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Britax Chaperone
The Chaperone Stroller & Infant Car Seat is Britax's newest additions to their collection. This full-size stroller is stocked with features for both parents and children and works fabulously with the new Chaperone Infant Car Seat as a travel system.
At first glance, we noticed how large and roomy the seat is. When the stroller is used without a car seat, it accommodates children from 6 months up to 55 lbs. With a seat back to canopy measurement of 26" and a 15" wide seat, it is roomy enough even for larger children. The seat sports an adjustable, 5-point harness and a one-handed bar recline that has two recline positions. The stroller does not recline flat so the seat is good for 6+ months. There is a calf raise that has two positions: up and down but no footrest.
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 The Chaperone's canopy is rather large and is complete with peek-a-boo window. It's not the largest canopy on the market (meaning it doesn't fold down in front of the child) but it's large enough to shade your child. Underneath the seat is a large basket that is easily accessible even with the seat reclined. There is a removable baby tray with a cup holder and two snack compartments for eating and playing on the go. The baby tray can also lift up on either side to make getting in and out for your toddler easier. The Chaperone also includes two caps for the armrest if you choose not to use the baby tray.
Britax kept parents in mind when they included the great parent tray that features two deep cup holders and a covered compartment great for a wallet, cell phone and keys. The Chaperone sports an adjustable handle bar (up and down but not telescoping) that is great for taller and shorter parents. Since we are not all the same heights, we love this feature! It's easy to operate with two push buttons on the sides and can be set in any of the four positions. The foam padded handlebar also has a grip handle in the middle to allow easy one-handed maneuverability.
Speaking of maneuverability, the Chaperone is easy to push. Weighing in at 23 lbs (average for a full-size stroller), we found the stroller is easy to turn and push even one-handed. Like most strollers, if it is fully loaded up to 55 lbs, it will take more wrist power to turn but otherwise great maneuverability. There are four rubber tires (rear wheels are 8 ½" and front are 7 ") and a four wheel suspension system that provides a smooth ride for your little passenger. We love that the stroller has a one-step parking brake that locks both wheels at the same time and will not scuff your shoes or mess up your pedicure. All you have to do is press down on the large grey button to lock and press down the same button again to unlock. There is even a visual confirmation that the stroller is locked or unlocked. Red = locked and green = unlocked.
The Chaperone has an easy two-step, one-handed folding process. All you have to do is: 1) Press the lever under the baby tray and lift it up to unlock the frame 2) Pull up on the strap in the seat. The stroller then folds into a standing fold. That easy! There is an automatic lock on the side that locks the stroller closed. The lock doesn't lock automatically every time but if you push the stroller together a bit, the lock will engage no problem. The folding strap in the seat can be used to lift the stroller.
The Chaperone can also be used as a travel system with Britax's new Chaperone infant car seat. There are built in car seat connectors that are permanently attached to the frame of the stroller. These connectors are behind the seat and rotate up for use with the Chaperone infant car seat and down and out of the way when not in use. Once rotated up, the connectors are easy to access by lifting up the fabric on the seat back and securing the fabric with a toggle. These connectors are only for use with the Chaperone Car Seat and are very similar to the connectors that secure the car seat to the base in your car. We found that the Chaperone infant car seat is very secure in the stroller giving parents that piece of mind with this travel system. Want to use a different infant car seat? No problem. The Chaperone stroller also works with other major carrier brands when used with included Britax adapter strap.
Considered the Mercedes-Benz of car seats, Britax seats are one of the most expensive seats on the market, but well worth it. You can't put a price on safety, of course, and Britax more than delivers. The Chaperone Infant Car Seat is Britax's newest infant car seat that replaced their previous Companion model. The Chaperone car seat has some fabulous convenience and safety feature for both mom and baby.
Let's start with the seat itself. The seat can accommodate children between 4 and 30 pounds up to 32 inches. It features True Side Impact Protection which is a combination of deep side walls and head wings made from energy-absorbent material and an adjustable head to provide advanced protection in side impact collisions. We love that the Britax Chaperone also has a tangle-free, 5-point harness system that features "No Re-thread Harness Adjustment" that allows you to adjust the harness height without having to re-thread the harness straps. That means that you don't have to disassemble the seat or harness systems each time you need to adjust the harness to accommodate your child's growth. It's as easy as sliding a lever up the back of the seat! The harness also features one-pull adjustment (to tighten the harness) with no-tangle webbing that truly is one easy pull.
The Chaperone infant seat also has a very large canopy, one of the largest on an infant car seat that we've seen! It also has an ergonomic handle that is shaped to allow a more natural and comfortable carrying position with less strain on wrists and forearms. So, instead of the handle being round like on other infant seats, it is flattened a bit where you would loop it over your forearm for a bit more comfortable carry. Note: any infant car seat with a large child is not going to be comfortable to carry but this makes it a bit more bearable.
Now, to the base of the car seat! Like the previous Britax Companion, the Chaperone sports their ingenious anti-rebound bar. The anti-rebound bar on the stay-in-car base for the Britax Chaperone keeps the infant seat from flipping up into the backseat in an accident, a wonderful feature we wish every infant car seat base had.
The base also features easy to do push-button LATCH connectors, a level indicator to provide quick reference for proper angle of recline, a "Height Adjustment Knob" for proper seat angle and positioning and built-in seat belt lock-off clips.
Aside from extra safety features, the Britax Chaperone also includes plusher fabric than most other brands, so soft you'll wish your own seat was covered in it. The fabric is removable and hand washable.
The only thing holding the Britax Chaperone back from being our favorite infant car seat in the whole universe is the extra weight of the seat - at 10 pounds, it's 3 heavy pounds more than a Graco SnugRide.
All in all, we love the Britax Chaperone infant car seat for its unparalleled safety, supreme comfort and overall great design!
The Chaperone Stroller & Infant Car Seat is currently available in four fabric options: Cowmooflage, Moonstone, Red Mill and Savannah. With the exception of the washability-factor, with its many great features such as an adjustable handlebar, large basket and a large roomy seat, we recommend that you check out the Britax Chaperone.
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