A great infant car seat
Written: Nov 09 '00 (Updated Jul 28 '01)
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Pros: Adjustable base, deeply contoured, easily to carry
Cons: Sits a little high might not fit in all cars
The Bottom Line: I think this car seat is wonderful. It's well worth the money that we spent and it protected my child in one of the worst crashes you can have.
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| momito2girls's Full Review: Century Avanta |
With the birth of our third daughter came the need for a new infant car seat. Since this was our third time around, we knew what we wanted and needed out of a car seat. We found it in the Century Avanta.
The first thing we wanted was a base, having had a car seat before without one I knew what a pain it was to belt the seat in every time. There is also the issue of how secure the car seat is in the seat belt. The Century Avanta comes with a base that can be adjusted. This helps if you have contoured seats. It also helps the car seat sit at the proper level for the safest ride. The base also can be reclined in two different positions. This helps lie your baby back a little more while they are sleeping and also when they aren’t able to hold their heads up very well.
The second thing that we wanted was a five-point harness. I have had both the three point and the five point harness. The five point harnesses have been said to be safer than the three point harnesses. The other advantage of the five point harness is that you don’t have to lift it over the baby’s head. There is nothing like scraping the straps over a sleeping baby face why you are trying to take them out of the car seat. The Century Avanta comes in both with either the three or five point harness.
The third thing is an easy handle to grip and carry. You can pretty well plan on your baby riding in this car seat for nine months to a year. Having an easy handle to carry makes’ it a lot easier. Over time the car seat gets heavier and heavier as the baby grows. The other nice thing about the Century Avanta is on either side on the handle are side grips that your hand can slip into to hold it on your hip.
Some other features of the car seat that I like are how deep the seat is. It seems to really be deeply contoured to surround the baby. The car seat is easily released from the base with a simple pull of the lever. It fits in most carts, and sits securely with a small locking clip on the back, that when you are ready to take the car seat our simply has to be pushed in. The hood comes up to cover the baby easily and keep the sun, wind and overly friendly people off of the baby. The car seat can be used without the base as well, if need be.
The only disadvantage that I have found is the fact that the car seat sits up higher that most. If you have a small car, make sure that you try it out before you buy it. A lot of stores will let you try the floor model to see if it will fit in your car. It never hurts to ask.
Having had both the Evenflo On My Way and the Century Assura, I can honestly say this is my favorite of all of them. It sits easily sideways in the back of my double stroller so I can take my daughter places without having to take her out of her car seat. It's easy to carry, and having the side grips comes in really handy. It's easy to get it in and out of the car without having to fight with the base to release it. Over all, I think it was well worth the money we spent on it. Thanks for reading.
***UPDATE***
This car seat was put to the ultimate test a few weeks ago. On July 5, 2001, the girls and I were involved in a head on collision. I can honestly say this carseat saved my daughter. Impact was at 50 miles per hour and it totaled our car. Kaylann was 9 months and the only thing she got was a small bruise from the five point harness holding her in her seat. This car seat is wonderful and has passed the test I hope no one ever has to go through.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 80.00
Age Range of Child: 0 to 12 Months
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Epinions.com ID:
momito2girls
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Member: Jennifer
Location: Indiana
Reviews written: 46
Trusted by: 66 members
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