Full Review of the Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat
Do you have a young child that you are looking to protect as much as possible with a new car seat purchase? That is understandable because safety is a big concern when your children ride along with you. Statistics show that your child is more likely to be hurt riding in a car than during anything else that they do when they are young. That makes having them in the best convertible car seat possible a must as they travel along with you.
It’s for this very reason we have decided to do a review on the Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat. From everything that we have read and heard about this car seat, it seems to be far superior safety wise than many other car seats that are out there in the marketplace.
Finding the Right Car Seat for Your Child
There is a lot of advice out there on the internet as to what to look for when buying a car safety seat for your child. Some of it is sound advice, and other advice can be misleading. During your car seat search try to focus on safety and fit because they are the two most important characteristics of any car seat you will trust your child’s safety in.
Also, keep in mind when shopping for a car safety seat that the most expensive model may not always the best car seat. You should also read some convertible car seat reviews to get a feel for how well those who have purchased a particular model car seat feel about it.
Taking a Glance at the Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat
Here are some of the positive and negative traits of this highly rated car seat:
Pros:
- Dual usage front and rear facing car seat
- 9-position leveling system
- Force-multiplying latch technology
- 6 adjustable headrest positions
- 5-point harness with one-pull adjustment
- Comes with infant insert for newborns
Cons:
- Not easy to clean
- Can be hard to install in some vehicles
Important Safety Features
This Chicco NextFit child safety seat has many features built into it to help protect your child in case of an accident. The most significant of which is its steel-reinforced frame that is nicely lined with very effective EPS energy-absorbing foam.
It also features a high amount of side impact protection, and its 5-point harness system will greatly restrict the movement of your child’s body in the event you are involved in an accident while driving.
This is a car safety seat that can be used in both a rear and front-facing setup. When used as a rear-facing car seat it can accommodate children that range from 5 – 40 pounds. As a front facing car seat, it can accommodate children that are between 22 – 65 pounds (1+ year only).
Your child sits low in this car seat to keep them as encapsulated as possible in the event of an accident.
Fit and Adjustability
There are several different ways you can get your child to sit comfortably and safely in this model car seat. The angle of the seat alone can be adjusted at 1 of 9 different angles. The 5-position harness is fully adjustable too and can be tightened with just one quick pull of the strap.
The buckle on the seat uses what Chicco likes to call ‘force-multiplying technology’ to make the buckle easy to click and place yet still keep the harness snuggly in place on your child. There is even a removable insert for newborns that comes with this model car safety seat.
Ease of Installation
This is not the hardest car seat to install, but at the same time, it’s not the easiest to install either. It uses its latching system to hold the car seat safely in place when you are driving. There is some adjustability built into the system too for when you want to use this car seat as a rear facing one. It does have a seat belt installation option too.
Intangibles
There is a bubble level built into the seat that will show you the proper level for when the seat is rear facing and another bubble level that will show you the proper level when this car seat is in front facing position.
Built into this model car seat is an insulated cup or bottle holder for your child too.
Wrapping Up on the Chicco NextFit Convertible Car Seat
Overall this seems to be a very good quality car seat. We think it does an especially good job at protecting infants and toddlers because of the way they sit in it deep and it kind of wraps around them. It features many adjustments to help it fit your child properly and also to help keep them comfortable as they sit in this car seat. Because of all its high-quality safety features and innovative design characteristics we don’t see any reason why you should not consider purchasing this model car seat if you are in the market for a new one.