Looks-wise the Britax B-Smart is available as either a 3-wheeler or 4-wheeler option, for £299.99 without car seat included. The B-Smart easily converts from pram to buggy and to a travel system by adding any of the suitable car seats (Britax’s BABY-SAFE Sleeper, BABY-SAFE, BABY-SAFE plus and BABY-SAFE plus SHR), all of which use Britax’s simple CLICK & GO attachment. We tested the 4-wheel urban travel system with the Britax Baby-Safe plus SHR car seat, £119.99, a Group 0+ option.
The list of features on the Britax B-Smart goes on forever, as it needs to in this competitive marketplace. We all expect our buggy to do everything and the B-Smart certainly has a go. Suitable from birth with a lie-flat position (“the healthiest way to transport your newborn baby”), the B-Smart has a very lightweight aluminum chassis, puncture-resistant tyres (that’s non-inflatable to you and me) and can be set up to face either forward or rearward. This is a buggy with useful pockets where you need them (in the shopping basket) and with an apron attached to a bar that pivots to easily let you strap in your baby with minimum fuss.
Having read so much about the previous Britax buggies I was looking forward to our test model arriving and it didn’t disappoint. Assembly was so simple and really took very little time. Freya, 3 months, watched on happily for the 5 minutes it took to put everything together.
Britax has thought of most of the possible things you could want from a travel system. The one-touch on/off break is definitely the easiest I’ve ever used and the handle adjusts to accommodate both my husband’s 6’2” height and my 5’3” frame
What we love
The CLICK & GO system is fantastic, especially if you have the SHR car seat as we did. This means that you can attach or remove the car seat from the chassis with one hand, a bonus if like me you have other children to hold onto in a busy car park.
Other advantages to the Britax B-Smart are that it unfolds one handed and the chassis easily clicks together. This is really helpful when you’re in hurry, or as I seem to be, constantly getting the buggy out of the car in torrential rain! The fact that we really could CLICK & GO was great - there really are no supplementary bits to do as with some travel systems.
The hood on the Britax B-Smart has been really well thought out. It is very large and provides a good deal of coverage when in a shower. The best bit though is the zip around the middle, which extends the hood further, adding a sunshade to the list of useful bits on this buggy. When the sun did come out (only occasionally mind, this is Britain) it was simple to shield Freya’s eyes.
The B-Smart manages to cater for all sizes of baby. Freya is only 3 months old so we had the seat in the lie-flat position, the buggy in the rear facing (parent facing) mode, the apron and bar attached and the hood up most of the time. However, in the interests of testing I did put Bertie (my small 4 year old) in the B-Smart, facing forwards, without the bar and apron and there was plenty of room. Unlike some buggies on the market this one looks as though it might be big enough to last out a child - the seat is both wide and deep, and once the apron is removed there’s no limit on leg length.
What to watch out for
The padding on the 5-point harness was rather stiff and for a small baby seemed to always sit in the wrong place, digging in to Freya’s cheeks. However, it was easily removable.
Although you can fold the Britax B-Smart with the seat attached (only in forward facing mode) it didn’t fold up that small and I had to remove the wheels to get it in the boot of my car (mind you most of my boot space is taken up with children).
There really aren’t any major flaws you can point to with the B-Smart. The shopping basket is a little low at the back and I worried that things might fall out but I haven’t lost anything yet. The non-inflatable tyres weren’t as easy to push as inflatable ones but again not enough to make me complain.
The B-Smart is technically suitable from birth without the carrycot, however the roomy seat and not 100% flat recline position would make me think twice about putting a tiny newborn in there. Freya is a big 3 month old so she looked just fine.
There’s no raincover included with this buggy. In the UK this is an essential piece of kit and one I feel could be included at this price.
Who is the Britax B-Smart travel system best for?
Any parent who isn’t sure what travel system to go for - it does everything you need and even some things you didn’t know you did!
The Britax B-Smart travel system is versatile, with a truly easy to use CLICK & GO system. Splash out on the carrycot or the Britax Baby-Safe Sleeper car seat (this one allows your baby to lie flat in the car) and you have an almost perfect travel system that will outlast your child.
