Booster Seat Went Bye-Bye--Century Breverra Ascend (4892)
by bluehawq - Written: May 17 '01 (Updated Aug 16 '01)
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Pros: Comfortable form fitting seat. 5-point strap feature. Cup holder. Inexpensive.
Cons: Children out grow it too quickly. The booster is too short.
The Bottom Line: Comfortable, inexpensive booster seat. Easy to install and comes with a couple of features that others do not have.
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| bluehawq's Full Review: Century Breverra Ascend |
My AIM went on the "away" mode yesterday morning. My son's room was in bad need of cleaning and the closet was the most horrifying part of it all. I moved all the furniture around and scrubbed everything with more determination than usual. Cleaned his ceiling fan and put the elbow grease to the floors.
The closet doors kept distracting me. Almost like a beckoning call. I tried to ignore it. I managed to avoid it up until I hung my son's backpack on one of the door knobs. I could not take it anymore. Despair swept through me as I knowingly opened one door. I knew what was about to happen. Sure enough, everything came spilling on top of my head.
I had pain and could not figure out why. My head felt as though someone stapled it or something. Well, someone did not staple me. "Something" did!
There lie a tattered booster seat. I remember when my sister-in-law gave me the Century Breverra Ascend booster seat for Jason. He is a slim boy. Skinny actually and the seat belt at that time just did not fit him. My sis-in-law bought the Century Breverra Ascend booster seat for her sisters daughter, but she was still way too small for it. Rather than return it, she gave it to me. Jason thought this was a special treat. He could finally see where we were going when driving down the road. Plus, I no longer needed to worry about him sliding out from under the seat belt. It did fit him, but not quite as well as I felt it should.
I am going to take this booster seat out side in a while and throw it in our burn pit. We have many acres and have our own designated spot to burn very large items that the trash collectors will not pick up but only during spring or fall clean up season. Clean up for us will not be until the middle of June. Before I toss it though, I wanted to write a review on it. Had not thought of it before. Out of sight, out of mind, right?
How does our Century Breverra Ascend booster seat look?
Well, it looks pretty sad at the moment, but there was a time that it presented itself in a finer fashion. The cloth style that we have is called Grayton. It has very dark blue sides and top and the insert is a gray plaid cloth. You can buy this booster in several other styles though. Some being: Checkmate a tiny plaid like look, University Tweed. This one is nice looking too. Sort of a bluish gray mix. There are a few others as well. A variety at the very least.
What sort of positive features does the Century Breverra Ascend booster seat have?
The very best feature of course, is the 5-point harness. Great idea that has worked. The 5-point system is designed to keep your child as safe as possible in an accident. If one point fails to hold your child, another will step in, so to speak. And so on. The harness is made up of two straps that go over both arms and legs and buckle in the seat just below the crotch area. Then you use the harness tie to hold the two straps together over your child's chest area. It is hard to describe this by just looking at it. It would be easier if my son was sitting in it. This harness is designed to fit toddlers weighing in at 30 to 40 pounds and not to exceed 43 inches. But, if you use it as a belt positioning booster, the seat will fit a preschooler weighing in at 30 to 80 pounds and up to 50 inches. This is the fit that we used. Although Jason still fits according to his weight, he no longer fits in height. Loosening the straps is simple. There is a lever in the front of the seat that you lift up and your straps will loosen with ease. A big plus for a growing child or bulky clothing.
Love this feature! It has a cup holder. The cup holder that comes with the Century Breverra Ascend booster is a great idea. My son always has a drink with him. Though it does snap to either side of the booster's arm rests, it can be difficult at times to snap into place. I only had a problem with it a couple of times though. Basically it worked just fine.
Speaking of arm rests. Many boosters do not have them. I can't say that these were the best ever but they served their purpose with pride. Being rather on the short side, I would think that children with really long arms would get into a cramp with their little arms hanging from the ends. Jason's came very close last year and he complained a bit about it. But they do the job and it is better than not having them. In my opinion.
I use a Sylvester and Tweety seat belt sleeve. I am short and the seat belt rubs my neck with out one. Some boosters propose this same problem for kids. On the Century Breverra Ascend booster, there is a clip (called a comfort clip) that prevents this from happening. You can run the shoulder belt through it and adjust it to fit your child so that s/he is comfortable. It is a three position clip. It also has a front beltway access. This makes installing the booster a breeze.
How did my son like the Century Breverra Ascend booster seat?
He loved it. He could take in the scenery as we traveled and when he would fall asleep it was almost just as comfortable for him. The booster reminds me of the seats in my 5.0 Mustang. They hug you at the shoulders and somewhat at the waist. Sort of like racing seats. The booster was very similar to these seats. Fit like a glove and was most comfortable for sleeping. No neck cramps or backaches for my guy.
Here is an odd thing. But something that I suppose is a good thing. Boosters and infant seats are coming out now with expiration dates. The one on this booster was for 2005. I can't read the month anymore. But I guess this is good so that your child will remain safe using it. Say someone picks one of these boosters up at a yard sale and the dern thing is 10 years old. Well, it probably would not be near as safe for your child as it would have been 5 years earlier. So, an expiration date is a good thing. A note here: There is a tether strap that you will use to secure the booster to the cars seats. This will stabilize the booster from moving around and protect your child as well from moving around whether playing or if you happen to get into an accident.
If something breaks on your booster, you can order replacement parts for it from the manufacturer or from the Century web site. I checked for any recalls for this particular model and could not find any.
I think that my review is finished. Now I have to tote the Century Breverra Ascend booster outside and place it in it's final resting place. I want to say that I would recommend this booster to any mom who has kids who insist on seeing where they are going! And I honestly believe that installed properly, the Century Breverra Ascend booster seat will protect your child and that is the most important thing.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): free for me
Age Range of Child: 6 to 8 Years
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