The Product: Convertible Car Seat (5-40 LBS)

A convertible car seat can be used in either the rear-facing or front-facing position, up to a suggested weight limit. Rear-facing seats are considered safest for children until they are at least 1 year old or weigh 20 pounds.

Recommendation: Britax Diplomat Car Seat Review

New for 2008, the Diplomat is one of the first new child car seats in years to be unveiled by Britax. Thanks to CSN Baby and Britax for providing us with a demo.

Although high gas prices may be turning people away from large cars, parents still want all the safety features of the larger car seats. The Britax Diplomat packs high-end side-impact features from its larger models (such as the Britax Boulevard) into the compact size of its popular Roundabout.

True Side Impact Protection includes deep side walls and head support. In addition, the Diplomat features an adjustable belt height system, so you can change the height of the harness without having to unhook the seat—a huge plus. Britax brought this feature back from the old Britax Advantage Car Seat I think they should make it standard on all their car seats. The Diplomat, unlike the Roundabout, also has a removable body pillow to keep newborns more snug in the rear-facing position.

Here is a quick recap of what Diplomat has that Roundabout doesn’t:

True Side Impact Protection™
Body pillow
Easily adjustable harness heights

A quick note on the True Side Impact Protection (TSIP) feature. A few years ago, we opted not to buy the now discontinued Britax Wizard seat because at that time its side impact system was right in the child’s face and seemed likely to be irritating. The newer TSIP has side wings that sort of flare out of the way. My son used it for a month and never noticed the difference from his Roundabout. Parents, however, will notice how much more security it provides. The wings also support the neck during naps in the car.

Devil's Advocate:

As great as the larger Britax seats (Marathon, Boulevard) are, they just don't fit well in smaller cars—and forget about trying to squeeze three car seats across a back seat. Alternately, if you are considering the Roundabout, I advise you to pay the small premium to get the added safety and convenience of the Diplomat instead.