Britax Roundabout - Lazy Days Convertible Car Seat
Written: Jan 29 '08 (Updated Jan 30 '08)
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Pros: Versa tether, saftey cushioning, comfortable, washable, easy to install.
Cons: Kind of price, weight limit is kind of low.
The Bottom Line: We bought this because of its safety features, so far we feel good about our decision.
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| daddym's Full Review: Britax Roundabout Convertible Car Seat - Lazy Days |
I have three children, two older ones, and one younger one. Unfortunately my two older kids wore out their car seats so when my youngest got old enough to get out of his infant car seat we had to go about purchasing a new one for him. I don't remember exactly when we bought it but I believe he was just over a year old. He is just turned 4. We didn’t want to spend a tremendous amount of money on a car seat, but we also wanted to make sure that we got a nice safe one. In the end we decided on the Britax Roundabout Lazy Days convertible Car Seat.
We purchased ours in the Navy blue color. This is a solid blue color and is nice and dark so spills and dirt don’t show up all that much. The Britax Roundabout comes in a variety of different colors. Some of the colors however, cost more money. The basic colors are the Navy, 2 different tans, and a grey. They also have the multicolored covers such as onyx, one is like a cow that is called cowmoofloge, and there is a floral called Jessica, Granit, tan swirl and a denim one. The others are just simple patterns. So you can certainly find a seat that fits your child’s personality or one that will match the seating in your car.
We ended up spending about $180.00 for the car seat, which was more than we wanted to spend but it looked like the safest car seat for the least amount of money. There were cheaper ones, but they just didn’t seam as safe. There were also several that were much more expensive.
The cushioning of the seat is very soft and comfortable feeling but it is firm enough to give support.
The features of the seat are as follows:
Push button release LATCH system with patented Versa-Tether – The Versa-Tether helps to keep the seat from tilting forward or backward on impact. This is very important as my wife had to swerve once to avoid a car that ran a stop sign, when my daughter was the age that my son is now. My wife hit the curb and the car seat that my daughter was in at that time fell forward and she was kind of hanging. Because of this incident this was something that was very important to us as well when we chose this care seat. We gratefully have not had a chance to test the Versa-Tether since we have Knock on Wood not had any accidents or mishaps since we have gotten it and hope that we never do, but we are taking the manufactures word that it is safe.
A tangle-free 5-point harness with push button harness adjuster for varying shoulder heights. This adjusts to fit the child exactly and gives a snug hold in the shoulders, collarbone and hips. This can be adjusted as the child grows. A five part harness is a harness that has two shoulder straps, two hip straps and a crotch strap. Therefore the child is supported in several areas of their body. There is a belly pad to keep the belt from digging into the child's stomach. To adjust you just need to push a button and give it a tug.
Sculpted base and built-in vehicle belt locking clips – This is smaller than the base on a lot of car seats. It is easy to install and un-install in the car. This base is obviously used when the seat is rear facing. The seat belt goes through the base to lock the base into place. The car seat sits inside the base. When the child is ready to face front the seat can be put in place with out the base, just simply by placing the seat belt through the back of the chair.
EPS protective foam – This is one of the main reasons we chose this car seat over others. This is a very safe protective foam, and is very comfortable as well, as there is comfort foam placed in there as well. EPS protective foam is the same foam that is used in bicycle helmets.
This seat can be a rear facing car seat from 5 pounds up to 30 pounds. We did not use this seat until after my son had out grown his infant car seat. But most children are ready to turn aroung and face forward at around the one year mark. The weight limit for forward facing is up to 40 pounds, wise parents will keep their child in this size car set till they are about age 6. I could not find any information about height requirements, but common sense would dictate the a child in a rear facing car seat should be able to move their legs freely with out having them scrunch up against the back seat. For forward facing, a child's head should not exceed the length of the head rest, and should not stick out over the top at all. This specific chair does not have a head rest so for this chair it would mean that the head should not protrude above the head rest at all.
The seat also has an easy locking system where the harness end is pushed in, it releases easily with the push of a button, then be the belt is lifted over the head.
The cover is very washable and is not that difficult to remove, wash and replace. We have washed it a couple of times and it came out looking brand new both times. It also kept its shape nicely. You can just throw it in the washer, we used cold water, and the gentle cycle. We then threw it in the dryer for just a few minutes and then let it air dry.
So far we really like the car seat. My son is very comfortable in it, and he seems to be very safe while sitting in it. We read several different consumer reviews and safety comparisons when we made our choice to buy this. So we are taking comfort that we have made a safe choice with this seat.
If I had to complain about anything it would be that it is kind of pricey, but like I said for the quality and safety and comfort ability that it provides I would have to say that it is worth the price. I also wish that the weight limit was a bit higher, my son is a little over 30 pounds now, and I don’t expect to take him out this car seat for at least a few more years. So I am worried it will not accommodate him in a year or so. Or at least until my wife and I are comfortable moving him up to a booster type seat.
Other than those two things we are very pleased with the car seat. My son seems very comfortable in it. It’s nicely padded which is comforting, we also really feel comfortable since it has the Versa Tether. I hope the safety of this car seat is never seriously tested, but we feel confident that we have purchased a very safe car seat, when we purchased the Britax Roundabout Lazy Days Convertible Car Seat.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 180.00
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
daddym
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Member: Robert M
Location: IL
Reviews written: 123
Trusted by: 31 members
About Me:
Husband, Father, Pet Owner, Computer Geek and Motorcycle Enthusiast, poker player.
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