If you read this blog, then you know that we call companies out when something's wrong, but we also praise those that care to "get it right".
While we don't endorse seats or take sponsorship from any particular manufacturer, we do have our favorites. One of our favorite infant seats is the Chicco Key Fit 30. The Key Fit 30 is a top-rated seat, but ratings often don't translate to actual ease of use or convenience for parents. In this case, they do!
Everything about the seat is thoughtful. While no seat installs itself, and everyone should seek out a CPS tech for assistance, this seat gives parents a fighting chance. We'll break down this seat into areas that relate to misuse of seats, in general....
Seat Belt installations:
This seat provides simple, yet effective lock-offs that secure the base
to the vehicle seat using the seatbelt (with or without locking
retractors or locking latch plates). We have been able to achieve
consistently tight installations without the lateral tilting on the
shoulder belt side we find in other brands.
LATCH Installations: The LATCH connectors remove easily from storage, tighten uniformly and simultaneously and achieve consistently tight installations. Initially, we thought the length of the LATCH connector tethers was too short, until we realized that they are intentionally short, so parents won't erroneously use the window LATCH locations when trying to achieve a middle installation.
Handle positioning: Any handle position is acceptable in the vehicle. Simplicity.
Leveling: The base has two robust leveling devices that make identifying a good installation easy. The primary indicators are on the base and not the carrier. This allows you to install the base and check angle in one process. Note: Make sure the vehicle is on a level grade.
Compatibility: Without a doubt, we've seen fewer problems with this seat, than any other infant seat.
Perceived downside: Stroller Compatibility. The Key Fit does not work with many strollers other than its own. We find that parents start with the stroller and work backwards to find a compatible car seat. If you're on the fence on this issue, we would start with the Key Fit and then by a stroller it works with.
Oh that Recall!: The Chicco Key Fit was just recalled. They had an issue with LATCH connectors. But as expected, they handled the recall better than any other. They were quick, responsive, decisive and transparent. We loved it before, but the way they handled the recall just made our opinion stronger.
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