Britax B-Ready Review – Is It Worth Getting?
In order to make a proper decision before purchasing anything, we believe that it’s always best to understand the product’s good points as well as the areas that need improvement. We’ve done a lot of research on it and as a result have provided a comprehensive review for you to read through. In addition, we have included some testimonials from other people who have purchased and used the stroller.
Seat
Let’s first look at the seat on the Britax B-Ready. The seat is nice and spacious, so if you have taller children, they will still fit just fine. The harness is really easy to adjust as it only requires sliding an adjuster button up or down. Also, the belly pad that protects your child from the buckle is sewn onto the seat’s fabric so that it doesn’t come off every time you take your child out of the stroller. The swing out and removable baby bumper adds another element of safety, but if your child has a tendency to chew on everything you may wish to remove it or wrap it in cloth. People have mentioned that some of their children when going through a chewing phase have chewed holes into the bumper bar.
Adding A Second Seat Gives You Room For Another
The seat is also reversible such that your child can either face you or the world while sitting in it. This is option is especially nice to have when they are still very young and feel more comfortable facing you. Unlike some other strollers that may only allow the back of the seat to recline, this one also allows the entire seat to recline and it can all be done with a single hand.
Another nice feature the Britax B-Ready has is the option to add a second seat. However, it does cause the stroller to become quite a bit heavier. With just the original seat it weighs in at around 28 pounds, but when you add in the second seat it becomes 36 pounds, which some people have complained it becomes too heavy with the second seat attached. Fortunately, you can still remove the seats to lighten the load.
A user from the purseblog.com forum who purchased the stroller had this to say about the seat:
In my experience… the stroller wears great! It’s made of a thick canvas (?) material that wipes down easily with a baby wipe or wet paper towel. There is a crevice in the foot rest area that seems to catch a lot of DD’s crumbs & things – so DH actually suggested just using the crevice tool on the vacuum cleaner to clear that out on occasion. (It usually just gets crumbs in it if I’ve let her have a snack when I’ve had to been going to all of these doctor’s appointments lately or whatever… if I don’t give her snacks in it, it stays fairly clear.)
As far as other areas, I haven’t really had any problems. A baby wipe tends to keep it looking like new! I’ve used it continually for over 6 months and I feel like it looks almost as good as when we bought it.
As you can see, they were very pleased with the quality of the fabric used in the seat and how easy it was to clean when it got dirty.
Canopy
The Britax B-Ready has a really large waterproof canopy compared to other strollers. It also comes with a nice large mesh peek-a-boo window which allows you to keep an eye on your child while you’re out with them and provides air circulation through the stroller at the same time. Unlike other strollers that may use velcro to secure the flap covering the window, this one uses a magnet so that you can quietly peek without disturbing them if they are sleeping.
Basket
There is a really large basket located under the seat which is capable of storing all of you and your child’s belongings. It has very high sides and can also allow you to fit a large diaper bag inside as well. The only downside to the basket is that when you put the second seat in, the seat more or less sits in the basket and restricts access in the back. Fortunately, you can access the storage from all sides, so you can still get everything from the front or sides.
Wheels and Brakes
These wheels provide a comfy ride
The Britax B-Ready’s front swivel wheels have the ability to be locked straight so that you can navigate over rougher terrain like grass and gravel. All of the wheels are solid and aren’t filled with air, so you won’t ever have to worry about getting a flat. The stroller also has a 4-point suspension system to absorb some of the bumps on the ground and make your child’s ride smoother.
Unlike other strollers that may have a brake bar in the back for you to lock the wheels, this one has a simple lever located beside the rear right wheel and allows you to lock both rear wheels just by pressing on it. It’s also easy to tell whether it’s locked or not by the color of the indicator in the middle of the lever. If it’s red it’s locked, if it’s green it’s ready to go.
One user from Amazon who purchased this stroller had this to say about its wheels and maneuverability:
The B Ready handles beautifully, with a good turning radius (key for something so big) and easy one handed maneuverability. It never feels “stuck” or jerky. The wheels are a good size and offer a reasonably smooth ride, although it can get a bit bumpy over gravelly or very uneven terrain. Not an all terrain stroller in the way it might be with air filled tires, but over all pretty good. Out of the box the back wheels made a sound like there was something rubbing against them, and our local store owner gave us some big washers that Britax had provided as a fix. That solved the problem, although you’ll have to be careful not to lose them if you pop the wheels off a lot (we don’t). We’ve also experienced a bit of a squeak on the front wheels from time to time, but have always been able to fix it with WD-40.
They liked how easy it was to turn the stroller considering its size and that it offered a relatively smooth ride given its solid wheels. However, they pointed out that the wheels occasionally made squeaking noises but was easily remedied with some lubricant.
Nice and compact
Folding
Folding the Britax B-Ready is also very simple to do and doesn’t require removing the seat. You can even leave the second seat in when you fold it. However, if you do have the second seat attached while putting it in a standing fold, people have noticed the second seat’s canopy ends up touching the ground and getting dirty. Another problem that has been reported by some users is that the automatic locking mechanism on the side that keeps the stroller folded doesn’t always stay locked.
Another user from Amazon had this to say about the stroller after they folded it:
Another weight-related complaint is how hard this stroller is to grab and carry when folded. All of my other strollers have had obvious and easy places to grab them once folded flat but the bars of this stroller are so close together when folded that it’s hard to find a good place to grab it and lift it. This would be unimportant with a lightweight stroller but this one is heavy enough to need two good places to grab it and I haven’t yet found a comfortable way to do that. Related to that is the latch that holds the stroller closed – ours has to be snapped in place manually. It looks like it’s possible for it to catch on its own, as all of my other strollers have done, but I can’t get it to latch. Maybe ours is just a dud.
One issue they had with the stroller is that there wasn’t anywhere easy to grab onto the stroller to lift it after it was folded. They also had some issues with the automatic locking mechanism not working properly.
What We Can Conclude From Our Britax B-Ready Review:
Pros:
- Thick canvas material is easy to clean when dirtied
- Option to add a second seat for your second child
- Easy to maneuver considering it’s a pretty big stroller
- Adjustable handlebar accommodates parents of different heights
- Folds easily with two hands
Cons:
- It’s quite big so it may get stuck in tight spaces
- Becomes a bit heavy for some people when the second seat is added
- Baby bumper bar may end up chewed on depending on the child
- No obvious places to grab onto the stroller after it’s folded
The Britax B-Ready stroller is great in that you can adjust the seat in a way such that you can face your child while they are still young and allow them to face the world once they’ve grown a bit older. It’s made of a nice durable material that’s easy to clean whenever it gets dirty and you also have the option of adding a second seat if you have another child. Considering its size, it is really easy to turn and easy to fold as well. The adjustable handlebar allows all parents tall or short to be able to use the stroller without any difficulty.
Even though there are some problems with the stroller like its large size and heaviness if you have a second seat attached, it has a lot of benefits which in the end outweigh the problems. So to answer the question of whether the Britax B-Ready is worth getting, the answer is yes, considering its design, what it offers, and the overall quality.
Where Can I Get The Best Price?
There are many places online where you can purchase the Britax B-Ready, but out of all of them we’ve found that Amazon sells it the cheapest. On top of that, they offer free shipping and free returns if you find that it’s not the stroller for you and they have a very good reputation among consumers. Keep in mind that when choosing which color to get for your stroller, some of them cost a little bit more than others.