Easy to Use, Roomy Seat, Great for Plagio Helmets
November 4, 2019
The Stellar Product Testing Panel provided me with the opportunity to test an infant seat (for free!) at the perfect time. My six month old had just been diagnosed with plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) and had been fitted with a helmet. One problem: his helmet wouldn't fit into the headrest of his old infant seat. When this car seat showed up on my doorstep not a week later, the first thing I thought was, "check the headrest!" Thankfully, there is plenty of room for my little guy's big head and helmet. The seat was easy to adjust for baby's height. The buckles weren't difficult to adjust and lay flat when tightened. My baby seemed comfortable in this seat. The fabric seems like it would clean up well. I like how the carry handle is thinner in diameter. I have small hands, and this is easier for me to grip. The base was easy enough to install. The directions were clear. I like the anti-rebound bar. It makes for a very tight base installation.
When I go to click the car seat into the base in my van, I have had to double check that the seat is latched completely into the base. It might just be me, but after dropping the seat into the base and hearing a click, the seat still moved a bit in the base, I had to push down on the foot of the car seat to make sure that end was latched (another click). I don't think it reflects negatively on the car seat at all. It's just different enough from those I've used in the past, that I wanted to mention it.
Baby Jogger advertises a large canopy on this seat, and they did not exaggerate. It's huge. I (and my husband) both had a hard time moving the carry handle back from the upright position, past where the canopy connects to the seat sides, and down below to stabilize the seat. It's not a deal breaker, though. Another issue I had, and it might be only me, was with the fabric seat cover attachments near where the canopy attaches on either side of the seat. The cover is held on at these points by flat pieces of plastic that fit behind the plastic seat edge. I've seen this method used successfully in other car seats we've used over the years. For whatever reason, when I first unpacked and looked the seat over, I noticed these plastic pieces weren't fitting where they were supposed to. I could fit them it their proper position, but they didn't stay in place long because they were bent. It must have happened during packaging or shipping. However, it doesn't affect the function of the car seat, as the canopy bar attachments hold the seat cover on at these points. I probably wouldn't have noticed this issue if I hadn't been really looking the seat over.
Overall, I like this seat, and think the installation and buckling is as easy or easier than any other seats I've tried. I'm happy to use it, and am really looking forward to connecting it to my trusty Baby Jogger City Select double stroller (purchased by me and used for three years now), as this family of five tries to keep up with our busy lives
This product review was collected by the manufacturer.