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Britax Boulevard CS
The Britax Boulevard CS is the same great Boulevard only better! Britax has taken their attention to the safety of child car seats one step further with the addition of the Click & Safe snug harness indicator. The Click & Safe (CS) feature gives an audible affirmation to parents that their baby is snug in the seat by clicking when the harness straps are fastened tight enough.
According to Britax, "The Boulevard CS responds to statistics from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that found 59 percent of all harness straps to be dangerously loose."
Loose harness straps are a huge safety concern when it comes to correctly securing your child in a car seat. Loose straps can mean a greater risk for injury or even worse, a chance your child could be ejected from the seat in a crash.
"The Click & Safe answers parents' biggest car seat fear - that they've unsafely harnessed in their child," said Pankaj Amesar, advanced technology program manager for Britax Child Safety Inc. "This audible parental aide helps make traveling with a child less stressful while furthering Britax's mission to advance child safety."
So, what do we think of the Britax Boulevard CS? It's a great idea! It's the Boulevard we love plus an added safety feature to help parents that are unsure of how tight the harness should be.
Here is how it works: In order to easily get your child buckled into the 5-point harness, the straps will most likely be too loose to be safe. So, once the buckles are done, slowly pull the harness adjuster strap that is located on the front of the seat between their legs clearly labeled "Click n Safe" with a red arrow pointing down. This strap will tighten the harness across your child and you will hear a "click click" when it has determined the harness is snug. It's something so easy yet will help parents keep their babies safer. You should absolutely double check the harness on your child to make sure there is no slack. If there is slack, the manual says to check their handy checklist again that reads: * Check for proper harness height * Remove slack from around the child's upper thighs * Remove slack from between the Hugs chest pads and the buckle, and pull the adjuster strap again until you hear another click. We always recommend reading and following the entire manual of every car seat you buy to ensure that you are using it correctly. If you are still unsure about your ability to safely secure your child every time in a car seat, don't hesitate to stop by a fire station, police station or your local car seat check event for a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPS Tech) to teach you how.
The standard Britax Boulevard is still sold as an option, but the Boulevard CS has a nice added safety touch that we love to see.
As for the rest of the seat, here is our review on the Britax Boulevard:
Britax is known for making great carseats and the Boulevard is no exception. This is the top of the line in safety and comfort. All car seats must meet minimum safety requirements but Britax is one company that is trying to go above and beyond the basics to provide children with more protection. The top notch safety features were the biggest selling point for me.
The LATCH system is very easy to use with a one-handed push button attachment that makes locking the seat in place a breeze. Easy to use pull handles make it a cinch to get a tight fit. The Versa-Tether allows the seat to be anchored in both rear and forward facing positions for additional safety. We found that once we got our seat installed into position there was NO movement in any direction, it was rock solid. In a crash, having a seat that is anchored as firmly as possible may help to reduce injury.
The seat also has TSIP (True Side Impact Protection) which are wings on the sides of the child's head. The wings are lined with EPS foam and the company claims they help to reduce side to side motion of the head and cradle the head in an impact. The protection TSIP provides is important for all children riding in the back seat, even if they have side airbags.
According to Dr. Laura Jana, pediatrician/CPS technician, "What parents often don't realize is that the vehicle side air bags are designed to protect adults, not children. As a result, parents need to look to car seats for safety features like deep side walls and head support that contain the head and body in the event of a side impact crash." On a purely comfort level, they are a great place for kids to rest their head when sleeping and help to prevent slumping over.
The no-tangle, 5-point safety harness is padded to protect little shoulders and there is also padding at the crotch buckle to cushion chunky baby thighs. My son found the extra seat padding and removable Infant Insert (padded wings that make the seat cozier for smaller babies) very comfortable. He settled in for a nap the very first time he rode in the seat. Parents will find this seat easy to use also. As a new parent without a lot of car seat wrangling experience, I was able to install it by myself in no time. One of my favorite features is the Infinite Adjustor Knob for the harness system. No more rethreading harnesses as your child grows! You merely unlock the knob, loosen the harness, and turn the dial. Once you reach the desired height, lock, tighten and you're done! There is also a recline feature that allows the seat to be reclined when rear facing and upright when forward facing. For smaller infants with less head control, the company recommends placing a 'pool noodle' or other small piece of foam to give the seat a bit of extra tilt until the baby is a bit bigger.
The plush, padded cover is machine washable which is a big plus. One minus to this seat is the limited number of fabric choices available. The Marathon comes in many more interesting choices (although in defense of the Boulevard, most car seats only come in 1 or 2 plain choices anyway.) The five color options available do offer two neutrals, 2 classy striped patterns and one flowery option. Another nice feature is that this is a convertible car seat and can be used all the way from 5 pounds rear facing to 65 pounds forward facing. It also has a 33 pound limit for rear facing which is higher than many other seats and allows you to keep you child rear facing for a longer time. Current safety recommendations are to leave children rear facing past the age of one year and 20 pounds and wait until they outgrow the seat's recommendations before switching them. The higher weight limits mean a larger seat which is good for kids who are tall or heavy for their age, as they are not likely to outgrow this seat as quickly.
One caveat is that the large seat does come with a larger base. Some folks will find this seat difficult to fit into their car or a too tight fit if multiple seats are needed in one row (if this is a problem for you consider the Diplomat, Britax's new compact car seat with a smaller footprint). Although some people will shy away from the Boulevard due to its high price, I believe you can't put a price on safety.
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