First Look: Britax Parkway SG

If your kid is busting out of his current car seat you’ll want to check out this new Britax model. The Parkway SG ($119.99) is a belt-positioning booster and high backed car seat that fits children starting at 40 lbs and 38″ and promises many years of safety and protection.

Britax’s two-in-one seat seat is meant to grow with your child. First, I set the seat up as a full child seat with a traditional high back (to be used with children 38-63″ and over 40 lbs). It took but a few seconds to slide the top and bottom parts together. The head restraint height is adjustable with a squeeze of a handle—very parent friendly. The upper belt guide was easy to thread and gave a comfortable fit.

Then I checked out the booster alone (never to be used on a child weighing less than 40 lbs). Once again it was easy to slip off the top portion of the seat and transform the device into a booster. The booster is outfitted with a SlideGuard clip designed to keep the seat belt in place.

I was pleasantly surprised on the relative lightness of the Parkway SG—just under 10 lbs with the backrest and just over 5 as a solo booster. My daughter liked the wide seat (13”), but as with the Britax Frontier I have previously tested, the strap that goes between the child’s legs is quite short (they call it the “SlideGuard” on the SG model). And though overall our tester found the seat to be comfortable, I did think the armrests were low.

Not that aesthetics should matter that much on a car seat, I will say the fabrics are a bit dull—no flashy colors or prints like the folks at Clek. On the plus side, the fabric will likely look cleaner over time.