Ascend Is Travel Comfort and Freedom for Toddler

Our 2-year old is an off-the-chart kid for height since about 6 months of age. She is almost 40 inches tall now and sat above the harness points on her Century SmartMoves SE car seat -- the best car seat (I've reviewed it, too!). We hated to leave the SmartMoves behind but couldn't seat her safely in it any longer. So, Toys R Us, here we come!

We chose the Century Breverra Ascend Car Booster seat after much deliberation between makes and models. We wanted something with ample padding because we make 6-hour car trips several times a year to see Grandma and Grandpa, plus do a fair amount of short-hopping the rest of the year. We needed something with a headrest that allowed our child to rest her head back and to the side without flopping over onto her shoulder, as well as something that allowed her to change position for her feet (regular infant/toddler car seat had her swinging her legs or trying to hook her heels on the edge of the seat for change in position). We didn't want to spend big bucks, and we wanted the "top of the line" as far as durability. Century's Breverra Ascend offered us all of this . . . and a cup holder and arm rests!

We purchased the Century Breverra Ascend at Toys R Us during their February/March/April BABY SALE (annual event) with an $8 off coupon, making the price $62. We could have had this discount on any seat, but the Ascend offered more of what we needed for a lower price than several other seats. Many more expensive seats had little/no padding and offered no space for napping/leaning, etc.

The cover comes in a basic navy blue with a beige pattern on the center of the seat and back. A flap on the lower back portion of the padding allows you to access the area where the car's seat belt threads through to secure the seat in your car (when using the 5-point harness).

BEFORE INSTALLING THE SEAT, be sure to have your child sit in the seat as if in the car so you can adjust the shoulder straps so that they are at or above your child's shoulders. The seat comes out of the box with the straps in middle of the three harness points, and it's easier to get that done first than realize you have the seat in tightly and then have to remove it again and take of the cover. Though neither is hard to do, it saves you some time in the end!

You can install this seat in about 5 minutes if you have tether hooks already in place in the car (REQUIRED FOR INSTALLATION). We took an extra 10 min. on this because we had to install the hooks. You will need your cars instruction manual to find either the hooks that come already installed or the spots available to install them yourself. It's not hard at all. When using the shoulder straps on an older/taller child, you also have to use the tether, as that piece and the lap/shoulder belt are all that hold your child and the seat in place. The seat comes with a locking clip (metal) in case your car doesn't have automatic locking belts and clips.

Once installed, the seat is easy to get your child into because it sits more closely to seat level than infant/toddler seats (there's no large base on this booster seat) and it allows a child to use the front portion of the automobile seat for a foot rest if desired. Our child falls asleep on long trips and she can rest her head comfortably on either side because this model does have a bit of a "wing" on either side, probably for that purpose. Though these are not as roomy as a regular infant/toddler seat, they are there and usable. Many other models have an almost flat seatback that wouldn't allow for naps at all.

Our daughter couldn't wait to use her new car seat. We had it on the living room floor for about a week before we put it in the car and she would sit in it to watch television, read and play. Her daddy installed it while she napped one day and she squealed with delight when she found out she could ride in it at last! She sat back looking like a satisfied customer and wanted to go somewhere every day.

The arm rests that come standard on this seat (non-retractable and non-removable) make it easy for our child to tuck a book or toy in beside her so she can use it later. She does this in her stroller and in the old car seat, and I can't imagine not allowing her that option because it is handy on a trip. She enjoys her cup holder, probably because it allows her to have an extra book or toy nearby, rather than having to tuck her cup in next to her as she did in her old seat. The cup holder is not difficult to remove it you read the instructions and fits firmly -- your child will never be able to remove it and fire it at you from the back seat.

The five-point harness system is identical to other Century models and allows a secure fit in the seat for your child. It easily loosens or tightens with the lift of a lever or pull of the tether at the front of the seat. I always had trouble with the straps twisting on our SmartMoves seat because I rarely took the time to put them in smoothly. Same will happen on this seat, but it's just like your own seatbelt -- if you don't untwist it, it will keep twisting more tightly until you have to take extra time to straighten it again. We are usually in a hurry to get our kids fastened in and on the move, I guess. If you take a few seconds, you'll find that the straps line up easily and you're all set. The two pieces that snap together across the chest are just difficult enough that an adult can fasten and unfasten them but a child cannot. My 16-year old brother asks for help when he puts our daughter in her seat!

The fabric seat cover sponges off easily for spills, mud and smudges and washes/dries easily. There are no rough edges that can irritate a child's legs or arms (arm rests are also fabric-covered).

The slots for the shoulder harness are great -- on our SmartMoves seat, our child sat too high, as I said above, and had to leave that seat behind at just over two years of age. The Ascend allows her to use the center slots for a few more inches and the upper slots are 4 - 5 inches above them, so she'll be able to use this seat with the five-point harness for a good long time. YIPPEE! After that, we'll switch to the lap/shoulder belt attachments which are securely fitted to the seat and are easy to use, too.

The Ascend isn't as wide at the base as a regular infant/toddler seat, and in our Subaru station wagon, we can fit it on the passenger's side back seat and have an infant seat in the center position. Same goes in most SUV's, as a friend has a Ford Explorer with the same set-up.

Overall, this is the best seat we found and it's priced under other seats that offer much less in the way of comfort and amenities. I couldn't care less whose name is on the seat as long as it does what it's supposed to do and lets my child have a comfortable ride in the car. This booster seat does all we require and if we need a booster for a second car or a second child, we'll purchase the same make and model again!