So I’m really uptight about carseats for kids. In particular, I am uptight about them being installed properly. Naturally, I’m worried about safety and also, about Bren getting it right. Poor Bren. He is actually a very competent human being, but his competency is no match for my uptightness.

And then there was the issue of trying to fit three carseats into the back of our not especially huge car when Harlow came along. We employed the services of a professional to advise us on how best to make it work. It was like a jigsaw, he said, and it was a matter of making all the pieces fit.

I have never liked puzzles so was happy to pay for him to do it for me.

So the idea of taking carseats out and putting them back in just willy nilly, well, my eye is twitching thinking about it.

But when Luca started school and began to be invited on playdates, supplying our own carseat to accommodate him in other people’s vehicles became a thing. We only did it a handful of times and apart from my near-conniption state at messing with professionally installed carseats, it was always a bit fiddly, too.

Then there was the Britax Safe-n-Sound Tourer. This is the ultimate portable booster seat for kids aged from 4 years right through until 8 years (dependant on the size of the child) and still manages to tick all the boxes safety-wise. Weighing under 2kg, the Tourer is an untethered booster which can be used with the lap-sash seatbelt or a harness if you prefer. Zig, who will be 5 in November, has been using it with the lap-sash belt and loving himself sick because it’s just like Luca’s.

If you find yourself moving your booster between cars – maybe the grandparents play chauffeur occasionally, maybe there’s some carpooling action going on – then the Tourer really makes the whole process simple. There are two lines on which to measure the seats suitability for your kid (shoulders must not be below the lower line or above the upper line) and the Tourer is the tallest untethered booster in Australia. Despite making babies with a 6 foot 3 man, this feature is not crucial for my sons. Oh well, most leading men in Hollywood are short, aren’t they?

….

Sorry, I just got sidetracked Googling actor heights. Did you know Ben Stiller is only 5’’5! Ha!

Anyway, the Tourer. Good for tall kids.

The other thing I super-love is the easy-remove washable cover. Lately, I’ve been doing a series on Instagram of Harlow vs The Car which is ultimately a bunch of photos of her passed out in her carseat and frankly, that thing is really filthy. We clean it regularly (have done so twice) and discourage eating in the car (impossible because food makes children quiet in vehicles) but still, what I meant as a series of cute portraits of my daughter turned into a permanent record of how grotty kids really are. So the whip it off and wash it factor of the Tourer will be handy – for my pride if nothing else.

Everyone knows the Safe-n-Sound brand. From the time I was pregnant with Luca, these have been the carseats other mums recommended for safety. The Tourer continues the reputation – rear impact bars, an impact absorbing seat base and a deep EPS lined headrest are just some of the features of this Australian designed and made booster. Now I’m not going to pretend I knew what EPS was before I googled it but it’s an energy-absorbing foam which is also used in most bike helmets. The truth is that most of us don’t really know what any of this stuff means, but we DO want our kids to be safe and so we look for trusted brands to sort that shit out for us.

The other thing I love about Britax is that they want you to win a Tourer as well. Excellent.

 

WIN A BRITAX SAFE-N-SOUND TOURER

One good looking reader is going to love their new uber-portable and lightweight Tourer (RRP $109). If you want to be that good looking reader, entry is simple.

To enter:

1. Simply leave a comment below indicating whether you would choose the classic Buff Black or the Hendrix-inspired Purple Haze (possibly not inspired by Jimi Hendrix at all).
2. Come hang with me on Facebook by liking this page

 

Conditions of entry: 

• Entrants must leave a comment below (not on Facebook) and be contactable via email. One entry per person. Australian residents only – sorry.  
• Entries close: Thursday 21^st August 2014 at noon.
• One winner will be chosen by random.org, notified by email and announced on this blog post.
• The prize will be distributed by Mango on behalf of Britax.
• Prize is not redeemable for cash.
• Prize is not transferable.
• The Promoter is not responsible for prizes once they have been dispatched to the winner but please shoot me an email if you do not receive your prize within two weeks so I can investigate for you! 

 

 Promoter: The Little Mumma, PO Box 159, Montmorency, Victoria, 3094 

 

 Best of luck!

 

Disclaimer: I was supplied with a Tourer booster seat for the purpose of review. It made me very happy. 

~~

And the randomly chosen winner is

Lndeang • 

Purple haze, is in my brain
Little boy would love this all the same
Britax is the best, don't need to ask why
If I win I will kiss the sky