Britax 2014 B-Agile and B-Safe Travel System, Black

CUSTOMER REVIEW



There are two schools of thought concerning a travel system: "Buy it! It's so convenient" and "Why buy this bulky contraption?" So, of course, being pregnant with my very first child - and trying to go as minimal as possible, I over analyzed the pros and cons. (But then, I did that with Infant Tubs as well.) So far, it has been a wise investment for our lifestyle



We live in a city, in a small apartment. We do a lot of walking, and split our shopping between walking to the corner shops, and driving to shopping centers with stores spread across giant parking lots - making it convenient to have a stroller that clicks in with our car seat. Since the stroller is back and forth between the trunk of our car, and a closet in our apartment, the fact that this stroller is lightweight, with a one-handed carrying strap is a huge plus. I can carry the stroller in one hand, and the baby in the car seat in the other hand, out the door, down the steps and to the car. The stroller folds up fairly flat, and is easily lifted in and out of the trunk, but it does maintain its full width while folded, so it takes up a little more room in a closet than an umbrella stroller would. The storage space underneath has not been a problem for me - it fits what I need it to fit. It steers like a dream (*with the front wheel unlocked), turns on a dime, and the locking mechanism is a single click. Folding and unfolding is easy (though a little challenging to unfold with a baby in arms) The main inconvenience for this stroller and city living - is that I feel it's a bit too bulky for bus riding, even when folded. You also have to buy cup holders and toddler bars a la carte, (but you can steer one-handed! *safety note: when car seat is clicked in to stroller, Britax recommends you lock the front wheel - making steering more difficult).



The car seat has been good. On the plus side, the base has a leveler bubble, and is adjustable to get the angle correct without the use of pool noodles. It is very easy to install correctly. I only have this seat - but I've heard it's heavier than others. As my baby is getting chunkier, we are leaving it in the car, and just pulling the baby in and out as you would with a convertible seat - though it's nice to have the option to click in and out when the baby is sleeping. But it's not 15 pounds heavier or anything - so not a huge con in my book. The straps are easy to figure out, and the material wipes clean with a wet rag (though I haven't had any true explosions to test the limits - knock on wood). My main complaint about the car seat is that my baby can get quite hot. I'm not sure if that's a problem with the color, the type of fabric, or the fact that my baby is a sweat machine.



Overall I am glad we got a travel system - seven months in, we are still using it every day, and I see us continuing to use the stroller when our baby outgrows the car seat (though we may get a supplemental umbrella stroller). I'm also glad we got the Britax in particular. I love the stroller, and the car seat has kept our baby safe and snug in the back seat. (And if you're wondering how the infant tub debate ended - we got the Fisher Price whale, with an infant support - and we're still using it!)