Thank you to Britax for providing this car seat for us to review. This is part one to show you the safety features you can see on the Advocate 70-G3 (Amazon link) and that it can be used for an infant and a toddler.
You never quite realize how much you value your backseat real estate until you have kids and it’s taken up by two car seats. I used to think a car seat was a car seat, but we’ve learned that not all seats are created equal. They don’t all share the same safety features or price ranges. All new seats should be safe, but some have higher safety standards and utilize different technology to prevent injuries to your baby in case of an accident.
With two kids, we want the safest seats possible with a price tag we can afford. When it comes to convertible car seats, I want to know that my family can get more than one or two years use out of it.
Britax want you to know exactly what safety features their new seats have by focusing on safety you can see. With many other seats you can only guess what is hidden underneath the cover. The Advocate 70-G3 has features that are designed to protect your baby from every angle. You never know what direction the accident could come from, after all.
I must say this seat is very comfortable due to the high density comfort foam. The safety features are easy to see as pictured above. The base has SafeCell technology which compresses the seat and reduces forward movement in an accident. The side impact cushion and head restraint absorb and distribute energy as well as keep their head and neck aligned. The HUGS chest pad and SafeCell technology help manage energy and reduce them from jerking forward.
One of my pet peeves with harness straps is how easily they get tangled or in the way while loading the kids in. These ones attach to the side (staying out of the way!) and don’t tangle up. It helps save time while getting them situated.
The other safety feature I hope you can see is that my 2.5 year old is rear-facing. This car seat has a rear facing weight limit of 50 pounds and forward facing of up to 70 pounds (and 49 inches tall). The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends rear facing up to at least age 2, and with a seat like this you can extend rear facing until they hit the weight/height limits.
The Britax Advocate 70-G3 (Amazon link) retails at $379.99 (but is often much cheaper on Amazon!), which might seem expensive for a car seat. Let me tell you, our first convertible car seat was $99, but I won’t use it anymore unless something happens to our good seats. Visually you can see that it lacks the added safety cushioning and it wasn’t very comfortable for road trips either. Knowing that this seat can be used from infancy through preschool years makes it more affordable when I think cost per year. This seat does not convert into a booster, so when the time comes you would need to upgrade, but you don’t need to use an infant carrier seat.
Let me know if you have any questions about the safety features pictured above. Next time I will demonstrate the Click & Safe Snug Harness Indicator and the Quick Adjust Harness (no rethreading!) with baby boy in the seat. I really mean it when I say either one of my kids can sit in this seat!
Like these safety features? Share this post to let other parents and caregivers know about it.
Darcy is the founder of “Life With Darcy and Brian,” where she combines her love for education, board games, and crafting to create engaging learning experiences for kids. Her creative projects and writing have been featured in outlets like The Toy Insider, CafeMom, Mom.com, Parents.com, Country Living, and The Pioneer Woman.
Tahlia B.
Monday 25th of March 2013
I just couldn't see paying that much for a convertible when we needed to switch (since we didn't get one like this from the get-go). Britax may be more luxurious looking but I believe the weight for forward-facing Diono RadianRXT is higher. I'm hopeful that the Diono suits us fine from here on out. :)
Darcy Zalewski
Wednesday 27th of March 2013
I do think you get more value out of it if you get it sooner. Yes the Diono Radian RXT is 80lbs for forward facing. They are both great seats that I'm lucky to have.