Roundabout Onyx Convertible Car Seat

This was our first baby and I wanted to get it right. I wanted the best car seat no matter what it cost.In reading information about car seats on http://www.unique-baby-gear-ideas.com it struck me that although there was mention of just about every other brand, there was a definite bias towards the Britax brand by the author. The more reviews and opinions I read the more convinced I was that Britax for us. I put it at the top of the list of our baby car seats to consider. When we actually got our hands on it at the store, it just seemed heavier and sturdier than other car seats that we had on our list of possibilities. To make a long story short the Britax came home with us. I was rather disappointed when I found that I couldn't take advantage of all of the safety features if I installed it in the center position of my Honda CRV. We tried it in the center position but it just did not seem secure. My husband took it to the Honda dealership to get their input and the technician said the only way the car seat to be installed and be able to use the safety tether was to install it and either the driver or passenger side positions of the back seat. He came back with the car seat securely installed on the rear passenger side.

I'm not crazy about the baby's car seat in that position for several reasons the first being that I was once in a wreck where the impact was to be rear passenger door. Need I say more? Another reason is that the back of the front passenger seat is too close to the baby's feet. My husband and I are both pretty tall which makes travel with the front seat close to the dashboard uncomfortable. This leaves very little room in the back seat. As the baby has grown one of her favorite things is to prop her feet on the passenger seat head rest. If she gets bored on long trips she is also prone to tickle the ears of passengers in the front seat with her toes. As you can imagine this is not nearly as entertaining to the person in the front seat as it is to the baby.

Another problem with side installation is that the other girls MUST enter and exit the back seat through the driver's side only. There just is not enough room between the back of the front seat and the front of the car seat for them to get by.

All that being said, everything you read about the pros for this car seat is absolutely true. The straps are not twisty and the construction is sturdy. The connectors all work well. My only advice is that if you prefer a center rear seat installation for your child's car seat to make a trip to your dealership ahead of time to be sure if that is possible with your car.