When you are selecting a baby car seat there are a few things that you need to consider. Is it light? Is is comfortable? Does it meet or even better, exceed safety standards? The market is flooded with car seats but how do you choose? In order to better help you in a selection that is this important we are going to review the BOB B-Safe infant car seat in order to give you it’s specifications, let you know what we liked about the product, and what we felt could use some improvement. If you are ready to get started, let’s begin our review!
Britax brings the B-Safe to the American Market
Founded in 1939, a British company by the name of Britax has been successfully producing baby products ever since. In 2011 they acquired BOB Gear, an American company that produces quality goods as well on the other side of the pond. Through this combination, they were able to bring one of their most successful products, the Britax B-Safe car seat 35 into the American market and make it fully compatible with the BOB brand that Americans have come to trust and to love. So, how does this car seat rate? Let’s talk about the technical details first.
Specifications
As far as the specifications, we’ll start with the weight and measurements so that you can get a better idea of the size and the heft of the product. The B-Safe measures in as follows:
- Overall length and width – The length of the car seat is 26 inches, with a width of 14 inches. The width is a little on the narrow side but it should be comfy and snug for most babies. The base, by contrast, is a tiny 14 inches in width,
- Weight of the base and car seat – The base is the heaviest portion but keep in mind that you will be installing it into your vehicle rather than lugging it around. It weighs in at 20 pounds. The car seat/carrier is only half of that at 10 pounds.
This unit comes with some safety features that you are sure to appreciate. The base itself makes for is designed to absorb energy in the case of a fender-bender, compressing to absorb the energy of an impact. The car seat itself has a reinforced steel frame inside and impact-resistant foam as well to better keep your baby safe. Your baby is secured inside with a 4 point harness which, sadly, has to be adjusted when baby is not inside. This shouldn’t be much of a problem, though, as you will only need to adjust it every now and again as your baby grows. There is also a crotch strap that can be set in one of two positions. The baby carrier can be conveniently released by the use of a handle in the back of the base, which we will describe more of in our ‘ease of use’ data. We should also note that the carrier meets FAA specifications for bringing onboard a plane so the BOB has got you covered there as well!
Ease of use
The BOB B-safe is very easy to use and this is one of the aspects that we like about it. Car seats of lesser quality can be a real headache to properly install and you’ve got enough to do… the product should be safe for baby and make life easier for you and Britax really delivers in this regard. When installing the base, for instance, a pendulum-based system inside of it displays as your ‘recline indicator’, allowing you to know at a glance that the base is in place perfectly. Should you need to use your carrier without a base, this is also easy as well, with clips on the side of the B-Safe that you can thread the safety belt through to install the car seat securely. Once you place the carrier into the base, you get a satisfying
“Little features like this make the BOB B-safe an excellent choice”
‘click’ that lets you know that it is properly placed, and you can adjust the handle in 4 positions without it even touching the canopy (which lets you put toys on it, for instance). It’s a nice touch.
The car seat cover comes off if you would like to give it a more thorough cleaning than you can normally accomplish with a spot-clean and a quick-release button allows you to remove the carrier when you are ready to go in a single moment. Little features like this make the BOB B-safe an excellent choice and they help to overshadow the issues that we found with this unit. In the interest of fairness, let’s discuss what we felt could use some improvement.
Where we felt the BOB B-safe could use some improvement
We did have a few issues with the B-Safe. As we’d mentioned, it is a bit narrow, and this might be a problem for larger babies but not so much an issue for most. This unit also is not a ‘4 in 1’, meaning that it is not designed to ‘grow’ with your child. Some units out there have fold-out leg rests and other additions that make them useful for a longer period of time. The BOB is good at what it does but your time with it will be limited (it is rated for up to 35 pounds). This unit is also a little on the pricey side when compared with some other models, so you will need to decide if the pros that we have listed are going to outweigh this factor. It is nice but is it worth it? That part we will leave to you to decide.
The final verdict
The BOB B-safe is an excellent car seat and despite its flaws, it has done well in both UK and American markets for a reason. Take a look at it for yourself and see what you think. With the safety features and the ease of use, the BOB B-safe comes highly recommended!
