Top infant seat?

*blue*flower* · June 2013

I am looking at infant carseats now that we are over the halfway mark. When my older DD was a baby the Graco Snugride was the best safety rated and reasonably priced. From the research I have been reading the Chicco Keyfit 30 seems to be rated higher now. I'm also considering the Britax BSafe. I read that the Britax has been crash tested and the carrying handle can be left up, which my DH was natorious for leaving up on our last seat no matter how many times I reminded him. So that is a plus for that seat I've had our older DD in a Britax for years now and love their products as well. Does anyone have more pros cons between the Chicco, Britax and Graco? Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!

jobiann · June 2013

We LOVE our Chicco, easy to install, easy to clean and great safety ratings. I've also heard good things about Britax. But I'm pro Chicco! Now we are going to switch to a convertible car seat and because DS is so tall, we are going with the Graco Size4Me 70 since it has the tallest shell so DS can stay rear-facing in it the longest. Otherwise I would have went with the new Chicco NextFit (or whatever their new/only convertible car seat is called).

LittleFish1 · June 2013

So we went to the store, DH pulled each seat out if the base, carried them and then told me which one was the easiest. We also buckled each. Decided on the Graco SnugRide 35 over the 30 because the base was better (the knob to level the base seemed better) and the level indicator was on the seat itself which figured was important when using without the base.

orangecurls · June 2013

All of these car seats are great. I have the keyfit. It is very easy to install and you can leave the handle in the upright position.

[i also have the nextfit, which is super awesome.]

LyndseylovesHugh · June 2013

We have the Graco Snugride 35 and love it, although it is super heavy and I stopped carrying it around when DD was about 4 months. It is so easy to install. My manual says that the handle can be left in the upright position or all the way down when driving, just not the two in between settings.

kmc84 · June 2013

We have a BSafe and we love it! The straps are easy to adjust, the base is easy to install, and we have a BReady stroller so it is it's own travel system. The handle can be left in any of the three locked positions.

Angela814 · June 2013

LyndseylovesHugh:
We have the Graco Snugride 35 and love it, although it is super heavy and I stopped carrying it around when DD was about 4 months. It is so easy to install. My manual says that the handle can be left in the upright position or all the way down when driving, just not the two in between settings.

Yep. This was true with the classic Snugride also. We had one. The handle could be all the way up or all the way down.

We opted for the Safety First OnBoard Air 35 this time. 32" height limit. Handle can be left in any position. Seems much more comfortable than the Snugride. (DD2 helped me compare them in store.)

gimmietimmies · June 2013

No such thing as safety ratings, btw. All either pass or fail the federal standards, and there are no standardized regulated tests that say which perform better in tests. And handle positions allowed in moving cars has changed in the last few years, so you've got lots of options. I'd drop Baby Trend and Evenflo out of the running because of that (BT doesn't tend to fit newborns well anyway).

Great for compact spaces: Cosco Comfy Carry Elite (must say Elite or you're stuck with crappy rear adjust harness), Chicco Keyfit 30, Safety 1st Onboard Air, and Britax B-Safe.

Otherwise, if you have a slightly larger space, also try the Graco Snugride 30, then 35, Britax Chaperone and Cybex Aton.

I deliberately left off the Snugride (aka the Snugride 22), it also doesn't fit newborns well, the harness slot is too high even for taller newbs.

Check out this article, it tells about the features and pros/cons, and fit.

https://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rear-facing_seats_9.html

gimmietimmies · June 2013

Oh, just thought of something. It's not necessary to get an infant seat with the highest weight/height limit. By the time an average infant outgrows even the lower limit seats, you may be tired of carrying it and ready for a convertible to continue to rf but also sit more upright and free up space (they take up less room than infant seats). And I do like Britax seats, but I don't recommend them to anyone with a lo above the 30%ile, the new generation of seats is short lived rf, not like the old Marathons or Regents that could rf to a decent age. The new longest lasting convertibles are (in order of rf max height) Graco Headwise/MySize/Size4Me, Chicco Nextfit and Diono Radian/Clek Foonf (close limits to each other). Next would be the TrueFit and Graco My Size, Cosco Apt, then maybe the Britax convertibles.

*blue*flower* · June 2013

gimmietimmies:
No such thing as safety ratings, btw. All either pass or fail the federal standards, and there are no standardized regulated tests that say which perform better in tests. And handle positions allowed in moving cars has changed in the last few years, so you've got lots of options. I'd drop Baby Trend and Evenflo out of the running because of that BT doesn't tend to fit newborns well anyway.Great for compact spaces: Cosco Comfy Carry Elite must say Elite or you're stuck with crappy rear adjust harness, Chicco Keyfit 30, Safety 1st Onboard Air, and Britax BSafe. Otherwise, if you have a slightly larger space, also try the Graco Snugride 30, then 35, Britax Chaperone and Cybex Aton.I deliberately left off the Snugride aka the Snugride 22, it also doesn't fit newborns well, the harness slot is too high even for taller newbs.Check out this article, it tells about the features and pros/cons, and fit.https://www.thecarseatlady.com/car_seats/rearfacing_seats_9.html

Thank you so much! Great information, I really appreciate it. We have a Jeep, and DD is still in a 5 point so something that takes up a little less room is useful! I think we will narrow it down to 3 seats and then go check them out in person to see which we l like best.

Thank you everyone!

FabulousMrs.P · July 2013

The state troopers who did the car seat inspections recommended the Chicco Keyfit because it is so easy to install. And I have to say...we loved that infant seat!

The troopers told me it doesn't matter how well the carseat is rated, if you don't install it properly, it is useless. They said out of all the carseats, the Chicco seams to be the easiest to install correctly...plus it was rated pretty well.

Want a personalized experience?

Top infant seat?

Re: Top infant seat?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards