
While there are no government standards for side-impact protection, given the dangerous nature of those impacts, in my mind, the more protection, the better. The Chaperone also has additional side-impact protection (similar to the Britax Boulevard and other Britax convertible seats with “wings”). The size/shape of the handle also makes the seat a little bit awkward to carry – DH, who does not pay much attention to seats other than to make sure that they are in his car when necessary, does not like to carry it. The Chaperone is not necessarily better for a 3 across, however, because while the carrier shell is narrower, the handle is wider so that at its widest, it is not significantly narrower than other seats (both the KF and the Chaperone work in a 3 across in DH’s car). As I mentioned, my son otherwise rides in a Key Fit 30 and that seat is wider. The carrier is somewhat narrower than some of the other 30 pound seats on the market. I tend to loosen and tighten the straps with each use, so this is a little bit annoying. The way the cover is designed, including the padding, somewhat buries the lever.

I do find it hard to reach the lever to loosen the straps. I have not had any problems with harness straps twisting and they buckle and tighten very easily.
#Britax chaperone instruction manual manual
I agree with CPSDarren’s comment that the strap for the instruction manual is too short. The carrier is well padded and appears to be comfortable for my infant. It also is very high because the base angles up, which is difficult for 5 foot me. I also have had some difficulty removing the carrier from the base – most likely because I am vertically challenged! The carrier (when it contains my 18 pound son) seems to stick in the base. It’s hard to say whether or not that is a good thing as I have not seen data showing that rebound is a bad thing. For normal driving, this is fine, but when I have a passenger in the front seat, it is not ideal.Īlthough it causes the base to take up more space, the anti-rebound bar definitely lends some stability to the base and helps prevent the seat from cocooning into the seatback. When installing the Chaperone where I otherwise have a Chicco Key Fit 30, I need to move my front seat forward in order for the Chaperone to fit. My biggest complaint about the installation is that the seat/base take up a lot of space – presumably because of the anti-rebound bar. It also is helpful because by visually looking at the seat, it looks very upright even when it is perfectly angled. The indicator on the carrier, however, is great and very easy to use. A level indicator on the base would be a nice addition, especially for a seat in the Chaperone’s price range. Unfortunately, there is not a level indicator on the base itself, just on the carrier, so I got some extra experience installing the base as I reinstalled it multiple times to achieve the correct angle.

It is relatively simple to adjust the recline on the base. It is very convenient for keeping the strap out of the way.

I also love that the “tail” from the LATCH strap can be snapped into the lockoff on the base. I installed the seat using LATCH on the captain’s chair in my minivan.
