Is your baby outgrowing the infant seat? Looking for something to last for the long haul? Have you considered that soon your child may view a car seat as something for babies and not for a “big kid”?
Soon school and peers will be part of the equation, and safety in the car needs to match the appropriate age and development.
Prior to this age, we could choose car seats based on “our baby’s” weight and height. As our child grows, we need to consider development and agreement of the child who “has a mind of their own”.
So your baby is not a baby anymore. It’s easy to be in denial about it – and to dread finding the next car seat or even be tempted to just graduate to a simple booster…
How do we keep them safe? How do we nurture them without mothering too much?
How does a mother or father stay “kewl” and yet remain protective?
We adapt. That is exactly what Britax did with the Frontier car seat. Ideal for those older kids who resist buckling in just to please mom or dad. Those same older kids who are learning what peer pressure is and what the word “kewl” even means. And ideal for us parents who have to look up the word “kewl” and adjust to parenting a child with opinions.
Car seats can be such a struggle with the older child. No longer a baby, the toddler quickly grows into a preschooler and secretly learns how to loosen the harness, how to sit forward when being buckled in for a looser fit, and how to complain enough that the whole family celebrates when they graduate out of the convertible car seat onto a little booster.
But are they really safe in only a booster seat? Will the belt be positioned correctly to keep them safe? I once spoke with a California Highway Patrol officer who told me the worst injuries occurred to those who put the shoulder belt under their arm instead of in front of the shoulder. Why? Because the ribs were crushed and resulted in severe internal injuries as they punctured the lungs and internal organs. Yes, it is important the harness is in the correct place anatomically. The Frontier takes care of this as a vehicle-belt positioning booster. But let’s make sure your child really is getting enough protection with only a booster.
Britax designed the Frontier for the growing child. This seat will last until the child weighs over 100lbs.! From 25- 80 lbs. it can be used as a five-point harness seat offering True Side Impact Protection and a correct fit (they considered the body as a whole – weight, height, etc.) The five point harness is the safest way for a child to travel in a car. Britax has made it possible to keep a child safely buckled into a five point harness until 80lbs.! And after 80lbs., the combination harness-booster allows children to use the seat as a seat belt-positioning booster. Since I am not a certified child passenger safety technician (CPST), I will leave the details of the safety features to be reviewed by the experts in that area.
What I do review is consumer usability. Basically – does the Britax Frontier work on a daily basis in the routine of everyday life?
As parents, we want our child to be as safe as possible. I would almost prefer my son travel with full body protection. This will seem excessive to our child – even ridiculous!
Of course, we don’t dress them in football gear to ride in our car. But to a child, asking them to apply a harness can feel unfair, overprotective, and embarrassing. All of this protection makes them feel like a baby. They may even be teased about it by their friends.
They may argue that they are now old enough to sit without a car seat or maybe just agree to sit on a booster so they have a better view out of the window.
To many older children, a car seat is a sign of being weak and little.
UNLESS… it is presented correctly.
Show a child a professional race car driver. Point out how the driver gets buckled in before the race – even before the warm-up lap. Even when practicing alone.
Professional drivers respect the power of the machine.
Britax has made it possible for me to present our family car as a machine, like a race car. Presented with the option to sit like a race car driver (respecting the power of the automobile) is different than being forced into a “baby” seat because they are “too little” to sit like an adult. The Frontier does not look like a baby seat. When presented in that light, it can almost appear to be a race car driver’s seat.
Safety is not wimpy. Safety is smart.
Driving a race car may seem more dangerous than driving on our roads, until you put it in perspective. Race car drivers are professional drivers with well-maintained equipment driving on closely monitored and closed road conditions. All drives are focused, knowledgeable, and experienced. None are on the cell phone, eating, dealing with a passenger, applying make-up, late for work, etc.
Our driving conditions ARE often hazardous, unmonitored, and uncontrolled.
Education increases compliance. As kids get older, share what is developmentally appropriate to help them understand safety. Kids are smarter than we sometimes give them credit for. Educate them about WHY the safety is necessary.
Fog, rain, snow, ice, wind, traffic, medication, alcohol, time schedule, distractions, road kill, and road rage may be affecting not only you but OTHER drivers that are driving next to you or straight at you.
Night Vision/Fog/Rain/Snow/Ice/Wind
Distractions of “Life”
These things DO happen everyday –
Accidents DO happen everyday…
And as a nurse, I can tell you that NOBODY ever thinks it will happen to them.
Don’t move a child into or out of a booster for convenience. Instead consider the Frontier – a car seat that grows with your child. A car seat that looks nothing like the “baby seat” that children are used to. With a harness that easily grows with your child (one hand adjustment without rethreading), and an easy transition from harness to vehicle-belt-positioning booster – this car seat covers a child’s needs from 25 to over 100 lbs! Plus, the True Side Impact Protection is offered even when the child outgrows the five-point harness and uses the seat as a booster.
The Frontier can be whatever your child prefers to think of it as, whether a race car driver’s seat or a fireman’s command post. The dual armrests and cup holders are not designed for a baby – instead they acknowledge a growing child’s needs for comfort and safety while in the car. The side impact protection is there not only for safety, but is wonderful for a sleepy child to comfortably rest a sleepy head.
And when using the Frontier as a Belt Positioning Booster, remember to secure the seat even when it’s unoccupied. Loose objects in the car can become injury causing projectiles in a crash. Protect the rest of the family by securing the Frontier with the LATCH connectors.
It’s KEWL to be professional and respectful -making decisions based on education rather than being forced into something “because mom or dad said so”.
We take more chances than a race car driver to drive on our roadways today. Respect that. Actions speak louder than words- be an example to your children of how to avoid the distractions while driving powerful machines.
The Frontier comes in a variety of colors pleasing to an older child.
Allow them to choose the color, unpack the box, and be part of the installation. You may be surprised how “KEWL” safety can be!
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