Chicco Keyfit 22 vs. 30

[anna_j]

I'm looking at carseats and I am wondering if there is a huge advantage of having a 30 over a 22. Thanks!

[GraceH]

They have the same shell, so springing for the 30 will buy you little (if any) extra usage time... for long usage, I stand by my Graco SnugRide32.

[CharlotteMommy]

We went back and forth between the 22 and 30, but ended up going with the 22. We thought we could get more use out of the 30, but changed our minds when we placed (2) 1 gallon jugs of water in the carseat in the store. This is about the equivalent of a 20 lb baby, and were surprised at just how heavy it was!

I am relatively small framed, and Dylan is about 12 pounds right now. A carseat with a 12 lb baby is not the easiest to carry, and I can only imagine what it would be like to carry a 30 lb baby in the seat. HTH.

[drako]

I have the Keyfit 22 because I got it with the travel system. We were going back and forth as well but the more we thought about it we elected for the 22. DD is about 17.5 pounds right now and we just switched her to the convertible car seat in one of our cars because the seat and her are just too heavy to carry. I can't imagine lugging around a 20 lb baby never mind a 30 lb baby in it. I guess if we would leave the seat in the car and take her out of it, it would work ok. DD also hated the infant seat. I guess she didn't like the confinement. Not like that mattered, we just listened to her cry and scream while she was in it. We'll see how she does in the convertible.

Also, the more I am thinking of it 30 pounds is a lot to be in an infant seat IMHO. That would mean an average size baby could still be in it well after a year of age. My daughter is 7.5 months old and about 17.5 pounds and she is in the 50th percentile for weight. Maybe others can chime in and give their experience with a larger baby in the infant seats.

[GraceH]

...switched her to the convertible car seat in one of our cars because the seat and her are just too heavy to carry. I can't imagine lugging around a 20 lb baby never mind a 30 lb baby in it. I guess if we would leave the seat in the car and take her out of it, it would work ok. DD also hated the infant seat. I guess she didn't like the confinement. Not like that mattered, we just listened to her cry and scream while she was in it. We'll see how she does in the convertible.

Also, the more I am thinking of it 30 pounds is a lot to be in an infant seat IMHO. That would mean an average size baby could still be in it well after a year of age. My daughter is 7.5 months old and about 17.5 pounds and she is in the 50th percentile for weight. Maybe others can chime in and give their experience with a larger baby in the infant seats.

I have the SnugRide32, which now at 23 months is finally being outgrown (av. is 16-18 though) and I have been very happy with the choice of a larger infant seat. It was amazing to have the option of taking the seat inside through two Chicago winters and other inclement weather. No, it didn't get carried around much in the later months, but again, having that option was invaluable (late night errands) - also, since my compact Graco Mosaic stroller lives in the trunk, the carrying was minimal (another lifesaver after unexpected c-section). Once your DC is older, you can put the seat in at a steeper angle (pop in the adjuster foot) if they are more content that way. That said, since the KeyFits both have the same shell heights (cause of most outgrowth), I would not consider the KF30 to have the larger seat benefits over the KF22 (not to mention that they cost more than the SR32 too).

[anna_j]

Thanks so much for the replies! I am really leaning toward the 22 since I doubt that I'll keep him in an infant seat past 22 lbs. anyway. My friend's son is 18.5 lbs. now and he looks like he's getting too big for it already. Thanks again!

[Joolsplus2]

You just need a crystal ball ;). If you knew you were going to have a fast gaining baby in a cold climate, you might find that the 30 (or the SR 32, or Safety 1st Onboard) is absolutely priceless. You'd be truly inconvenienced if your kid hit 24 pounds at 7 months and it was the middle of a snowy winter and you parked out side. The KF 30 or larger seat would be priceless. An average gainer or slim baby? meh no biggie. My kid was 20 pounds and 30 inches at a year when she got too tall for the KF (head within an inch of the top of the seat shell, and of course the infant butt pad must come out at 11 pounds). (I kept her in the SR 32 after that, because it was winter, she couldn't walk, and we park in the driveway. There WERE a few times I just sucked it up and carried her in and out of the house in that seat rather than deal with carrying her and putting her into a cold carseat....)

:)

[arivecchi]

I'd get the smaller one as I hated to lug infant car seats around and both of my babies hated them as well. They both moved to convertibles quickly (7 months and 5 months) and liked them much better. We live in Chicago and did not need an infant car seat for the winter at all. We just bundled them up. :)

[KrisM]

I have the 30 and at 14 months DS2 is about 24 lbs and has about 3/4 inch to go before he's too tall. Yes, he's heavy to haul around. But, when he falls asleep on the way to pick up DD from school, I love that I don't have to wake him up to take him in to get her.

My friend is going to let me try the Safeseat in my car and if it fits, I am borrowing it with the hope to get him through the winter in the infant seat!

[TwoBees]

Now you've got me rethinking this...who still sells the 22?

[o_mom]

I
Also, the more I am thinking of it 30 pounds is a lot to be in an infant seat IMHO. That would mean an average size baby could still be in it well after a year of age. My daughter is 7.5 months old and about 17.5 pounds and she is in the 50th percentile for weight. Maybe others can chime in and give their experience with a larger baby in the infant seats.

We used a SafeSeat1 with DS3, which is the same as the Snugride32/35. He fit in it until at least 15 months, which got us through the winter and the end of school. The last few months we rarely carried him in it, but a few times he fell asleep and it was great for that. It also let us put of the purchase of a convertible seat for longer.

Most kids will not get to 30 lbs in it as they outgrow it by height first. However, you don't really need a larger or higher-weight seat for the 30 lb baby, but for the 23, 24, 25 lb babies. The taller seats will also get them to an age where the convenience of an infant seat isn't such a big deal - they can sit in a shopping cart or a highchair, for example.

They do get heavy, but babies grow in or out of an infant seat and most of the time we didn't carry it very far, just from the house to the car and back. I now routinely carry a 35 lb preschooler and even a 40 lb Kindergartener with no trouble. Your muscles grow with the baby. :)

[Joolsplus2]

Now you've got me rethinking this...who still sells the 22?

Oh, maybe it's only available as a travel system seat? That's what they have at BRU with the Cortina strollers as a TS.