Narrowed down to 2 seats - suggestions, tips?

[jtgeme]

This our first child and we have narrowed down our infant car seat search to 2 (sometimes 3) car seats. Baby is due in late August so we have some time, but we’re trying to be thorough – especially on the car seat option.

We’ve relied on the Baby Bargains (BB), NTHSA star rating, and Consumer Reports (CR) and we’re hoping we could get some insight, information, and advice from some of you.

The candidates are

Chicco KeyFit 30
Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30
UppaBaby Mesa (this is the "sometimes 3" and not really addressed here)


Here is our hang up:

Keyfit earned the following from CR: 77/100 and a best rated crash protection for under 22lbs; and in the over 22lbs, earned a 76 and a best rating. Keyfit is a “better buy” or a "best buy" according to BB (one page says best, one says better - Links below) and is a 4 star ease of use for the NHTSA. According to CR, this seat weighs 9lbs.

Mico Max 30 hasn’t been tested by either BB or CR. Its predecessor, the Mico and the Mico AP have been, but only in the 22lbs and under category as they are not rated for more. CR gave the Mico a 64 (2nd only to the Keyfit) and a best in crash protection for under 22lbs. But the only seat Maxi has had tested by CR over 22lbs, was the Prezi and it scored dismally at 40 and rated “basic” crash protection. Additionally, BB gave it a C+. That rating, however, seemed more based on weight, stroller compatibility, and the CR rating which is the most bothersome. The NTHSA gave it 4 stars. According to Amazon, the Mico Max 30 weighs 5lbs.

Note, we are not interested in a 22lb seat capacity.

We like the lower weight, the handle design (makes hoisting and carrying the carrier easier), the anti-rebound bar, and the (apparent) side protection, as well as the color choices of the Maxi 30. But we can’t deny the higher ratings that keyfit has achieved; the color schemes aren’t as pleasing, but there’s a few we like - color is not a deal breaker over safety. Both are compatible with the stroller we have chosen.

My hope (feeling? Belief?) is that the Mico Max 30 will fall in line with the Mico and the Mico AP and receive similar scores and reviews. I’m hesitant to take the jump and have my child be a potential test pilot if the seat is going to perform like the Prezi. As I said, we have some time.

Can anybody comment on typical review times for BB or CR? Has anybody had any experience with the Maxi Cosi brand or the Mico Max 30? Keyfit 30?

As mentioned above: Baby Bargains gives "Best" ratings to both Chicco and Brittax, depending on which page. Perhaps I am missing something?

Best Chicco Keyfit 30 http://infantcarseats.babybargains.com/
Best Brittax https://windsorpeak.com/babybargains...ant-car-seats/

Thanks in advance for your time, attention, and efforts.

[Joolsplus2]

Welcome! So sorry no one responded sooner!

I, too, would expect that the newer versions of seats to do better than the previous ones.

I'm guessing the best ratings can honestly be given to Chicco or Britax because they both did so well in CR, plus have equal ease of install and use features (nice LATCH, built in lockoffs for seatbelt installs, easy recline adjustment, simple harness adjustment, excellent fit to tiny babies, reasonable height limit--30 or 32 inches gets most kids to about a year and 20 pounds).
I know one of the carseat technicians at www.carseatblog.com is expecting to review the Mico 30 soon, but in the meantime, I like the way they lay out the features of the seats they like http://carseatblog.com/carseatblogco...ded-car-seats/
Personally I'm just slightly more fond of the Chicco than the Mico (20, not the new 30), but that's only based on ease of install, I tend to weight seats most highly if I can install them in, like, 5 seconds, lol. I know some people find the Chicco's fabrics to be sweatier, but honestly some babies will sweat no matter where they are, a polyester and foam lined bucket just can't be cool for those kiddos.
Hope that helps, that the delay in response isn't going to keep you away, this is a fantastic community!

[Joolsplus2]

Oh dear, and to add insult to injury, I didn't actually *approve* this post!
I'm glad you came back, sorry you had to re-post, and please stick around, I promise we know what we are doing as long as I figure out how to approve posts!!!!

*blushing profusely*

[jtgeme]

Thanks so much, Jools! No worries on the delay - I thought I had done something wrong the first time around.

Both seats seem very easy to install. The in store demo of the mico-max 30's latch straps were a bit twisted and confusing to sort out. After a little bit of work (less than a minute) I was able to figure it out without instructions (though I wouldn't install it without instructions - just mentioning it seemed straight forward).

I'm starting to think the folks at the store are beginning to get a bit annoyed with me coming in and working over the seats so much.

I appreciate the feedback and I am definitely going to visit that site - not sure how that one got passed all of my googling.

I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. There's far too much useful, real world information here to ignore.

Thanks again,

John.

[gymnbomb]

I only have experience with the chicco, but we love ours! The cover is easy to remove for washing (though we have only had to do so once in a year of use), DS seems very comfortable in it, and it is ridiculously easy to use. Last month I installed it in 2 cabs, a car service suburban, 2 corollas, an expedition, and 2 airplane seats using the base with latch, base with seatbelt, and baseless install in 2 vehicles + planes. With latch it takes about 15 seconds to install. First time ever installing with a seatbelt in a cab probably took 60 seconds (yeah, I should have tried that one at home first, although I had at least studied the directions beforehand).


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[TwoBees]

Like gymnbomb, we love our Chicco (the only infant seat we have experience with). The only dislike is the wimpy canopy, but they now fixed that with some of the upgraded versions (the Magic, and the Zip). The version we bought came with a boot which has been fantastic since both of my kids were winter babies. I have never had a problem installing it. It is expiring soon but has held up great for two kids, and I have washed the cover, boot, and canopy several times.