The original TRIFIX was a much loved, and popular car seat from Britax Römer and now it's been developed to conform with the latest regulation R129 (i-size) so let's find out some more on the TRIFIX i-SIZE.
Quick Summary: The TRIFIX i-SIZE contains many different features that keep you little passenger safe and make lives easier as parents too. It is a forward facing seat, so won't be suitable for those who wish to keep their children in the rear facing position past 15 months old, but that said, this certainly doesn't compromise the seats safety qualities.
Whats good?
- Stay open crotch strap
- Soft cushioned fabric
- Tall and roomy seat
Whats not so good?
- Forward facing only
- Memory foam creases easily
Britax Römer have introduced us to some of the safest and innovative child car seats on the market. They are constantly creating current, practical products using the latest safety technologies to keep our children safe. The new TRIFIX i-SIZE is no exception to this rule.
The original TRIFIX was a much loved, and popular car seat from Britax Römer and now it’s been developed to conform with the latest regulation R129 (i-size).
By now, we are all hearing the i-Size word being batted around the car seat world. Just in case you’ve not quite grasped the changes yet, i-Size means that the seats are safer. They are seats that have passed new side impact protection tests and are able to be fitted easily without errors using the ISOFIX anchor points in your car. i-Size seats also allow children to travel in the safer rear facing position until the minimum of 15 months old (now a legal regulation) but can sometimes allow rear facing for even longer than this too.
Installation
Installing a car seat correctly means you are 8/10 of the way there. You can’t go far wrong installing the TRIFIX i-SIZE – A) Because it has been passed under i-SIZE regulations which make for simpler installation and B) Because the user guide is always cleverly tucked away in the clever storage compartment in the back of the seat, so you can refer to it easily.
Installing the TRIFIX i-SIZE was easy for us to install here at PX HQ thanks to the clear instructions and the fact that Britax Römer have also created a really clear video to visually explain how to install the seat.
The seat has a built in ISOFIX base. You can extend the ISOFIX arms out fully by using the grey pull cord on the rear of the seat. Once you have done this you line the seat up with your vehicle’s ISOFIX anchor points and click the seat into place. The indicator on either side of the connectors will clearly turn green when you have completed this correctly, so there is no room for error.
You might expect the seat to be in with two clicks as with other ISOFIX seats, however the TRIFIX i-SIZE has a third point to install.
Next you need to attach the top tether strap. The top tether is like a seatbelt and it clips to the anchor point on the back of your vehicle’s rear seat to give the car seat total stability so it does not flip forward in the event of a collision, or have any rotation. Once clipped to the anchor point, it is adjusted until it is tort by the press button buckle that slides up and down the belt. Pull the top tether until the green indicator appears on the buckle, and the seat is good to go!
But don’t be fooled, even though the seat has this extra point of installation, it is still very quick to fit and very easy to move from car to car in just a minute or two if you need it.
The seat
Here at PX HQ we are huge fans of the exceedingly high quality of Britax Römer car seats. The TRIFIX i-SIZE is no exception to this rule with its soft and comfortable fabrics and hard composite shell.
The seat comes in a lovely range of classic colours to suit all personalities and compliment a huge range of car interiors. We tested out the Moonlight Blue colour and the fabrics are a fabulous deep almost navy blue colour. The deep and roomy seat really cocooned our mini testers and meant they sat comfortably on short journeys and long road trips too.
There is lots to talk about with the TRIFIX i-SIZE as there are so many features packed into its clever design to keep baby safe and make life more convenient for parents.
In the side of the car seat shell there is ‘SICT inside’ technology contained within the body of the car seat. These cleverly designed zones push the force of a side collision away from the delicate hips and shoulders of your child. In many other seats, the Side Impact Protection protrudes from the side of the car seat and it can be a squeeze to fit the car seat correctly without it touching the car doors. By cleverly containing it within the car seat shell, the TRIFIX i-SIZE requires less room inside the car when fitted, a feature that we were really impressed with here at PX HQ.
The headrest on the seat is a nice deep V-shape. Our two year old tester was able to fall asleep happily in the seat and use the headrest to lean against without his head flopping forwards. This V-shaped headrest also serves a safety purpose by reducing the sideways movement of your child’s neck in a collision.
We did find that the foam material creased really easily just over the logo which is printed onto the headrest. But this only affected the aesthetics of the seat and not the use or safety at all.
The headrest of the seat is also adjustable in height according to the height of the passenger with a simple and easy to reach pull ring at the top of the seats headrest. There are seven positions to choose from and there was plenty of growing room in the seat for even a 4 year old when we popped him in the seat. The TRIFIX i-SIZE can safely carry a child up to 105cm.
The harness adjusts to different lengths really easily just by pushing the release button which is below the crotch strap of the seat. You then pull the cord to tighten the harness. It was a very simple and easy system to use as a parent, even when we were rushing to get in and out of the car in torrential downpours or late for play dates. The chest pads on the harness are made of lovely padded foam and are really comfortable for a toddler to wear. They also serve the additional purpose of absorbing energy in the event of an impact, which is very reassuring to know as a parent.
The more we used the TRIFIX i-SIZE, the more we discovered small but very cleverly designed safety features which we really appreciate as parents – such as the stay open crotch strap of the harness so that we weren’t shuffling around under our toddler to find it. This saved several valuable minutes in our day and made the seat far more comfortable for the tester too.
The seat also has 4 recline positions operated by a lever to the front of the underside of the seat. We were able to reach the recline lever with ease and a recline was a very welcome feature for when a toddler napping in the seat. Equally, when upright, the seat is very comfortable and gives a good vantage point out of the window.
Our verdict…
The TRIFIX i-SIZE contains many different features that keep you little passenger safe and make lives easier as parents too. It is a forward facing seat, so won’t be suitable for those who wish to keep their children in the rear facing position past 15 months old, but that said, this certainly doesn’t compromise the seats safety qualities.
The seat is incredibly simple to install and has passed the R129 (i-SIZE) regulation so parents can have peace of mind knowing that their child is as safe as possible when travelling in the car.
The SICT inside technology, deep V-shaped headrest and cosy cushioned seat fabrics make it a safe and comfortable place for your toddler to travel no matter what length of journey you might be going on. The small features such as the stay open crotch strap made the seat easy to use as a parent too.
It is clear that the TRIFIX i-SIZE is a quality seat produced from superior materials, encompassing the latest safety technologies at the core of its design.
