Submitted By: Melinda Date: 05/21/2008
I've been eager to review this product. It is ALMOST everything I've looked for in an infant seat. We considered all of the top-reviewed infant seats from Chicco, Peg Perego, Graco, and Britax, plus others. This seat was $159.99 from Baby Earth (great service btw). That's close-to, but still less-than each of the others I've mentioned (we only considered decked-out Gracos).
I'll start with the good:
-This seat is LIGHT. I'd be surprized to find a lighter infant seat, and if there is one available, it will not compare to this seat in any other area.
-Extremely COMFORTABLE for baby. The foam in this seat is thick and cushy all over the place. Significantly more cushy than any of Graco's GracoPedic seats (SS1 and Snugride) which we also considered. The newborn insert is made of plush, comfy material and is perfectly supportive of my 2 1/2 month-old's head. My baby honestly smiles every time she gets in this seat. When she falls asleep in it she stays asleep even once she's brought back into the house. She has never once complained about being in this seat. No lie.
-Very SAFE. Yes a Britax Companion is probably the safest seat for your infant, but if your baby is alert like mine they will hate sitting in it, especially with the side-impact insert (we have a companion too so I'm speaking from personal experience). There are large padded wings in the I-420 that provide side-impact protection and support the new-born insert perfectly. They will not force fat babies out of the seat early though so not to worry.
Furthermore the ENTIRE seat is lined with EPS energy-absorbing foam and incorporates metal in many places of it's componentry.
-Convenient for parents. The handle is shaped for carrying on the elbo. It's easier to carry than the Chicco Keyfit 30, the Britax Companion, the Peg Perego SIP, the Graco Snugride, and even the SS1. The handle is so well padded and the seat clicks into it's base virtually as easy as the Chicco Keyfit 30. You just set it in and there is virtually no chance of false "clicks." The base has a fantastic leveling system with an indicator as well.
-Supreme build-quality. The I-420 fabric is second only to the plush Peg Perego SIP (though it's better than the Peg in nearly every other way). However the Peg SIP cover cannot be machine washed. This seat just feels well built. Futhermore it's marketed to sell with the Inglesina Zippy stroller.
The bad???:
-cannot be used without the base. With how well-thought-out this seat is, I have to assume that Compass has made it this way to keep safety statistics high. A minor set-back unless you're doing a lot of taxi-cabbing.
So I recommend this seat to people who want the most comfort for their baby, the convenience of the Chicco Keyfit 30, the build-quality of the Peg Perego SIP (without the insane weight), the safety (nearly) of the Britax Companion, and the lightness of a Graco Snugride (or lighter).
And buy a Zippy to match it like we did.
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