I am not associated with Britax company. I purchased a Britax Advocate ClickTight convertible car seat on my own after careful research and was not sponsored by Britax to write this review. This review is my honest experience and opinion. This review contains affiliated links. That means I will get a commission if you click the link and buy an item (but at no extra cost to you). Your support helps my work in bringing you useful information about baby products. Thank you!
Parents buy a car seat for their baby’s safety in case of an accident. I also looked for a safest convertible car seat for my baby. After a long research, I had purchased a Britax Advocate ClickTight convertible car seat for my daughter. The car seat has been working out great so far. In this post, I want to share with you why I feel that Britax Advocate ClickTight convertible car seat is the safest convertible car seat available in the market. I have listed pros and cons of Britax Advocate ClickTight convertible car seat below. Let’s take a look!
Britax Advocate ClickTight Pros
Non Toxic Car Seat
Britax convertible car seat is the most non-toxic convertible car seat you can find in the market. This is one of the main reason I chose this car seat for my daughter. Parents buy a car seat to protect their baby from harm but many parents do not realize a car seat can actually be harmful to a baby by just a baby being in the car seat. Almost all car seats contain toxic flame retardant chemicals in the fabric or foam of the car seats. These chemicals settle into the air and a baby can breathe in them. Babies or toddlers are more sensitive to toxic chemicals and susceptible to harm they cause.
In order to meet the federal fire test standard, almost all car seats use flame retardant chemicals. According to the 2016 car seat study done by Ecology Center, all 15 car seats tested had flame retardant chemicals. Out of 15 car seats, 13 car seats used brominated flame retardant chemicals. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardant chemicals are known to cause cancer, disrupt hormones and cause developmental damages. Only two car seats (Maxi Cosi and Britax) didn’t contain brominated flame retardant chemicals. Britax uses phosphate-based, halogen-free flame retardant chemicals which is much safer than brominated or chlorinated flame retardant chemicals.
In 2017 UPPAbaby came out with an infant car seat, MESA Henry which has no flame retardant chemicals. It uses Merino wool as its fabric which works as a natural flame retardant. It was the first car seat that passed federal fire test without flame retardant chemicals. However, there are no convertible car seats without flame retardant chemicals yet. In Ecology Center’s car seat study, Britax and Maxi Cosi were only car seats that were highly recommended as a safe convertible car seats. They both use halogen-free flame retardant chemicals which are safer. Therefore, Britax convertible car seat is one of the most non toxic car seats available.
If you want to read more about flame retardant chemicals in baby car seats, please read my post, ‘Non Toxic Car Seat Without Toxic Flame Retardant Chemicals‘.
Great Protection For A Baby
Britax is not only the most non toxic but also the safest convertible car seat that protects a baby from an accident. Britax has the highest safety ratings among car seats available in US. The most common way for children to get injured in an accident is by side impacts. Britax designed the car seat based on that fact to provide the best protection for a baby or a child.
Britax has three different kinds of convertible car seats: Marathon ClickTight, Boulevard ClickTight, Advocate ClickTight. They are basically same car seats except for their protection levels. Britax Marathon ClickTight has one layer of side impact protection (has a side protection). Britax Boulevard ClickTight has two layers (has a thick head protection and a side protection), and Britax Advocate ClickTight has three layers (has a thick head protection, a side protection and also extra side protection layer) Britax Advocate ClickTight has the most protection for a baby.
I chose Britax Advocate ClickTight with the most protection so my daughter is protected as much as possible. Britax Advocate ClickTight has an Impact Absorbing Base that is built to absorb energy from the impact of a car accident and counteract forward movement keeping a child clear from the seat in front of them. It also has an Impact Stabilizing Steel Frame which protects a child and reduces forward flex. Britax Advocate Clicktight’s V shaped tether keeps the seat from rotating and stitches are designed to release in stages so it slows and reduces forward momentum in an accident. Britax Advocate ClickTight has three layers of protective padding on the shell for side impact. It includes headrest which protects the head. The deep protective shell is to protect a child from crash forces and debris that occur during an accident. In addition, there is another outer layer to provide extra impact protection. Protection layers on the Britax Advocate ClickTight are thick and strong. This is another reason why I chose this car seat. Knowing that my daughter is protected gives me the peace of mind.
Britax Advocate ClickTight Convertible Car Seat Review – Three Layers Of Side Impact Protection
Easy Installation
Britax Advocate ClickTight convertible car seat is very easy to install. You can install the car seat in a forward facing or a rear facing position. The car seat can be placed in the middle of the backseats or in one of the back seat. I did the forward-facing installation in the middle of the backseats. You simply lift up the bottom of the seat by pushing and turning the turn button on the front of the seat. Then you can place the vehicle seat belt into the forward-facing belt path slots and buckle. After that, lower the seat back in place and you will hear ‘click’ which tells you that you have a secure installation. I did the installation in 5 minutes. It’s pretty easy. To make it more secure (although not required but recommended by Britax), you can attach the top tether to an approved tether anchor location in your car. Then you can tighten to eliminate slack. The seat can be reclined in 7 positions. It has an Automatic Level Indicator for recline which helps you with the best installation angle for your vehicle.
Britax Advocate ClickTight Review – Automatic Level Indicator
Easy Safety Harness
Safety Harness of Britax Advocate ClickTight is pretty easy to use. 14 position, 5 point harness with 2 position buckle provides a comfortable, secure fit for my daughter. Once you put on the harness, you will hear a ‘click’ sound every time you tighten the harness. This clicking mechanism is to help you tighten the harness so you can tighten it just the right amount.
Releasing the harness is easy too. All you have to do is press in the harness adjuster button and loosen the harness. Then you can unbuckle the harness to release.
I like that Britax’s safety harness tightens by clicking since it helps me not to tighten the harness too much so it is too tight for my daughter.
Britax Advocate ClickTight Convertible Car Seat Review – Safety Harness
Britax Advocate ClickTight Cons
Price
Britax Advocate ClickTight convertible car seat is not cheap. It is the most expensive car seat among all Britax ClickTight convertible car seats including Boulevard ClickTight and Marathon ClickTight. However, it does provide the most protection compared to them. Britax Advocate ClickTight is one of the most expensive convertible car seats available in the market.
Final Thoughts
I chose Britax Advocate ClickTight convertible car seat mainly because it is the most non toxic convertible car seat available and also multiple, extra protection it can provide for my daughter. It is very easy to install into the car and the harness is convenient to adjust due to clicking mechanism. Although the price is very high, I feel that I got a safe, protective car seat for my daughter. It has been working well so far. Therefore, I recommend Britax Advocate ClickTight convertible a seat anyone looking for a safe convertible car seat for their baby or toddler.
If you are interested in non-toxic car seats, please read my post ‘Non Toxic Car Seats Without Flame Retardant Chemicals‘.
If you want to read about Uppa Baby Mesa infant car seat, check out my review ‘Uppa Baby Mesa Car Seat Review – Why This Infant Car Seat Is Safe‘.
