First, a giveaway!  Britax has generously donated a Roundabout 50 car seat to one lucky winner from Mommies with Style.

To enter, visit the Mommies with Style Message Boards and leave a comment in the Britax Giveaway discussion which asks: what car seat are you currently using? (Doesn’t have to be a Britax to enter, just let us know what you use for your kids – we’re curious!)

If you aren’t registered for our boards, you’ll have to register to enter.  One winner will be selected at random from the responses after September 25th.

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And now, onto Julie’s review:
A few months ago, Britax quietly unveiled a new carseat: The Advocate. I’m not sure why it was so quiet, and I haven’t seen or heard much about it. So I’m going to shout out how awesome this seat is. Because I’m extremely impressed, and am very much looking forward to my littlest switching to this pink and brown floral carseat in a few months. (Also available in gray, onyx and tan).

While the seat is all new and great, I really wanted to know why Britax keeps coming out with new options. The company is known to make only the safest caresets. The cream of the crop. They go above and beyond all safety laws. So, why keep creating new ones? Even with the Roundabout nothing was “broke”, so why fix it, right?

So I chatted with Dr. Laura Jana, physician, author and Carseat Protection Technician, a spokesperson for Britax as well as the AAP. I asked Dr. Jana why parents should consider these “better” seats? Afterall, they’ve all passed carseat safety tests, why should we keep upgrading?

Her response put it all in perspective: Is there anything that’s more important than your child’s safety? Probably not. And while all the carseats available may have passed tests, why not go for the one that surpasses tests. A seat that adds safety elements that the carseat techs hadn’t even thought of. For example, the Advocate doesn’t just have padding on the inside of the seat to protect the child riding in it, this is the one seat with padding on the outside as well, to protect the passenger who, in an accident, slams her head against the side.

And why not make life easier for you, the parent? When you consider that you use this seat daily, several times each day, for several years, why not look for amenities like a No Re-thread Adjustment Harness? (If you haven’t had to re-thread, then you don’t realize the value of this. Re-threading is a major PITA).

The Britax Advocate has all the elements of other Britax seats. And as one of the newest in their collection, it features a Flexible Mount System which allows the side impact cushions to move multi-directionally for easy access to the installation and height adjustment.

A convertible seat, the Advocate has been approved for children 5 pounds through 65; and up to 49 inches tall. Parents often wonder, though, which is more important, height or weight when it comes to searching for a carseat. These statistics, according to Dr. Jana, refer to the maximum the seat has been tested for (and passed).  As a parent you’ll need to use your judgement, but generally get a new seat whichever he outgrows first.

The Advocate, with its 5-point harness (check out you-tube if you aren’t convinced your child needs a 5-point harness, I don’t care how hip it is to use a booster with a regular strap, the 5-point harness is so much safer!), and push-button LATCH Connectors and Tethers for easy installation, this carseat is safe, secure, and simple. Whether you’re shopping for a seat for your newborn or a replacement for a soon-to-expire seat (seats expire 6 years after date of manufacture), the Britax Advocate is one worth the money.