Car seats

Comment:

We bought this car seat two years ago because it was recommended for tall toddlers and at the time had excellent ratings from reviewers. My daughter is in the 97 percentile for height, so it was a good choice for her at the time.<br /><br />Installation is extremely difficult. Since we have two cars, we bought two of these seats, so I can easily say that my seat is not an exception. Instead of having separate latches on each side of the seat, there is a belt connecting the two latches that you have to pull through the back. It's very hard for me to reach through and make sure the belt strap is not twisted, and I have little hands. Because the seat is so tall, you absolutely have to use the tether strap at the top. The hook on the tether is so hard to latch on and almost impossible to take off. Even with the tether strap, the seat never feels safe because of the tightening mechanism. Our other daughter's seat has a smooth tightening mechanism. This seat has one that clicks as it tightens, so over time the tugging loosens the belt that connects the latches. The seat begins to wiggle, and you have to retighten it. <br /><br />I can't believe we kept it so long, but carseats are expensive. With two daughters and two cars, we had to buy four seats. We went on a vacation recently, and one of the latches was broken at some point in baggage handling. I was so, so happy to be forced to buy a new seat.

How long have you owned it:

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

Comment:

Upon removing these from the box, we almost stuffed them back in for return. This isn't a wide seat, but it is TALL. Heavy, too. Installation in our three cars ('05 Subaru Legacy sedan, '09 Caliber, and '09 Mazda5) looked really tight fitting until we added the $10 foam block that Diono sells to increase the back angle and fill the depression in our rear bucket seats. With it, these seats fit wonderfully. Easy to get the munchkin in and out, and he falls asleep on any drive longer than 10 minutes. The installation instructions were clear and had cute QR-codes that we could scan to watch specific videos online. None of which was necessary. Install was a piece of cake. And they don't move. At. All. Even though the back is quite tall, when top tethered in our cars, they move maybe 3/4 laterally all the way at the top and it takes a great deal of force to do it.

How long have you owned it:

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.

Comment:

We bought these when our 3rd child was on the way and we realized that 3 car seats would not fit across in our Subaru Forester. Rather than get a new car we found these car seats and upgraded, they fit 3 across nicely.<br />We have had them 2 years now and they still look close to new. The fabric is easy to remove and launder should there be any car-sickness, etc (a big plus in my book) and my older kids find it easy to buckle themselves in.<br />They are not the easiest seats to adjust with one hand, but once adjusted they are easy to use in my opinion. <br />As others have said, they are heavy, but safety comes with a price. I absolutely recommend these seats, we only wish we had gotten these sooner and absolutely love them!

How long have you owned it:

Bottom Line

Yes, I would recommend this to a friend.