Just a quick review of the new Britax convertible accessories. These accessories fit the following models:
Britax Roundabout 55, Britax Marathon 70, Britax Boulevard 70, Britax Boulevard 70 CS, Britax Advocate 70 CS and their Canadian counterparts. They are NOT compatible with the previous “Classic” Britax convertibles (rated to 65 pounds in the USA). Please note the photos below are with the Marathon 70. Other models may vary slightly in terms of fit with the insert.
First, the Infant Positioning Insert, that retails for $14.99:
It is rated for use from 5-11 pounds. It is easy to install. You simply lift up the flaps on the cover and place it such that the bottom is under the existing comfort foam. A notch fits nicely around the crotch strap. The illustrations included in the instructions outline the procedure. It takes all of a couple minutes. Once installed, it moves a small baby upward and forward. That helps boost them toward the lowest adjustment for the harness straps and takes out some of the space between the baby and the closest crotch strap setting. Without the insert, most newborns will not fit into the Britax convertibles, because the manual says the baby’s shoulders must be as tall as the lowest setting for the harness straps. Even with the insert, I would guess that most premature babies and many smaller newborns will not fit.
For example, the Huggable Images 7-pound infant doll is very close, but does not quite fit according to the manual (even though the actual fit is quite good). I would guess that around 8 pounds or so, many babies will be able to fit very well. Of course, babies vary a lot in torso height, so there could well be some that fit fine at 7 pounds, while others may not fit even at 9 pounds. Overall, it is a very nice accessory if you plan to use the convertible from birth, rather than an infant carrier. Here are a couple photos showing the fit on a Huggable Images newborn doll without the insert (left) and with the insert (right). While you may only be able to use it for a few months, you can always give it to a friend or sell it on Carseat Swap when you are done!
Next, the Child Cup Holder, that also retails for $14.99
Not much to say about it. It’s a cupholder. The attachment easily hooks onto slots in the shell, under the cover. Then you click the cupholder onto the attachment. It swivels to keep things upright. It is relatively deep, sturdy and has a narrower bottom section for slimmer profile cans and bottles. It does take up room on the side of the seat, so it may interfere with an adjacent seat or door. Fortunately, you can mount it on either side. The only drawback I can see is that a child could push down with enough force on the bottle or can and un-click the cupholder from the attachment.
There isn’t a baby positioning insert, but as KETCHUPQUEEN said, it fits new-born really well. My daughter was 8.14lbs and 20” and outgrew the first slot after 1 week. I don’t know how a smaller baby would fit, but you can take a look at this Head and body support pillow :
http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Head-Body-Support-Pillow/dp/B006ZVV0R0/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1369705541&sr=8-11&keywords=britax
It is allowed to be use in the b-safe, but you have to remove the “headrest”.
I have a B-Safe travel system, the seat seems too deep for infants. Is there a baby positioning insert for this too?
No, the insert is for the new convertibles. The B-Safe already fits small babies well.
Can you use this insert with the New Britax B Safe car seat? Please advice.
NewMommy
I’m registering for my shower, and we’d really like to use the Britax Marathon 70 from birth. I’m so glad to see the comparison with/without the infant insert. I’ll definitely be adding it to our registry! Like ketchupqueen wrote: “Wow, the insert looks like it really changes the angle nicely to open the airway on a smaller baby. That seems very helpful.” This seems so true!!! Thanks 🙂
I’m looking at a label right now on a presentation for the cupholder that shows the 65 lbs seats listed as well and the Britax rep is in the room, so I imagine it’s correct . . . (the rep told me the seats labeled 65 lbs in the name, e.g., Marathon 65, were only produced in Canada, so the cupholder won’t fit the old style American seats).
The seats with “65” in the model name probably refer to the Canadian versions of the new USA 70 models. In the USA, the classic seats never had “65” in their model name. It is a little confusing, but I wouldn’t expect the cupholder to fit the previous models unless you verify this with Britax. I know for certain that the infant insert is NOT compatible with the previous models.
Goores has the cupholder (on sale and w/ free S&H), but they list it as compatible w/ some of the 65 and “classic” seats, too. Is that a typo?
Wow, the insert looks like it really changes the angle nicely to open the airway on a smaller baby. That seems very helpful.