20 Best Carseat For Travel (2022 Updated)

I have a 2018 Silverado extended cab truck (small back seat), and it is a struggle to fit a rear facing car seat in behind one of the front seats without moving the seat all the way forward and tilting it up to an uncomfortable degree.

So the goal was to find a car seat that actually fit. So I purchased both the Extend2Fit and the Britax Emblem based on the reviews from babygearlab. The Extend2Fit is the smaller car seat of the two in almost every dimension.

In rear-facing mode the Britax made the front seat almost unusable for anything other than a quick trip. The I tried the Graco in rear-facing mode and wow, it fit. I was able to put it on the 3 or 4 recline (for children that can sit up), and the front seat is exactly where I want it.

You can even pull out the extender the first couple of notches and the front seat is still comfortable for someone 5′-6 for a long journey and someone 5′-11 for trips around town. In forward facing mode the Britax side bolsters are so large that it is a really tight squeeze for the small door opening (font seat unaffected).

In forward facing the Graco’s side bolsters are a little smaller, so it will be a little easier for him to climb in when that time comes. There may be a better option in forward facing mode, but this will work for me.

In a car both are great options, though on overall build quality, I’d give the Britax a slight edge. So we’ll be keeping that for my wife’s car, which has plenty of room.

We chose this carseat (and bought 2) because it is an affordable option that gets amazing safety ratings. The cupholders are also a big plus. It’s relatively lightweight, we just took it on the plane, strapped it to the rolling carry on with a carseat strap which worked great and were able to get it on and off the plan and rental cars quickly and easily.

To adjust the height is super easy too with the top handle which is great if more than one child might be using it. Unfortunately, I do have to report that the straps are not the most comfortable, they rub my daughters hips.

I did do a ton of research on fitting etc. and they still rub a bit and that’s why I didn’t give it 5 stars. Not enough of a reason for us to make a different choice, but just something to keep in mind.

Compared to her Britax Advocate, she finds the Britax much more comfortable but it’s also much bulkier, and more expensive for the same safety ratings.

I’ve tried so many different convertible seats for my now 2 year old when we visit my parents after flying. She only sits rear facing. We have tried many brands AND other Graco seats. This one is so darn easy to install, both latch and seatbelt ways.

Others just don’t compare to the ease it is to install this one. It is like a luxury plush recliner for her. It has so many different levels for reclining. It’s aesthetically pleasing. It is not ridiculously wide like so many other seats.

On the most upright rear facing recline setting, it fits perfectly in our 2011 Toyota Corolla which has a tiny backseat, where tall people can still drive comfortably with it installed. It’s just the best.

The price is 1000% worth it.

We bought this seat as my son was outgrowing his infant carrier around 16-18 months. I chose this seat based on reviews and dimensions; wanted something lightweight, long-lasting, fit 3 across when necessary.

I was a little disappointed in the color as I though this would have more Blue in it. The stock photos now are more true to color, pretty much gray. But we didn’t care about that. This seat is the easiest of all the seats we’ve ever owned or tried to install in any of our 4 vehicles and also my parents’4 vehicles (all different).

It installs well rear and forward facing with latch and with seatbelts it is the easiest and quickest of all our carseat installs. Even rear facing in my 3rd row. My son is now 3 and still very comfortable forward facing in this seat.

At 40 inches tall he is still in the 3rd harness strap slots. Plenty of room to grow. We are buying another one for little sister who is about it outgrow her infant carrier seat. We live out of town so every trip in the car is a minimum 30 minute drive one way.

We also travel out of state a lot. The padding on the seat (not counting the extra pillows which we really never used) is very thick and cushy. My kids are always comfortable even after hours in this seat and never complain or have pressure marks.

Head slump is a slight issue when rear facing, but easily fixed by bumping the headrest up an extra notch or 2. My forward facing son does slump when he falls asleep until he tilts his head up and back against the seat.

But he sleeps just fine in it and never seems uncomfortable after he wakes up. Forward facing seats are supposed to sit upright and if you fall asleep sitting up, well, your big ole noggin is gonna slump that’s just gravity for you.

We love this seat, for the price, features, engineering design, dimensions and weight, everything. I always recommend this seat when someone is looking for a quality seat that is lightweight and narrow but still comfortable and affordable.

Well done.

I purchased this carseat because we needed a second unit for our sedan, which doesn’t get as much use as our minivan, where the primary carseat is. My 2 year old prefers this seat to the higher-priced one in the other vehicle.

It was easy to install and works very well!.

Not so great car seat. I received the car seat and the box was damaged like someone opened and taped it back up. It was missing the cup holder and manual. Best Buy was great about replacing it. The new one I got was in new condition.

But I don’t like that the car seat does not recline and the cup holder always falls off. I will be returning this car seat and investing money into a better 1.

I bought this for a plane trip then for my friend’s car since we wouldn’t be renting a car (hence able to get a seat through the rental company). I was travelling with a 7 year old and 3. 5 year old by myself and I was able to (somewhat) carry this car seat (along with my daughter’s booster base and our carry-on) luggage through public transit to get to the airport, through the airport then in the plane and finally car.

If that doesn’t tell you how light this is– I don’t know what will. It’s also narrow which was great fitting in my friend’s car which already had another carseat installed in it. This is going to be our travel seat though and not a main one.

There isn’t padding on the shoulders and when I hooked the seat into the airplane the buckle sat under the thin padding almost at the small of my son’s back but thankfully he was feeling flexible and it wasn’t a huge problem for the short flight.

In short– really glad we have this inexpensive light travel car seat but no way is it replacing our main seat. One last note: before researching travel car seats (this company was one that came up on several sites as the recommendation), I looked into renting a car seat through a baby gear rental site and was most often quoted about $130!!! Well over double the price I paid for this seat.

Ridiculous!.

This car seat is just what I needed for picking up at daycare, camp and outings so her parents don’t have to switch theirs into my car. Police installed and the officer commented what a sturdy seat it was and appropriate for a 4 year old.

Arrived quickly, price was right and we will be just fine with 1 cup holder! Highly recommend this car seat.

Ordered this harness booster seat for our 5 1/2 year old daughter because we will soon be fitting three car seats in the back of my car. I was hesitant about the size and comfort but upon receiving it, I was very impressed.

It feels perfectly padded for a kid her age and love the space she will have compared to her convertible seat she’s been in for years now. I think this will be a great fit for our tall girl. It is more narrow than her previous car seat and I’m confident it will give us the room we need for the other seats.

My only gripe is that I wasted a registry coupon on this at full price and it literally went on sale the next day. This happens with Target purchases all the time. Regardless it was a good price but always annoying knowing I could have saved that coupon and still got it cheaper.

What can you say about a carseat that does its job and keep your little one safe. a must buy. This is the second one I purchased as the first is no longer good as it was just in a car accident. Needless to say I didn’t need to do any research again to see which I was going to buy.

When I first bought this carseat, I did extensive research on the higher safety ratings car seat; this carseat was in the top ten as safest. And unfortunately I see why, as there is nothing scarier then being in an accident with your little babies.

But I am happy and relieved that not a single hair was out of place on my LO’s head, she was just scared from the impact. All our side airbags went off somewhat hitting her carseat as well as the pull down cupholders from the middle seat.

I can’t say how hard her seat was impacted with the airbags but honestly her car seat held up. My LO was alert and her normal self, as if nothing happened. If you are hesitant, I hope this review gives you the confidence to just buy it.

I’ve. Been using chicco keyfit seats for 12+ years and they’re my absolute favorite infant seats. This one is no exception. However, I’ll never order a carseat from Sam’s club again. I ordered and received this in May 2022, and the start sent to me was manufactured in August 2020.

The seat is nearly 2 years old, so it’s 6 year life before expiration already a third used. This is not what I expected after spending so much on a new seat. I reached out to Sam’s club, asking for a partial refund or other compensation for the loss of use, and they refused anything but a return, in which case the seat would have to be destroyed- opened used castaways cannot be resold.

I don’t feel good about that option so I’ve had to just eat the cost. I will definitely shop elsewhere for my next carseat purchase.

Build: Like all of the Chicco products we have used to date, this car seat does not disappoint. I know we will get many years of use out of it because of the quality materials and engineering that went into it.

Function: My wife and I had very different focus areas when it came to selecting a car seat. My number one concern was safety. I was pleased to see this infant car seat in the top ranks. PROS: I love how easy it is to properly install this seat in a vehicle.

There are visible levels and one strap in the middle to synch the seat into place. Once the base is installed it is easy to load and unload the carrier into it. You know it is safely loaded by the “click” sound it makes.

My wife is a fan of the mesh canopy and the zip up boot that will certainly come in handy during the winter months. CONS: The mesh canopy is a little stiff, but I am sure it was designed that way. While all of the latches are bright orange and easy to read, the main release handle in the back is difficult to identify when loaded into the base.

Once you know where its at, its not an issue. Driving is statistically one of the most dangerous things we do each day. I feel comfort knowing I have one of the safest car seats on the market protecting my son.

I would not hesitate recommending this car seat to anyone.

Love this. Easy to set up. Easy to reinflate if loses a little air over time. Both kids like sitting on it due to their comfort. Feel secure with the seatbelt being used in the side buckle bits. Easy to transfer from car to car depending on who’s going where.

Would be ideal if travelling on holiday/hiring a car – would squish up in luggage to reinflate on arrival. Excellent customer service from the company directly. Highly recommend.

I needed something that wasnt too bulky or heavy to carrying on the train along with all my other luggage, for use with my 5 year old at the other end and it did the job! I wouldn’t use it for the main car seat or for very long journeys.

as there’s not a lot of support for a sleeping child but for short runs it’s perfect. It just places him in the right position (seat height to seat belt ratio). I also wouldn’t use it for a child much smaller than 5 years as no support.

My 5 year is quite bulky so I feel safe with him in it but maybe 18 months ago I wouldn’t have thought it was suitable for him.

I needed a booster seat for my 6 Yr old grandson an thought this might do as its portable and can be deflated and stored away. It was ok, but if anything the depth of the seat was smaller than I thought it would be.

Grandson did find it comfortable. There are plastic anchors on either side for the seat belt and they worked well. The anchor strap on the back which attaches the the part of the seat belt that crosses the chest was a pain.

I could not get the anchor to hold in place and jet slipping down. Not sure if I would recommend. It was £30. There was very little choice at the time either very hard plastic ones or this. I chose the one I thought would be more comfortable.

Oh you also have to blow it up manually.

Not suitable for rear facing installation. I wonder how this passed regulations to be marketed and sold as rear facing. Don’t try it. Not worth risking the life of your infant. Buy a more expensive Greco or Britix or Safety 1st (or anything please!) Please don’t risk your rear facing child’s life with this thing.

It is impossible to tighten enough when rear facing to get the seat secure (design flaw of angles of strap) no movement is required & sadly not possible (at tightest install it still slid left to right about 1 or 2 inches and the back of the seat/head of the seat pitched forward (towards the back of the car) by ~5 or 6 inches.

And this was with 2 large towels rolled up under the foot (as instructed in the manual) to get ~the proper level for rear use & at best level was not correct! For forward facing toddlers & preschool etc it is fine with 2 caveats of design flaws: (1) the buckle strap between legs is MUCH to short and the buckles stick out very wide.

Results in buckles really digging into child’s thighs. I have to dress my daughter in long pants, no shorts or skirts, with this car seat, otherwise the buckle scraps on her thighs & I pinch her (makes her cry) getting the buckles undone.

If I forget and she has shorts on I am VERY careful buckling & unbuckleing & I try to slide a shirt or a papertowel between her thigh & the buckle so it doesn’t dig into her skin. Just another ~half inch of strap would fix this.

Can we get extenders? (2) The headrest juts out from the plane of seat’s back, causing child’s head to be pushed forward. Not an issue when 4-yr-old is awake, but when she falls asleep her head bobs forward and she looks so uncomfortable.

Her head can not stay upright & back because there is not enough recline (forward facing) and her head is pushed forward by the headrest. I try to stop and tuck a sweatshirt under her chin/rest her head on sweatshirt when on long road trips and she’s fallen asleep so her head is not bobbing.

As a nurse and a mother I am VERY disappointed in a company that would sell products this cheaply made and try to pass it off as infant safety. The latch straps were uneven so I had to use the belt restraint to even get it into my car.

After HOURS of setting it up something still seemed off about it. To have it reclined properly rear facing there was a huge gap between the car seat and the seat. Doesn’t seem very safe right? The instruction manual actually recommends putting a towel in your vehicle to make up for the space difference.

Let me just say if you have to place a towel in the car to make the car seat balance correctly, it’s probably not very secure! Every mom instinct I had was telling me not to put my child in this, but I figured I would try to strap my baby in.

There was no safe way to ride with my child in this. The straps were CUT and ATTACHED at different lengths so no matter what you did one side was loose. Could you imagine what would have happened if I would have driven and gotten in a wreck in this thing?!? My baby would have literally either been thrown from the seat all together or would have suffered injuries from the strap that was ridiculously too tight.

I didn’t even harness her into it all of the way and it was digging into her neck. Needless to say I took the seat back and will be purchasing something that is actually safe for my child. Cosco needs to make some huge changes in their quality control department.

Having loose and uneven straps in an infant seat is really just negligent on the company’s part. I will be making sure that everyone I know never buys this product!.

Do not buy. This car seat is impossible to tighten securely. I worked with it for over 45 minutes. Trying to tighten the strap to secure it to the car. Button down, button not down, 200 pounds of weight in the seat, foot in seat.

I just about ruined my seats trying to tighten this think in all directions possible. The seat still moves at least 6 inches in all directions and the strap is so loose you can swing it around. You can loosen it easily and tighten it back somewhat but there is no way to make this seat safe for a child.

How it passed testing to get placed on the market i dont know. Its cheap made, and the only thing going for it is that its narrow. But is that really the only reason why you would pick this? Ive worked frequently with over a half dozen types and brands of car seats, infant, toddler, booster, convertable etc.

Evenflo and graco work great. Ill never buy Cosco brand again. I now dont question the 200 dollars they charge for some seats. This seat isnt fit for a dog.

The model I have is actually the Snugride 30 and I’m assuming this is the replacement model. I liked my car seat for the first month, as I didn’t really go many places. Now that I’m out and about often(baby is 5 months old), I’m realizing how difficult this is to remove from its base.

It’s aggravating. I have woken my baby from his sleep, which it’s already difficult to get him to nap, every time I try to get this out of the base. I have had other Graco car seats that have not given me this much trouble in removing from the base.

Do not recommend.

I bought this for my baby who is currently 5 months old. The installation is easy which is nice. But I can’t tighten the straps easily to fit him properly (when he’s in the car seat). It is not a fun thing to use all your strength to tighten straps after just giving birth.

I even have to step on the car seat and use my whole body to pull the strap to tighten it. i have checked multiple times to see if maybe I installed the straps wrong but I have not. Not very happy overall.

We had this seat on our registry and received it before our baby was born. Installation was simple, following the instructions and when our baby was born it was a great fit. When my baby was 11 days old we were in an car accident that resulted in all air bags being deployed and our car totaled.

Our baby was perfectly safe in her Snugride carseat and unaffected by the crash. She was unharmed and calm. I trust this seat to keep her safe because of that experience and am buying it again to replace the one that was in the crash.

I would absolutely recommend this seat to any parent looking for a safe, affordable carseat!.

I love the seat its very roomy and comfortable for my baby. My only dislike would be that its a little on the larger side if you have a smaller car or more then one child needing a car seat at one time.

Very secure and stable when installed in the car it doesn’t wiggle or budge when taking any kind of turns or curves. I would recommend this seat especially if you have a baby on the larger side it holds anywhere from 8 to 65 pounds with no issues and is a rear and forward facing seat so no need to replace it when its time to make the change.

At first I loved this car seat but lately I’ve notice it doesn’t fit my two year old well at all. I can’t loosen the straps and they’re so tight that I can’t buckle it. The shoulder straps keep falling down so it’s a constant struggle to lift them if they lift at all.

I absolutely cannot stand the cup holders it doesn’t hold his sippy cups and so he gets all worked up. The recliner doesn’t recline much because it is too big for most cars. However I can say I love how comfortable it is.

We can take road trips and I won’t worry that my kid is sore.

This is the only seat I’ve ever owned from which I could remove the cover, wash it, and replace it without uninstalling the seat from the car (forward-facing only). That’s about the only good thing I can say about it.

I was given this car seat when my daughter outgrew her bucket, and it gave us trouble from the start. When rear-facing, the tension wheels were nearly impossible for me to turn because they pressed into the formed section of my van’s bucket seats.

We had to pop off the little disc cover and attach a ratchet to the metal square inside for me to be able to tighten the straps. Moreover, these straps are not removable or replaceable. This makes it impossible to actually get them clean.

Both of my children had reflux and get motion sickness. The straps are gross. A mouse chewed through them (in the garage) while I was washing the cover. The seat is now useless. When I contacted customer service about it, they offered free shipping on a new seat.

Ha! The cup holders are a joke. Juice boxes fall through, any cups with wide bases will not fit, and my daughter still tries to put her crayons and toys in them to free her hands even though everything falls out nearly as soon as she drops it in there.

The WAYB is an an amazingly portable travel car/airplane seat. We used it on our first major trip with our 2 year old son last week as a trial run to see if we were going to keep it, sell it, or try to return it.

We decided to keep it. It is easy (by car seat standards at least) and versatile to install in a car and plane. This seat is actually small enough to install in the middle seat of on a Southwest 737.

Throughout our trip, I became proficient in folding it up to its minimum footprint in about 3-5 minutes (to do it right, you need to roll up the excess belts, if you have a bag, this is less important and can be done in a matter of seconds.

) If you do not have a bag, you can rest the folded seat on top of roller luggage by threading the luggage handle through the seat which makes navigating airports easier. There are only two reasons I cannot give it a full five stars.

1. When installed properly (especially in an airplane) it does not allow for the seat to recline any. The seat is nearly at a right angle and forces the kid to sit up straight. Not a bad thing for posture, but not great for sleeping.

See #2. 2. The seat was difficult to impossible for my 2 year old (30ish lbs) to get in a comfortable sleeping position, especially for his head. There isn’t much of a side resting place where he could lean over.

On our next trip, we’re going to try to bring some sort of small pillow or folded up towel or something to help with this. I wish it was about $50 cheaper, but overall, we’re keeping it.

I have an upcoming trip with two toddlers and was considering purchasing two of these, one first to evaluate quality. However, within moments of installing the seat, I was confident that I would want another unless my child found it very uncomfortable.

She did not. I haven’t used this yet for travel, but I can easily see this being useful for that purpose. However, this seat also seems great for everyday use so far. In particular, if you’re trying to fit three seats across the back row, you’ll be hard pressed to find a narrower car seat or harness booster.

I’m regularly placing an infant car seat in the middle on a car seat base between the toddlers’ seats, and before the Pico, I had to move the driver’s seat and insert at a weird angle to squeeze it between.

Now instead I can remove the infant car seat from the base while my daughter is strapped in, and I still don’t have to move my seat! Wow! Anyhow, I really wish the seat came with a bag instead of selling it as an extra accessory, but that’s the only complaint I have at this time.

It is amazing otherwise, and the kids love them.

My son is 12 months old and recently moved from an infant seat to a rear-facing convertible seat. He really likes how upright his Graco Slimfit3 LX is. We needed a second seat to go in my truck but wanted something less expensive because he rarely rides in it.

This seat only has one recline position for both rear-facing infant and rear-facing toddler, and it’s essentially the recline you’d expect from an infant seat. This leads to a toddler (potentially up to 40 pounds) essentially lying on their back, which didn’t go over well for us.

Because the seat is designed to handle children up to 65 pounds, the back is quite tall, but when you have a steep rear-facing recline, that makes the seat stick very far forward. In my crew-cab Chevy Colorado, with the car seat in the center of the rear seat, the front seats could not be pushed all the way back, which is necessary for a front seat passenger of any height (I’m 5’11”) in this truck.

The Colorado doesn’t have a ton of rear seat legroom, so other vehicles may not have the same problem, but there are also plenty of vehicles that have less room in the rear than a Colorado. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to take a picture of this to include in the review until after I had returned the seat.

When making a decision on a perfect car seat for our little bundle of joy we always look whats best and work for us and our babies and I can say I have found it on this car seat. I absolutely love The Baby Trend Trooper 3 in 1 Convertible Car Seat.

First let me start by mentioning all the great features this amazing car seat has: 3 Modes of Use: Rear Facing Infant mode (4-18lbs), Rear Facing Toddler mode (18-40lbs), and Forward Facing Toddler mode (22-65lbs) Immediate Right Installation Angle: Rear-facing recline flip foot allows for great installation angles with ease; the built-in bubble level indicator helps find the correct angle Fits Three Across: At its widest, the Trooper is 16.

75” allowing it to fit 3 across in most vehicles Lightweight: Lightweight shell also allows for use of LATCH installation up to 55 lbs Safe with Head Protection: Super deep side wings for better side impact protection Comfort & Ease: Convenient integrated cup holder on the side and premium & comfortable fabric for your kiddos Shoulder & Crotch Buckle Adjustment: 5-position shoulder height adjustment and 3- position crotch buckle for seat adjustment Longer Usage: High shell height allows Trooper to be used longer as your kids grow Ideal Fit for Preemies: Lower belt slots and better recline angle for infants born prematurely and lets not forget to mention the cup holder to hold babies bottle or sippy cup.

It is also very convenient when washing time comes along it easily removes and can be put on washer and dryer. So as you can see this car seat can save a lot of money because it can be use from newborns all the way to toddler mode.

It is very easy to install you just pull out from its original boxing out to your vehicle for installation. The color of this car seat is perfect because it can be use with both genders. I can say I really recommend Baby Trend Trooper 3 in 1 convertible car seat because it truly gives you a set of mind when coming to placing you baby on a safe car seat and knowing that your child will be comfortable and have a safe travel experience.

I really wish I read the reviews. It looked nice and was advertised as easy to install. Well adjusting it is terrible. It took me hours of adjusting it to fit my 11 month old. It was originally sized for a gerbil! After working thru all the adjustments I am just dreading having to do it again.

I don’t want to have this car seat for her to grow with! I’d rather buy a new one! My husband is also struggling to get it tightly secured in the car now. I don’t think we will be using it tomorrow! What a pain!.

I was given this car seat to try as part of the Stellar Product Testing Panel. Being the one in our house who installs all the car seats, I appreciate one that is both slim and easy to install and this car seat meets both of those criteria.

I installed it rear facing in both of my vehicles (a sedan and an SUV), and together with my other existing car seats I was able to fit three seats across in my back seat which is an absolute must. I also really liked how lightweight it was which means the benefit of the thin profile isn’t offset by a heavier weight.

Given the light weight and ease of installation, transferring it between cars was far less frustrating than other encounters I’ve had with car seats in the past! I’ve never tried a rear facing convertible car seat for a newborn but gave this one a try because it appeared well cushioned and able to support our 3 week old baby.

There is quite a lot of padding on the infant insert, and it’s also very easy to remove which will allow for my 2 year old to ride rear facing if we happened to need it. Installation was very easy using either the LATCH system or the vehicle seat belt.

The LATCH hooks are a little harder to remove since you have to get your fingers between the seats to open it up but it’s similar to other car seats. The bottom recline base support is very easy to switch between rear or front facing.

It was probably my favorite feature but I do wish there was another recline option that would give two options for a forward facing child. The headrest is easy to adjust to the different heights, even one-handed if needed.

I’m a fan of the removable cup holder rather than one that’s built into the car seat and adds additional bulk/width to the car seat when it’s needed. However I do wish it could install on the front rather than the side because I’m not able to connect it to the car seat if I want to have three car seats across.

I love a good convertible carseat but most of them are so bulky and too heavy to use in any sort of car-switching or travel situation. I received the product as part of the Stellar Product Testing Panel and I love that it is lightweight but still feels sturdy enough to keep my kiddo safe.

I also like that it seemed to provide a little more room for kids’ legs (when forward-facing) than other convertible car seats I’ve used in the past. My biggest issue with this seat is the installation.

First of all, there’s only one indicator (if you’re looking at the car seat, it’s on the upper right side) so when I installed it rear-facing behind the driver’s side, I had to crawl around to the other side of my car (where there is already another car seat installed, by the way) to check that the angle was correct.

Secondly, I appreciate the ease of the piece that flips over to adjust the recline position for rear vs. forward-facing, but I would like some more flexibility with it. The instructions say you can use rolled up towels to help achieve the right angle but to me, that doesn’t feel super secure, and also it’s a little annoying.

Cars can have pretty varying degrees of natural seat reclines and my car vs. my husband’s car is a prime example of that. Would be nice to just be able to adjust the recline position slightly rather than all or nothing.

Last but not least, I found it really challenging to get a good, secure install without seeing a lot of wobbling side-to-side of the seat. It was easier to get it secure rear-facing, but forward-facing it felt like it was going about 3-4 inches each way when I shook it side to side.

There may be some user error there because, to be fair, I am 7 months pregnant and not able to really get my whole body on top of the seat to secure it. All in all, it’s a very good convertible car seat (with cup holders!) as long as you can nail the installation.

I bought the be for my first granddaughter when she was a toddler, it was so comfortable for her even in long trips. And it’s light and easy to install. I bought another one for my 6 month old granddaughter and she’s very comfortable in it as well.

I gave it for stars instead of 5 because it only goes to 59 pounds and the crotch buckle could be out a little farther for bigger kids.

I was skeptical as to the price point of this item. It seems too good to be true, right? I have two children two and under and have spent A LOT of money on baby gear (these kids best take care of me when I reach old age!).

The purchase and use of this car seat was (for me) one of those rare moments as a consumer where I actually felt I got my money’s worth. Pros: great price but still passes all Federal safety standards; great looking seat with lots of color options; double cupholders (one for juice cup, one for snacks); SO lightweight; easy to install; cover is easily removable for washing but would also wipe clean for the non-hypochondriacs amongst us (that’s just not me); and its reversible (duh).

Cons: seat is wide (I have a minivan with bucket seats in the center so this isn’t an issue for me. However, if you need to put two seats across the backseat of a car, the middle seat will not be usable save maybe for a house elf.

); the weight range for this product is smaller than other seats, but after 50 lbs, most kids are going to want the booster style seat anyway or more of a “big kid” situation (for a child with specials needs, a seat with a higher weight limit might be better but at $50ish, not sure many parents with special needs kids are going to get hung up on this).

Ps – I’ve already bought two of these, and am now purchasing a third for the nanny’s vehicle (lucky her!). I am a very critical consumer but cannot say enough good things about this product.

I wanted to like this car seat but I’m terribly disappointed in it’s design. My children are 13 months apart and last year when my son was born we bought two Safety1st seats for my daughter and were gifted a Stratos for my son for when he was older.

At the same time we bought another Stratos with the idea that these would eventually go in my husbands car and the Safety1st seats would move to mine. Fast forward a year and my son is out of his carrier and we swapped seats this weekend.

To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. I’ll start with the pros – these are very nice looking seats. They’re lightweight and relatively easy to install. Now, the cons – I hate the cup holders.

My kids pull them out and throw them and they’re essentially useless. Also, the seat is huge. Our plans to have these in my husbands Jeep Patriot didn’t work because they simply won’t fit without pushing the front seats to the steering wheel and dashboard.

We had to move them to my VW Atlas and it’s still a tight fit. We never planned for these to be our everyday seat and I’m concerned about how long I’ll be comfortable using it. Neither child comes close to reaching the head rest and the belt seems to strap over the top of my daughters legs instead of between them.

Neither baby looks particularly safe. I really wanted to like these seats but I can’t see them serving our needs and now, a year out and with a weekend of wear, I don’t see any way of rectifying the situation without now having to buy two new seats.

We own several Evenflo car seats and have been satisfied with every seat we have purchased except this one. I decided to purchase the Stratos after reading so many good reviews. We needed a seat for our nanny that was light weight for her and around $100.

This seemed to fit the bill. We recently borrowed the Stratos seat from her since we were traveling by plane and didn’t want to lug our 25 lb Symphony through the airport. Installing forward facing on the plane was not an issue but rear facing in the rental car was a total nightmare.

The flip out recline piece is chincy and I thought that it would break off at any moment. It didn’t matter what position the recline was in, it was never level and prevented the seat from being secure.

We tried installing it in three different vehicles, using a blanket to try and get it level and it was never even remotely secure in any of them. After literally spending HOURS trying to install this seat rear facing we turned it forward facing just so that we could go to the fire station for help.

We really did not have any other options since the car rental company did not have any rear facing car seats available for rent either. At the fire station, they were dumbfounded as well as to why this seat was not installing securely.

We all read the manual several times over and the seat was still loose. We ultimately rolled up several blankets and stuffed them under the seat to get it as secure as we possibly could. To say that I was a nervous wreck driving with my 15 month old in this seat is an understatement.

Luckily we were not in an accident. If I could return this seat I would but unfortunately we purchased this seat a few months ago at a store that is now out of business. I’m out the money we spent on it and I’m going to have to get a new rear-facing seat for our nanny’s car because I do not feel safe with her driving my daughter around in this seat.

I’m extremely disappointed with the Evenflo Stratos.

I’m using this car seat forward-facing for my almost 3 year old son. After using this seat for about a week now, I can say I’m very happy with it. Not only does it look great, but it has a solid construction and plenty of padding inside to keep my son comfortable.

Here’s a quick rundown: Setup and adjustments – This seat was extremely quick for me to set up. It comes pre-configured to be installed forward facing so it just needs a few minor adjustments before it’s ready to use.

It’s just a matter of adjusting the shoulder straps to the right height and changing the crotch buckle position if needed. This seat also has removable cup holders which need to be attached but they take just a second to put on.

Installation – I installed the seat using my car’s LATCH anchors. Installing the seat was also very quick and intuitive. If you’ve ever installed another car seat it’s the same process – if not the instructions are easy to follow.

The only difference from other seats I’ve installed is that this one comes with LATCH guides. These actually solve one of the most irritating problems I’ve faced with other seats – it can be a bit frustrating finding the anchors since they’re hidden between the seat back and bottom.

The guides that come with this seat hook onto the LATCH anchors and provide an opening directly to the anchors so you don’t have to search for them every time you install/remove the car seat. So this is a great feature if you frequently have to take the seat out and move it between cars.

Finally, once I had the LATCH connectors attached and the strap tightened down, I found this seat to be extremely secure. I literally couldn’t get the seat to move at all from side to side, so I really feel confident in the safety of the seat.

Daily Use – Over the last week or so this seat has been working great and my son also has been pretty excited about it. We actually went for one longer drive this week (about 2 hours each way) and no complaints from him from the back seat.

He actually almost fell asleep a couple of times. And getting him in and out is easy so we’ve been very happy. Just a couple of things to watch out for with this seat. Being able to remove the cup holders make cleaning them a breeze, but my son was watching when I initially installed them.

Knowing that the cup holders come off he removed them and I found the floor in the back seat. This was kind of irritating so I recommend not letting your kid see that these can be removed and hopefully they leave them alone.

Also, for the top tether strap, I found that the fixed length section between the hook and adjuster was a bit on the long side. This might vary depending on the height of the seat in your car, but for me this put the adjuster partially behind the top of the car seat, which made it a little bit tricky to adjust.

Aside from these coupe of things this is an excellent car seat and it’s been working out great for us.

I have bought a total of four infant car seats (three different brands) and this one was my favorite. We had a specific list of requirements while shopping for our last car seat. It needed to be narrow to fit safely in between two booster seats.

This was one of the only car seats that would fit- we had three in the backseat of my Infiniti. It’s width is only 16. 5 inches. It also had to protect a premature newborn. Chicco Key Fit 30 is suitable for a baby weighting from 4-30lbs; perfect for my 5lb premie.

When you have a premie, the nurses have to perform a car seat inspection and observation test before you can bring baby home from the hospital. The nurses were so impressed with the way this car seat supported my baby’s small size.

It’s heavier than the others I have had; not one you can easily carry around with baby in it. It does have a lot of thick cushioning and plush padding on it. Also the infant insert can be removed for a growing baby that doesn’t need as much support.

It’s much more expensive than the others I’ve bought but I do feel like it’s worth it.

Used with my son for an entire year and then used with my daughter as it was not expired yet. We got into a t-bone accident when a big pick up truck ran a stop sign in front of us. I couldn’t find a single bruise or scratch on my daughter.

It held up well for an entire year for my son and the nearly 5 months my daughter was in it. Thank you Chicco for keeping my baby safe!!! If I were to have any more babies I would definitely repurchase this seat.

As is I am recommending it to all of my friends! (We are going to go ahead and go with a convertible car seat for my daughter simply for convenience but if she were any younger I’d be repurchasing).

I brought this car seat when my daughter was 3 she is now 6. It is a great car seat and extremely comfortable. We used it rear facing at first until age 5 as she was still under height and weight limit.

I liked it rearfacing as the seatbelt did not get in the way of doing her up. It has different recline positions and the seat is so padded it feels extremely safe. Padding removable once older. For the past year and half have used it forward facing with harness at first but now on to seat belt stage.

Both were great. Harness moves with headrest so you don’t have to mess about with the straps being correct height. Seat still reclines for when child is sleeping. Most comfy seat and we’ve got 3 different ones for dad’s and nans car.

Love the cup holder and headrest too. Washable covers which is fantastic.

As a mom of eight, this is hands-down the best car seat to fit a tight space on a tight budget without having to sacrifice style, comfort, or quality. I use the 3-in-1 slimfit for my children ages newborn to five, who range from 19 inches to four feet tall and who weigh from 8-60 pounds.

I have bought them all in the gender neutral gray color, which complements the uniform and utilitarian look of our all black 12 passenger van. I am particular about cleanliness and the seat is easy to clean with a wet rag and soap.

The instructions are easy to understand and I have found that this car seat serves me well because I dont typically leave a baby in their car seat for carrying transport. I usually baby wear or when they are big enough to sit, transfer them to a cart or stroller.

We own five of these car seats and three easily fit side by side in the same row of the van, with the cup holders of the middle seat turned inward. The total cost is also about the equivalent of one moderately priced car seat on the market which often warrants similar ratings.

It is roomy enough to leave plenty of space for an average adult to sit between two of these seats and still comfortably secure their own seatbelt. I would not leave a review of this product if I was not an absolute enthusiast.

Stop your consumer research and buy it now.

With 3 grandkids under the age of 4 we now have 3 of these SlimFit seats in the family. While the seats are great serving their purpose, every time we need to install one frustration soars because of a major omission in the Instruction Manual.

Specifically, the section 4-B Install Forward Facing With LATCH. Step 3 tells you where to locate and remove the Lower Anchor connectors and Tether. But there is no further mention of how you get on to Step 6 for threading the Anchor Connectors through the back of the seat to then attach them to the vehicle’s lower anchors.

HINT: YOIU NEED TO REMOVE MOST OF THE SEAT’S UPHOLSTERY TO THEN SEE A LABEL SHOWING HOW TO THREAD THE ANCHORS THOUGH THE SEAT BACK!! It’s as if the designers have never had to install their own product.

I bought three of them and the ry definitely fit in the back seat of a Honda. My kids were comfortable and no complaints. They went to sleep and their head was not bobbling sideways. Car seat definitely light weight and I do love how the cup holder can be placed either way if it wants to be on the left or right side on where the car seat is placed.

It was the best investment and I do love how it has the sticker on it that says if you need to take a airplane trip that this seat is suitable to take while flying.

In the interest of transparency, I’d like to first say I was given this product free to write a review. I’ve been using this car seat for a couple months now to put it through its paces to form a more thorough opinion, and my analysis thus far is as follows.

The Good: This car seat is very light particularly for how big it is. With the latch system it is very easy to install and take out of the vehicle making it easy to transport. The straps used for the latch system are much easier to release than the car seat I was using prior to receiving this one which is a big benefit if you plan to move it between vehicles regularly.

Where it falls short: It is gigantic; so much so that when installing it as a rear facing seat it only fits in our F-150. Due to the reclined position when it’s rear facing it won’t fit in a Mazda6 at all and only fits in a Hyundai Santa Fe if the front seat is all the way forward and relatively upright.

Additionally, due to the size of this car seat it is difficult to carry around when traveling (I’d take the heavier car seat over this one when flying for example). The other shortcoming I’ve found so far is position of the release lever for the child restraints is difficult to get to when the seat is rear facing and I find I regularly have to open the Velcro cover over the release just to loosen the restraints enough to get our son out.

Overall Summary: This is a decent forward facing car seat with plenty of room to grow with your child, but it’s too big for probably most vehicles when rear facing. It’s easy to install and switch between vehicles, and as long as it’s forward facing it’s easy to get the child in and out.

It’s nothing fancy and doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but if your main criteria are safety and ability to grow with your child this is an alright option.

I had high hopes for this coming out of the box. The cushion was very nice looked comfortable. It has a little spot for the buckles when you’re loading the child in and out. Has a great feature for those parents that might forget about having their kid on the vehicle with them.

The crotch buckle is great, has extra padding around the entire thing holds in place better, more comfortable and easier to find after child placement. Then we started using it, the straps to secure the child are difficult to tighten I mean you can’t tighten by pulling on the single strap by their feet.

I looked for something obstructing it and was nothing. I end up using two hands one of which is on the back side to pull the harness down. This seat the straps tighten from the top of the strap. I have another Evenflo that tightens from the bottom and is much better.

The spot to hold the buckles is useless because a little bump as your putting the kid in and they fall back out as if you never put them there. It came with an extra pad which I thought was great but created more of a disaster loading and unloading the child in The seat as it got folded up and moved around.

The securing straps/clips for securing the car seat to the vehicle seat are part of the common problem I found out Evenflo compared to other manufacturers. The way they are designed makes it very difficult to tighten and loosen properly to change the seat around.

I put this in an F150 and a Sienna and have major issues being able to put them on and take them off. My sister has a seat that takes one hand to tighten the seat securing strap and an easy release. None of the Evenflo seats I’ve had are nearly that easy.

My husband and I completely trust Evenflo brand. It’s the only brand that we use for carseats and travel systems for our 2 sons. Even the seats we have purchased for grandparent vehicles are Evenflo.

We have always been happy with the ease of installation, smoothness of the belts, cup holder size/placement, weight of seat, pricing and safety ratings. This seat didn’t let us down. We utilize this seat for forward facing and installation was a breeze.

It fit snug into the captain seats of my Tahoe and there was lot of leg room to the front seat. The harness straps are easily adjustable and clip together with little effort. The only thing about the straps is they seem a little close together.

My son sometimes gets red marks on his neck and complains about them. He doesn’t complain about the straps in our other seats. The weight of this seat wasn’t too bad for me to move. I guess I would say that it was light and not burdensome.

The drawback to this seat is that there are no cup holders. That for me is the biggest negative as there is no where to sit a drink or even a few small toys. All in all, I would recommend this convertible seat as it is safe and affordable.

I bought this car seat for a vacation we took recently based on the good reviews and on suggestions from friends and I wished I had spent the money on a better quality car seat. Here’s why: – The seat was very uncomfortable for my daughter (12 months, 20 lbs).

The straps do not come with covers so they cut into her neck. She had a scratch on her neck from these straps that took over a week to completely heal. I had to wrap a thin wash cloth over each strap to keep them off her skin for the duration of our trip.

Apparently if you contact the company they will send you covers for free; I don’t know why covers are not just included then if that’s the case. There is also not much padding on this seat which makes longer road trips very uncomfortable for the little one.

My daughter screamed and cried the majority of the time she was in this car seat, which she does not do in her normal car seat that we use. – This seat is very hard to install safely. The seat kept loosening and we had to retighten the anchor straps every time we went somewhere.

The harness straps twist very easily. The harness gets uneven very easily too. I would tighten the straps and one side would be very tight on my daughter’s shoulder and the other side would be falling off her shoulder.

It was a big hassle every time we went somewhere because we kept having to make so many adjustments on the seat to make it safe for our daughter. I don’t know how this seat passed safety inspections.

– Be aware that this seat reclines back pretty far when rear facing. That’s not so bad for a younger baby but for a toddler who likes sitting up will not like this. The only good thing I have to say about this car seat is that it’s lightweight and easy to carry around an airport.

Otherwise I wish I hadn’t bought this seat for our trip. If you have a younger baby who sleeps well in the car, or if you don’t plan to do longer car trips then maybe this seat will still work for you.

Just be aware of the constant adjustments you’ll likely have to make if you buy this seat. Thankfully I was able to return this car seat and get our money back.

We got this for our toddlers first airplane ride and to use in our rental car. Fit great in the tiny southwest airline seats. Very basic, not much padding, no neck support, no padding around straps and the straps do get twisted easily, but for air travel it is great! So light! Our flight was only 90 minutes, but our toddler slept the whole flight so I guess comfortable enough and it kept him contained and not sliding out of the regular lap belt, This seat can be used with a car seat luggage strap.

Not sure exactly what it’s called, but it is a strap that you use to attach the car seat (with upper tethering) to rolling luggage. It was super helpful navigating the airport.

This car seat is a good budget option. It fits well in smaller cars giving more room for the child. My child finds it super comfortable and falls asleep in it pretty much every ride. The seatbelts are on the cheap side and have a tendancy to flip and twist, it would be nice to have thicker belt material.

The only other negative I would say is this seat doesnt have much padding and wouldn’t recommend for any kids under 1, doesnt appear as it would offer much support for the smaller kids. Those 2 things aside its easy to get the kids in and out, has side impact protection, and as I said my son claims it is very comfortable so brownie points there.