Using the Britax Pioneer G1.1

The seat arrives in a box that’s designed very well; you don’t have to struggle to get the seat out of the box, which is nice when you consider that it has a decent amount of weight behind it. The seat essentially just slides out, which is where the fun begins.

The Pioneer is a rather straightforward seat to install, and I do like that the seat belt path is quite open, which helps with avoiding frustration and scraped knuckles. The LATCH installation is also rather simple, and I like the way the LATCH connectors can be stored out of the way when not in use.

The seat itself shares a lot in common with other Britax seats, including in its appearance. It’s a heavy seat and looks solid. The no-rethread harnesses are easy enough to adjust, which I like, and the harness release lever is significantly easier to access on the Pioneer than it is on the Frontier 90. Unfortunately, covers between the two seats are not interchangeable, so you won’t save money buying one of each in that respect. The seat is also padded nicely and has a design that keeps kids’ heads from slumping. The covers also go on and come off easily.

Why Buy the Britax Pioneer G1.1?

This is the meat and potatoes of this car seat. The Pioneer is one of the best combination seats in the car seat industry in the United States with its high top harness height setting of 19.5.” It’s not the best, but it’s very close.

Most children outgrow their combination seats by height long before they do by weight simply because most combination seats only offer top harness heights, or upper shoulder heights for children, of 18″ to 19.” Remember that when forward-facing, with very few exceptions, a child can no longer use a seat once his or her shoulders are level with the top harness.

Since the Pioneer has a higher harness limit, children can stay harnessed longer, which is a good thing once you’re done rear-facing. Each transition in child seats signifies a decrease in safety (e.g., rear-facing is safer than forward-facing, which is safer than a booster position, which is safer than simply using a seat belt); the longer you can keep a child forward-facing in a harness, the better. This is why I’d consider the Pioneer.

Buy the Britax Pioneer G1.1 on Sale with Free Shipping at Amazon here.

Besides that fact, the Pioneer also includes a steel frame to keep the seat from flexing forward as much in the event of a crash. It also features EPS foam around the child’s head and body to increase levels of side impact protection and reduce stress and strain on the body during collisions. All of these are good things.

Finally, the Pioneer is also simply an easier seat to install than most, due to its narrow width of 19 inches. That means it’s actually possible to install 3 across in a number of midsized vehicles. I also like the fact that it has a 9-year usable life (remember, car seats do expire eventually), which is  great, although there are seats with longer lifespans (e.g., the newest Dionos). I  also like that it’s made locally in the US.

The Pioneer is an excellent car seat and, in my opinion, one of the three best combination car seats currently available in the United States for children above the age of 4.  The only combination seats I believe do a better job are the Frontier and Pinnacle. However, it’s possible that it might be the last seat your child needs before s/he is ready for a regular adult seat belt. You can buy the Britax Pioneer G1.1 in a range of colors here. Canadians can buy it here.

 

When it comes to car safety, you can focus on driving safely and you can focus on choosing a safe car. However, if you have children, you also need to focus on choosing a safe car seat. This is one of a series of reviews I’ll write on what I consider to be the best car seats currently available in the United States.

2014 Britax B-Safe – What’s the big deal?

The Britax B-Safe isn’t the kind of seat I’d typically review, given my preference for convertibles and combination seats, but functionality is what’s important, and in terms of functionality, this is one of the most impressive seats on the market. It’s an infant car seat, which means it can be used in one configuration: as a rear-facing infant seat. It does not forward face; for that, you’ll need a convertible. It’s one of the newest infant seats from Britax, and aims to improve child safety by increasing the odds parents have of correctly installing and using car seats from day one. Is it worth it? Read on to find out!

Britax B-Safe Limits for Weight and Height

Rear-facing: 4-30 pounds. Your child’s head should not reach past 1″ below the top of the main shell. There is also a 32″ height limit for the child. The shoulder height of the child while seated may range between 6.5″ and 11″.

Of course, as a parent invested in your child’s safety, you’re not going to stop at 30 lbs, since research into car safety indicates children should remain rear-facing for as long as possible (the average is 4 years in Sweden, which posts the lowest child fatality rate on Earth), and after rear-facing, the child should remain forward-facing as long as possible.

Buy the Britax B-Safe on Sale at Amazon here.

Dimensions of the Britax B-Safe

The seat is 17.5″ wide at its widest point and 24.5″ high when the handle is up. The seat weighs 9.8 pounds, which makes it one of the lightest seats I’ve reviewed so far. Of course, being an infant seat, it should be much lighter than a convertible or combination seat. The base weighs 6 pounds and is 15″ wide.

Using the Britax B-Safe

There are a number of fun parts to using the B-Safe; here are some that stood out to me rather quickly. First of all, there are four different settings for the harness height and you can adjust how deep the crotch strap sits.

As is typically the case with infant seats, the seat can be detached from its base and attached to Britax strollers, which makes it easy to transport your children while on the go. You can achieve a good install with either the seat belt or with lower LATCH anchors. Don’t use both, of course. The seat may be installed with or without the base. I like the base because it makes it a snap (literally) to install and remove the seat, which is crucial for getting a newborn or young infant out of a vehicle or into one without waking him or her. If you need extra bases, you can purchase them separately for installations in multiple vehicles. The base has a recline adjustment with 5 positions as well as indicators for the correct angle on both sides.

The thing I like most about the Britax B-Safe is that it is preemie friendly. There are a lot of seats that require a lot of hoops such as blanket rolling to make work with premature infants, and any mother who has purchased, bought, and returned several car seats to and from the NICU in effort to find a seat that makes a good fit knows how thankless of a task that is. However, the Britax B-Safe fits preemies easily, which is a blessing. A big part of why it will reliably fit 4 pound babies is because the lowest of the four harness slots is only 5.5″. Along with the Keyfit 30, this is a great choice for a preemie-friendly infant seat. Remember that not every infant seat actually makes a good fit when you try to use it at the lowest advertised weight, so this is important information.

The Britax B-Safe features a newborn insert to make fitting premature and smaller infants an easier affair. It is designed to be moved from the baby’s bottom to behind him or her to keep a good fit as the child grows. It can be used or removed at any weight or height under the condition that the child is seated securely in the seat with or without the insert. Finally, I’m also a fan of the fact that Britax made two positions for the crotch buckle; little touches like these make all the difference in comfort for small infants.

Buy the Britax B-Safe on Sale at Amazon here.

Why Buy the Britax B-Safe?

This is the part parents are most interested in. The Britax B-Safe is not designed to help you rear-face a child until the cows come home. What it does well is provide parents with a convenient and nearly fool-proof method of getting their child safely from the hospital and around for the first few months of life. After that, I’d recommend replacing it with a convertible seat with the highest RF limits you can find. In other words, look for these seats. Remember, every pound is precious, as the longer you rear-face, the safer your child is. In the US, parents tend to turn their children around into the line of fire at 1. In Sweden, this typically isn’t done until 4. Children in Sweden are far less likely to die in car crashes than children in the US. It makes that much of a difference.

If ERF is what’s most important, then you might wonder why I’d suggest a seat that doesn’t come anywhere close to the best ERF limits. That’s because infant seats aren’t designed to RF forever. They’re for convenience! A class A convertible like a Foonf weighs more than 30 pounds; add the 7 pounds of a newborn and there’s no way you’re going to take that seat and child anywhere if it’s all you have as a child seat.

In contrast, with a seat like the Britax B-Safe, you buy it packaged with a stroller, such as with the B-Safe Travel System, and use the seat and stroller to transport your child when walking, and move the seat with your newborn about without waking up your child. Later, as your child gains in weight, you’ll naturally stop using the infant seat and start using the stroller or a good baby carrier to transport him or her, and when s/he’s in the car, you’ll use a high quality convertible car seat, and then later a combination seat. That’s the easiest way to navigate the practicalities of weight, children, car seats, and transportation. Start with the infant seat and stroller, or infant seat and carrier, and transition to the stroller or carrier and convertible seat.

I recommend the Britax B-Safe wholeheartedly. You can buy the B-Safe in a range of colors here. You can buy the B-Safe packaged with a stroller here or buy a separate compatible regular stroller here or a compatible high end stroller here. Here’s an example of a great baby carrier that we use on a daily basis when walking with our kids. You can buy the B-Safe base separately here. And last but not least, Canadians can buy the B-Safe and additional bases here.

—

If you find the information on car safety, recommended car seats, and car seat reviews on this car seat blog helpful, you can shop through this Amazon link for any purchases, car seat-related or not. Canadians can shop through this link for Canadian purchases.