Britax B-Safe 35 Elite Review

Britax B-Safe 35 Elite

Note: this seat was discontinued in December, 2018.

The Britax B-Safe 35 Elite is an updated, and upgraded version of their previous model B-Safe rear facing only car seat. Some of the features on the B-Safe 35 Elite version are an improvement upon the older version, but many features are new.

Britax B-Safe 35 Elite lower anchor tightening straps

We installed the base in a variety of vehicles without much trouble at all. The base has three recline positions. The button to release the recline foot is located in the front of the base, where it touches the vehicle seat. I found that I was able to adjust the recline after I put the base into the car if needed.

The base has a handy indicator on each side that makes it easy to tell if the base reclined properly. The recline foot must be in the lowest position if a pool noodle is required.

Britax B-Safe 35 Elite installed with lower anchors in a Honda Odyssey

Installation with the lower anchors was fairly straightforward after consulting the manual. For ease of use, there are clear instructional stickers on the base which offer assistance as well. First, one must push the red button at the top of the base, as seen in the photo below, and push the lower anchor connector buttons while pulling them out of their storage spot. Check the recline angle indicator, and make sure that the arrow is in between the two red lines.  Next, attach the connectors to the vehicle’s lower anchors, making sure that  they’re the correct lower anchors for that seating position. Push firmly, making sure that there is an audible click. Then, pull on the straps in the middle of the base to tighten the lower anchors. When finished, check that the base moves no more than 1 inch at the belt path.

Britax B-Safe 35 Elite seat belt lock off

Lockoffs on the base make vehicle seat belt installations fairly painless. Thread the vehicle seat belt through the belt path, push down on the base, tighten the seat belt, and, while keeping the shoulder portion of the vehicle seat belt tight, thread it through the lockoff on the opposite side of the buckle.

The lockoff only works with lap and shoulder belts — it’s not for use with a lap only vehicle seat belt. To install with a lap only seat belt, route the vehicle seat belt through the clearly marked belt path, then lock the vehicle seat belt. My lap only belt locks at the latch plate (male end) of the buckle, so I simply pulled on the “tail” end of the belt and put pressure on the base. I got better leverage by pulling the belt back through the belt path. When the seat was installed, I put the rest of the strap through the belt path so it was out of the way.

B-Safe 35 Elite base installed with a lap only belt

If you find that your belt buckle has a long strap and it comes up into the belt path, preventing the base from “clicking” into place, Britax suggests twisting the  female end of the buckle up to three times to help keep the buckle out of the belt path. I didn’t need to do this for my vehicles, but it might be necessary for some. Make sure that you only check for movement at the belt path.

Britax B-Safe 35 Elite belt path for baseless installation

Installing the B-Safe 35 Elite without the base is a piece of cake thanks to its belt guides. They’re very visible and it’s clear when the belt is in the right place.  Route only the lap portion of the belt through the guides, making sure that nothing is twisted. Check to be sure that the recline line on the stickers on the side of the car seat are level when the car is parked on a flat surface.  Lock the vehicle seat belt, push on the car seat where the child would be sitting, and remove all the belt slack. The shoulder portion of the vehicle seat belt will lay against the vehicle seat back.

I also installed the car seat without the base using a lap only seat belt in one of our vehicles. Making sure that the line is level to the ground, I put the belt through the belt guides and pushed down on the car seat where baby would sit. Since this lap only belt tightens at the buckle, I simply had to pull the extra strap and make sure that it didn’t move more than 1 inch at the belt path.

Using a car seat baseless is not something that everyone does, but it’s perfectly safe when done properly. The base of a car seat system is generally only for convenience. Like many other rear facing only seat bases, the B-Safe 35 Elite’s base is not FAA approved. Since a baseless installation with this seat is so easy, that is not a problem. In fact, you’ll encounter lap belt only seats on airplanes, similar to the one in the photo below. We just flew with our four kiddos, and I think it would have been a little easier, definitely quicker, to install a seat for our one year old with a belt path like the one on the B-Safe 35 Elite. This carrier is a little heavier than some, which may seem like a problem for traveling, but I think that the belt paths and ease of installation on the plane can make up for that. Need more info on flying with Littles? Check out our article!

B-Safe 35 Elite installed without the base

The B-Safe 35 Elite has a no-rethread harness, which means that it is not necessary to remove the harness and put it through other slots in the shell when baby has outgrown a harness slot.  This mechanism is adjusted from the back of the car seat and can be done in a few simple steps. Locate the adjuster tabs on the back of the seat, squeeze or push them together, and the harness height mechanism will move freely up or down. Remember that baby’s harness has to be at or below her shoulders, so double-check that it is still in the correct position after moving the harness.

The car seat comes with the harness ready to go for newborns. That’s very handy,  since no one wants to have to make major adjustments when baby arrives. However, a few changes must be made when baby reaches 11 pounds. The insert must be removed, the crotch buckle must be moved to the outer position, and the harness must be switched from the newborn loops to the longer setting. It took me only a few moments to make sure that all of this was done properly for my 16 pound baby.

The cover is easy to remove and can be hand-washed, like other Britax covers. Even though this particular cover, in the Domino fashion, is dark gray and black, it didn’t seem too hot for my baby. It’s August in Arizona, so sometimes this can be a concern. The cover seemed breathable but sturdy. The canopy is flexible and provides moderate coverage.

Surprisingly, I found that the B-Safe 35 Elite’s base was only 13.5 inches wide at its widest point. At the top it’s a little wider, and the widest part is the carry handle on the sides. It was 27.75 inches at its longest, but only 24 inches when the handle was placed in another position. Three handle positions are allowed for use in the vehicle, so I’m fairly certain that this seat would fit in many vehicles without much problem. Baseless, the seat was even more compact. In my husband’s Grand Am, when I installed the car seat in the middle, there was plenty of room on the sides, so I think that it could work in a three-across situation well depending upon the other car seats in the vehicle.

Britax B-Safe 35 Elite preemie doll, 4 pounds, 17 inches long

At 4 pounds and 17 inches long, our Huggable Images Doll represents the average small preemie. With the infant insert, she had a very snug fit in the B-Safe 35 Elite on the second setting. The insert is not required for babies who weigh between 4-11 pounds, but it does provide support for those smaller babies. The comfort pads on the harness seemed a little big for her, and depending upon the size of your preemie or smaller newborn, you may want to consider removing them to improve the fit if necessary. The belly pad kept the buckle off of her belly and left no room between her crotch area and the buckle strap.

Britax B-Safe 35 Elite- Newborn doll, 7 pounds, 17 inches long

Our newborn doll weighs 7 pounds and is 17 inches long. She is roughly the size of an actual newborn. She is using the third harness setting and the infant insert, and the harness was at her shoulders. The comfort pads seemed like they might be a better fit for an average sized baby. The chest clip seems to a perfect size for smaller babies, as we can see on both of our dolls. That is a change from the B-Safe model, and I believe that it improves the fit.