The Next Step from a convertable
Written: Feb 07 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Durability: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
|
Pros: 5 point harness, front harness adjuster.
Cons: Front harness adjuster takes some practice.
The Bottom Line: A great seat, but there are better/cheaper seats on the market. Shop around before deciding on this one.
|
|
|
| victoriasmum's Full Review: Century Next Step SE |
I wrote this review some time ago in the "Century Next Step" catagory, Epinions has now added a "DX" catagory and I am moving it here, with some minor additions to make it more helpful than it was.
I just purchased this seat for my 3yr old 31 lb daughter. I wanted to get her a seat that she could still remain harnessed in but was a little easier to get her in and out of as opposed to a convertable with higher sides. The seat came ready to use, and was simple to install, but required some time to get it really tight.
There are rubber guards on the harness buckles, these keep the belts nice and straight on my daughters body. The harness itself was easy to tighten, loosening required some practice, but has become easier.
The difference between the Century Next Step and the Century Next Step DX is that the DX has an up front harness adjuster, so the seat does not need to be un-installed to loosen or tighten the harness due to heavy or light clothing.
The seat is really well made. I really like the fold down sides, you have the choice to have them high like arm rests or low, I prefer low as this enable my daughter to climb in and out of the seat on her own(I buckle of course). The seat is for use with the harness system for 20-40lbs and without the harness as a belt positioning booster from 40-80lbs.(Note:In Canada you can use it with the harness to 47lbs) I do not like the type of belt path the Century Next Step DX uses for use as a booster. They are like locking clips on either side of the seat, these types of clips do not allow the cars seat belt to slide freely when you child moves, this means that the cars safety belt is not always in a tight safe position on your child. This seat does pass safety standards and these are indeed regularly used but I don't find them adaquite and therefore would not use this seat as a booster for my own child.
It has a 2 piece chest clip which is easier for the adult to use then the old paper clip style and more difficult for the child to get out of on their own. The pillow is a nice idea, but I don't see how it could be comfortable to use, frankly neither does my daughter. Unfortunately her head flops forward in this seat is she falls asleep, for this reason I would not recommend it for the lower weight range or a child moving directly out of an infant carrier.
The Century Next Step DX has higher harness slots than most harness booster combo seats which I think is great, now my daughter can stay harnessed for longer, this is a real plus for anyone with a tall child. My daughter is 38inches tall and is only on the center slot, therefore she can easily remain harnessed for a much longer period of time. The recline feature was a big selling point for me, its not very extreme but it does help to keep the seat from sitting straight up.
The tether is very easy to adjust, it does not need to be weaved to loosen or tighten, you simply pull the extra slack to tighten and lift the latch to loosen.
There are 3 patterns to choose from for the cover on this seat, all are dark colors and will hide messes well. To wash simply remove from the seat shell, well ok not so simply, but it will come off. Machine wash cold water, tumble dry low heat/hang to dry. You have to be careful when drying car seat covers, if it shrinks your in trouble.
Although I did do a mostly positive review and actually recommended this seat when I first wrote this last year. I can no longer recommend it, since there are now much better and cheaper options on the market.
Thanks for reading
Michelle
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 179.99CDN
Age Range of Child: Other
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
victoriasmum
|
|
Member: Michelle
Location: Ontario
Reviews written: 77
Trusted by: 52 members
About Me:
Wife and Mom to a 8 year old girl and a 3year old boy!
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.