Britax King Plus
Britax King Plus Car Seat
Suitable for infants from 9 months to 4 years-old or 9-18kg, the Britax King Plus Group 1 car seat has an extra large seating area. This seat does not an ISOFIX model but does have a Click & Safe audible harness system that gives you peace of mind that the harness is tightened correctly and a selt-belt tensioning safety for greater safety. The 5-point safety harness has a one pull adjustment that can be moved up as the child grows and good quality performance chest pads. Importantly, this is one of the few seats available that has side impact protection. The covers can be quickly removed and replaced with having to struggle with the harnesses.
The weight of the seat is 10.1 kg and the dimensions: H 67 x L 49 x D 50 cm and the covers come in a range of colour ways that are mostly the same as the Britax Duo Plus Isofix.
It is our opinion that if you can’t have an ISOFIX system or want a seat that can be swapped between any car that may or may not have ISOFIX, that the Britax King Plus may be a seat you should consider. To find out how it all works, I suggest you watch the video and come back here to read more. Click here for the Britax King Plus video as seen on the TV.
A great chair that’s easy to fit and use. The only downside is that the straps can take some getting used to but once mastered … no problem.
If you are considering this seat, until the end of February it has a third off HERE. However, if you follow any links on this site you are likely to find the cheapest place to buy, the other recommended retailer woudl be Kiddicare who do sometimes have other colour options.
Britax King TS Plus
Britax King TS
The King TS Plus is very similar to the King Plus but with some exceptions. One, it is a bit cheaper!
The King TS does not have Click & Safe® audible harness system that is designed to help you when securing your child in the seat, nor does it have a height adjustable headrest and harness. It does not have the easy single handed adjustment from the front but is height adjustable via the headrest and harness. It has 3 instead of the 4 recline positions of the King Plus and does not have a quick-remove cover. You can remove the cover for washing on the King TS but not without interfering with the harness.
As you can imagine, all baby carriers are different. We all have different needs as do our little ones. One that is perfect for a parent is not right for another. Its imperative to get a handle of the different carriers on the market so that you get an idea of what you might want or need. Lets get started.
There are carriers with different disadvantages and advantages. Find out which type and style works for you. Lets go through these one by one.
Tip: The baby backpack carriers are gaining in popularity these days.
1) Pouches
These carriers are simple and straightforward to use. They are available in adjustable and fitted versions. There are different advantages of this and the following are a few.
- Availability in a different colors and patterns
- Easy to learn to use
These are pretty inexpensive
- They are perfect to put one when you are in a hurry whether you are heading out for errands or for a short trip.
- Ideal for nursing the baby
Most diaper bags will fit these.
Some of the disadvantages that you should bear in mind regarding these are as follows.
- The weight of the baby is going to fall on one shoulder. For long periods this can be strenuous.
- The fitted style carriers cannot be shared between users of different sizes
Tip: A lot of parents have started to use the native baby carrier .
2) Mei Tais
These are of the traditional Asian variety. With this baby carrier you have the choice of wearing it on the front or the back. Hip carries are also a possibility. These carriers are simple in design – a small panel of cloth or fabric with the straps go over the shoulders and then around the waist. The weight is evenly distributed on your shoulders making it easy and comfortable to use.
Some of the advantages that this carrier has are as follows.
- Different variety of fabrics. You can go from trendy to fun to way out there
- The weight distribution over two shoulders helps with the carrying the heavier babies too
- The front use or on the back gives you many choices.
Here are a few disadvantages.
- They can be a little less compact than the pounches in certain slings. So they might not fit into all diaper bags
- These carriers cannot be used for the cradle position for newborns
- The straps are pretty long so they could drag on the ground. So, if you are doing this in a wet area it’ll get dirty.
Tip: Read as many baby carrier review pages as you can before you buy one.
You may have guessed that we are supporters of this particular Britax Isofix seat given the domain name! However, you made need a little more reassurance as to why.
As you may already know, Britax Isofix car seats are safe and secure if correctly fitted and this is much easier to do with the Isofix system. However, although these seats are rigorously tested by Britax themselves, they are put through equally challenging tests by other independent organisations to verify the claims made by the company.
The Britax Duo Plus in particular, it received a ‘good’ rating in the ADAC Motorwelt magazine in 2007, the European NCAP test recommended/good award in 2007 and Stiftung Warentest also rated the seat ‘good’ in 2007. The most prestigious award in the UK has to come from the Which magazine who awarded the Britax Duo Plus a ‘Best Buy’ in June 2009.
For your information, ADAC is Europe’s largest motoring club and has been in existence for over 100 years. ADAC’s publication, the Motorwelt magazine has the largest circulation in Germany and some of the tests it carries out include products related to motoring such as child car seats.
Euro NCAP publishes safety reports for new cars, including crash test performance for the vehicles including front, side and pole impacts, and impacts with pedestrians. Of interest in Euro NCAP reports is that Britax was the preferred car seat in over ¾ of vehicle tests carried out by them.
Stiftung Warentest is a German consumer safety group with over 40 years experience in testing products. Findings are published in two magazines and often on TV. As with most of these groups, the findings it publishes affect consumer behaviour and any ratings a product receives are proudly displayed alongside any advertising.
The Which magazine speaks for itself in the UK and it’s first publication was in October 1957. Formerly the Consumers Association, Which Ltd now runs this product-testing and campaigning charity. It has a strong reputation for consumer protection as well as being involved in advocacy campaigns on behalf of its members.
In brief, these particular Britax Isofix car seats offer two modes of installation, Isofix or a 3-point method. The unique Pivot Link system helps stop forward movement and the 5-point safety harness is easy and fast to fit. The Britax Duo has side impact protection, indicators to confirm your seat is correctly latched onto the Isofix hooks and a ratchet system for a secure installation. The performance chest pads help protect the child and the seat has 3 reclining positions for comfort. If you want to secure the seat further, you can choose to add the top tether and a 3-point seat belt. The seat is height adjustable for when baby grows and the covers are well padded and washable.
All-in-all, the Britax Duo Plus Isofix car seat is one you should consider for your child. It has received several safety awards from independent bodies and the Britax Duo continues to be a popular consumer choice.
