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car seat

Baby on Board: #CMRCarSeatSafety

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They’re a part of your child’s life for a very long time. Sure – they’ll outgrow their cribs, high chairs and strollers – and mercifully, you’ll be able to say goodbye to diapers after a few years too. But from infant car seat to combination to booster seat, your child’s road safety for many years is dependent on a quality, correctly installed car seat.

Have a child or one on the way? Join The CMR’s Car Seat Expert for a #CMRCarSeatSafety Twitter Party, tomorrow night at 9pm EST. We’ll share car seat safety tips and answer your most frequent questions surrounding purchase and installation. Of course, to thank you for joining, we’ll be giving away over $1500 in prizes, including FOUR Evenflo Platinum Symphony car seats!

cmr_carseatsafety_twitterparty_promo_4This chat is especially important for parents-to-be, as we’ll be sharing some valuable insight surrounding car seat legislation and our Car Seat Expert Wendy (@mapsgirl) will be available to direct you to local resources should you require further assistance.

In addition to car seats, we’ll have other terrific prizes up for grabs that EVERYONE can enjoy! Click here to RSVP now and see you on Thursday night!

Britax Parkway SGL #Giveaway

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Note: The following giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.

It’s not hard to believe that we’re a diehard Britax family. From stroller to infant carriers to car seats, I’ve been very loyal to the brand. Because quite simply, I believe that they are the most trusted name in juvenile products, known for their commitment to thoughtful engineering and top-quality, intuitive design. And since they happen to be the number one selling manufacturer of car seats in Canada, chances are you’ve already purchased one.

In fact, I’ve turned down reviews from other car seat manufacturers because frankly, there’s no point: I am a Britax enthusiast through and through.

(Since I’m all about sharing valuable information… read my reviews for the Britax Marathon 65, Britax Advocate 65 CS, Britax B-READY and Britax Chaperone Travel System.)

My children have grown with Britax. Remember little Reid in his Britax Chaperone? I certainly do!  I also remember how it was seamless and incredibly ergonomic.

“I love the roomy interior and the large overhead canopy. Reid looks comfortable and content, and there’s absolutely no car seat-sandwich appearance that some babies take on when they’re jammed into infant seats. At 2.5 months old he’s still at the lowest harness setting, ensuring months to come of safe and happy usage.”

Since the Chaperone , Britax has introduced the B-SAFE infant car seat, as well as the BOB B-SAFE, which is meant to convert your BOB stroller into a coordinating travel system, and will be in stores soon.

(I wish I was a BOB stroller kind of girl. Of course, that would mean that I regular took part in exercise of some sort… and had a desire to include my children in those physical activities… um, no.)

While Reid was in his Chaperone infant car seat, I faced a slight dilemma: since Ryder was getting older, sometimes I liked to tote him along with me to run errands, go shopping – even to attend press events. And since I often end up in downtown TO, I prefered zipping around in my car vs. taking my husband’s large SUV. (Have you ever tried finding street parking with a large car? ‘Nuff said.)

The trouble? I drive a Mini Cooper. And they’re teeny….

Read More

Lena Loves… Britax Advocate 65 CS

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My love affair with Britax continues.

Now I know my readers have heard a thing or two about Britax car seats. They happen to be the number one selling manufacturer of car seats in Canada; chances are, you’ve already purchased one. But for the parents out there who have yet to experience their products, or parents-to-be who are looking for a lesson in car seat safety,  read on friends…

The Company

Britax manufactures and markets lines of premium car seats, strollers (B-READY – holla!) and accessories. Since its founding in Britain in 1939, the company has become one of the world’s most trusted juvenile products brands, known for its commitment to thoughtful engineering and top-quality, intuitive design.

The Products

Britax offers nine (9) car seat models in Canada — infant car seats, infant/child car seat and child car seats. The car seats are designed to keep a child rear facing and in a five-point harness longer, and can accommodate a child from “birth to belt” (i.e., 4 pounds to 120 pounds). Click here to learn about and compare models.

We’ve long enjoyed our Britax Marathon car seat, but when offered a chance to test out the fully redesigned Advocate 65 CS, I literally whooped for joy. It’s not often that one is given the opportunity to review arguably the best car seat on the market!

Wondering how the new generation models compare to the original car seats? Well, Britax introduces “Superior 360 Degree Protection with Revolutionary Head Safety Technology” that dramatically reduces the risk of head injury and provides complete protection from all sides in the event of a vehicle crash. This includes:

• A re-engineered lower center of gravity that allows the child to sit lower and creates stability in the event of a crash
• Integrated steel bars that strengthen the connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing of the child seat during a crash
• Britax SafeCell Technology with SafeCells that are designed to compress in a crash. This significantly lowers the center of gravity and counteracts the forward rotation of the child seat, which normally propels the child toward the front seat.
• Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether with a two-point attachment and staged-release tether webbing to anchor the top of the car seat. This minimizes forward-rotation and reduces crash forces reaching the child.

(The newer generation products can also be used for children up to 65 pounds in Canada – hence the “65” in most of the model names – and rear-facing to an impressive 40 pounds.)

Watch this:

(And now go buy a Britax.)

The Advocate 65 CS is superb. Out of the box, I marveled at how large it was – my husband called it “Mission Control!” But the increased bulk was actually due to the Side Impact Cushion Technology; the energy-absorbing cushions on the exterior of the seat are there to reduce side impact crash energy and provide extra protection for the equally precious adjacent passenger. And amazingly enough, once in the car, we noticed the Advocate 65 CS was only fractionally larger than our previous generation Marathon.

Installation, as with all Britax products, was a breeze, and Ryder was in it the very same day it arrived. Non-handed premium lower connectors make transition from rear to forward facing beyond simple. And you know how some car seats give a little wiggle once installed? Definitely not the case with Britax models – just a quick pull on the tightening mechanisms and your car seat won’t budge.

Now let’s chat about the harness. The Advocate 65 CS operates on the Harness Ultra Guard System (HUGS) to provide resistance to forward movement in the event of a crash. It is also terribly handy that the harness is TANGLE-FREE. The harness distributes crash forces across the strongest parts of the body – and of course, incorporates Britax’s famous no-rethread feature; the shoulder height can be repositioned without disassembling the harness straps.

Click here to view all the features of the Britax Advocate 65 CS.

Ryder gives the seat two thumbs up for comfort, and I can’t deny that I have complete peace of mind that he is safely secured in a high quality, beyond reputable product. I know some parents may raise eyebrows at the cost (CDN $399), but let me break it down like this:

You child can conceivably use this car seat for 8 years. That’s $50 a year. Or $4.12 per month. What do you spend $4.12 on per month? How about an investment into the well-being of your child? As a Britax enthusiast, I visibly cringe when I see parents purchase less expensive alternatives. If it’s not in your budget today, borrow some money. Sell some old baby stuff. Skip your highlights for 3 months. Just put your child’s safety first – by purchasing the most tested, recommended and trusted car seats on the market. Britax.


You can find the Britax Advocate 65 CS, and all Britax car seats, at retailers across the country. And do keep your eyes out for special offers and sales! It makes owning the car seats a little more affordable (not that they’re not worth every penny!)


Britax has generously offered one Listen to Lena! reader the chance to win a Britax Advocate 65 CS in his/her choice of fabric! (Value $399)

To enter, simply visit Britax online to learn about the features of the Advocate 65 CS in detail, and leave a comment here with your favourite feature.

You can also qualify for extra entries! Remember, you must leave a separate comment for each. You can:

(1) Follow my blog, Listen to Lena!
(2) “Like” Listen to Lena! on Facebook
(2) “Like” Britax on Facebook
(3) Follow Britax on Twitter
(4) Tweet about this giveaway (here’s a tiny URL for you: http://tinyurl.com/6b33f9h)
(5) You may tweet about this giveaway daily

I’ll draw for a winner on February 13th. Special thanks to Britax, and good luck everyone!

Britax Advocate 65 CS… Winner!

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Thanks to everyone who entered the Lena Loves… Britax Advocate 65 CS giveaway. With just over 2,000 entries, it looks like I’m not the only one who loves this revolutionary car seat! A quick recap of the features:

• A re-engineered lower center of gravity that allows the child to sit lower and creates stability in the event of a crash

• Integrated steel bars that strengthen the connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing of the child seat during a crash

• Britax SafeCell Technology with SafeCells that are designed to compress in a crash. This significantly lowers the center of gravity and counteracts the forward rotation of the child seat, which normally propels the child toward the front seat.

• Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether with a two-point attachment and staged-release tether webbing to anchor the top of the car seat. This minimizes forward-rotation and reduces crash forces reaching the child.

As a reminder, up for grabs is a Britax Advocate 65 CS in the winner’s choice of fabric (value $399).

Drum roll please… the winner is Maggie S.! Congratulations!

Please send me an e-mail with your contact details so I may have the prize sent to you right away. Thanks again to everyone who participated, and to Britax!

p.s. Did you know that car seats have expiry dates? It’s true!

“All children’s car seats and booster cushions sold in Canada have an expiry or useful life date on them, even though this is not required by regulation. Manufacturers do this to inform current owners and prospective buyers of the potential risks of using car seats and booster cushions that may be missing important parts, labels or instructions and/or may have an unknown history which could lead to less than optimal safe performance when needed.”

Click here for more information.

Win a Britax Parkway SG Booster Seat!

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Oooh boy, after posting reviews all month, I’m happy to give a shout out for an awesome contest – on a different blog!

One of my favourite sites, Rave & Review, is giving away a Britax Parkway SG Belt Positioning Booster Seat! Now it’s no surprise that I have a love affair with Britax, but I’m also quite fond of Rave & Review’s fabulous features. The site is a must-read for me – all of the reviews are family friendly, and I just happen to have the inside track on the blogger behind the scenes – she’s an absolute sweetheart!

Link on over and enter to win today!

Britax: Chaperone Infant Car Seat Recall

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Nobody’s perfect.

From Britax’s Facebook Page: Because we’re committed to creating the safest products for children, Britax is conducting a voluntary safety recall on its Chaperone Infant Car Seat. The chest clip supplied with the Chaperone Infant Car Seat was incorrectly produced by the manufacturer which resulted in a more brittle chest clip than was intended. As a result, the chest clip which positions the harness straps across the infant’s shoulders may break when the chest clip is engaged as the infant is secured into the car seat. For more information about this recall, including which models are affected, and how to receive a remedy kit, please visit www.ChaperoneSeatRecall.com, or call Britax Customer Service at 1-888-427-4829.

If you have an affected car seat, looks like it’s a quick fix – but please, be diligent: check your model and order the remedy kit if necessary.

Another Reason to Love Britax

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CHARLOTTE, N.C., August 17, 2010 — Britax announced today a full redesign and relaunch of its line of best-selling infant/child car seats. The new line offers Superior 360 Degree Protection with Revolutionary Head Safety Technology that dramatically reduces the risk of head injury and provides complete protection from all sides in the event of a vehicle crash.

Watch this:

UNPRECEDENTED HEAD SAFETY

Britax’s revolutionary head safety technology incorporates features that lower the child’s center of gravity, strengthen the child seat and manage crash energy. Together, they reduce head excursion and offer the most advanced protection to children. These include:

• A re-engineered lower center of gravity that allows the child to sit lower and creates stability in the event of a crash.

• Integrated steel bars that strengthen the connection to the vehicle and reduce forward flexing of the child seat during a crash.

• Britax SafeCell Technology with SafeCells that are designed to compress in a crash. This significantly lowers the center of gravity and counteracts the forward rotation of the child seat, which normally propels the child toward the front seat.

• Energy-Absorbing Versa-Tether with a two-point attachment and staged-release tether webbing to anchor the top of the car seat. This minimizes forward-rotation and reduces crash forces reaching the child.

Seriously, readers, if your child is not in a Britax car seat, I strongly recommend that you purchase one. Need further convincing on the importance of a quality car seat? Read this article from Saturday’s CALGARY SUN:

RCMP CALL BABY’S SURVIVAL A “MIRACLE”
By NADIA MOHARIB, CALGARY SUN
August 21, 2010

Officials say one of the final acts by an infant’s parents to secure her in a car seat allowed her to survive a crash they didn’t.

Mere inches from her parents who were killed in the same crash on Hwy. 8 and 101 St. S.W. Friday night, the seven-week-old girl strapped in her car seat somehow lived, said Cochrane RCMP Cpl. Jason Pasloske.

“It’s a miracle that baby survived,” he said Saturday.

Officials said the baby was secured properly in the backseat, beside her mother who was seated behind the child’s dad when the eastbound Mercedes drove across a centre median and into the path of an oncoming pick-up truck about 8 p.m.

The 22-year-old mother and father, aged 26, died at the scene while a 54-year-old man in the GMC Sierra was airlifted to Calgary with critical injuries.

The baby, who emergency crews pulled for the wreckage by cutting out the entire car seat, was listed in stable, non-life threatening condition and taken to hospital while officials tracked down her relatives and called in victims services.

“The baby and the other driver are both expected to survive,” Pasloske said.

Read complete article here.

Lena Loves… Britax Chaperone

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My love affair with Britax continues.

I first heard of Britax when I was shopping for a convertible car seat. The Marathon just happened to be the #1 car seat in Canada, and with glowing endorsements from just about every store we visited, it wasn’t a hard decision to make.

It’s now almost two years later and we LOVE the car seat – and more importantly – so does Ryder. I became obsessed with communicating sales and special offers to my mommy readers, hoping to get them on board with this awesome brand which is synonymous with safety. Yes, you’ve seen a Britax sale or two featured on this blog.

So it comes as no surprise that I (literally) jumped at the opportunity to review the Britax Chaperone Travel System, which includes the infant car seat and stroller. We selected the beyond adorable Cowmooflage pattern; the perfect unisex design for sweet peas.

Let’s start with the Chaperone infant car seat. Since the arrival of baby Reid, we’ve been using it for just over two months now. The seat can accommodate children between 4 and 30 pounds, and up to 32 inches – which is actually a very impressive range for a starter seat. It features True Side Impact Protection which distributes crash forces, shields from vehicle intrusion, contains the head and body, and keeps the head, neck and spine “in true” or aligned, to limit injury.

The Chaperone also has a tangle-free, 5-point harness system that features No Re-thread Harness Adjustment; essentially you can adjust the harness height without having to re-thread the straps to accommodate your child’s growth. This feature alone was enough to have my husband singing it’s praises, as he suffers from CSIP (car seat installation phobia).

I love the roomy interior and the large overhead canopy. Reid looks comfortable and content, and there’s absolutely no car seat-sandwich appearance that some babies take on when they’re jammed into infant seats. At 2.5 months old he’s still at the lowest harness setting, ensuring months to come of safe and happy usage.

Carrying the car seat is made easier by an ergonomic handle that is shaped to allow a more natural carrying position with less strain on the wrist. At 10 pounds, the car seat is slightly heavier than my previous model, but I’ll take the trade off for the safety features, aesthetics and ease of use.

The Chaperone infant car seat works seamlessly with the stroller, making it one of the safest, most versatile travel systems on the market today. Built in car seat connectors are permanently attached to the frame of the stroller; these connectors rotate up for use with the car seat and are hidden and out of the way for stroller mode.

The stroller accommodates children from 6 months up to 55 lbs (fifty-five pounds? I know some Hollywood celebrities who could fit into this stroller). The seat sports an adjustable, tangle free, 5-Point harness with three harness heights for a snug and secure fit. A 3-position recline with adjustable calf rest offers customized sleeping positions for children (note that there is no foot rest). And perhaps my favourite feature: All-Wheel Suspension provides for a smooth and easy ride.

Seriously, this stroller coasts. You can actually maneuver with one hand while applying mascara with the other (okay, I’m exaggerating a bit). But it is hands down the easiest stroller I’ve ever pushed, and trust me, I’m all about ease of use. You won’t believe you’re steering a full sized stroller – it actually handles like a compact. Walks with Ryder are a pleasure (and bump-free!) thanks to the fabulous suspension and overall design.

And what about folding it away? I’m glad you asked, because it’s a breeze. The Chaperone has an easy two-step, one-handed folding process (which results in the perfect standing fold). It’s so easy I got it right on the first try, which of course says a lot because I’m usually a “let’s break out the instructions” kind of gal.

There’s also tons of storage space thanks to a large basket that is positioned under the seat, which you can get to even if the seat is reclined (a nice little feature that shows Britax has both baby and parent in mind). I’ve taken this stroller on short grocery runs and am happy to report that it can fit four (4) full sized cereal boxes!

All in all, the Britax Chaperone Travel System is just one more stellar addition to an already stocked lineup. I truly believe that it’s a no-fail purchase – from the ease of use and enviable safety features to it’s modern design, you’ll love introducing the trusted Britax name to your baby from birth.

Click here to learn more about Britax.

I know you’ve been waiting for this… one lucky Listen to Lena! reader will win a Britax Chaperone infant car seat and a Chaperone stroller, in your choice of fabric! (Value $530)

To enter, simply visit their website and leave a comment telling us which feature impresses you most about the car seat or the stroller.

You can also qualify for extra entries! Remember, you must leave a separate comment to claim your extra entry. You can:

(1) Follow my blog, Listen to Lena!
(2) “Like” Britax on Facebook
(3) Follow Britax on Twitter
(4) Tweet about this giveaway (here’s a tiny URL for you: http://tinyurl.com/36nfbks)

I’ll draw for a winner on August 31st. Special thanks to Britax, and good luck everyone!