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A few months back, Britax added a new member to the tried and true Roundabout family, the Britax Roundabout 50. It’s essentially the same seat from a feature standpoint as the original Roundabout, only slightly taller with a 50lb weight limit. As cars become smaller, this new seat is a welcome addition to the Britax convertible line. In an ideal word, all parents would buy the larger 60lb limit seats, as they will take a child all the way through to a booster seat. However the reality is that unless you have a larger car, minivan or SUV, they just don’t fit, especially when they are backwards facing. The result is that  people opt for the 40lb limit which kids realistically outgrow in height before weight at around age 3, which is too early to move them to a traditional belt booster.

The extra height in the Roundabout 50 should take you until about 4-5 years old, saving the need to purchase another in-between car seat or five point harness booster.  I have swapped out our new Roundabout 50 for the Diplomat in my car because I need it to fit both my 4 year old and 18 month old interchangeably and it’s a much better option to bridge that gap. It also fits well in the back seat of a mid size sedan.

See the detailed Britax Roundabout Review

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I have been testing several new Britax car seats and will post the reviews shortly. The first of these is the Britax Roundabout 50, which is a 50 lb. weight limit version of the popular Roundabout model, giving parents who don’t have the room for a 65 lb. car seat a better bridge to a booster. I have tested it out in my car which is a sedan and would not fit a larger seat and it works really well. With the move to smaller cars, this is a nice addition to the product line.

This new seat brings up another issue though. By keeping the Roundabout name and changing the size of the seat, Britax has broken its rule of using unique names for each size convertible model. Further confusing the product line, Britax has introduced several new models as Click and Safe variations (Click and Safe is a snug harness indicator), making picking the right Britax seat somewhat challenging. I like the notion of the new compact, midsize and high capacity categories the company is using (http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats), but it would be much simpler if they reused names across the different weight capacities to indicate similar features. They could then simply add the weight limit to the model name as they did with the Roundabout 50. As an example, the Marathon is really just a 65 lb. limit Roundabout and the Diplomat and Boulevard are seats with similar features but different weight limits (40 and 65 lbs. respectively). So why not have the following naming scheme for the convertible seats? Here is my recommendation:

Compact Convertibles
• Britax Roundabout 40 (currently the Roundabout)
• Britax Diplomat 40 (currently the Diplomat)

Midsize Convertibles
• Britax Roundabout 50 (this is the new model, which sets up the category for more midsize variations down the line)

Full-capacity Convertibles
• Britax Roundabout 65 (currently the Marathon)
• Britax Decathlon 65 (this model can probably be phased out as it offers least differentiation)
• Britax Diplomat 65 (currently two similar models, the Boulevard and the Boulevard CS, which should be merged into one)
• Britax Advocate CS 65

Using this system distinguishes each model line by weight and features, ranging from the lighter, side-impact protection to the full protection available in the new Advocate. In theory, the Click and Safe feature should be added to all models as they are redesigned rather than available only in separate models of the same seat. I can promise the folks at Britax that this would go a long way toward clearing up the confusion and helping parents to find the right seat. Anyone agree/disagree?

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I had a lot of requests asking me to review the Phil & Teds Dash Double Stroller, the latest addition to the Phil&Teds line up of in-line buggies. If you are new to Phil & Teds in-line strollers, I suggest that you first check out my Sport Buggy Review as it covers the basic functionality of the in-line concept. The Dash stroller offers a blend of features from the popular Sport Buggy and Vibe models, plus some new additions which I hope will become standard across the line

For those of you who have waited to see if the Dash would be a good bet, I think you will be very happy with it and will find that it’s the best value in the line-up in terms of price and features.

Read the full Phil & Teds Dash Review

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The tried and true Maclaren Techno has been a mainstay for many parents both in the US and abroad for over a decade. It had been about four years since I did my last review of the Techno and even though the stroller looks the same, there are numerous upgrades and improvements which make it easier to use and more functional. I am a big fan of umbrella strollers and find that many parents who purchase fancy heavy strollers at the outset usually end up relegating those strollers to the basement or attic in favor of a lighter more compact stroller by the time their child is one to 18 months. My advice is to just go with it from the beginning.

Thanks to the folks at Maclaren and Strollers.com for sending us the latest Techno to test and review!

See the updated Maclaren Techno Review.

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I am very excited when new service comes to Boston because the lack of competition here on direct routes leads to very high fares. Also, the traditional carriers have made flying so miserable that it does not take much to impress me anymore. I have always been a big JetBlue fan and Virgin America seems to be improving on their playbook (new planes, reasonable fares, good amenities and friendly service). On a recent business trip, I flew the new Boston to San Francisco direct route. The price of the ticket was about $350 and the new plane had Virgin America’s trademark mood lighting, interactive entertainment system (where you can order paid meals and have them delivered to your seat) and a noticeably friendly crew. However the really big news was the Wifi service, which worked flawlessly and for $10 let me work online for the entire flight, which was a reason to choose Virgin America alone. Instead of arriving to 100 e-mails, I was all caught up and ready to go when I landed. The only negative is that the basic coach seat is a little tight on legroom, but they do offer a variety of upgrade options. Virgin America, like JetBlue and Southwest before it is helping to bring civility back to air travel. Count me in as a fan and I am hoping for more Boston routes.

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