Review of Chicco KeyFit Infant Car Seat Base- Charcoal

Chicco KeyFit Infant Car Seat Base- Charcoal
By: Chicco Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 8
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Please ignore the one star review

On: 2008-04-01

Please ignore the reviewer who rated the seat one star due to the rebound issue. I am a certified child passenger safety technician and this is NOT a safety concern. Almost all rear facing seats will rebound in a crash. The only ones that wont are infant seats with rigid LATCH (the only one currently available in the US is the Baby Trend Latch-Loc with rigid LATCH) or one with an anti-rebound bar like the Britax Companion and convertible seats that tether rear facing (all Britax convertible seats, Sunshine Kids Radian, etc). As long as your seat moves less than an inch in any direction AT THE BELT PATH (i.e. on an infant seat with a base, right at the seat crack where the other poster said it was tight) it is safe. The Chicco KeyFit is a very good seat. It is without a doubt one of the best on the market currently. It installs like a dream and fits small babies very well. As a tech of seven years, I would not hesitate to recommend this seat or use it for my own child.

Deemed UNSAFE by certified seat installer!!!

On: 2008-03-25

I purchased this seat on the recommendation of Consumer Reports, expecting the safest seat on the market. In order to make certain it was installed perfectly, I visited a local California police department and had a trained and certified car seat inspector install it.
Where the LATCH system attaches (or along the belt path if not using LATCH) the seat is very secure. Wont budge an inch. HOWEVER, the back of the seat and base remain completely untethered and will lift up at least seven inches off the seat. My installer said this is incredibly unsafe in the event of being rear ended at moderate to high speeds.

I spoke with Chiccos car seat safety person who said it isnt a concern because most accidents are head on collisions. She also mentioned that in the past month they have received at least eight other complaints from the California Highway Patrol about this issue.
Ive been looking into this issue extensively and have learned that all infant seats with bases are designed this way and have the same problem. Its so common it has a name: Rebound.

So, unless you are certain that you will not be rear-ended avoid this and all infant seats designed to pop out of a base at all costs. They are not safe. Yes, being able to easily remove your child from the car is a great feature, but it IS NOT worth risking the safety of your child. My local certified police installer deems this seat and others of the same style unsafe. And from the mouth of Chiccos own representative, so does the California Highway Patrol.

Britax Roundabout, Britax Roundabout Advantage, Britax Galaxy and the Britax Marathon are all convertible seats that are VERY safe and have been tested using a tether in a rear facing position that removes this rebound issue.

For the sake of your child, bypass convenience and go with safety.

Great seat and base

On: 2007-11-27

This car seat base and the car seat/stroller set that go with it are wonderful. The base is very easy to install and level, doesnt need constantly re-levelled, and is easy and intuitive to use. Its been great to use and my son has been very comfortable in the seat...have bought two extra bases for my husbands and my babysitters vehicles...great value for the ease of use. I understand that I can buy the next size up seat and use the same base for it, which should work out very well as he grows.

Perfect Fit

On: 2007-05-13

This is the base for the best car seat on the market, in my opinion. We bought another base for our second car. It fits like a glove, of course. Well worth the money, highest safety ratings. A small price to pay for the safest thing out there for your baby.

The best and most solid system out there. PERIOD.

On: 2007-03-05

Besudes all the features and looks. Here are the reasons why this system is the best:
It is by far the most solidly built seat system. We looked at all the Graco and other systems and they are chaep and have sharp corners on the bottom.
It has a flat solid base with no sharp cormers or edges and you will not need any pads to protect your expensive leather seats in your car.
It is more compact that the huge graco systems (the stroller is too!) and fits better in regular sedans or smaller cars.

Quality, feature and utility wise the best systems after we tried four others!

It's a snap to use!

On: 2007-01-04

The Chicco Carseat with the KeyFit Base is incredible. The base has two options for securing it, one using the regular lap harness which works great in our sedan and the other using a built in belt that works best with our small SUV. You just set the carseat on the base and you can hear the snap when it is secure. With the press of one button it releases from the bases. No clumsy fiddling with small or multiple buttons or latches. It just doesnt get any easier than this!

Great Product

On: 2006-03-22

The Chicco Travel System, including the infant car seat and base, is a great product. My daughter was born only 5lbs 14oz, and she was very snug in the car seat from day one. She is now three months old and this car seat is a great fit for her. Her head does not shift around at all. The base fits perfectly in my cars latch system, and the car seat snaps securely into the base. I am very happy with this produce and would recommend it to anybody with a newborn.

KeyFit Child Infant Seat & Base Great

On: 2006-02-25

While the base alone is a little pricey, it has been worth the added investment in the time and effort saved. This combo is very well designed and thought through. I never thought it would be so easy to snap the seat in and out of the car. I highly recommend this system to anyone.