Chicco provided the Fit2 Infant and Toddler car seat for the purposes of this review. All opinions are my own.
The familiar brand Chicco recently developed a new infant and toddler car seat designed to fit babies from birth through age two. Chicco created the Fit2 in an effort to help parents keep their children rear facing through age two.
When the opportunity arose to try out this innovative car seat, I was thrilled. The thought of a car seat with the convenience of an infant carrier and the weight and height accommodations of a toddler seat sounded like a dream. I remember feeling disappointed when I needed to switch my son from his infant carrier to a convertible car seat. I liked being able to get him settled in his seat and adjusting the straps in the warmth of our home. And infant carriers seem to envelop babies, not leaving lots of space for them to be jostled around.
The first thing I noticed about the Chicco Fit2 was it’s chic and modern appearance. The fabric is made in Italy and the black color makes it ideal for a boy or a girl. The coziness is evident and confirmed by the ease with which my daughter falls and stays asleep while in the seat. Prior to installing the base I watched the video on the Chicco website and thought to myself, it can’t possibly be that easy. Well, having installed it in a rental car and then in my own vehicle, I can attest that it really is incredibly easy to install. First, the ReclineSure® leveling foot adjusts simply to assure proper angle indicated by the RideRight® level bubble on either side of the base. Next, attach the LATCH clips and pull the SuperCinch® tightener without having to climb into the car or using your whole body to secure. And that’s it! It was certainly the fastest car seat install that I have ever experienced and I didn’t break a sweat. No need to worry about having to uninstall and reinstall when going from the infant stage to the toddler stage. The stage-position lever doesn’t require the base to be removed to activate. Just slide it from stage 1 to stage 2.
My favorite features include the 7 position headrest, the one handed handle adjustment, and the thumb shaped button to loosen the harness straps. The 7 position headrest means no more rethreading the harness to adjust as your child grows taller, pull tab at the top to release and raise to the next level. The one handed handle adjustment makes it unnecessary to reach across your child to depress each side in order to move the handle back. All you need is to press the one closest to you and the handle glides backward. The thumb shaped button is located right at the foot of the car seat. No reaching in between fabric to locate, use your thumb to press while pulling the harness to loosen the straps. For me, these three features makes my one complaint, the weight of the car seat, irrelevant. It is by no means heavy but it does weigh more than the infant car seats I have used previously.
Overall, the Chicco Fit2 is an amazing car seat. It was built with a child’s comfort and a parent’s convenience in mind. Having a car seat so easy to install and use along with the ability to continue use through the age of two all while keeping your child rear facing certainly makes the Fit2 revolutionary and a great value.
