Other than the shoulder pad situation, we love the features of this seat. Those with smaller back seats (depth-wise) and/or those who want a very easy LATCH installation will be very happy with this seat.
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I did not buy this seat from Amazon but thought I should review it since there are no reviews yet and Amazon is the product review capitol of the world.
I've owned this seat for a little over a month now and so far I like it. Considering your little one can rear face up to 4 years of age in this seat it is well worth the price and Chicco makes great products in my opinion.
Pros:
The latch system is great, you don't need to use a ton of force to get a tight install. My husband installed this seat in 5 minutes.
The recline system is awesome. There are 9 different recline levels, and the seat has a bubble level that will tell you which reclines are appropriate for rear and forward facing. This is so much better than that stupid line on some car seats that just say "this line needs to be level with the ground". Also, you have recline options for baby's comfort. I have my 10 month old on recline 1 which seems very close to the recline of an infant bucket seat. I did this because I thought it would be easier for him to fall asleep in the car. When he seems like he wants to be more upright I will try recline 2 or 3. The different recline options also make this car seat able to fit into a variety of cars properly. I can't imagine anyone having to use a rolled up towel, or pool noodle to get a proper fit in their car with this seat.
The padding and plastic shell seem very protective. There are protective head wings, but they aren't so huge that the baby can't see out of the sides of the car seat.
The harness is no re-thread...you just need to move the headreast up and the straps will automatically adjust.
Cons:
The harness is a bit difficult to tighten and I have trouble adjusting the headrest. I've been told that over time the harness gets easier to work with...it needs to be broken in so to speak.
The harness tends to twist at the crotch buckles, this is extremely annoying when you have a baby that doesn't love being strapped down into a car seat.
The material of the car seat seems like it will get hot in the summer. I live in New England so it's not hot enough yet to tell for sure.
My biggest problem with the seat...the god awful shoulder pads that can't be removed. This seat comes with enormous shoulder pads that must be used with the seat. The problems I have with these pads are: the bottoms of the pads are made with a sticky rough rubber like material which can't be that comfortable. They leave red marks on my sons neck. They sometimes catch the chest clip while I'm tightening the harness further complicating things. Also, in order to make sure your baby is secured properly you need to make sure you cannot pinch any slack in the harness at the shoulders, well guess what...giant shoulder pads cover my sons entire shoulder. The pads actually go from the chest clip (if positioned properly at arm pit level) to the back of the car seat. I find myself using the old 1 finger under the collar bone method and basically guessing if the harness seems tight enough. I belive the rubber under the pads is an anti ejection safety feature but I think this seat would be fine without it.
In summary, I think the pros outweigh the cons. The shoulder pads are the only thing I really don't care for. I ended up buying two of these seats. A lot of people claim that car seat brand A is safer than car seat brand B and so on but in reality, all seats sold in the Unites States go through the same safety tests. This 300 dollar seat is no safer than a 40 dollar convertible seat you can get at walmart. The difference in price is looks, padding, harness weight and height limits (rear facing), and ease of installation. With that said the safest car seats are the ones that are installed properly and used properly everytime. Chicco hit the nail on the head with a seat that is fool proof to use and install in a variety of vehicles.
Best Deals for Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat
I purchased this car seat online through BRUS about a month ago and have the Gemni (purple) color. It was all that was available and even though I have a boy it's a very deep purple and not "girlie".
I have very similar sentiments as the first reviewer. Prior to buying this one I bought and tested the Radian Diono, SafetyFirst Air (65), Britax Pavilion and Recaro ProRide. This car seat was my absolute favorite (The Recaro ProRide was up there except it's latch anchor belt is surprisingly/ridiculously too short and I could not install it into my 2008 Hyundai Tuscan, a compact SUV. I had no problem installing any of the other car seats with the latch anchor system so the Recaro was completely out of the running, which was a bummer because it did seem very nice). Right now we are using it rear-facing for my 9-month old who recently grew out of his Chicco Keyfit. He is approximately 28 inches tall and 19 lbs. (his head in the infant seat while sitting was more than an inch from the edge). We have successfully installed it into a 2008 Hyundai Tuscan, a 2003 Toyota Highlander and a conversion van (no clue the make/model or year but it didn't have latch anchors).
Ease of Installation and Tight Fit **********(10/5)
Installation is the easiest of all of the convertible carseats we tried tried. Well...with the latch anchor that is. We transferred into a van that didn't have anchors and spent 10 minutes trying to figure out how to use the seatbelt to install. The photos on the car seat didn't help at all. Maybe it's just us, but we aren't dumb people and my husband eventually had to look up a video online in order to figure it out (there isn't actually a video that shows how to do it rear-facing either, only forward-facing but we finally figured it out.) The numbered base is awesome (neither of us were comfortable using a pool noodle or towel to secure a car seat), and makes it SO easy to change the angle. It kind of makes you wonder why this wasn't done by any other car seat company ever before. The bubble level also ingenious, I mean really, why no other car seat company puts one on their car seats is beyond me. Being able to VISUALLY see instantly whether or not your car seat is installed properly so you can quickly and easily make the adjustment could mean the difference of life or death of your child. Again, not sure why every car seat out there isn't equipped with better visual indicators. The latch system allows you to get a TIGHT fit in less than a minute. Shake the car seat and it doesn't move. It was the absolute tightest fit we got with the least amount of time effort of all the car seats we tested. For installation ease and fit this car seat gets 10 stars!
Size ****.* (4.5/5)
The first car seat I tried was the Radian Diono because it goes up to 120 lbs. forward facing and I wouldn't need to buy another car seat. The problem with that concept, however, for us was that the passenger seat had to be moved all the way forward in order to get it to fit (we have it installed behind the passenger seat). This would obviously be an even greater issue as we add additional car seats and we can't push the driver seat up much. The Britax Pavilion and Safety First were also too long when we tried to get the angle right. The NextFit and ProRide were the only two that fit nicely behind the passenger seat without having to move the seat up too much. What I like better about the KeyFit though is that the side protectors aren't as huge as the ProRide and my child can still see out the window. He is still getting the side impact protection without sacrificing his view. The Radian was the easiest car seat to get my child into and out of from a spacing standpoint. The ProRide was pretty tight and he's only 9 months old. SafetyFirst was decent as is the KeyFit. The sides of the carseat come up a bit more than some of the others (it's a bit wider) but I still have ample space to get my son in and out without banging his head on the car. Like I said, it is a bit wider so there is no way you could get more than 2 car seats in your back seat and I'm not sure you could fit a third person along with the two car seats (Recaro ProRide boasts fitting 3 across the back) so if you need that option the KeyFit might not be your car seat. In comparing the size, sturdiness, weight (it's heavy in a good way but not crazy heavy if you are transferring often, it's manage) to the others I think they KeyFit is among the best. I think an easy addition for Chicco is a small handle of some sort on the back to make transporting it easier. There's really not much you can grab onto towards the top/back, which forces you to sort of wrap your whole arms around it to lift it. I'd love a small handle/grip area to just pick it up with one hand. For that I give this area 4.5 stars.
Height Adjustable Harness (no need to re-thread, just pull up/push down) **** (4/5)
I love this feature! It allows you to get the best possible fit for your child in his/her seat very quickly without taking anything apart and re-threading. Other convertible car seats have this ability to easily move the straps up and down (SafetyFirst Air was a button too, and the Recaro ProRide has a circular crank you turn on both sides) but not as great as the Nextfit. SafetyFirst Air wouldn't go low enough and my son's head didn't even come close to the side protectors. The NexFit slide goes down nice and low. The slide however, is sticky, and definitely doesn't slide as easily as the SafetyFirst or Recaro, but I'm hoping it's just because it's new and needs a little movement. Though at this price point and from Chicco I would expect it to work flawlessly. So it only gets 4 stars.
Padding/Comfort (Pending) ****.* (4.5/5)
The padding is great in this car seat. Going from the KeyFit where you could feel the plastic through the padding, Chicco really stepped it up with the NextFit. It is plush and has almost a memory foam feel. The only concern I have (as other reviewers do) is the breathability of it, especially during the summer. We are still experiencing snow here in May (lovely MN) but had 2 days of 70 degree weather and when I pulled my son out of the car seat after an hour long car ride he was wet on his back and the back of his head. This is a bit concerning to me as we had the air on and I was even a little chilly in the car. I am definitely concerned about how it will perform on long road trips so I would warn buyers to test this during warm weather if possible. I will not hesitate to return this car seat if it is going to make my son sweaty and uncomfortable. Because of this I can only give this area 4 stars right now instead of 5. (I will update once I can test this better). However, the material is easy enough to wipe down, which is also important so I'll bump it up to 4.5 stars.
Harness/Straps * (1/5) UPDATE **** (3.5/5)
UGH. This is the ONLY thing I hate about the car seat. We were coming from the KeyFit and the NextFit is pretty much identical as far as the tightening system goes. Only it takes WAY too much effort to get it snug and nearly impossible to get it tight. I think a lot of it has to do with some sort of design flaw when the seat is actually installed and the child is sitting in the seat. Because sitting on the floor in our living room we can tighten and loosen that thing super easily. But once it's installed, you're trying to pull the strap back toward your child, not down, but the strap is wedged between the seat and the carseat and it is SO hard to budge (we did notice you have to make sure the headrest of the seat in front is not touching the car seat because the belt goes through the back and is exposed so if it's touching and pushing on it, that can prevent you from being able to tighten the strap). Even after we noticed that though the strap is STILL very hard to tighten. I think the shoulder pads might be getting in the way too, it's hard to tell. I hate the size of the shoulder pads. They are WAY too big for my son and I cannot remove them. That is a BIG fail to me. When I buckle him in and push the plastic buckle part up so it is across his chest in the right spot the shoulder pads overlap onto the buckle and are so long they touch the back of the car seat. If I could remove them perhaps we could get a tighter fit and as he gets bigger I am hoping this is no longer an issue. Right now I have to yank and yank and yank and yank to get it as tight as I can and it still doesn't feel or look tight enough. It's also impossible to do the pinch test because of the shoulder pads. That also annoys me. Chicco did SO well on everything else, it saddens me that this important aspect was the worst out of all the car seats I tested. Don't judge by playing with it at the store. You have to install it and put your kid in and test it out before you can get a sense for the difficulty of this. This was actually the reason I ordered the Recaro ProRide (which didn't end up fitting in my car or it may have replaced the KeyFit). The only redeeming quality of the harness/straps system is that there are two different buckle points for rear-facing vs. forward-facing. I'm not really sure how big of deal this is, but if it truly does provide added safety I think that it is a really great feature. That earns this area 1 single star.
UPDATE: I moved the head part up and was able to tighten the harness MUCH easier! Super happy about that. The shoulder straps are still annoying so I will bump this part up to a 3.5. I still think this should still be easier and none of the other of the other car seats I tested were this difficult. I think some re-design/tweaking here could make the KeyFit really blow all the other convertible car seats in its class out of the water. I mean, simply having removable shoulder pads would be huge!
Despite the issues with tightening, this is still my favorite car seat out of all of the ones we tested. There are so many great things about it and I am still working on troubleshooting the harness/straps because I truly think it's something that is fixable. I've been in contact with Chicco customer service and am just trying to coordinate a time/date I can be on the phone with them while my son is strapped in and patient enough to let us troubleshoot it.
I'm not sure why it took Chicco this long to come out with a convertible car seat but I'd like to think it was because they were really fine-tuning a really awesome concept that is among the best out there. With so many out there at so many different price points it can be hard to decide. This car seat is by far the easiest to use (of the ones we tested) with the most features that ensure and VISIBLY show the safety and security of my child so I know I'm putting him in safely every time. Nothing against people who use pool noodles or towels to get the right angle...I just think if I am spending that much money on something it should come with everything I need to get the right fit. I don't ever want to have to "guess" if my child's car seat is installed correctly or he's strapped in correctly or angled correctly. Chicco takes the guesswork out of everything so you can transport your child with confidence and peace of mind every time.
Gosh, I sound like an infomercial. Lol.
I hope this helps though!
:)
UPDATE: Okay, so I figured out I had threaded the Recaro ProRide latch belt through the forward facing area and there is a different rear-facing area (so when I previously said I wasn't dumb...I may need to retract that statement). I still have the car seat so I tried it again and sure enough it fit! However because the back seats in my SUV slant back somewhat, there was still a gap where the base didn't meet the seat when I tilted the car seat back to have the line parallel to the seat...I tried for 20 minutes to get it installed tightly without having to put anything in that gap and finally gave up and decided to stick with the Chicco KeyFit. The ProRide would definitely be my second choice though. The button to release the belt that tightens the harness is a bit more hidden and harder to access than the KeyFit (though super easy to tighten) and some of the foam from the padding is exposed near the crotch belt, which makes me nervous with dirt/food/spills. Those are things I could live with, however not being able to easily get the right seat angle isn't. I think this would be an awesome forward facing seat. The ProRide's material seemed more breathable than the KeyFit but we will see...summer needs to reach us here first in MN
Honest reviews on Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat
I loved my Chicco Keyfit 30 and kept my son in it until he reached the limit. I was not excited about having to do the research to find a convertible, so I was happy to see that Chicco now makes the Nextfit! I went and bought it from Babies R Us on Monday (7/15/13) in Gemini. Asking price was $299.99 I used a Buy Buy Baby 20% off coupon and got the seat for $258.61 (including tax).
I read the reviews and the manual before purchasing and thought it would be a great fit for our family. It's soooo nice great padding, great look, sturdy, nothing cheap looking or feeling on the whole seat. Love the recline options. And it was very easy to install I did it myself! Although my husband didn't feel I got it tight enough, I don't think he got it any tighter :).
Well, it is almost perfect but other reviewers weren't lying when they talk about the difficulty tightening the harness. No issues in the store or after I installed it UNTIL I put my son in it. I have to use both hands to really tug on the tightening strap to get it tightened and then tug 2-4 more times before I feel ok about it. Ugh. I have an email into Chicco, I hope they tell me I'm doing something wrong b/c I'd hate to return this seat. I just don't know if I can live with fighting to tighten the harness every time I put my son in the seat. I've only been using the seat for 3 days, so I'm hoping the tightening gets easier!
The other lesser complaint I have is that the shoulder pads aren't removable. They are big and bulky, but thankfully don't bother my son. However, there is NO WAY a smaller baby could fit in the seat with the size of those shoulder pads. And the obvious negative about the shoulder pads not be removable is they'll be hard to keep clean. Right now, since it's all shiny and new I'm not concerned but I have a vague suspicion that I'll be cursing Chicco for not making the shoulder pads removable in the future when they're not so sparkly clean. I also mentioned this complaint in my email to Chicco.
Hoping Chicco is coming out with a fix soon and offers a recall. If that's the case, I can live with the not so perfect parts of the seat for awhile. But I hate to find that they fix it with the next model and we who bought this first round get stuck with less than perfect seats. $258 is a lot of money and I expect a seat I fully love.
***UPDATE*** (7/23/13)
Chicco emailed me regarding the shoulder pads and gave me supplemental instructions called "Nextfit Shoulder Pad Replacement Kit" and "NextFit Seat Pad Removal" Instructions. These instructions give a detailed description of how to remove and replace the shoulder pads and more detailed instructions to remove and replace the seat pad than the manual gives. Chicco also stated in the body of the email "Please see...instructions for assistance in removing the seat cover and shoulder pads. The seat cover and shoulder pads may be machine washed in cold water on delicate cycle using mild detergent hang to dry. Please note: the shoulder straps are not designed to be completely removed; however, you may sponge clean, using warm water and mild soap. In addition, please view page 99 in your manual for further information." So there we have it, shoulder pads are removable and machine washable. Albeit, it seems to be a complicated process I'm ok with that though b/c really I won't be removing them all too often. Here's the webpage to contact Chicco for the instructions: http://www.chiccousa.com/contact-chicco/customer-contact-form.aspx
As far as the strap adjustment, I was instructed to contact their service center at 877-424-4226, M-F 8-5pm, EST and speak with a CSR. I did notice that when I adjusted the shoulder strap/head rest height up to the next level that they were easier to adjust (from the 2nd setting to the 3rd). But my son isn't quite tall enough for that setting just yet, but I'm hopeful when he is the adjustment will get easier. I'll update this again if Chicco has some corrective advice for adjusting at my son's current setting.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat
When it was time to move my son up to a convertible car seat, my preferences for a seat for our primary car were: long lasting (especially rear facing), deep/protective sides (since we have to install it in an outboard position), and fairly easy to use and install. The first car seat I checked out and wanted to get was the First Years True Fit, but unfortunately the harness fit my petite son poorly when I tried fitting him in a store model. The next best seat seemed to be the newly released Chicco NextFit, which fit him much better, so we picked one up. I bought ours at a brick-and-mortar store when it was on sale, not long after it was released.
I have now had this car seat for four months, and here are my thoughts. As for things I like, it is very easy to install, and does not require pool noodles/towels thanks to the nine-position recline. I love the bubble level showing the range of proper recline for both forward and rear facing, so it is easy to get the proper recline. It makes me wonder why other car seat manufacturers don't put that in their seats, since it is such a simple yet useful indicator. The cinch on the LATCH belt makes it very easy to get a good, tight install in our car. The fabric is fairly easy to remove (though my husband and I struggled a little getting it off around the belt tightening button) and is machine washable. It fits both our car and child very well, and should last a long time. My son has more leg room rear facing in the NextFit than he does in our other seat, a Britax Roundabout.
Now, for the cons. The shoulder harnesses are currently a good distance apart for my 14 month old, but I wonder if they will be too tight when he is older. The distance between the belts is supposed to expand as the harness height is raised, but it doesn't seem to expand enough. In addition, I think the chest clip (especially "rear facing" mode) will push the belts too close together for older children. The shoulder pads are very firm, and I could see them pressing into the neck of an older child. I find the harness difficult to tighten, which may be partially due to the firm shoulder pads. I find the belt tightens more smoothly if I push the shoulder pads down on the belt while it is loose so they aren't pushing against the back of the seat as I tighten it. I have had some problems with the belt twisting, including behind and under the shoulder pads. Ever since my son started wearing shoes, I have noticed the fabric starting to get a little chewed up near his feet. This may be because he likes to undo the velcro on his shoes, and then the stiff part of the velcro rubs on the fabric when he moves his feet. I do wonder how it will hold up over the years. The seat gets warm very quickly probably due to the deep sides and my son is usually pretty sweaty when I take him out on a hot day or when he has been in it for a long period of time.
If Chicco could fix all or most of the cons in the next generation of the NextFit (which certainly seems possible), this would be an excellent seat worthy of its price point. I'm not sure I regret getting it, since it does meet our needs well for the time being, but I do wonder if some of the cons might force us to get another seat at some time in the future before our son officially outgrows the NextFit.
