Britax Adventure review

If it’s time to move your child out of a baby car seat and into a proper, booster seat making the right choice is crucial as it will see him through from the age of 4 to 11. The simple, safe and comfortable Adventure is from tried-and-trusted brand Britax, and it should have your child sitting pretty for years to come.

Why we love it

What’s not to love about the Britax Adventure? From a parent’s point of view it is genuinely simple to use. If you’re used to fiddling with all the complex fixtures and fittings that can accompany baby and toddler car seats, installing the Adventure will seem like a breath of fresh air.

You simply pop it onto the car seat you want to use it on – any with a diagonal belt is suitable – feed the belt through the guide just below the headrest and then click it into place once your child has climbed aboard. The guide ensures that it sits correctly across your child’s body, taking all the guesswork out of strapping them in. Because it’s lightweight as well as simple to use it’s easy to swap between cars if you need to.

This seat is what is called a ‘highback’ booster, which really just means unlike booster cushions, which have no back, the design combines seat, back and side protection wings. This provides better side impact protection and also stays in place more securely in the adult car seat. I found the seat was very stable and didn’t slip around in the larger seat like some that I have used in the past.

It is important to ensure that the back of the Adventure is flat against the back of your car seat, which may mean you have to remove the headrest. The Adventure has its own adjustable headrest that allows it to grow with your child. It has large side protection wings on the headrest, which my son Max loved, as they proved to be good cushions when he fell asleep in the car.

The Adventure replaced Britax’s popular Highliner car seat, but retains the same build quality you’d expect from an award-winning brand like Britax, which has won many accolades including the Mother & Baby Award for Excellence 2008/2009. Since its launch in 2006 the Adventure has won plenty of awards itself including a Mother & Baby Award Best Junior Car Seat award in 2005/6 and a Practical Parenting Award in 2007/8.

You can choose from three different designs, the red and black Ellen, which I tested, the all black Benno or pink and white Candy Hearts. All the seat covers are removable and washable so you can at least attempt to keep them clean. Each seat also comes with two pull out drink or snack holders, which my sons discovered were perfect for keeping toys in and are great for keeping them fed and watered on long car journeys.

What to watch out for

When my 5-year-old son Jacob tried the seat he found the side wing protection restrictive - on the one he normally uses this is much smaller, and I think this could be a problem with using this seat for older, larger children. However as this feature does offer improved side impact protection, perhaps it’s a price worth paying.

The drinks holders on the side extend outwards quite far and we could only open one when the seat was fitted on the side seat of our Renault Espace, as there wasn’t enough room to pull it out next to the car door, which was a shame.

Who is the Britax Adventure best for?

Parents after a high-backed car seat with good side impact protection for their preschooler or school-aged child.

MadeForMums verdict

The Britax Adventure provides just what you would expect from this award winning company. It’s good value for money, easy to use, comfortable and safe, and seems to tick all the boxes.