Britax Hippo Instruction Booklet

INSTRUCTION BOOKLET

3

Table of Contents

1. Safety Information 4

2. Vehicle Compatability 9

Safety Belts 9
Vehicle Seating Positions 10
Checking Vehicle Buckle Position 10

3. Aircraft Installation 11

4. Features 12

5. Recline Adjustment 14

6. Wedge Positioning System 15

7. Vehicle Installation 16

Rear-Facing 16
Forward-Facing 22

8. Versa-Tether

®

27

9. Securing a Child 31

Fastening and Releasing the Buckle 31
HUGS™ and Comfort Pads 31
Fastening and Releasing the Chest Clip 31
Securing the Harness 32
Checking Harness Height 34
Harness Height Adjustment 35

10. Care and Maintenance 36

11. Warranty Information 40

This product and its components are subject to change without notice.

© 2006 Britax Child Safety, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA.

P287200:R1.05.07

Safety Information

4

• Infants should remain in a rear-facing child restraint as long as
possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear­facing until at least 1 year of age and 20 pounds.

• Use only with children whose weight is between 5 and 65 pounds
(2.3 and 29 kg) and whose height is 49 inches (124 cm) or less. Use
rear facing 5–33 pounds (2.3–15 kg) and forward facing maximum
65 pounds (29 kg). (Upper weight limits refer to casted weight.)

• Snugly adjust the belts provided with this restraint around child. A
snug strap should not allow any slack. It lies in a relatively straight
line without sagging. It does not press on the child’s fl esh or push
the child’s body into an unnatural position.

• Secure the top anchorage strap provided with this child restraint.

• Secure this child restraint with the vehicle’s child restraint anchorage
system if available or with a vehicle belt.

• Follow all instructions on this child restraint and in the written
instructions located on lanyard, under cover in front of seat.

• Register your child restraint with the manufacturer.

• Use vehicle belt (not LATCH hooks) for installations with children
weighing more than 48 pounds* (21 kg). Refer to the vehicle
owner’s manual or contact the vehicle manufacturer for the
maximum weight rating for their LATCH anchors. Unless specifi ed
otherwise by the vehicle manufacturer, assume a 48-pound child is
the vehicle LATCH anchor limit.

• For casted children, caregivers should consult with a medical
professional for proper positioning.

WARNING!

DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can occur:

Safety Information

5

• This child restraint must not be used in the home, in boats, or other
non-certifi ed applications.

• Based on crash statistics, the National Highway Traffi c Safety
Administration recommends that parents select the rear seat as the
safest location for a properly installed child restraint. Please study
the section on Vehicle Safety Belts in this booklet to ensure the
child’s safety. If in doubt about installing the child restraint, consult
the vehicle owner’s manual.

• Secure this child restraint even when it is not occupied. In a crash,
an unsecured child restraint may injure vehicle occupants.

• When using in vehicle with air bags, refer to the vehicle owner’s
manual for child restraint installation instructions and precautions.

• Restraint must be in the full upright position when installed in
forward-facing mode with children over 40 pounds* (18 kg).

• Never use the adjuster strap to lift or carry this child restraint. Doing
so could cause damage to the harness adjuster and webbing. Always
carry this child restraint by the shell or tether strap.

• The primary protection for occupants of a vehicle in a collision is the
structure of the vehicle itself; a child restraint will not protect a child
when the vehicle is seriously impacted. However, correctly installed,
a child restraint will substantially improve the chances for survival in
most crashes. Make sure that all users fully understand the correct
ways to use this child restraint in a vehicle.

* Casted Weight

Page 1 of 10 Britax / Snug Seat Hippo (5/07)

Safety Information

6

• This child restraint system conforms to all applicable Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). This restraint is certifi ed for use
in motor vehicles and aircraft.

• Child restraints could be recalled for safety reasons. You must
register this restraint to be reached in a recall. Send your name,
address, and the restraint’s model number and manufacturing
date to: Britax Child Safety, Inc., 13501 South Ridge Drive
Charlotte, NC 28273 or call 1-888-427-4829 or register
online at www.BritaxUSA.com. For recall information, call the
U.S. Government’s Auto Safety Hotline at: 1-888-327-4236
(TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to http://www.NHTSA.gov.

• The Hippo is distributed by Snug Seat, Inc. For customer service call
1-800-336-7684 or write: Snug Seat, Inc., PO Box 1739 Matthews,
NC 28106.

WARNING! Do not place a child

restraint in the front seat of a
vehicle with a passenger air bag.
DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY can
occur. The back seat is the safest
place for children under 12.

Safety Information

7

Weight Range

Rear-Facing

Weight 5 – 33 pounds (2.3 – 15 kg). (Upper
weight limit refers to casted weight)

Forward-Facing

Weight 20 pounds (and 1 year) – 65 pounds
(9 – 29 kg). (Upper weight limit refers to
casted weight)

Maximum Height

Rear-Facing

The child is too tall when the top of the head
is 1 inch from the top of the restraint

Forward-Facing

Use of the seat should be discontinued when
any one of the following occurs:

The tops of the ears are above the top of
the restraint

The top harness slots fall below the child’s
shoulders

The child exceeds the weight capacity of the seat

•

•

•

Safety Information

8

IMPORTANT:

Verify child restraint is secure and harness is properly adjusted
around child each time child restraint is used.

Adjust harness to fi t clothes the child is wearing. Remove bulky
coats and/or jackets before putting child in restraint.

Cover restraint when vehicle is parked in direct sunlight. Parts of
child restraint could become hot enough to burn a child.

Store child restraint in a safe place when it is not being used. Avoid
placing heavy objects on top of it.

To prevent injury due to deterioration or hidden damage,
discontinue use of a child restraint that is older than six years or
has been in a severe crash. See date of manufacture, located on
restraint.

Do not leave children alone in a vehicle, even for a short time.
Do not, except as described in this booklet, attempt to disassemble

any part of the child restraint or change the way its harness or
vehicle’s restraint belts are used.

Do not leave loose objects, e.g. books, bags, etc., in the back of
a vehicle. In the event of a sudden stop, loose objects will keep
moving, potentially causing serious injuries.

Do not leave folding vehicle seats unlatched. In event of a sudden
stop, a loose seat back could prevent child restraint from protecting
the child as well as it should.

Do not allow children to play with this or any child restraint.
Do not use anything to raise restraint off vehicle seat except as

described in these instructions. In a crash, restraint could slide and
may not protect the child as well as it should.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

•

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•

NOTE: The information in this section only applies to installation with
vehicle safety belts.

IMPORTANT: Vehicle seats and safety belts differ from vehicle to

vehicle. Refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual for specifi c information
about vehicle safety belts and their use with child restraints. Some
vehicles have no seating positions which are compatible with this child
restraint or any other child restraint. If in doubt, contact the vehicle
manufacturer for assistance.

This child restraint can fi t securely in most vehicles using existing
vehicle belts. However, some vehicle designs prevent a secure fi t of
the child restraint due to position of the vehicle-belt lower anchorage
points.

The owner’s manual for your vehicle will have
information on the types of vehicle belts in your vehicle.
If your belt type is listed below, select another seating
position or use Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) connectors.

The following types of vehicle belts are not compatible
with this child restraint:

Front vehicle belts with top or bottom anchorage points in
the door. (Fig. A)

Motor-driven, automatic vehicle belts. (Fig. B)

Lap-shoulder belts that have separate retractors for shoulder section and
lap section in which lap-section retractor does not lock.

Non-locking, two-point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) vehicle belts.

Lap-shoulder ELR vehicle belts without use of the lock-off.

NOTE: Refer to your vehicle’s owner’s manual to determine the kind of
retractors used in your vehicle and how to operate them.

A

A

B

B

Vehicle Compatability

9

Page 2 of 10 Britax / Snug Seat Hippo (5/07)

Vehicle Compatability

10

If buckle lies near position marked as wrong
( ) when vehicle belt is tightened, try fi tting
child restraint in another seating position in
vehicle.

If it is not possible to achieve correct position
( ) for buckle, another seating position
MUST be used.

Vehicle Seating Positions

WARNING! Forward-facing vehicle seats MUST be

used with this child restraint. Side-facing or rear-facing
seats CANNOT be used. See diagram below.

WARNING! The position of the vehicle belt buckle can

affect the stability of the child restraint. In a crash, an
improperly positioned buckle could become loose and
the child would be unprotected.

Checking Vehicle Buckle Position

Aircraft Installation

This child restraint is certifi ed for aircraft use. Most
airlines in the U.S. and Canada will allow the use
of a child restraint if it is labeled as an approved
child restraint for airline use and fi ts properly on
the plane. Contact the airline about their policy
prior to traveling.

The FAA recommends that a child weighing up

to 40 pounds use
a certifi ed, harnessed child restraint
while traveling on an aircraft.

Install your child restraint in a window
seat to avoid blocking the aisle.

If the aircraft lap belt is too short,
ask the fl ight attendant for a belt
extender.

Rear-Facing Installation

For rear-facing aircraft installation
(Fig. D), follow Rear-Facing Lap-Belt
Installation instructions on pages 18-21.

Forward-Facing Installation

For forward-facing aircraft installation
(Fig. E), follow Forward-Facing Lap-Belt
Installation instructions on pages 22-26.

•

•

•

D

D

E

E

Aircraft Installation

11

Features

12

1

2

3
4

5

6

7
8

9
10
11

12

1 Harness Slots
2 Comfort Pads
3 Chest Clip
4 HUGS™

Shoulder Pads
5 Harness Straps
6 Harness Adjuster

Lever (Under Flap)
7 Buckle and Belly Pad
8 Perma-Book

®

(Under Cover)
9 Rear-Facing Lock-Offs
10 Recline Handle
11 LATCH Adjuster
12 LATCH Hooks

13 Harness Adjuster Strap
14 LATCH Harness
15 Wedge Positioning

System (optional)

14

15

15

13

Features

13

16

5

17

19
20

22

23

16 Cover
17 Versa-Tether

®

(in Pouch)
18 Forward-Facing Lock-off
19 Elastic Harness Holder
20 Harness Yoke

21 Pouch for LATCH Hooks
(Under Cover)

22 LATCH Bar
23 Base
24 Serial/Model Number Label

(Lift Cover)

21

18

24

Page 3 of 10 Britax / Snug Seat Hippo (5/07)