Infant Seat First Look: Britax Chaperone Review
The Britax Chaperone is the new infant carrier model from Britax, replacing the popular Companion. The Chaperone carrier is sold separately and also in a travel system together with the all-new Chaperone stroller that will debut later this summer. In fact, you can even buy the infant carrier now and the matching stroller later, and still qualify for this great rebate offer from Britax.
The Chaperone is listed for babies 4 to 30 pounds, 32 inches or less in height and a seated shoulder height of 6.9 to 10 inches tall. With a relatively low bottom harness slot and the included infant insert, it should fit many premature babies well. It also touts an anti-rebound bar on the base (also sold separately), a relatively rare feature for infant seats in the USA. The twist-free harness quickly adjusts to seven height positions with no re-threading required, while the head restraint section allows it to meet the Britax True Side Impact Protection criteria. A built-in lockoff and premium LATCH attachments with push-button releases are also included.
So, is it worthy of the available Cowmooflauge cover? Well, for that, you’ll have to wait a few weeks for the full review from a mom who can put it through its paces with a real, live baby. For this first look, a preemie sized doll will have to suffice, but I’ll also have some photos, video and will discuss how well it installs along with other initial impressions based on only a day or two of use.
A few highlights:
- Special foam padding insert for infants 4 to 11 pounds
- Easy to read “bubble” level indicators on both sides of carrier
- Handle can be left in any position while in vehicle
- Anti-rebound bar is very nice
- Generous padding and EPS foam
I really have to talk first about the low birth weight foam insert. It’s not a typical insert that fits around the harness and takes up space around the baby’s head and torso. It’s actually a dense foam wedge that goes under the cover itself. It has cutouts for the lap belt on each side and a slot for the crotch buckle strap. It’s 
thick enough that it essentially brings the baby’s bottom forward and upward. That reduces the effective height of the lowest harness height setting down to around 6 inches or so (but it’s hard to measure exactly because of the shape of the insert). That is very helpful for small newborns and preemies. Below are a couple photos to compare the fit with and without the insert on a preemie sized doll. On the left, you can see that it is a very good fit using the low birth weight foam insert. On the right, you can see that the fit is marginal, but the harness slots are above the shoulders and it isn’t nearly as nice as with the insert. You will notice that the actual harness height setting isn’t any lower, but the baby’s torso is raised upward to create a shorter effective seated torso height. This makes the buckle sit lower and tighter and seems like it may even help the head from slumping forward a bit, at least with a doll.
Installation of the preemie insert is not difficult. You must remove the lower portion of the cover and the crotch buckle strap as per the instructions in the manual. The insert fits above the comfort foam layer and is tall enough to go just above the shoulder straps in their lowest position. As you can see in the photo on the right, once installed, it fits nicely with the leg and crotch straps in the cut out slots. At 11 pounds, you may no longer use the insert and must also move the crotch strap to the outer position.
The Chaperone touts True Side Impact protection. Indeed, to the side of the head is a layer of comfort padding on the headrest cover. Underneath, a layer of EPS foam in the wings of the adjustable head section. Then the shell of the side wings. Then another layer of padding on the main cover. Then another layer of EPS foam on the sides of the main shell. Then the main shell. The EPS foam lines the side and back of the head section and the sides of the main carrier shell. Plus, with 7 height adjustments, two crotch buckle positions and a front harness adjuster, there should be no problems getting the harness to fit correctly on most babies.
Installation with LATCH and seatbelt both seem pretty straightforward. There’s a built-in lockoff section on the base that helps you cinch the lap and shoulder portions of the seatbelt together. It is also handy for holding any slack on the LATCH straps out of the way. Though there is only a single LATCH adjuster on one side, it works well. Releasing a LATCH install can be difficult with a single tilt adjuster and hook attachment. Not a problem here, since both the adjuster and attachment have push button releases. The Chaperone installed relatively easily in our minivan (I have yet to try the bench seat in our wagon). When installing with a lap/shoulder belt, be sure to follow the steps in the manual. It’s a lot easier to pull slack from the lap belt to tighten it before you put the shoulder belt under the black belt guides!
An upright vehicle seatback will also tend to brace against the anti-rebound bar, making an installation seem even more solid. In our minivan, after I brought the vehicle seat back forward, there was almost no twist or rotation at the top of the shell where the baby’s head would be. It was a very solid install. A knob is turned to adjust the foot up and down in case you need more or less recline. A bubble level is included on each side of the carrier and is easy to read. You can use a pool noodle under the foot if needed for more recline.
Construction? No complaints here. I wouldn’t call the locking clip rugged or heavy-duty, but it worked well in limited testing. The handle mechanism is easy enough to engage, though it requires two hands. It then rotates smoothly. The carrier pops into the base easily and securely. The release mechanism is on the back of the carrier near the top and also works smoothly. The canopy rotates easily and quietly, though also doesn’t lock firmly into a position. The adjustable height mechanism also works easily, as 
expected. As advertised, the harness doesn’t seem to twist in the buckles, though this issue usually is something that happens over time. My neighbor had no problems at all with the harness adjustment system. She had her daughter, left, correctly restrained in just a minute or two. At 13 months old, 29 inches tall and 21 pounds, she still has room to grow. The cover seems durable and the plastic tabs hold it in place very well. It’s a very soft micro fiber material around the head and torso, while the rest of the material appears to be a more durable and easy-to-clean synthetic fabric.
Overall the weight and dimensions seem pretty typical. At 10 pounds, it’s not very heavy, but not super light, either. The shape and width are also fairly average; perhaps slightly narrower than a typical infant seat. This may help for some narrow seating positions and three-across installs, but it should still be roomy enough for bigger babies. The specs published by Britax are pretty accurate. The base is over 24 inches long from one end to the rebound bar. The carrier width is about 18″ wide at the handles, closer to 15″ at the top of the carrier. The seated shoulder slot heights without the low birth weight insert range from just under 7″ up to around 11″.
The downsides of the Chaperone? Like many infant seats these days, it’s made in China. I’m more willing to pay higher prices for domestic products (like most other 
Britax models), as well as those made elsewhere in North America or Europe. Being manufactured in the Far East makes the $229 price tag harder to swallow. Even so, the quality and design seem top notch, just like other Britax products. The base does seem relatively long. This could be an issue in small cars with minimal leg room or those with very short seat cushions. The manual doesn’t indicate any issues with overhang, but there is a blurb in the Britax FAQ for anyone concerned about this issue. Without finding any other major flaws in the couple days I’ve had it, I can only nitpick the cord on the manual for being quite short. So, I spent 5 minutes detaching it from the cord so I could read it in the car while waiting for my kids to finish their music lessons. Then, of course, I had a sudden bout of TMS (Typical Man Syndrome) and I promptly lost it! It would have been nice to have a second one in the box, but probably less environmentally friendly to do that when the manual is also available online.
If the cost isn’t an issue, I don’t think you will be disappointed at all with the Chaperone. It’s a very nice infant seat overall, especially for small babies. You get a stylish infant carrier with a few relatively unique features, like the anti-rebound bar, the newborn foam insert and compatibility with the upcoming Britax Chaperone stroller (one that won’t be everywhere like all the mass market strollers)! Plus, the box says it is compatible with other major brands of strollers, too.
Details of the Britax Chaperone can be found at the official Britax USA website. The Chaperone can be found at most retailers, including Kids-N-Cribs.com and our CarseatBlog Amazon.Com store.
Reader Comments
By the way, I did find the manual! DS had carried it off to the back seat of the van… Also, here’s a great thread with some more photos of the Chaperone: http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=86933 .
That looks like an awesome seat. I like the pad for smaller babies. My daughter was 5 pounds, 11 ounces when we left the hospital and the Graco was so huge on her, it seemed.
Looks nice, especially with the Red Rock Frontier in the background. How do you get Britax to send you matching car seats, anyway?
Given that the base hangs off the edge of the vehicle seat so much (but really not more than the infant seat itself), how do you think it compares space-wise with a rf convertible seat in the same position?
As for losing the manual, you know you should always ask the little guy first, lol! Such sticky fingers, he has
.
Reading your review and seeing the videos of it made me decide to buy this for my new baby due in July over the true fit premiere. Thanks so much! I also got a good deal for it through diapers.com and using the SAGEAR1 code.
i wonder what the shoulder height of the 13 month old is in the picture? my son is 7 months old, 22lbs, and 27″ tall. i’m debating if i should purchase and finish up his year with a chaperone, or go ahead and get the convertible? he is currently in a snugride 22 and busting out!
I’m sorry, but I forgot to measure the shoulder height on my neighbor’s daughter. We will have a followup review next month. The reviewer’s baby is a bit younger, though.
I’m sure you would get some life out of the Chaperone with the 30 pound limit, but for a baby 7 months and 22 pounds, a convertible will be easier on the wallet and your back!
Any idea if this car seat fits with the Maclaren Easy Traveler stroller?
Or if it will fit the Bob Duallie Adapter? I know the box states that it will fit most major brand strollers, but Britax’s website says that you need a strap from them to do this… does anyone have anymore info on this? Thanks!
I’m sorry I did not try it in any strollers.
This review really helped me in picking an infant seat. I was going back and forth between all the seat that go down to 4lbs for fit. My first child was 5lbs 8oz and released from the hospital at 5lbs 6oz, my second was 5lbs 9oz and came home weighing 5lbs 2oz. While I loved my snugride, I wasn’t comfortable with the fit until they were 7lbs. Since we are pretty sure #3 is going to be on the small side too, we decided to buy a new infant seat. With the help of this blog and the pictures of the preemie doll we decided on the Chaperone. Thank you so much! I will feel so much better bringing home my smaller than average newborn in this seat.
Doe this infant car seat fit into the BOB Revolution Stroller?
I do not have any information on stroller compaibility, sorry!
Yes it fits all newer b.o.b strollers. Hope that helps.
awesome- thank you- you were the first person to tell me that that it would fit into a bob stroller! yeah
Does the seat fit in grocery store carts? Thanks for the great review. We have decided to buy this seat for our baby due in November.
I’m the mom working on a review of the seat with my infant (sorry – a little slow!). It would fit inside the big basket of a grocery cart. It also fits fine in my Kolcraft universal carrier. I have not tried it on the handlebars of a grocery cart because that’s a dangerous place for any infant seat.
I’ve got this seat.
This is my first child and, therefore, the first infant carrier that I have experience with. I can’t say that I’m in love with the seat but it does seem to do the job. The one thing that bothers me most is the canopy – it feels flimsy and often won’t stay upright. Also, the foam insert, while seemingly a good idea, didn’t work out so well in practice. Our babe came home from the hospital at 6lbs 4oz… I had the insert in the seat but could not buckle her in – the crotch strap just seemed to be WAY too short with the insert in place. She does fit well enough without it. The final thing that I don’t like is that I couldn’t get the seat to sit level in the base in my car (infiniti fx35). It is not off by much – just a bit really but the perfectionist in me is bothered by it. It would be great if the base had leveling feet in both the front (where I need it) and the back (where it has it).
Unfortunately, I did not have a newborn to test with the low birth weight insert. My tester was a special doll sized and weighted to be similar to a 4 pound preemie. I also did not have a diaper on it, an unfortunate omission. It’s quite possible that by 6 pounds, the insert may not be needed.
Does the base attach to the car using the metal vise-grip looking bars?
If you mean rigid attachments, those were available only on the Britax Baby Safe, now discontinued. Sadly, rigid LATCH infant seats are no longer sold in the USA. You can find them in Europe, though.
Thanks for the answer. I currently live in Europe, which is where I first saw the rigid attachments. We will be moving back to the US when our baby is about 6 weeks old and have been told by the “experts” that we should by the car seat in the US. Apparently, the ones bought in Europe don’t have the very specific US safety standards sticker attached to it even though it may meet requirements.
Hi! I had the Britax Companion for my son, which was very heavy – heavier than most infant carriers. This one looks to be lighter… is that the case? I’m a very petite person, so it was hard to carry the Companion around. I love the Britax name, but would love something lighter this time around.
Hi, I am a first time mom and wanted to add to this review of the Chaperone since there is limited info on this car seat. I work at a Children’s hospital and am a physical therapist and all of my co-workers and our car seat checker highly recommended the Companion as the safest infant carrier car seat. I was trying to get it until I realized it was being replaced by the Chaperone. My little one came a few weeks before I got mine in the mail since it was on back order until early July. We used our Marathon in the meantime and it worked just fine.
She was around 7-8 lbs once we started using it and I found that the newborn insert was unnecessary and took up way too much room. I think the insert is for true preemies. My husband installed it in our Toyota Matrix without any issues and we can still adjust our front seats without running into the carseat. I do have some trouble with the harness straps when getting her into the seat and would love it if it had the velcro tabs on the side like they do on other models. My baby loves to arch so I need to be quick and I don’t need to encourage her to arch more by reaching under her bottom for the buckles. Adjusting the shoulder height is a breeze and I am pretty happy with it overall. The sunshade is huge and covers her pretty well in the car unless the sun is coming directly in through the back.
It does feel a little heavier and bigger than other infant carseats when they are side by side but I think most infant carseats are heavy and just get heavier. I am 5′2, average weight, and fairly fit but really only can carry it short distances (to our car on the street and back). It should remind all of us to not carry the babies in them too far anyways. I contacted BOB strollers and they told me that it is not compatible but I have been using it in my BOB stroller for a while and it seems to fit very well. With the strap that comes with the BOB adapter, it doesn’t move or feel tippy.
I hope this is useful to other parents because I was nervous getting a new product that hadn’t been reviewed very much but the Britax name seemed like a safe bet and it has proven to be an excellent purchase.
Do you know if the Chaperone fits well in a VW Vento?
Thanks
Fran
Just had to point out a problem with this car seat. The chest clip on our car seat has broken 2 times in the 7 1/2 months we have owned the Chaperone! We are not hard on this car seat… just normal, daily use. The problem is that the slit that the belt feeds through has a very thin plastic “frame” for lack of a better word. The first time it broke, it cut my finger right to the bone. I didn’t realize that it had broken and when I went to put my baby in it, I reached behind the clip to fasten it and suddenly I was bleeding. We contacted Britax and they responded quickly. They even had us return the seat to a local store where they replaced the whole seat. We were very happy with how they worked with us. Now this morning I went to put my baby in his seat to take his siblings to school and when I fastened the clip, I noticed that it is broken again! (I would love to attach pictures if you would like!) We contacted Britax and they have obviously had this happen several times because they now have a “scripted” response to the problem and were very rude. We didn’t expect another new car seat, but we hoped that maybe they had designed a new clip that could be overnighted to us. We were told that we had to supply them with pictures of the broken piece and they would then put a new one in the mail. Yes the same clip that had broken 2 times already! The replacement piece could take up to 10 business days! Are you kidding me? Britax is #1 in safety for what reason? When we told them that the seat is unusable because there is a sharp, thin piece of plastic aiming at my child’s heart… we were told to remove the piece and it would not compromise the safety of the seat. So they want me to drive around with my baby in a car seat that has no chest clip! Does this sound strange to anyone else? I love Britax. We have owned a Roundabout and now currently own 3 Frontiers that we have loved, but this may be the last Britax we buy! Oh and if you buy the stroller… prepare to put the wheels back on pretty often. They fall off as you get the stroller in and out of your car. When we complained about that problem they told us that they were very aware of the problem and that was the only response we received. All in all, with the exception of the chest clip… the seat is very sturdy and nice. It just bothers me that something as simple as a chest clip can’t get fixed and that they are so unconcerned about it!
Update on my frustrated review from yesterday. I wanted to let you know that a rep from Britax called us this morning and apologized for the way we were treated on the phone and that the CS Rep wasn’t following procedure for the problem we were having. We were informed that this has been an ongoing problem and they will be issuing a recall shortly. They are now sending us a chest clip that goes to a different model of car seat until the problem with the Chaperone is corrected. I’ve got to give credit where credit is due!
I have had the Britax Chaperone now for 3mo and have found it very good overall. My other son is in the Roundabout which has given us no problems. My only complaints with the seat are that as someone else noted, there are no velcro tabs on the sides for the harness which do make it a bit trying and tight to grab the clips from underneath an upset baby. Also, for whatever reason (maybe someone can help me out here) the harness straps are always getting twisted and i’m unable to untwist them as the straps don’t twist thru the clips. Did i make any sense there? Also, I own a truck and the bubble levels will never evel. I had it installed at the place of purchase and they said it was fine, as trucks in general are somewhat angled in the backseats. Other than the above the seat is great.
Oh, i also have the stroller which is good overall except yes, the wheel came off a couple of times unloading but it is simple to put back on. Its not great in the snow ( but i find any plastic wheeled stroller sucks this way) and for whatever reason the stroller is super squeeky! I’ve even had my husband grease the wheels to no avail and it seems to be increasingly worse. A bit annoying after a while!
Figures that they would pull out of America and start producing thier high priced seats in China.
They have not reduced the price of the product that it replaced the Companion.
It’s always about the money!