I can’t believe I bought yet another car seat. For my trip to France, I needed a booster that would travel well (instead of my really great but super heavy Clek Oobr). Britax is the last word in car seat safety so it was an easy decision to go for the newest booster, the Parkway SGL. This new model has a couple of design changes but the 3 biggest features remain the same, the ISOFLEX flexible Latch, the Secure Guard buckle and the True Side Impact Protection.
The ISOFLEX Latch stabilizes the booster in the event of a crash, which of course keeps your tot safe. But it also anchors the seat in place when your tot is not in the seat, to keep you safe. A loose booster becomes a projectile hazard when you are in the car without your tot, especially when it is directly behind the drivers seat it is a straight trajectory to the back of the driver’s head. The flexible Latch makes it easy to install. The Clek has a stiff fixed Latch which works if your car’s Latch is an exact fit. This Britax gives you more options, especially for cars with Latch in the third row, like my Audi Q7 where the 3rd row Latch is placed closer together than the Clek so it does not work. The Parkway has a easy pull strap to tighten the Latch once it’s in place. There is a red button that releases the straps for quick removal, making it just as easy and convenient as a booster without Latch.
The Secure Guard buckle is the most important difference between the Britax booster and any other on the market. The lap belt is threaded through the buckle to ensure the proper position of the belt to prevent your tot from sliding out from under the lap belt (called submarining) to prevent abdominal injuries. This is important not just in the event of a crash but also when they fall asleep and tend to slide out. It is very easy to use, once the seat belt is clicked in, simply slide the lap belt up through the slot and then tighten the seat belt. It’s easy enough for my 4 year old to do herself. This feature made all the difference to me for the hard transition from a 5 point harness car seat to a booster, which just seems so flimsy in comparison. This gives 4 anchor points of protection.
Side impact collisions are the most dangerous and 1 out of 4 crashes occur from the side. So the True Side Impact Protection is key and should be a feature in whichever car seat you choose. Britax design distributes crash forces, shields from vehicle intrusion and contains the head and body.
The seat fits tots from 40 to 120 lbs and 38-63 inches while standing. This is the last car seat you will need. The top portion of the seat detaches so when your tot is big enough to just use the bottom seat booster, you have that option. It’s very easy to detach which makes traveling with this so much easier because it fits better in a carrier bag when in 2 pieces. It is also pretty lightweight, at 9 lbs, its no bother to drag this around from car to car or even continent to continent like I just did. There’s of course the tot favorite – cup holders, so it’s an added bonus. Available at Amazon
