[chibaby]

Hi ladies - I'm trying to decide between the Peg Perego Primo Viaggio and the Chicco Keyfit 30 for my little one due later this year. I can get a great deal for the Peg at about the same price for the Keyfit (Peg's are usually about $100 more). Are any of you planning on using these car seats or have used them before? I'd be interested in the pros and cons of both.

Have you decided which seat you will be using? Which one and why? TIA!

 

[firewoman]

I bought a Maxi Cosi Cabriofix with the Isofix base for my last baby and will be using it again. I have used a lot of different infant seats in my time as a mother and it was by far the best one. I loved it.

 

[Talula Fairie]

Britax and Recaro are two of the highest rated seats as far as safety (not sure about Peg Pergo, I know it's a high end brand, but I don't know if their carseats are worth the price). Graco makes the most popular infant seat, I believe it's pretty high on the safety ratings as well (it's called the Snug Ride).

Personally, I hated bucket seats. Yeah it was nice to be able to easily remove my sleeping baby from the car, but I found with #2 she was just as likely to fall asleep in a sling if I took her all the way out of her seat. Bucket seats are bulky to carry, bang into your leg and cause all kinds of bruises, plus, I found out recently you're not even supposed to put a baby in there for long periods. The angle that they are at is great for a car crash, but it's not as good for sleeping and could cause breathing problems.

I'm going to buy a new Recaro booster seat for my oldest and give the baby her Britax Marathon. I actually think the Marathon is the best carseat ever. The straps NEVER twist, it's super easy to adjust and install, it lasts from infancy well through toddlerhood (my average sized four year old just recently went to the highest notch for height), and you can easily remove the cover for washing. It's just a great seat overall. Best money I ever spent.

 

[catters]

I had/have a Peg Perego SIP that I used with my son. It is a nice seat but HEAVY AS A BEAST. Seriously, it is so heavy. Also, I felt that it didn't recline enough, so his head was always dropping forward until he could hold it up, then, if he was asleep, he would drop forward again.
But other than the fact that I wasn't convinced it was comfortable AND SOOOO HEAVY, it did clip into our stroller just fine (Bugaboo Gecko) and was rated very safe.

I just bought a Maxi Cosi Mico for our new baby. It will also clip into our stroller but not the double I have gotten. I'll keep the Peg Perego for the double stroller until she can sit in the stroller proper (jogging stroller).

BUT, usually I just put the baby in a sling, so carrying the Peg Perego wasn't THAT much of a hassle. We usually only took it out when DS was asleep in it and we were going to go into a restaurant or something, and he'd just sleep right through dinner. It was nice that way.

 

[xelakann]

We'll be borrowing a friend's Graco until we are out of newborn phase, then purchase a Britax Marathon--or maybe get a Britax Regent and give that to our toddler and give new baby big bro's Marathon.

Either way we love Britax, but the infant bucket seat does come in hand in the those early weeks.

 

[Aufilia]

This is kind of a general comment, I'm not familiar with either carseat... but we already decided not to get an infant bucket again with #2. They're sooo awkward to carry, it was always easier just to get DD out and put her in a wrap than lug the carseat around. I'd really only consider a bucket if you live somewhere with nasty winters (we live in Seattle, the worst we'll get here is cold rain) or really need it to snap into a stroller.

We're just going to get a convertible and probably it'll be the True Fit, as many of other convertibles don't have low enough harness positions for a newborn. (We put DD into a Marathon at 4 months and she was just BARELY big enough for the lowest harness position then.)

There's a multi-page thread about carseats in the October DDC, in case you're interested in browsing there.

 

[mags]

I would avoid the peg, I have heard some negative things about them. I'm getting a graco snugride 32. I don't like infant seats, BUT I have to deal with preschool and 1/2 day K drop offs and pick ups next yr and winters here are brutal. So, I will end up having to depend on the infant seat. The chicco was the other one I really wanted, but the price difference was more than $50 more than the graco. I would rate the two top infant seats as the graco and chiccos, you can't go wrong with either one.

 

[sunshynbaby]

I registered for an Evenflo Symphony Convertible Car Seat because it lasts until the baby is practically driving themselves, lol. My nephews had the carrier-type car seats, and they were always too heavy and awkward for me to carry around, so I don't get the convenience factor... I also don't like the way people tend to put those (with their precious little baby in them) on the ground/floor. I'd rather have the baby in a sling or stroller outside of the car.

 

[Carlin]

We are leaning towards the Peg Perego. My first choice was the Chicco Keyfit, but we want a BOB stroller, and only the Peg Perego and Graco carseats will work with the adaptor. I've heard a few things about the Graco seats that make me want to avoid them.

Due to our winters in Alberta I think an infant seat is the best bet for us. I don't like the idea of strapping a little baby into a freezing cold car seat at 30 below zero, and they can't safely have a snow suit on under the straps, so we need to be able to bring the seat into the house. I have no intention of carrying the baby around in it so I'm not too concerned with weight of the seat. Nor would I leave the baby sitting in it for long periods of time!

 

[chibaby]

That's the exact same reason we are considering the Peg....compatibility with the Bob Revolution! The Chicco's are not compatible. I'm torn between using the Chicco and purchasing a stroller frame (I've heard the Maclaren Easy Traveller fits really well with the Keyfit) and using the Bob separately. Or getting the car seat adapter and using the Peg and Bob together.

I think I would prefer the Chicco, especially since I will be using it longer (infant can seat in the Bob starting at 8 weeks). But I really want to use them together and not have to purchase another stroller!

 

[azohri]

I've heard of babies having severe skin reactions to the Keyfit 30. We're going with the snugride 32 - I don't expect to use the bucket feature very much but wanted something that would fit a newborn well. It will also be nice to be able to take the seat into the house when the weather is really hot or cold so we can load the baby up in the house and don't have burning buckles, etc.

 

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Family safety.

 

[ihugtrees]

I am getting the Premiere True Fit Convertible. Buckets make me uneasy because of the safety factor, and after reading lots about different seats, I decided on the Premiere True Fit.

 

[Talula Fairie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by xelakann We'll be borrowing a friend's Graco until we are out of newborn phase, then purchase a Britax Marathon--or maybe get a Britax Regent and give that to our toddler and give new baby big bro's Marathon. Either way we love Britax, but the infant bucket seat does come in hand in the those early weeks.

I wish Britax made a plain booster seat. They used to, but it's been discontinued. The only one they sell now is a front facing carseat/booster combo, and it's the same price as a Marathon. I just can't see paying that much for a front-facing-only seat. Recaro is rated as high as Britax and they make a booster seat that's more reasonably priced (I think it's like $80).

 

[Ceili]

We're getting a Combi Shuttle. We have an almost brand new Marathon sitting in our storage unit, but ds just barely fit appropriately when he was a newborn and he was really long (90% for height and just barely fit above the first strap slots). I don't want to buy a different full size convertible because I plan to use the Marathon when the new baby fits into it. We have a stroller with a carry cot (pram) so carseat/stroller adapters aren't an issue and I don't like the idea of using a bucket seat on a stroller, it seems like that could lead to the baby spending way too much time strapped in a less than ideal position.

 

[snoopy5386]

I would go with whatever one has the higher weight/length limits. From what I can tell they seem to be the same. If that is the case then I would go with whatever one works with your stroller.

 

[an_aurora]

Britax seats don't fit the vast majority of newborns well, so I'd suggest getting a bucket or a different convertible until the baby fits into the Britax.

 

[snoopy5386]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunshynbaby I registered for an Evenflo Symphony Convertible Car Seat because it lasts until the baby is practically driving themselves, lol. My nephews had the carrier-type car seats, and they were always too heavy and awkward for me to carry around, so I don't get the convenience factor... I also don't like the way people tend to put those (with their precious little baby in them) on the ground/floor. I'd rather have the baby in a sling or stroller outside of the car.

If I were you I would seriously reconsider this seat. While it does RF from 5-35 lbs, it only forward faces until 40 lbs which is very low. Many children hit 40 lbs or outgrow the seat by height (when their shoulders are above the top harness slots) before 4 years old which is the MINIMUM recommended age (and in some places the law) to go into a booster. Also, as a general rule, 3 in 1 seats like this one don't make very good boosters and most carseats expire after 6 years so you would have to get a new seat at that point anyways.
I would get a truefit. It harnesses to 65 lbs, has high harness slots and will realistically keep your child harnessed until age 5 or 6. At that point you can get a booster.

 

[an_aurora]

I agree with Nicole--the Symphony actually has VERY high top slots which will get most kids to 40 pounds, but I'd much rather go with a seat that harnesses to 65 pounds so that more kids will make it to a safe booster age and weight in the seat.

 

[JamieB]

Well I've never seen the Peg but I have seen the Keyfit 30 and wow is it ever nice. I don't know if the Peg is as easy to install with latch but the Chicco seems really easy. Also, it is really really light which is a huge plus when you need to acutally carry it. My friend's baby is huge and he would fit in it for a while.