Last  year, the official magazine of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a report indicating that rear-facing seats are safer for children until they are two years old. “New research indicates that toddlers are more than five times safer riding rear-facing in a car safety seat up to their second birthday, ” the abstract to the report states. With that in mind, I was determined to find a car seat for my one year old daughter that was easy to install and use in the rear-facing position. She’s been riding (rear facing) in a Britax Advocate CS for a couple weeks now so read on to hear our experience.

Britax Car Seats

Britax has been a pioneer in child passenger safety for more than 35 years, with a legacy of leadership in developing innovations that enhance the safety of child car seats and improve their ease of installation and use. Our uncompromising focus has made Britax the best-selling child car seat in Europe and one of the brands most trusted by American parents and caregivers since entering the U.S. market in 1996. Our commitment to improving child safety is unparalleled, as evidenced by the fact that our products undergo the most rigorous testing in our industry at five Britax testing facilities worldwide.

About the Advocate CS

The Advocate CS is the newest convertible car seat from Britax. It boasts a huge weight range and can accommodate children from 5 to 65 pounds! My daughter is about 20 pounds and well within the rear facing weight and shoulder height restrictions.

Our Experience

I’ve heard rave reviews of Britax car seats for a while now, so I had high expectations. But, my biggest concern was whether it would fit and be user-friendly in the rear facing position.

The Advocate fits pretty easily in the rear position in our sedan. The only potential issue is that my husband will not be able to drive our SUV with the car seat behind the driver’s seat – we had to move the driver’s seat forward to allow enough room for the Advocate behind it. (Because we have two kids in car seats, both are situated next to the door rather than in the middle of the back seat.)

Easy Installation

Installing the car seat was a breeze. Honestly, it was definitely the easiest car seat installation I’ve experienced. First to ensure you achieve the correct recline position, there is a forward and rear recline positioner on the bottom of the car seat. You pull a handle and adjust the base. The main difference in installation of the Britax compared to other car seats I’ve used is that there are TWO separate LATCH belts. There is a looped LATCH belt on each side of the seat, rather than one strap with a LATCH attachment on each end. Turns out, that makes it infinitely easier to install the car seat. I found it to be much quicker to get the car seat very snug. Yes, I still have to dig my knee into the base and pull and tug, but it’s a noticeably easier process. Finally, there are arrows and indicators on each side of the base that make it clear where the LATCH or seat belt should be so you can be sure you’re securing the seat in the correct position and with the appropriate restraint. Installing the Advocate forward facing was equally easy.

Unique Features

The list of features for the Advocate is long, but here are a couple that stand out.

Click & Safe Harness Adjuster is an audible indicator to help determine when the child seat harness is within range of appropriate snugness. If you loosen the harness strap to get your child fastened it, you pull on the harness to tighten it up again and Advocate harness makes a clicking sound when its tight enough around your baby. It’s just a little bit of reassurance to know that your child is fastened in as tight as she should be. However, it is very difficult to pull on the adjuster and hear the click and safe when the seat is rear facing.

True Side Impact Protection 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. Side impact crashes post unique and serious consequences for young children. The Side Impact Protection on the Advocate includes deep side walls, adjustable head restraint and energy-absorbing foam on the head restraint.

Side Impact Cushion Technology reduces side impact crash energy by 50%, by diverting crash forces away from the child. This is the first and only car seat technology that absorbs crash forces BEFORE reaching the child, reducing the risk of injury. The incredibly strong air chamber deflects force, an energy-absorbing material along the side of the car seat to protect the child’s entire body. Obviously, as a mom, I love that my daughter is protected by the best technology possible while in her car seat.

Additional Advocate Features

Here are some additional features of the Advocate that particularly affected our experience and ease of use.

• Front Harness Adjuster provides effortless front adjustment when loosening the harness system
• No Re-thread Harness Adjustment allows you to adjust the harness height without having to re-thread the harness straps
• Quick-Adjust Head Restraint & No-Rethread Harness easily adjust the harness shoulder height and head restraint without disassembling the harness
• HUGS™ (Harness Ultra Guard System) reduces forward head movement and cushions the chest in the event of impact (Frankly, I like this feature because it keeps the straps in place and they don’t get tangled or twisted.)
  
• Small Contoured Base ensures a tight installation in all types of vehicles
• High Density Comfort Foam provides an extra layer of padding to gently cushion the child
• Premium, Push-Button Lower LATCH Connectors for a quick, simple, and tight installation
• Plush, Premium Cover Set with matching belly pad provides extra comfort
• Flexible Mount System allows the side impact cushions to move multi-directionally for easy access to the installation and height adjustment features
• Infant Body Pillow for infant positioning and a custom fit

There are a couple other details that might seem insignificant but add to the great experience. There’s a pouch on the back of the car seat to hold the versa tether when not in use. The versa tether attaches when the car is in the forward facing position so the pouch holds it neatly and safely when it’s not in use. I also really like that the owner’s manual is attached to the seat and can stow under the car seat cover. This way when we switch to forward facing or move it to another car, the instructions are always with the seat. And, if it wasn’t attached I’d probably lose it!

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy… The Britax Advocate CS exceeded my expectations. Like I said, I was nervous because the seat is large and I wasn’t sure it would fit rear facing. I’m so pleased at how well it fits in the car, how easy it is to install, and all the details that make the seat special. Obviously, safety is of the utmost importance and the seat is overflowing with safety features.

Or Not to Buy… The Advocate CS is a bit of a beast; it’s a really big car seat and I can only imagine how teeny tiny a 5 pound baby would look in it. But, it does fit in both our cars just as well (and actually better) than our other convertible car seat. The Click & Safe Harness is hard to reach and adjust in the rear facing position.

Shop! Available in four color combinations, the Britax Advocate CS Convertible Car Seat is $369.

Disclosure: Thanks to Britax for providing a sample product for the purposes of this review. The opinions are my own and uninfluenced by receipt of product. Others may have a different experience. The Amazon link is an affiliate link.