Britax Frontier 85 SICT Booster Seat Reviews

Customer Ratings:

If you're debating the SICT (Side Impact Cushion Technology), there is obviously some merit to Britax's technology. I'm no car crash expert but it seems apparent that providing another barrier that protects the neck and head is safer in the event of a side impact crash. I have had Britax seats with and without the SICT cushions and I believe that a car seat correctly installed with as much head and neck support (i.e, head wings, EPS foam, SICT cushions, etc.) is what is safest for my kids. In my case, my kids are riding outboard in an older car without rear side airbags and I want to give them the best possible odds in the event of crash. That being said, I've owned both the Frontier 85 and now the Frontier 85 SICT and the differences between the two (excluding the cushion technology) are subtle. The cushion technology is what you're paying for and what distinguishes itself from the regular Frontier 85 (much like the Advocate 70 CS distinguishes itself from the Boulevard 70). But there are a few features that have been added to the SICT that make this seat more appealing than it's predecessor. Firstly, it's cover is easily removed without having to uninstall the seat from the car. And while I haven't tried this on the SICT yet, I have on my Britax Advocate 70 CS Convertible Car Seat, Cowmooflage many a time; it has the same 2 piece removable cover and it's a wonderful feature that I'm glad Britax has added to the SICT. Also, the SICT can be used without a top tether, which I DO NOT RECOMMEND. But, some cars don't have top tethering points/hooks and this in effect makes the SICT more compatible with a wider variety of cars than the Frontier 85. I think the biggest difference (that Britax doesn't use as a selling point) between the two seats is that the SICT is WIDE (although you probably guessed that by now). At the widest point (which is at the cushions) the Frontier 85 SICT is 24.5" across. It's approximately 5" wider than the Frontier 85. For some perspective, I have an Britax Advocate 70 CS Convertible Car Seat, Cowmooflage and now a Frontier 85 SICT riding outboard in the back of my 2002 Nissan Altima and I have 7-8" between the 2 seats at the widest point (again where the cushions are). So I have no room in my backseat -but -my kids are safe and I can throw stuff in the trunk if I need to. Overall, I think this seat is a fantastic upgrade from the Frontier 85.

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WE OWN TWO OF THESE SAME SEATS, THEY ARE FANTASTIC!

My husband was in charge of car seats, we each have our own duties with regards to our children, one of his is car seats, all things sports (I love sports, but my husband loves to be involved and in charge of this one), and MATH homework to name a few, mine are money, mommy time and researching important products before we make an actual purchase to name a few of my own.

We don't purchase any major items without thoroughly investigating them, including most importantly items for which our children's lives are at stake, sorry if that seems over-dramatized, it is what it is..

This car seat is fantastic, we went from a Chicco Keyfit to a Britax Roundabout 55 to a Britax Frontier SICT with our now 3 year old. All fantastic seats. When it comes to safety Britax is one of the highest rated car seats in it's class, maybe all classes of car seats. You can review a few pointers on choosing the right car seat for your child on the NHTSA's website under Car Seat Recommendations for Children

FITTING YOUR CHILD: Our daughter is in the 95% height and weight, she just turned 3 in a 4 or 5 year old's body, checks in at 42lbs at 40 inches tall, not stocky, just tall and looks older than she is, I'm hoping this wares off before she is a teen or interested in boys, anyhow, we have always sought after the seat that would last the longest because we knew we didn't have long in them, this was a Britax, Check, and it was up to 85 lbs Check CHECK..

Car seats expire after 5 years, or after ANY car accident where injuries or major damage incur.

SAFETY OPTIONS: The Britax as I said has very high over all safety ratings, so this was a no brainer. We had our eye on the Regular Britax Frontier, but when the SICT came out We quickly shifted our thinking. The 5 point harness is a must for smaller children, as your child grows the regular seat belt is easily utilized. The outstanding seat anchor latches are next generation (seat belt latch like) extremely easily used and snap in place, without wrestling, without braking a nail. The Rear/Top anchor Latch is a must, also very easily used.

FITTING YOUR CAR: We have a Jetta TDI, not specifically known for being a family car, it is a smaller 4-door sedan, so it was difficult for us to fit a car seat in it, I had no idea when I purchased the car the rear seating area was so tiny. We learned that we could go to just about any store that sold car seats and an employee would take the car seat to your car for a "Fitting". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ANY CAR.

STAINS & CLEANING: if you are concerned about stains, the Britax car covers come off (this one boasts how easy) and are completely washable and dry-able in conventional machines, and, at least with our machines, the cover comes out like new every time. There is not even any balling of the fabrics, or

degrading of the quality of the fabric. Just a quick mention of 2 of the worst stains out there for babies/toddlers and kiddos, the V word and D word, both come out without a semblance of the stain, nor odor of those two lovely facts of life. I would use the words, but who wants to read about vomit and diarrhea? There, I said it.. :)

NAP TIME: You may have noticed, some convertibles bring your child completely upright leaving them without any head support to nod off in the car, that is what they love to do, heck, my husband loves to nap in the car. Thankfully, the Frontier has mildly risen to this occasion, there is a little bit of a headrest for her to lean and take a snooze, but I'm sure if she remembered her carry type car seat fully reclined, made for napping she would miss it like nobody's business. Read the manual, adjust the seat to fit your kiddo and they should have plenty of head rest to nap.

My personal negatives on this seat, ranked in order from worst to just whining.

1) The Rubberized arm rests do get extremely hot in the summer, we are in Texas, this past summer was one of the hottest and driest on record, I would suggest throwing a blanket or towel over just the arm rests, hot enough can and will cause discomfort, even burning (not sure the degree, not a Dr and don't claim to be one).

2) Width, while we love the SICT, and we know our kiddo has to fit in it, there is not much room left in the back seat with her in the middle seat of our late model Jetta TDI, we feel badly when we have another adult sized person sit next to her, it's about 6 or 8 inches wider than the standard Britax Frontier 85 (which did expire in 8/2010).

3) Colors, Need more options, I loved cowmooflauge, it's not available in this seat, there are alas only 3 fabric options, Onyx, Red and Portabello, bleh on all three, what, do older kids not deserve cutesy anymore? we bought it for safety and reliability anyway. I need another for our other vehicle, BRITAX?? Gimme another more cutesy fabric option please..

We give the Britax Frontier 85 SICT 3 thumbs up

I began writing this in response to a reviewer who had, let's just say, ran around screaming the sky was falling about this car seat without REALLY knowing what they were referring to. I decided to move my comment to them to the bottom so that if you wish you may read my comment to them regarding some fabric scare. It makes for a longer read, but I felt I had to mention it because like a lot of false claims they detour people from purchasing products, or doing things they may have been better off doing.

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I post my comment here again to that reviewer: who is listed as the "vs" which gives them ample visibility to a review without merited warnings.

to "MM" 01/02/2012

There actually is NO MENTION OF THE BRITAX FRONTIER 85, or FRONTIER 85 SICT in this particular article you reference.

The chemical warning was for very Specific Britax Car seats, most were models 2009 and older, including some Graco Models, Recaro and other brands. I think it's remarkable that you've singled Britax out here, or did you?? Graco was mentioned on both the best and the worst, but somehow you have tried to lead us to believe that 2 models of Britax mean all are, or would like to portray this as being what the tests reveled, where in fact they did not.

The WARNING was for the following, word for word:

According to HealthyStuff's tests, they rated the worst seats as:

Infant Seat: Graco Snugride 35 in Edgemont Red/Black & Graco SnugRide 30 in Asprey

Convertible Seat: Britax Marathon 70 in Jet Set & Britax Marathon in Platinum (Retired as of 8/2010)

Booster Seat: Recaro Pro Booster in Blue Opal & Recaro ProSPORT Toddler in Misty

HealthyStuff listed the best seats as:

Infant Seat: Chicco KeyFit 30 in Limonata, Graco Snugride 35 in Laguna Bay & Combi Shuttle 33 in Cranberry Noche

Convertible Carseat: Graco Comfort Sport in Caleo, Graco MyRide 65 in Chandler and Streamer, Safety 1st OnSide Air in Clearwater, and Graco Nautilus Elite 3-in-1 in Gabe

Booster Seat: Graco Turbo Booster in Anders

The organization pointed out that it was unable to test for some toxic substances, such as bisphenol A or phthalates (although the presence of PVC is a likely indicator of phthalates).

-END ARTICLE QUOTE --

Again, the reports were from OLDER CAR SEATS and SPECIFIC MODELS, DOWN TO THEIR SPECIFIC FABRIC OPTIONS. If you are concerned about purchasing this particular car seat I would encourage you to contact the manufacturer (BRITAX Consumer Services at 888-427-4829) and not put too much weight behind a novice's review who obviously strayed way off topic and who's business is MOST LIKELY NOT EVEN IN THE REALM OF CHILD SAFETY.

Remember you are putting your child's life and safety in the care of a product, whichever product you choose, the NTSB has time after time chosen Britax as an outstanding award winning manufacturer for child safety.

No I do not work for Britax, or any manufacturer, I am a mom who thoroughly researches anything my child would use in situations that could be a potentially dangerous, and let's face it, the roads are no picnic for any of us. AND YES, We do own a Britax Frontier 85 SICT in Onyx, as well as a Britax Roundabout in Cowmooflauge, We previously owned a Roundabout in Tan which was replaced after an auto accident.

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I hope this helped your purchasing decision! Make sure you go out and "test drive" the seat in your vehicle first before buying!

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I am very satisfied with this seat and the Britax brand. I know a lot goes into purchasing a seat; looks, affordability, and even word of mouth. I would like to give my two cents to hopefully ease the mind of future owners of these seats. When I research car seats I look for one thing SAFETY, and I could not be any more satisfied. Last Thursday, my wife, my 5 1/2 year old, and my 14 month old were involved in a roll over accident. Not only did they hit a culvert and a tree, but the truck landed on its driver's side pinning two doors closed. Other than a leg injury to my wife, everyone walked away unharmed thanks to these seats. These seats were amazing as they did not budge an inch.

Honest reviews on Britax Frontier 85 SICT Booster Seat

I have been a big fan of Britax since our eldest daughter was born, and she is now almost 8. We bought a new car and it seemed like a good time to update the car seats, especially now that our youngest could have the same seat. I purchased two of these seats in portobello and they are a perfect match to the interior of my new car. I was thrilled with them. For one week. As another reviewer stated, the problem is that the seats often come unhooked from the bottom as my girls are exiting the car in car line at school. I have tried everything to get them to stay hooked; I understand that the purpose of the hooks is to allow us to take the cover off and clean it easily. This is a great idea in theory, but did not bear out in practice. As a result, the foam padding underneath the seat is often not placed correctly, which I believe is a safety concern. Additionally, on a daily basis, the seats are not user-friendly. I am sorry to say that after four months of use, I am looking to replace them. Very disappointing, and my first ever negative review about Britax.

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This is my 6th Britax seat for 2 kids. I have been wanting to order a Frontier ever since they came out but the reasonable budgeting person decided to wait until our two Boulevards had expired. That happened to coincide with the release of this newer model of the Frontier. It seems really solid and safe like all Britax Seats. I did not like the fabric choices but went ahead with the Onyx choice even though it is a warm fabric ( we had this fabric in 3 other seats and my kids were so hot in it!) I plan to buy an after market seat cover as soon as I can find one in a nice comfortable cotton fabric.

I have had the seat installed in my car now for 3 weeks and here are my pet peeves about it:

1)The belly pad is very loose and comes off every time my son gets out of the car. I know it is just a matter of time before he jumps out and I forget to look and then we won't have a belly pad for his seat any longer.

2)I like the convenience of the pads being able to be removed easily without uninstalling it but the cover comes off too easily. My 5 year old has popped it off several times in the 3 weeks we have had it. It is driving me nuts!!

3) He has complained that the seat hurts his back. I am not sure why. I felt it and cannot figure out what part is hurting him but something is and he never complained about his Boulevard.

I was going to order one of these for my 9 year old who still sits in a high back booster but based on my experiences with it I think I will skip the expense and will just get another Parkway for her that my 5 year old can share on occasion. I like this seat don't get me wrong but for the price I expect it to not be so quirky and don't like that I will have to spend probably another $70 or so to get an aftermarket covered for it but my baby is worth having the safest feeling seat out there!