Chicco Keyfit Infant Seat Adventure
We've been using this car seat for our little one for about a month. At this point I have nothing but praise for this seat. Initially we were comparing between this and the Britax Chaperone Carrier, Cowmooflage, but after test fitting the Chaperone in our full size truck with a full crew cab (and finding that it barely fit, and hung way off the seat beyond the 80/20 mark), we decided on the Chicco, and are glad we did.
Safety:
The car seat has great safety ratings, and scored well according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The detachable base allow for easy installation (you don't have to work around the seat) and it can connect with either a standard seat-belt or the LATCH system, which most newer vehicles have. It's very handy to be able to pop in/out of the base, without having to readjust the whole seat each time. In our case, we also purchased a second base, so we don't have to re-set everything up for each car. Just click to release, pop it in, do a pull check (to make sure it locked in) and go. The bubble level makes it easy to get level correctly, and install instructions are on the side and center of the base as well.
The strap adjustment is pretty easy to do, so you can easily loosen the straps, slide the kiddo in, and then pull the adjuster tight to get a snug fit, no matter what outfit your infant is in. The 5 point harness functions pretty similarly to other systems, so shouldn't be too bad to figure out. Another nice feature is the newborn insert to fit around the really tiny ones in the early days. One thing to make sure of is to read the manual. There are LOTS of hints/tips about the seat in there, and the most appropriate way to snug it for each scenario you might use it in.
Non-Safety Features:
The color is pretty cute (in Midori), and we do get comments on it, but overall, it's just the color, so it's not really the most important aspect of a car seat.
The adjustable handle makes it nice to carry or prop the seat when out and about (folds under to stabilize it). The car seat bottom has a nice curve to it, so you can rock your little one to sleep while waiting in offices to keep them calm (GREAT feature). The base has a little compartment in it that you can store the manual and other related items in, and the detachable sun/rain hood are pretty good for keeping things dry and comfortable. For winter we'll be swapping it out with a home made cover for warmth. I can't recall the weight of the seat, but it's not too bad to manage.
Side Benefit:
After getting this, we also found out that it fit perfectly (unintentionally) with the Stroller we had picked out/received, the Jeep Liberty Limited 3 Wheel All Terrain Stroller so we can just pop the seat in, secure it, and go. If you're looking at it for that combo, it works great.
Summary:
It really is a great car seat, and I'm very happy we went with it. If you're on the edge, try and find a shop you can do a test fit in, and play with it compared to other models you have in mind. It may make all the difference.
Get your
Chicco Keyfit Infant Seat Adventure Now!