Broadening the “Frontiers” of Child Passenger Safety with Britax and Brixy

 

As parents we do our best to assure our children’s safety but, the very second that we hit the road, that sense of security quickly diminishes. You see, it is in that moment that we put our fate and well-being (and that of our children) into the hands of every fellow driver, every road hazard, and every what-if. Thankfully however, with today’s ever-evolving technology, there are precautions that we can take when it comes to keeping our children safe while out and about and on-the-go. Over the years, car seats have helped to not only bring parents peace of mind but they have greatly improved the way in which children travel from Point A to Point B and then some.

I am quite adamant about car seat safety and I cringe every single time I witness the improper use of these amazing, life-saving devices. More often than not, I’m the first one to come forward and help fellow parents and caregivers become more familiar with all things car seat related and now, partially because of the time of the year, I am able to do more of just that. In addition to being chock full of school-time activities and fall-related fun, September is home to Child Passenger Safety Week.

Recognized earlier this month, from September 13^th through 19^th, Child Passenger Safety Week is one during which parents, caregivers, and brands alike come together to help educate and encourage the public on just that – child passenger safety.

While I am thankful to see how far car seats have come over the years, it still saddens me knowing that so many of today’s car seats are used improperly. Much like buckling yourself in with the vehicle’s seat belt, car seats only provide children with adequate protection when they are used properly. Of course, proper use starts with us adults and our installation of these car seats. While that may seem like common sense to many, it is shocking to know that upward of 75% of today’s car seats are not properly secured in vehicles and it is far too common that children are not restrained in a car seat fitting for both age and size.

Here in the northeast, there has been a lot of buzz around the topic of car seats lately. Kicking off the month of September, New Jersey actually put new car seat laws into place and I could not be more proud. Many states have similar laws in place but, because official laws may vary from one state to another, here is a quick rundown of the current recommendations in place by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

Birth Until 12-Months
Your child under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat.

1 Until 3 Years
Keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. Your child should remain in a rear-facing car seat until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, your child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether.

4 Until 7 Years
Keep your child in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether until he or she reaches the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer. Once your child outgrows the forward-facing car seat with a harness, it’s time to travel in a booster seat.

8 Until 12 Years
Keep your child in a booster seat until he or she is big enough to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly, the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snugly across the shoulder and chest and not across the neck or face.

Here in New Jersey, these recommendations have been used to put strict laws into place and for that, I am grateful.

When our oldest was born, we were out of the loop and child passenger safety wasn’t something that was regularly spoken about. I willingly admit that we made a few mistakes with our bout with car seats but I am also glad to be able to say that I’ve quickly educated myself on the topic. You see, when it came time to upgrade our son’s infant car seat to a proper rear-facing car seat, I immersed myself with all things child passenger safety related and soon thereafter decided on a brand new Britax car seat for our precious little bundle of joy.

Ever since that moment, I have not only been a huge fan and advocate (pun intended) for the Britax brand but have done my best to help in informing others about the seriousness and importance of proper car seat usage, installation, safety recommendations, and more.

Britax has been the leader in car seat safety technology for more than 70 years. From Europe’s best-selling car seat brand to one of the brands most trusted by American families, we offer a full line of child safety seats including infant car seats, convertible car seats, combination seats, and booster seats.

Having utilized quite a few Britax car seats over the years, I am rather confident in my own installation abilities. Up until recently, the installation has been a bit of a challenge in terms of the process itself. I’d have to physically lean into the car seat, put all of my weight into it, tug this way, pull that way, push with all of my might, and then I’d usually have the mister add one final tug or shove just for safe measure. For many years, car seat installation could’ve easily been compared to a full gym workout. Britax, however, officially changed the game a few years back. Today, I am thrilled to now partner with them and Brixy to bring you the best of the best where car seats and proper installation is concerned. Please allow me to introduce you to the Britax Frontier!

With a massive amount of car seats on the market today, you’re probably wondering why this particular one stands out from the crowd. In addition to numerous features, each of which are fabulous in their own right, the Britax Frontier features the ground-breaking and game-changing ClickTight technology.

Three out of four car seats are installed incorrectly. We believe this is unacceptable – so in 2013, we introduced ClickTight, a game-changing technology that makes car seat installation as simple as bucking a seatbelt.

With proper installation being such an integral part of child passenger safety, I can personally say that the Britax Frontier is one of the easiest car seats to install. Thanks to the incredible ClickTight technology, parents can now enjoy an easy-to-achieve, safe, and secure install every single time. Not only has the brand continued to uphold and surpass the safety standards in place but the car seat’s ease of use is truly unbelievable. It has been said that the Britax car seats featuring ClickTight technology are as simple to install as buckling a seat belt and, to that, I can confirm. To put it simply, the child that you’re allowing to ride in these seats could (in theory) install it on their own. It really is that easy. Just take a look:

Thanks to Brixy, I recently had the opportunity to once again try out the Britax Frontier first hand so that I could share it here with all of you. From the unboxing, to the installation, to heading out for a drive, the whole process takes about ten minutes, tops.

Once you get the car seat unboxed and into your vehicle, simply open the seat with a quick squeeze of two tiny buttons, thread the seat belt through the designated belt path, buckle the seat belt, and push down the ClickTight “door” to close the car seat until you hear a “click” – voila!

Quickly hook the top tether hook to an approved tether anchor for your specific vehicle and you’re all set!

You no longer have to fight with the seat. The yanking, the pulling with all of your might in an attempt to tighten it is now a thing of the past. Finally, we don’t have to try to fit ourselves into the car seat to use our weight to our advantage where a tight install is concerned. There is no more fighting with your child’s car seat. None!

It’s clear that I absolutely love the Britax Frontier because of its amazing ability to be installed with ease, using the ClickTight installation system, but what also draws me into this particular car seat is the fact that it can help to better protect our children for a longer period of time. It is no secret that children grow up entirely too quickly but, of course, their rapid growth goes hand in hand with the constant need for new, proper fitting car seats.

Many of you may know that that the typical car seat routine follows the infant car seat, rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, and booster seat routine. Unfortunately, many people often neglect to take notice of the additional high-back booster seat option as well as the importance of having a 5-point harness. That is where the Britax Frontier comes in.

Britax harness-2-bosters are designed to provide unrivaled protection to both little and big kids alike. Your child can start out using the seat’s five-point harness system then transition the seat to a belt-positioning booster when ready.

Because of this, the Britax Frontier may very well be the last car seat that you’ll need to purchase. When it is being used in its harness mode, the coveted 5-point safety harness can safely restrain children of at least 25-pounds and 30-inches tall up to 90-pounds and 58-inches tall.

All too often taken for granted, a 5-point harness is a crucial aspect in the safety of children while travelling. Because of their small frames, fragile bodies, and immature skeleton, most children are not ready (physically or mentally) to use a car’s seat belt. The 5-point harness featured on the Britax Frontier helps to evenly distribute crash forces against the strongest parts of your child’s still-developing body. In doing so, it helps to better protect them in the event of an accident. Harnessing your child until they are of the correct size and age for the standard vehicle seat belt is an extremely beneficial (and recommended!) way to travel. Not only is it safer for the child but it certainly helps to give us parents and caregivers peace of mind knowing that our most precious cargo is, in fact, safe.

Once your child is ready to upgrade to the seat’s booster mode, the Britax Frontier will see them through the transition as they continue to grow. The car seat’s booster option will safely seat children of at least 40-pounds and 45-inches tall up to 120-pounds and 62-inches tall.

For those of you that may be shocked by the latter set of numbers, you’re definitely reading that correctly. To give you a bit of perspective on that, if I were a tad bit tinier, I could fit in this seat and increase my own in-vehicle safety.

The Frontier ClickTight is a consumer favorite with the safest ClickTight Installation System, an extra layer of side impact protection, an impact-absorbing base and steel frame, so you feel your child is completely safe when traveling in your vehicle.

Providing a safe a comfortable travel option for children ages two (assuming they meet height and weight requirements) and up, the Britax Frontier includes a great deal of features that help to make travelling a more enjoyable for your child. Take the cup holders and storage areas for example!

Along with the arm rests for added comfort, the seat’s integrated cup holders and storage areas are a favorite for storing goodies like water bottles and small toys. While I do not typically allow many trinkets to travel with us for potential projectile reasons, the kids really do love having their own private space just for them and their items.

Another fun feature that I’d like to touch on is the incredible array of colors and design patterns that are available for the Britax Frontier. While the brand’s website currently features ten gorgeous options, it is the fabric design that brings me back to the aforementioned Brixy store.

Prior to partnering with, both, Britax and Brixy, I had not been familiar with the latter of the two.

Brixy stores represent the best and brightest of the independent baby stores. Our focus is to provide parents (both new and well-seasoned) the best in services, products, and education in the wonderful (but sometimes overwhelming) world of nursery and children’s products.

Having launched in 2013 (coincidentally the same time that the ClickTight technology was introduced), I wish they had been around earlier. The thing that sets Brixy apart from larger baby gear stores is the fact that they are able to truly assist their customers on a more personal level.

With their local presence and ability to get to know each customer personally, Brixy stores help parents find the right products for their family and get the most use of those products by providing ongoing education, services, and support.

As I’m sure many of you know, the moment we find out about our new, soon-to-be bundles of joy, everyone we know and even passersby seem to have an opinion or a piece of advice that they want to share. We are inundated with an overwhelming amount of information, recommendations, and then some. Because of the sheer volume of it all, it can be hard to sort through and make sense of things. That is where Brixy comes in. Whether you’re looking for products big or small, the knowledgeable staff employed at one of the two hundred Brixy stores across the US can advise parents on everything from current laws to recommendations to basic parenting knowledge and best practice. Now, that is what leads me back to Britax.

Savvy parents who shop at Brixy stores now have access to the highly-recommended Britax Frontier and in an exclusive color pattern at that! Highlighted throughout this feature has been the Brixy exclusive Britax Frontier car seat in the “Dylan” black and gray color pattern.

 

Connect:
Be sure to keep up with, both, Brixy and Britax on their respective social media pages to stay up to date on all of the latest news, new product releases, recommendations, special sale pricing, and so much more!

Brixy – Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest
Britax – Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest