... On our last flight to the US, we took our Britax Eclipse on the plane, but noticed that our son’s feet were unavoidably cramped against the seat in front – the Eclipse is quite bulky, so we didn’t fancy trying to package it up with our checked luggage either. As such, we decided to look for ... Read review
Suitable for children from 9mths-11yrs the trio is an ideal car seat for your child; the ... more
seat has a height adjustable headrest and a 5-point safety harness with quick release buckle. Once your child reaches 18kg the harness can be easily removed leavin...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: Next day delivery by lunch time....
An innovative two part car seat for use with a harness, an adult 3 point seat belt ... more
seat-belt or as a booster. Comes with an adjustable head support which splits down to a booster. This Britaz Trio car seat has a weight capacity of 25kg and an age ran...
Postage & Packaging: from £4.85 Availability: refer to website
An innovative two part car seat for use with a harness, an adult 3 point seat belt ... more
seat-belt or as a booster. Comes with an adjustable head support which splits down to a booster. This Britaz Trio car seat has a weight capacity of 25kg and an age range...
Postage & Packaging: £4.99 Availability: Usually dispatched within 4-5 business days...
An innovative two part car seat for use with a harness, an adult 3 point seat belt ... more
seat-belt or as a booster. Comes with an adjustable head support which splits down to a booster. This Britaz Trio car seat has a weight capacity of 25kg and an age range...
Postage & Packaging: £4.99 Availability: Usually dispatched within 4-5 business days...
Britax. Trio Benno. Suitable for 9 months to 11 years. Forward facing. Compatible with ... more
adult 3 point belt only. Converts to booster seat. Height adjustable head rest. 5 point harness. Quick release buckle. Harness sleeves and buckle pad. Removable wash...
Postage & Packaging: £4.99 Availability: Usually dispatched within 4-5 business days...
Britax. Trio Benno. Suitable for 9 months to 11 years. Forward facing. Compatible with ... more
adult 3 point belt only. Converts to booster seat. Height adjustable head rest. 5 point harness. Quick release buckle. Harness sleeves and buckle pad. Removable wash...
Postage & Packaging: £4.99 Availability: Usually dispatched within 4-5 business days...
Advantages: The Security of the Britax Name, longevity of use Disadvantages: Installation difficulties might put some people off
...the US, we took our Britax Eclipse on the plane, but noticed that our son’s feet were unavoidably cramped against the seat in front – the Eclipse is quite bulky, so we didn’t fancy trying to package it up with our checked luggage either. As such, we decided to look for an alternative solution, and we settled on the Britax Trio.
To me, Britax is to car seats what Hoover is to Vacuum Cleaners – they are the natural choice as experts ... ...
What is the Britax Trio
A child car seat for stages 1, 2 and 3 supposedly suitable for babies and children weighing 9kg to 36kg or approx 9 months to 11 years old. (Please ignore the 3-5 yrs age range entered in the summary below, Ciao made me choose on of their options)
Stage 1 (9kg to 18kg) – A full car seat with integral five point harness.
Stage 2 (15kg to 25kg) – Full car seat, but remove ... more
For our upcoming holiday to Spain, we were faced with the usual car seat dilemna – take our own or pay £50 to the car rental company to hire a car seat of dubious quality. On our last flight to the US, we took our Britax Eclipse on the plane, but noticed that our son’s feet were unavoidably cramped against the seat in front – the Eclipse is quite bulky, so we didn’t fancy trying to package it up with our checked luggage either. As such, we decided to look for an alternative solution, and we settled on the Britax Trio.
To me, Britax is to car seats what Hoover is to Vacuum Cleaners – they are the natural choice as experts in the field. They work closely with motoring organisations and the Euro NCAP safety committee to ensure standards are kept high. Despite this position of strength in the market, their products seem to be priced similarly to competitors products and therefore offer good value.
What is the Britax Trio
A child car seat for stages 1, 2 and 3 supposedly suitable for babies and children weighing 9kg to 36kg or approx 9 months to 11 years old. (Please ignore the 3-5 yrs age range entered in the summary below, Ciao made me choose on of their options)
Stage 1 (9kg to 18kg) – A full car seat with integral five point harness.
Stage 2 (15kg to 25kg) – Full car seat, but remove the harness, attach the seat belt shoulder clip, and use the adult car seatbelt to secure the child – threading the belt through the shoulder clip to ensure correct positioning.
Stage 3 (15kg to 36kg) – Booster seat. The backrest removes and the base can then be used as a booster seat in conjunction with the adult seat belt.
Britax Trio Features
Headrest – An inner headrest with a slight wraparound effect that provides some support for the childs head if they doze off.
Adjusta-Fit System – The Trio features an easy adjusting system for the height of the headrest and harness. You simply adjust up or down using the handle at the back of seat – there is no need to remove and re-thread the harness as there is on many seats.
Removable Washable Covers – Easy to do – takes about 5 minutes – less if you don’t have the harness in.
Fabrics – Available in a choice of six different fabric styles (most fairly dark, which is good). Spare covers can also be purchased.
Build quality – typical of the Britax products we have owned, this seems solidly made and built to last.
Suitability for holidays abroad (Well, this is why we bought it) – Because the backrest and base separate, you can easily pack this in a large duffel bag or suitcase. Once you’ve figured out how to do it, the separation only takes a few minutes and a similar amount of time to put it back together.
Ease of Use
The seat is secured by the three point adult seatbelt. (It is not suitable for use with lapbelts). This is passed over the side of the seat, through a slot to the rear, across the back, through another slot to the front, over the other side and then fastened. Get the idea? No, oh well, I tried. To be honest, this is not the easiest thing to do. It is difficult to prevent the belt from twisting, and quite hard to remove sufficient slack from the seatbelt to ensure a secure fit. I have done this half a dozen times now and have just about got it cracked, but my wife cannot get the seat secure – like I said, it is quite difficult.
Once installed, it is simple to operate. Insert child, adjust tension of harness to suit amount of clothes worn – easily done by pressing the button on the front underside of the seat – clip the five point harness in place, and adjust tension by pulling on a strap to ensure a snug fit.
Averagepunters recommended use.
Whilst it is advertised as being suitable for ages 9 months to 11 years, I would not personally recommend this seat for use under 2 years old. There are far more suitable seats for smaller babies/toddlers which recline to offer them more comfort. Obviously, the weight/age guidelines for each stage of use are exactly that – guidelines. You need to judge what is comfortable for your child. HOWEVER, you should not use the seat if the child is outside of the recommended weight range of 9kg to 36kg as this may compromise your childs safety. For the reasons outlined in the ‘Ease of Use’ section above, I would also not recommend this seat if you need to move it between cars on a regular basis.
Our 2.5yr old seems quite happy in his Trio, so he probably won’t mind if I add his recommendation for what he calls ‘me new car seat’.
Suitability for your car
On the Britax website (www.britax.co.uk), they have a ‘Fit-finder’ function where you can enter the your car details and childs weight range and they will give you a list of seats suitable for you car. NOTE: Only enter your cars manufacturer – leave the car model and ‘car seat interested in’ fields blank as this provides better results. Alternatively, you can call Britax Customer Service on 01264 386034.
Cost
Recommended price is £89.99, although I got mine on promotion at Halfords for £71 – a small price to pay for something to secure your childs safety for many years to come.
Summary
If you can live with the awkward installation procedure, then I think this is a very good car seat. Personally, I think that if installation is too easy, then you can get blasé which could lead to careless mistakes, so I see the requirement of a little effort as a good thing.
One last thought - I hope I never have to find out how good the safety of this seat really is!! Thanks for reading.
Advantages: Three modes of transport in one Disadvantages: A bit heavy and clumsy to use
I bought a Britax Travel System back in 1999 when I was expecting my first daughter. It was quite expensive, about £300 in total.
The most important point for me was that it included a carrycot, which could be attached to the chassis wheels to make a proper pram. I was very anxious to make sure that she could lie completely flat so that I could let her sleep in her pram without worrying.
The pram is my favourite mode for the travel system, and ... ...out draughts so she was nice and cosy, and she was able to take her naps in it when she was downstairs. I used it in this mode until she was six months old, although most mums do move on to a pushchair before then. The main disadvantage is that when it is set up as a pram it won't fold flat to go into a car boot without unclipping and removing the carrycot from the chassis.
But the travel system also includes a Rock a Tot carseat (useful up to about ...
tyllwyd 11.09.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Britax Trio Car Seat
Advantages: Lovely ride, large shopping basket and baby looks very comfortable Disadvantages: A littel time consuming to change from pushchair to carseat options
...was not much choice. The Britax and Silver Cross seemed the 2 options. After a lot of looking around we decided to go the whole hog and buy the Travel system with the carrycot. And well we are now 2.5 years down the lane and I still love it and use it several times a week (even though I now have 2 kids who both at times need a ride) It is lovely to look at, such a nice drive and a good height for the handlebar (I am quite tall) We bought it in the ... ...how to. (I believe that Britax have now made a new model where you dont need to take off the actual pushchair seat to fix the car-seat so that should solve the time issue) Also as it is meant for inter changing the covers comes off easily and washes beautifully and without any trouble at all. (always handy) A extra bonus for me is the fact that it has a VERY LARGE shopping basket at the bottom. AND it is so easily assessable. When I am out shopping ...
EloisaandPhoebesmama 04.10.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Britax Trio Car Seat
Advantages: Good value for money Disadvantages: Doesn't recline
The Britax Trio Car Seat has received a lot of bad press recently, as a Which survey put it in its top 100 worse baby seats. We've had this seat over a year now, and have found it generally good value. The main advantage of this seat is its versatility. It is suitable from 9 months to almost 9 years old, as the straps and back are both removable. However there are two major disadvantages: Firstly and most importantly it does not recline. This means ... ...budget, and want a seat that will last for years, then the Britax Trio is perfect. It is worthwhile however going to a store such as Mothercare or Halfords that fit the seat for you, so as to re-assure yourself that your seat is correctly fitted, and your child safe. ...
alexsonofsparky 21.10.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Britax Trio Car Seat
Advantages: ease of use, adaptability, price Disadvantages: car seat only until about 9 months (not 15 as they tell you)
...in 1996 I bought the Britax Trio travel system which cost then approx £400 and is the best money ever spent. The system which incorporates a from birth pram which later converts into a pushchair and a from birth to 15 months car seat. The car sear however did neither of my children until they were 15 months, both being large babies, they had outrgown the car seat by about 9 months, and by about 6 months carrying them in it was almost impossible.
... ...over the world with us and is very robust. Both of my children were very comfortable in it and it has a handy carry tray on the base, very useful for putting all the necessary rubbish in!! I found the handle very comfortable and just the right height. Even granny will tell you that it is easy to use/ fold away without losing a finger in the process. The covers were easy to remove and wash on both the seat and pram.
I would definately recommend it ...
kimborob 11.02.2001 (12.02.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Britax Trio Car Seat
Advantages: Very versatile seat Disadvantages: Can be fiddly to fit
The trio is three seats in one, suitable for children from 9 months to 12 years old! Assuming you can keep them in a childseat that long.
From 9 months to 4 years, it's a forward facing seat with a 5 point harness. Remove the harness at 4 years and you have a comfortable booster seat which will do nicely until the child is too tall for it. At this time, you can remove the back of the seat, converting it into a booster cushion. These seats retail ... ...They can be awkward to fit and they don't recline at all, but other than that, they're excellent seats.
The adjustafit headpad means that you don't need to unthread the harness to make it higher, however you will need to remove the seat from the car to use the adjustafit. ...
chloehopefullyhelpful 28.02.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Britax Trio Car Seat
