Chicco - KeyFit Max ClearTex Infant Car Seat

You’re going to get a range of opinions here, and that even mirrors the professional reviews online - for some reason even the big review outlets seem to be very mixed on them. Personally, we absolutely love ours and that was even more confirmed when we bought a non-rotating car seat for my wife’s car (spoiler: she hates it and wishes we bought another rotating model). We bought the baby jogger city turn (https://www.babyjogger.com/car-seats/toddler-car-seats/city-turn/city-turn-rotating-convertible-car-seat/SP_1397014.html?srsltid=AfmBOorSfSdSwFnSJkl1rlWYK6FQ1i3S2JTJUSupZclVLxRdjrXBJ_uG) because we also have a baby jogger stroller and liked the build/construction of it. It’s definitely spendy but the convenience has paid for itself many times over. My kid also has never complained about it being uncomfortable or similar, even on long road trips. I read wire cutter on The NY Times website a lot for product reviews and was shocked that they wouldn’t recommend any rotating models as part of their toddler car seat recommendations. IMO I think people get clouded by the extra cost of the rotating feature and think it lessens the quality of the seat overall, but our City Turn is built as solid as any other car seat I checked out in stores. My wife wanted to save a few bucks on the second seat so we bought a cheap non rotating Chicco model and that thing sucks. After going through the buying process of both infant and toddler car seats, while there are some small exceptions here and there, I’m pretty convinced that in general you get what you pay for. If you want a rotating model, spend the extra bucks and get a quality one and you’ll be happy.

We had the Chicco cleartex infant seat and now have the Chicco cleartex rotating seat and love it! If you decide to go with a jogging stroller, we are obsessed with our Guava stroller! Have used it twice a day for over a year and it is still good as new!

I had an infant car seat then switched to rotating convertible at 4m and wish I went with convertible from the start. We never used the infant car seat as a method of transportation if you want to call it that, it always stayed in the car and we just took baby out into stroller or carried her home or baby wore. Our main stroller is the UB vista and our infant car seat was the Chicco key fit and our convertible was evenflo 360.

If you're set on a Chicco Keyfit, but don't want to use an adapter for the car seat, I'd seriously consider the Chicco Corso Travel System. It has basically all the features as an Uppababy Cruz (which is basically a Vista without the option to extend to a double stroller) but from Chicco. Can click in the car seat right into the frame which I love. Then the stroller seat can be forward or parent facing which is super important and something I didn't consider enough with our first stroller because we thought baby would have been in the bucket seat longer. Lol jokes on us, he hated it and we swapped him to an Evenflo Revolv car seat at like 5 months? So we had to switch to the main stroller seat but we had a Bravo which cannot parent face. So that didn't work as well for us as we hoped. Our friends loved it though. If you feel like you need the bassinet I'd look at Uppababy or Nuna though because I believe both have one and Chicco doesn't. If that isn't a want for you guys, I'd definitely consider looking at the Corso and comparing it to the Uppababy Vista/Cruz and some of the Nuna stuff. You could also totally get the Chicco stroller frame initially which is just for the car seat and then get a stroller with a baby/toddler seat once you have a better idea of what you want and how you'll use it. I wouldn't look at a specific travel stroller until they're older (well over 6 months). But our favorite is the Munchkin Sparrow Ultra if you want something compact and that's basically a fancy umbrella stroller. Not a lot of storage but if you just need it for airports, hotels, and similar situations, it's fantastic. Best of luck hun. ETA sorry I missed the bassinet thing. Either get the adapter for the car seat for Uppababy or Nuna unless there's a stroller you like more for the bassinet. If you don't think you'll have a second kid very close in age, I'd consider the Cruz over the Vista for the weight. That way you're not paying for the expand to double feature if you're not gonna use it

We ended up getting the keyfit max with the adaptor. Too many negative reviews, all with the similar concerns with the Aria for us to feel comfortable going with it. Or baby isn’t born yet, but we made the decision to go with the keyfit after our research.

We bought the Chicco Corso travel system and I absolutely love it. It’s super easy to switch the attachments to either snap the car seat in or smart the modular seat in. We also had the infant insert so that baby could use the modular seat from the newborn stage. We use the car seat click in attachment when we’re just running into the store quickly and use the seat for all other times.

We have the Keyfit Max and I just want to clarify it is only 18.5lbs including the base. The seat itself is about 10lbs which is still heavier than the Aria, but the difference is less significant!

I have a Chicco Corso travel system and the whole set is occasionally on sale at Target for less than/just about $500. There is also the Bravo system which is slightly more expensive but to me the corso was plenty good enough. Baby girl is 7 months old and so far I am very pleased

That was our exact thought process as well. Got a  gently used Uppababy Cruz with a new Chicco Keyfit Max. Only used it for a month so far but no complaints!

We found our used one on fb marketplace for $250, I really don’t think I could’ve justified it full price! But we lucked out because it’s in great condition and was in the color I would’ve ordered had I bought it new haha

It depends on the vehicle, but one of the most versatile combinations is 2 Chicco Keyfit 35/Keyfit Max infant seats (which are compatible with the vista!) and one Graco Slimfit3 LX for toddler. Not any other Slimfit- it has to be the Slimfit3 LX.

NICU based car seat tech here- - Evenflo Litemax, especially the models with the one piece body insert like [this one](https://www.evenflo.com/products/pivot-modular-car-seats-and-stroller-travel-systems) (not sure they sell this specific car seat on its own anymore, I can only find the exact one I prefer in travel system form). The insert design promotes excellent positioning without pushing babies’ heads forward. The hip harness and crotch buckle adjust to be absolutely tiny (this seat starts at 3lbs). Between the harness adjustments and the insert, the positioning for small babies is truly excellent. - Joie Mint Latch- this baseless car seat has rigid latch anchors that pop right out on the seat itself, which 1. Is a huge safety feature and 2. Makes this seat just as convenient as seats with bases - it’s just as fast to get in and out of the car as it is to pop my other car seat in and out of the base. The harness doesn’t adjust as small as the Litemax (almost nothing does) but the body insert is supportive and the harness fit for 5lbs is good. I see this seat often and sometimes I do have to remove the head insert because it can push some babies’ heads forward but overall quite pleased with it (I’ve been using it for my youngest for about a year now!) - Chicco Keyfit35/Keyfit Max (same product with updated limits and names to comply with new federal regulations about infant car seat weight limits). Fits small babies wonderfully, is very user friendly, minimal adjustments needed over the life of the seat (remove the body insert at 11lbs and click the headrest higher as baby grows but that’s it). There is a built in headrest and a removable cushioned head insert that sits on top of that- I usually remove the extra insert to avoid heads being pushed forward in a chin to chest position. - Graco- avoid the Snugride Lite models, they don’t fit *well* until 7-9lbs depending on baby’s build. This can be worked around by using a crotch roll but that’s a hassle, just avoid it. If you want a Graco seat, opt for one with a large headrest like [this one](https://www.gracobaby.com/shop/car-seats/infant-car-seats/snugride-snugfit-dlx-infant-car-seat/SAP_2156211.html). These models have an infant body insert that is actually supportive and useful (avoiding the issues with the Lite models) and they allow you to shorten the crotch buckle for an improved fit if needed. There are several “trim levels” with different names - the extra stuff like winter covers and one hand adjust handles and whatnot are irrelevant, you can pick a model with the right type of headrest that meets your price preferences and has whatever bonus accessories you like. - Clek Liing - pricy but *amazing* for preemies. If you want a bougie car seat then this is the one to get for a preemie (skip everything Uppababy, and most Nunas). The infant insert is unique in the US but a common style in Europe- the baby’s butt sits on a block shaped “shelf” to promote good body position and prevent slouching. I’ve known people to balk at this design because it looks odd for US consumers but MAN it’s effective! The base is also lots of fun - rigid latch and load leg are great every management features. One of my own 27 week twins came home from the NICU in a Liing on his due date. - Nuna Pipa Urbn: same category as the Joie Mint Latch, it’s a baseless seat that clicks directly into the vehicle latch anchors. The other Pipa models (the ones with bases) aren’t my favorite for tiny preemies but the Urbn is lovely because it has smaller harness adjustments and a more supportive insert setup than the other Pipa models. The head insert has two layers and I usually remove the top layer to prevent it from pushing little heads forward. My youngest used this one for a while too! Two major drawbacks: it’s only available as a travel system with a stroller so it’s expensive and you don’t have the full market of stroller options to choose from unless you want to spend *more* money. (I have the Triv model stroller with mine and it’s solid but I’m not a Nuna stroller fangirl in general. More often I used the Urbn with my Bugaboo Butterfly stroller with adaptors). Aaand it has a maximum weight limit of 22lbs (compared to 30-35lbs for the others on this list). Most babies outgrow a 30-35lb car seat by height way before they reach the weight limit, but 22lbs comes quickly especially for higher percentile babies. My 80th percentile youngest was too heavy for this seat by like 8 months old. - skip baby trend. For the love of NICU CPSTs everywhere, please don’t get a BabyTrend seat. 😂