Britax One4Life
Britax has recently discontinued many of their seats, such as the Marathon, Boulevard, Advocate, Allegiance, and Emblem convertible car seats. But the One4Life is staying on the market as far as we know! It comes with the ClickTight installation that we absolutely love. It makes the installation so quick and easy for caregivers. It also has a no-rethread harness with 15 headrest positions, which makes it easy to adjust the harness height as your child grows. It fits kids, with comfort, of many ages and sizes. Check out our Britax One4Life Car Seat review below to see if it is the right seat for your child!
- You have a tall child.
- You want a car seat that’s easy to install.
- You want a car seat with a seat belt lock-off.
- You have a vehicle with non-removable headrests.
- You have a small back seat.
- You need to fit 3 across in a vehicle.
- SafeWash fabric option is flame-retardant free
- Lock-off
- Anti-Rebound Bar (separate purchase)
Our Review of the
Britax One4Life
Britax has recently discontinued many of their seats, such as the Marathon, Boulevard, Advocate, Allegiance, and Emblem convertible car seats. But the One4Life is staying on the market as far as we know! It comes with the ClickTight installation that we absolutely love. It makes the installation so quick and easy for caregivers. It also has a no-rethread harness with 15 headrest positions, which makes it easy to adjust the harness height as your child grows. It fits kids, with comfort, of many ages and sizes. Check out our Britax One4Life Car Seat review below to see if it is the right seat for your child!
A few months old until 9-10 years of age
A 3-in-1 car seat that can be used rear-facing, forward-facing, and in high-back booster mode
After you’ve used an infant seat for a few months or after the infant seat has been outgrown
Stand Out Features of this Car Seat
SafeWash fabric option is flame-retardant free
Britax is moving over to all flame retardant–free fabrics. But until the other fabric options are out of stock, make sure to choose a version with SafeWash fabric if this is important to you.
Lock-off
The ClickTight panel functions as a seat belt lock-off. It is very easy to use and allows caregivers to quickly get a tight installation in their vehicle.
Anti-Rebound Bar (separate purchase)
Although it is a separate purchase, an anti-rebound bar is an added safety feature for rear-facing that can reduce the secondary movement of the car seat, called rebound, during a crash. When a collision occurs, the car seat will move forward, towards the front of the vehicle, and rotate downward. And as we all know from high school physics, every action has an equal and opposite reaction — so after that initial movement, the car seat will rebound, or “bounce back” towards the backrest of the vehicle seat. The ARB minimizes this bounce-back effect, helping limit the car seat movement and your child inside it! ARBs may also limit the side-to-side rotation of the car seat in a side-impact collision. Overall, it’s a great feature on a rear-facing car seat!
Seat is good for you if
You have a tall child.
This seat has one of the tallest harness heights available as it goes up to 19.” Most car seats on the market have 17-18″ harness heights. If you have a child who is higher percentile for height, this could be a good option to consider.
You want a car seat that’s easy to install.
It’s hard to find a seat that has a seat belt installation easier than the ones that feature Britax’s ClickTight technology like the Britax One4Life does. The ClickTight panel is located behind the padding. After opening it up, all you have to do is thread the vehicle seatbelt through the correct belt path, buckle it in, gently remove any obvious slack, and close the ClickTight panel. Note that the ClickTight panel is designed to be used with the vehicle seatbelt. Don’t even bother with a lower anchor installation; a seatbelt is the way to go for this seat!
You want a car seat with a seat belt lock-off.
This seat has a seat belt lock-off. So it can be a good option in vehicles older than 1996 that don’t have locking seat belts or need to be installed in international vehicles.
You want extra safety features.
If you are looking for a seat that has an anti-rebound bar, this one can work for you. However, it is important to note that you’ll need to buy this piece separately.
Use caution if
You have a vehicle with non-removable headrests.
If your vehicle has non-removable headrests, we do not recommend buying the Britax One4Life. It may not be compatible in the forward-facing and booster modes. You can check this post for car seat options that do work with non-removable headrests.
You have a small back seat.
This is not one of the smaller front-to-back seats. If you have a small back seat and/or the car seat needs to fit behind a tall driver, you may want to consider some more compact car seat options like these.
You need to fit 3 across in a vehicle.
Since the Britax One4Life is 19.5″ wide, it’s not a good option for caregivers who are looking to fit 3 across in their vehicle. You can find some much better options here.
Quirks to be aware of
V-Shaped Tether
The top tether should always be used when a child is forward-facing. Britax’s top tethers are v-shaped instead of the typical top tether design. Generally this kind of top tether will go around both sides of the vehicle’s headrest.
Airplane Use
The Britax One4Life is an FAA-approved car seat. At 29 pounds, it is one of the heaviest options available. If traveling internationally, this seat has a belt lock-off, so it will work well. For help with all things airplane travel and car seats, check out our Wheels Up Course and private Facebook group.
Videos
SITS Bottom Line
As long as your vehicle has removable headrests, you are not planning on using this seat from birth, and you don’t need to fit 3 across in your vehicle, it’s likely a great option for you. It’s easy to install, which makes it great for any caregiver, even older ones who may have trouble getting a tight installation with other car seats. It’s a long-lasting option as well thanks to the high rear-facing limits and the high harness height.
Similar Car Seats
Specifications
Britax
Product Information
Weight: 29lbs
Width: 19.5"
Highest Harness Height: 19"
Rear Facing Limits
Height: 49"
Weight: 5-50lbs
Head Height Rules: at least 1″ below the top of the headrest
Lower Anchor Connectors Weight Limit: 30lbs
Forward-Facing Limits
Height: 49"
Weight: 22-65lbs
Head Height Rules: ears must be below the top of the headrest
Lower Anchor Connectors Weight Limit: 35lbs
No Back Booster Limits
Highest Belt Guide Settings
21.5"
High Back Booster Limits
Height: 44-63"
Weight: 40-120lbs
Head Height Rules: ears must be below the top of the headrest
Other Important Details
Newborn Fit
not recommended; lowest harness height is too high for many newborns
Expiration Limit
10 years
Crash Replacement Policy
replace after a moderate or severe crash
Harness
no-rethread
Lock-off
yes
Vehicle Seat Protector
This brand does not permit a vehicle seat protector.