Note: The B.O.B. versions of these seats are identical to the Britax version with the same name. B.O.B. and Britax are owned by the same parent company. We will add the Endeavours to our description/review below once it is on the market.
The Britax B-Safe35 & B-Safe35 Elite are very similar seats. They use the identical base and share many of the same features on the carrier – so we’ve grouped them together, and will highlight the differences in the relevant sections below. The B.O.B. B-Safe 35 is the EXACT same seat as the Britax B-Safe 35, they just have different fabric colors.
The difference between the 35 and 35 Elite is that the 35 has a rethread harness – while the 35 Elite has a no-rethread harness – and the first shoulder strap slot is a little lower in the 35 than the 35 Elite’s. Because of a higher 1st shoulder strap slot position, the 35 Elite comes with more of an infant insert to lift the preemie’s bottom up closer to the lowest shoulder strap slots.
The Britax carriers are quite cramped in the inside for the baby – despite taking up just as much room as other seats that offer the baby more room – and in fact being heavier than many other infant seats. Below is a large 5 month old (19lbs, 27 inches) who has maxed out this B-Safe 35 Elite (if her shoulders came up any higher, they’d be wedged into the head rest and the head rest is in its highest position) – and it is so narrow in the inside she can’t fit her arms by her sides.
5 months, 19lbs 27in – maxed out the B-Safe 35 Elite
Shoulder Strap Covers: Not required at any time. These are referred to as “comfort pads” in the manual.
Head Pad (BSafe35): Not required at any time. We suggest removing from day one.
Infant Comfort Pillow (BSafe35 Elite): Allowed for babies 4-11 pounds, but MUST be removed at 12 pounds. We suggest removing when your baby is tall enough that their shoulders reach the lowest shoulder strap slots withOUT the pillow.
The taller the adults sitting in front, and/or the smaller the back seat is, the more attention you’ll want to pay to this image below. Many parents are shocked by how much room a rear-facing car seat can take up into the front seat’s territory.
In some vehicles (more than average) we have found that the B-Safe35/35 Elite base does not yield a very secure installation – with LATCH or seat belt. Specifically, the front end of the base can fishtail a lot side to side in many vehicles, and we prefer to recommend seats that are not only tight at the belt path, but also tight towards the front end as well.
In some vehicles the LATCH installation goes better than the seat belt – whereas in others you are better off with the seat belt. We suggest trying LATCH first as it is easier.
The Britax B-Safe is now discontinued. While it was replaced in 2015 by the B-Safe 35/35 Elite, we chose to include this older model as we know that many families have this seat and may want to re-use it for a 2nd child. Please note that the B.O.B. B-Safe is the EXACT same seat as the Britax B-Safe, they just have different fabrics.
Fitting a preemie into this seat can be problematic as the crotch buckle is tall, chest clip is large, and sometimes there is insufficient room for all this hardware to fit under the baby’s chin. The straps also get uneven, which makes it much harder to get the baby buckled properly. This is the only seat in our buying guide where the straps can get uneven.
The straps twist a lot – and can be untwisted with the triangle trick shown below.
Shoulder Strap Covers: Not required at any time. These are referred to as “comfort pads” in the manual. We suggest removing these from day one.
Infant Insert (goes behind infant’s head & back): Not required at any time.
The original versions of the infant insert on this seat were very poorly designed – they had a horizontal stitching line right at the base of the baby’s neck which caused the head pad to tip the baby’s head forward – and the holes for the shoulder straps to pass through were nearly an inch wider than they were in the car seat, making the shoulder straps slip off to the sides of the arms. If you have the original infant insert, we suggest removing it from day one. Newer versions we don’t find to be helpful, but they are at least not problematic in the way the original ones were.
The taller the adults sitting in front, and/or the smaller the back seat is, the more attention you’ll want to pay to this image below. Many parents are shocked by how much room a rear-facing car seat can take up into the front seat’s territory.
If needing 3-across or 2 side by side, the B-Safe is not usually a go to seat for us, but it may work (if it doesn’t work, try a Cybex).
The LATCH installation of the base typically yields a secure installation in most vehicles using the tricks shown in this video of how to push and where to pull (even though this video shows a different base, the technique is identical).
The seat belt installation of the base typically yields a secure installation in most vehicles – but closing the seat belt lock-off can be, let’s just say, challenging (like you’ll find yourself wanting to use a rubber mallet to bang it shut sometimes… that type of challenging). Once the lock-off is closed, the seat belt will not slip through so it is a very effective lock-off if you can get the darn thing closed.
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This information is applicable to the car seats as sold in the US. Car seats listed above with similar or identical names may be sold in other countries but are NOT the same seat.
The Britax B-Safe is now discontinued. While it was replaced in 2015 by the B-Safe 35/35 Elite, we chose to include this older model as we know that many families have this seat and may want to re-use it for a 2nd child. Please note that the B.O.B. B-Safe is the EXACT same seat as the Britax B-Safe, they just have different fabrics.
