Britax B-Lively Review
Pros: Budget-friendly, light and easy to carry/stow
Cons: Not the best mover, lower quality
Manufacturer: Britax
The Skinny
Compare to Similar Products
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Britax B-Lively | |||||
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Awards | ![]() | ![]() | |||
Price | $250.00 List $219.99 at Amazon - 12% off | $580.00 List $529.95 at Amazon - 9% off | $400.00 List Check Price at Amazon | $500.00 List Check Price at Amazon | $400.00 List $359.99 at Amazon - 10% off |
Overall Score ![]() |
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Star Rating | |||||
Pros | Budget-friendly, light and easy to carry/stow | Easiest to push, jogger, high quality, easy to use | Less expensive jogger, great maneuverability, durable | Ease to maneuver, convenience features, comfy, jogging | Lots of car seat compatibility, fairly lightweight, handbrake |
Cons | Not the best mover, lower quality | Bulkier, harder to transport | Larger, may be hard to lift and carry | Heavy and large, harder to fit in trunk | Limited storage access, prop-up footrest |
Bottom Line | Average stroller with impressive price, sturdy design, and useful features | A cozy, stylish jogger that is easy to move and use for everyday outings | Features for jogging or everyday use in a versatile, quality stroller | Capable jogger with all-terrain tires that moves well and works as a full-size option | Good stroller but it doesn't merit the price increase over the regular City Mini |
Rating Categories | Britax B-Lively | Thule Urban Glide 2 | BOB Rambler | BOB Revolution... | Baby Jogger City... |
Ease Of Use (45%) | |||||
Maneuverability (30%) | |||||
Weight Folded Size (15%) | |||||
Quality (10%) | |||||
Specs | Britax B-Lively | Thule Urban Glide 2 | BOB Rambler | BOB Revolution... | Baby Jogger City... |
Weight | 18.9 lbs | 24.4 lbs | 25.1 lbs | 27.3 lbs | 21.6 lbs |
Folded Dimensions | 24"W x 9.5"H x 29"L | 27.2"W x 15.5"H x 36.5"L | 25.3"W x 13.5"H x 38.5"L | 25.5"W x 15.3"H x 37.8"L | 25.6"W x 11.2"H x 33"L |
Capacity Limits | Minimum: Birth Maximum: 55 lbs/44" |
Minimum: 6 mo. Maximum: 49 lbs/43.7" |
Minimum: Walk Only: Infant Car Seat: 0 - 8 wk. Stroller Seat: 8 wk. - 8 mo. Jogging & Off-Road: 8 mo. - 5 yr. Maximum: 74 lbs/44" |
Minimum: Walk Only: Infant Car Seat: 0 - 8 wk. Stroller Seat: 8 wk. - 8 mo. Jogging & Off-Road: 8 mo. - 5 yr. Maximum: 74 lbs/44" |
Minimum: Birth Maxiumum: 65 lbs/44" |
Included Car Seat Compatibility | Britax All Britax Seats | None | None | None | Baby Jogger City GO, City GO 2 |
Click-in Car Seat Adapters | Britax All Britax Seats | BeSafe Izi GO Mod, Izi GO X1 Chicco KeyFit, KeyFit 30 Cybex Aton, Aton 2, Aton 4, Aton 5 Maxi Cosi CabrioFix, Citi, Mico 30, Mico Max 30, Mico NXT, Pebble, Pebble Plus Nuna Pipa |
None | None | Baby Jogger City GO, City GO 2 Britax B-Safe 35, B-Safe 35 Elite Chicco KeyFit, KeyFit 2, KeyFit 30, KeyFit 30 Zip Cybex Aton, Aton 2, Aton Q, Cloud Q Graco Snugride Snuglock 35 Elite, Snugride 35 Platinum, Snugride Click Connect 35 LX Maxi Cosi Mico AP, Mico Max 30, Mico NXT, Mico 30 Nuna Pipa Peg-Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35 Uppababy Mesa Clek Living |
Strap-in Car Seat Adapters | None | BOB Unity Britax Affinity Unity, B-Safe, B-Safe 35, B-Safe 35 Elite, Chaperone, Unity, Unity ISOFIX Compatible Britax-Romer Baby-Safe, Baby-Safe Plus II Chicco KeyFit Plus Combi Shuttle 33 Evenflo Discovery 5 Graco SafeSeat, SnugRide, SnugRide Click Connect, SnugRide Click Connect 30, SnugRide Click Connect 35, SnugRide Click Connect LX 35, SnugRide Click Connect 40 Peg Perego Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30, Primo Viaggio 4-35 Safety 1st Comfy Carry Elite, onBoard, onBoard Air Safe-n-Sound Unity, Unity Neos UPPAbaby Mesa |
Britax B-Safe, B-Safe 35, B-Safe 35 Elite, Chaperone BOB B-Safe, B-Safe 35 Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30, 30LX, 35, 35 LX, 40, SnugRide Classic Connect 22, 30, 32, 35 Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35, Primo Viaggio SIP 30/30, Primo Viaggio SIP Chicco KeyFit, KeyFit 30 |
Britax/BOB Britax® Chaperone®, B-Safe®, B-Safe® 35, B-Safe® 35 Elite, Endeavours™, B-Safe® 35 Ultra, BOB® B-Safe®, BOB® B-Safe® 35 Chicco Fit2, KeyFit, KeyFit 30 Cybex Cybex® Aton 2, Aton Q, Cloud Q Graco SnugRide Click Connect 30, 30LX, 35, 35 LX, 40, SnugRide Classic Connect, SnugRide Classic Connect 30, 32, 35, SafeSeat Maxi Cosi Maxi Cosi® Mico 30, Mico Max 30, Mico AP Nuna Nuna® Pipa, Pipa Lite Peg Perego Primo Viaggio 4-35, SIP, SIP 30/30 |
None |
Recline | Deep | Deep | Deep | Deep | Deep |
Storage Basket Size | Large | Large | Large | Large | Large |
Sun Shade Size | Large | Large | Large | Large | Large |
One-handed Fold | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Locking Fold | Auto | Auto | Auto | Auto | Auto |
Self-standing Fold | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
Handlebar Height - Min/Max | 40" | 30"/46" | 38.8" | 34.5"/48" | 38.5"/45.7" |
Sandal-friendly Brake | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Included Accessories | None | None | None | None | City GO infant car seat adapter. |
Setup Time | 5:04 min:sec | 5:13 min:sec | 5:30 min:sec | 4:26 min:sec |
4:47 min:sec |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Britax launched in the US in 1996 after a successful start in Europe. The company has been creating baby products for over 70 years including their best-selling infant car seats. Britax's goal is to develop safe and useful gear whether it is convertible car seats or strollers. Britax works with governments, manufacturers, and experts on safety to bring parents products for their children.
Performance Comparison
Ease of Use
The B-Lively is average for ease of use in a metric where it suffers from lack of features.
Fold and Unfold
The B-Lively has an easy fold with a quick pull handle on the seat. It has two steps and needs two hands. Unfolding is also simple and can be done one-handed, though some testers felt it wasn't as easy as the fold and required some practice to do well.
Brakes
This stroller has single action brakes that are very easy to set and release with a process that is simple and foot-friendly with a press to set and release.
Storage
The storage bin (above left) is somewhat large but it has a useful and fun access portal on the front not found on all of the competition. The bin fits our large diaper bag and has a limit of 10 lbs. The Lively also has pockets on the back of the canopy with two small pockets and a medium zippered pocket.
Sunshade
The Lively sunshade has an expansive size and a large mesh peek-a-boo window. The peek-a-boo window has no real "cover" with only additional fabric to fold over it. You cannot view little ones without letting in additional airflow which could be ill-advised in colder weather.
Harness
The 5-point harness on the Lively is only average to put on and harder to take off. Adjusting the harness is easier even though it is the less desirable rethread design. The harness has three shoulder height positions and an adjustable crotch strap.
Seat
The seat on the Lively is a sling-style seat with non-adjustable padded leg rest and narrow footrest. The seatback reclines with the use of a toggle and can be operated with one hand to drop and two to lift. The seatback has an infinite number of possible angles including almost flat for napping.
Car Seat Compatibility
This stroller comes compatible with all Britax infant car seats. With side adapters, you can attach each seat to the frame of the stroller without removing the main seat or canopy. Attachment requires lining up both sides simultaneously and applying pressure straight down.
Ease of Setup
Te B-Lively is similar to other strollers in the Britax lineup with a slightly faster assembly time of just over 5 minutes.
This stroller requires snapping on the three wheels and the canopy. You don't need any tools and the manual is only so-so with instructions that start a few pages into the manual and aren't as good as some with the quick start instructions.
Maneuverability
The Britax B-Lively isn't the best mover which is likely a result of the use of plastic foam-filled tires instead of rubber.
This stroller is small which makes it good for smaller spaces but it struggles over grass and gravel with difficulty turning if the grass is thick. The dual front wheel design is one that historically struggles in testing to stay on track and we prefer single wheels per leg to help avoid pushing problems.
Weight and Folded Size
The Britax B-Lively earns an 8 of 10 for weight and folded size with relatively low weight and one of the smallest folds in the group.
This stroller weighs 18.9 lbs and measures 6,612 cubic inches. If you have limited space or worry about where you will put a larger full-size stroller this is a good option and should fit in most reasonable spaces.
Quality
The Britax B-Lively is average quality, about what you'd expect for a buggy with this price tag.
This stroller has a similar frame to the B-Agile but with an angular look and more pieces which could translate to more flex over time. It has medium weight fabric that is no longer the nice ripstop but it does offer a padded seat and wipable footrest. The wheels are foam filled plastic which impacts maneuverability and could deform over time calling into question long-term durability for this stroller. They cheapened the details over previous Britax of yore by replacing magnetic closures over peek-a-boo windows with no closure for the window cover and Velcro for the leg rest hatch instead of the nicer zipper. So, while it looks very similar, the details are lacking and indicate a turn for Britax in regards to overall quality and final fit and finish.
Manufacturer Video
— Juliet Spurrier, MD and Wendy Schmitz