Britax at Harrogate

Just been so busy of late, but kept meaning to write about a few other items I saw the other week.

Well let's start with Britax, I've already gone over the stroller range, and given my thoughts on them. But there is also a new Infant Carrier too, which might make the strollers more appealing.






Very simliar to the current model, in the sense that the shell itself is the same. But the new features come from a redesigned handle.

Now when I first realised this I thought that's a bit of a cop out, and wondered are there budget cuts at Britax? Did they spend too much money on the stand, or are they still suffering the loss of revenue they were supposed to make on the 'bath' or Safety Carrycot as they call it?

But when you look at what this update has given the old product you have to thunk twice and take the product a bit more seriously!

Not only is there an improved single handed release from the stroller, but there is also now a single handed pivot button. Although I have to say to tooling finish is pretty poor and I hope they think a bit more about the design and injection of it before launch.

But then the most important addition is side impact protection. By means of a half moon that clips up from the lower part of the handle on either side for use in the car, giving further cushioning to the seat in the event of a side impact. The test results are that this simple addition gives 25% better protection than any other infant carrier, and that in my book would make this the only infant carrier worth considering buying!

Design of the product is not stunning, but for me, safety will always come before anything else on a car seat.

There is also good news with regards to compatiblity on strollers, as it will be fitting on the new Silver Cross Surf, also soon on some Mothercare products like the Spin. So I'm not the only person that thinks this carseat is important.

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Trunki Boostapak - pointless product

 Ok, I know its not a stroller, but its still a travel item, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on this ridiculous item, the Trunki Boostapak.

I'd seen this product before the weekend, and had dismissed it as a pointless item, but then the weekend it appeared on the BBC show 'Something for the weekend' in their gadget spot, and I have to say that really wound me up, as its no gadget, and its not a useful item either!

Firstly, lets look at the Unique Selling Point, its a car boost cushion, that is also a rucksack?

"BoostApak is the ideal solution, a spacious, hand-luggage approved rucksack which doubles as a booster seat, perfect for car-pooling and family holidays."

How many parents actually take the booster cushion out of the car? Its one of the most easy items to put in the boot, so there isn't any need to take it out of the car. How hard is it to move a booster cushion from vehicle to vehicle if you are wanting to use it in various cars? Very. So there is no problem to solve, and that is the point that makes this pointless in my opinion.


How many kids actually want to be carrying a rucksack, and if they do, I'm sure its with their favourite character on it if they of the younger age, or by their favourite sports brand or team if they're a bit older, not in something with day glow colours on it, or with ears, so again, fail! I remember been a kid myself, yes it wasn't all that long ago, and I remember the punishment that I used to give my rucksack or bag, it was a portable football, not a car seat, it got kicked, dropped, punished, so how much punishment will this get, and after such punishment will it still perform as a booster cushion? How much has this been tested I wonder?

I'm sorry if this seems like a rant, but I just don't like products that don't have a point, products that say they are there to solve a problem that doesn't exist, products that are over priced, and products which are not as good as items already on the market.

Booster cushions do a basic job, but are not what I would ever choose to use in a car as a parent, as there is no side impact protection, which is where my professional thoughts kick in on this product. As under the draft standard that is in work ECE R44.05 which hopefully soon will be enforced, side impact protection is a must, and will finally remove booster cushions from the market. So why is a company launching a product that will soon be obsolete? Surely they should be aware of up and coming standards as a company, but it seems not, as they wouldn't have invested in a product that is not aimed at new regulations, which then gets me thinking how much do they actually know and understand the car safety market? Would I want to use a product from a company that isn't an expert in car safety? No.

And I also know that my thoughts in relation to booster cushions are those shared by the biggest car seat producing companies, and why they are soon to stop producing these items under their brands due to the fact that they do not offer enough protection to the using child. But Trunki seem to not be thinking about this.

Maybe the section of the BBC show 'Something for the weekend' should be renamed as pointless gimmick items?

I just hope that the new Mission Commander that Trunki is looking to recruit has some experience in developing products that have a point, and that meet current and future standards and regulations.