Handle With Care....and Bring Your Wallet
Written: Sep 14 '00 (Updated Sep 21 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Superior safety features such as a tether, "Lock-Off" clamp, 5 pt. harness
Cons: Expensive, small, inconvenient, and difficult to install
|
|
|
| Dr_Steph's Full Review: Britax Handle With Care Infant Car Seat |
When my close friend and colleague told me that she had purchased a Britax infant seat, I first thought she must be mistaken and was talking about the Britax Roundabout instead. When she reiterated that it was a rear-facing infant seat, I was quite surprised. Hey, they didn't have this available when I was looking for infant car seats!
I coaxed and cajoled by friend into letting me borrow the Britax Handle with Care so I could examine it more closely and try my hand at installing it. I also discussed this car seat at great length with my friend and her car-seat installing hubby. What I found is that this is really a different kind of infant seat from the ones that I ever used with my kids.
So What's Different About the Britax Handle with Care?
1. Well, first of all, this car seat comes with a "Perfect-Fit Tether". Now tethers aren't too unusual on car seats these days (thank goodness) but this is the first time I've run across one on a rear-facing infant seat. I had a little trouble imagining how that would work but then I reviewed the manual and saw the tether hooked up in my friend's car and things became a little clearer.
The tether hooks to a secure structural metal part, preferably the seat frame bar or mounting rail for the seat in front of the one with the Britax. Once installed, the tether stays in the car and buckles on to a metal tongue on the back of the car seat. What this means is that the car seat cannot be easily moved from car to car (unless you have additional tethers).
2. Second, this car seat doesn't "snap" into a secured base like many of the other infant car seats do. This one has its own built-in plastic base that can be converted to a rocker or a stable base for the car by raising or lowering the "stabilizer feet" on the bottom.
The Britax Handle with Care is belted directly into the seat each time it is used by threading the seat belt through the open "Lock-Off" (more about this in a moment) and the two belt guides and then buckling it. Funny but the first infant car seat we ever bought had to be directly strapped in and we felt like we were "roughing it" because we picked a very inexpensive model. Now the most expensive models have the same feature! Go figure.... Seriously though, it does make sense. The separate plastic bases on most infant car seats can break. So can the latches that attach the car seats to the bases. This seat bypasses those potential problems by getting attached directly to the seat.
3. Third, this car seat does not require a locking clip when used with a lap/shoulder belt. Instead, this seat has a "Lock-Off" which basically is a hinged clamp that "locks" on to the seat belt when closed and keeps it from sliding. The end result is a more secure hold than most locking clips tend to provide. It also means that you don't have to hassle with installing a locking clip which many people apparently do not know how to do correctly (or just plain forget to do).
4. The handle can be left in the locked upright position when the seat is strapped into the car. For all other infant car seats I've seen, the handle needs to be pushed into a locked position behind the seat.
5. Unlike most infant car seats that have a single buckle and tongue, the Britax Handle with Care has a 5-pt. harness restraint similar to what you would find on a larger convertible car seat. The 5-pt. harness is the clearly the safest one available and a major reason why my friend choose this car seat.
Installation of the Britax Handle with Care: Not For Wimps
I got a mixed report about the ease of installing this car seat from my friend and her husband. He says it’s a snap - no problem. She laughed when I told her what he said. Apparently, he has been known to swear up a storm when wrestling this seat into the car. He even had his teenage son help him the first few times. I think the main problem they had is trying to reach over the upright handle and buckle in the seatbelt without, of course, putting any weight on the car seat where their bundle of joy was, well, bundled.
I tried installing this car seat in both of my cars (sans tether). After a bit of pushing and grunting, I was able to get it into my Subaru Legacy. Reaching over the handle was a bit challenging. I had to put a tightly rolled towel under the front (rear-facing) part of the car seat to keep it at the proper 45 degree angle. The seat has a red line on the side as a guide. The line is supposed to be kept parallel to the floor. I really liked the security I felt with the "Lock Off" clamp, though I could see that with time this piece of the car seat could be accidentally snapped off when left in the open position.
I never got to the point of threading the seat belts when I tried installing this car seat in my Grand Caravan. The seats in this vehicle are too scooped and too shallow. I couldn't see any way for this car seat to fit safely. The manual cautions that the Britax Handle with Care won't fit all cars, especially those that have a scooped out seat or humped seat.
Saftey At The Expense of Convenience (Better Than the Other Way Around!)
Britax car seats, manufactured in Europe, have an excellent reputation for being well-built and extremely safe. It looks like the Handle With Care is no exception. When this seat is installed properly, it doesn't budge! The tether, "Lock-Off", lack of a separate base, and the 5-pt. harness restraint are all important safety features.
What the consumer loses is convenience and ease of use. Installing the car seat is not as simple as a "snap" into a base. It can't be attached to shopping carts (unsafe practice, by the way) or stroller frames. The tether (which stays in the car) means that you can only use this in a single car, rather than switching back and forth between separate cars. The "Lock Off" clamp is only on one side of the car seat so the seat can only be installed in seats where the lap/shoulder seat belt is threaded from a certain direction (for this seat, on the passenger side) or in a center lap belt.
The main disadvantage to these inconveniences is that it may discourage people from using the car seat all the time. The reason I was even able to borrow this seat is because it was set up to be used only in my friend's husband's Range Rover and he was at work. Not only that, but my friend didn't even know how to install the seat. She referred me to her husband for feedback on that. Therefore, this seat sits unused a great deal of the time.
Other Nice Touches....
The Britax Handle with Care car seat has a nice, secure (yet light) feeling when carried. The handle feels strong and has little built in finger grips for more comfortable handling. The fabric has an attractive navy-colored "celestial" (moon, star, and planet) design and the seat feels well-padded and comfortable. The canopy is sturdier than most and is attached with velcro to the handle so that it won't keep slipping back or falling off (a problem I've had with other infant seat canopies). The buttons for releasing the handle are large and easy to press so you don't have to get arthritis in your thumbs from pushing down on them. Finally, the manual is better than most for walking you through the steps of installation is a clear fashion. Granted, I did have to read it three times, but that's because the procedure was so unusual and because I'm a bit slow to catch on to new things ("old dog syndrome", ya know....)
Any Weaknesses With This Model?
Well, there are a few. The biggest problem is that the seat is somewhat small so that it won't accommodate most infants past about six months. My friend's son is barely 4 months old and he has almost outgrown this car seat. The manufacturer claims that the seat can be used for infants 5 lbs. to 20 pounds and from birth to "approximately a year old." I guess you need to use a very liberal definition of the term "approximately."
Other possible weaknesses are that the "Lock Off" is vulnerable to breakage and the plastic clip that holds the straps together across the baby's chest seems remarkably flimsy for such a sturdy, safe car seat. An additional weakness is the complicated installation. Whenever these kind of procedures get too difficult, people tend to cut corners and say "That's good enough." Improper installation can nullify many of the premium safety advantages of this car seat.
One final disadvantage of this car seat is the cost. This is one of the most expensive rear-facing infant car seats available. I did some searching on the internet for prices and came up with:
o $135.87 at babygear.com
o $149.95 at rightstart.com
o $135.99 at babycenter.com
Would I Buy This Car Seat?
I've gone back and forth on this question since I started examining this car seat but I've FINALLY come to the conclusion that, YES, I would buy this if I had another baby. Even if you can only use it for the first six months with your baby, you can then transfer them into a larger infant/toddler convertible seat, which you will have to do eventually anyway. By the way, I strongly recommend the Evenflo Medallion V XL Convertible Car Seat or the Britax Roundabout for when your child outgrows the Britax Handle with Care.
Ultimately, my friends love this car seat because their son loves it. He is happy and comfortable in this seat - "snug and safe" are the exact words my friend used. The lack of convenience is nothing when you consider the superior safety that you can provide your incredibly vulnerable, precious little miracle.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 139.99
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 months
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.