Customer Reviews

The First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat, Casino

5 star:		(213)
4 star:		(81)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(17)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

The First Years True Fit Convertible carseat is the BEST Carseat I have ever seen! If I had seen it when my 3 1/2 year old was growing out of her infant carrier seat, I would have refused my FREE Britax Roundabouts and paid for two True Fits to replace them. I'm so amazed that the seat can go from a tiny infant to a 65 lb. & 50 inch tall child!

I did prefer the infant carseats that detach from a base and have a comfortable carrying handle until my child was too heavy to carry. It's nice to have a safe clean portable "bed" for the very tiny ones, but after that, the True Fit is the safest and best option!

The seat has all the latest safety features plus a plush comfortable cover and padding. I love that the seat has side impact protection and that the company tests their products. My child is tall and very close to 40 inches & 40 lbs. and she loves the seat. We also tried a friends 8 year old in the seat and she works well too! Love the easy adjustable harness! No more removing the seat and rethreading! YIPEE! I also like that the seat reclines a little - great for naps. One of best features is the built-in seatbelt locking clip. I love that it's under the seat and will work with any lap & shoulder combo seatbelt. It was easy to get to thanks to the smart cover design!

I have seen some negative comments about there not being enough crotch space. If you leave the infant padding in the seat and try to put a toddler in the seat, yes, it's tight. The directions weren't very clear about removing it. If you remove the extra pad for a larger child, the space is great, even for an 8 year old.

It does take a few minutes to install the seat and it's heavy, but we have a The First Years Compass Premier Folding Adjustable Booster - Pacific Compass B510 booster seat as a second seat for moving from one vehicle to another for short trips. If we had had this seat as an option earlier, we would have purchased one for each vehicle. Divide the cost by 7 or 8 and compare it to some of your other yearly expenses!

We also love the way that the straps can be pulled around the "wings" of the seat when unbuckling the child. They'll stay there nicely until it's time to get back in. No sticky velcro to rip your delicate tutus! The straps cushions are a nice feature, but would also like a crotch buckle pad.

Don't like: The instructions could be better. Do not like the black area under the infant pad and the buckles. Prefer everything a lighter color, so it doesn't get so hot. We cover our seats with white towels to help. Light shades of tan or gray would be nice.

Love: Comfortable, safe, side-impact tested, soft fabric cover, plush padding. 5 point harness to 50 inches or 65 lbs. Installs tight and works well in small vehicles. Easy to customize the fit without removing and rethreading the harness, multiple crotch strap positions. Built-in locking clip.

Be sure to check out the demo at www.learningcurve.com

First let me say that this is a great seat. It's padded, comes with several inserts to support different size babies. The optional headrest is nice. I have now installed two of these seats, one into a new Volkswagen Jetta, and one into the previous model Jetta (which has a slightly smaller backseat). There are a few inconveniences, but once you figure it out, the seat does exactly what it's supposed to.

The biggest problem, and this took me over an hour to figure out, is that the seat comes ready for a forward facing installation. I installed both of my seats rear-facing, and I was going NUTS figuring out how to get the latch belt/system to look like it did in the pictures. If only they would have mentioned in the directions that of the box, the latch belt comes set in the forward facing position, it would have saved me a lot of time. You actually have to reposition the belt to make it look like the poorly worded pictures. Once I figured that out, installing seat two took less than 20 minutes. Now that I understand all this it makes sense. The latches themselves are made to go on in a certain way, and by default in rear-facing they were backwards. That makes sense now because it came ready for a forward-facing install.

Another problem I faced was achieving the proper incline. Coming from a chicco infant base that had easy to read bubble levels, the true fit simply has a skinny red sticker on the side that is supposed to be parallel to the floor. I'll tell you right now, in the backseats of both jettas, getting the line parallel isn't feasible. First of all, I had to wedge something underneath to give it more incline (like a pool noodle). The problem with this is that my son is over 22 lbs, so I have to have the headrest installed. At this incline, I would have to put it behind the passenger seat, and move that front seat up so far that no one could sit in it. If you're looking to get this seat for a small child that has very little neck control, you might look elsewhere. My son is over 10 months old and about 25 lbs, and installing the carseat with no type of wedge probably puts the red line about 15-20 degrees higher than parallel. For him it's fine, but for younger babies be careful. I know this is a problem in almost all convertible car seats and small backseats, but you can never have enough info on how these things will probably fit in your car. My last complaint about the incline is that one of my red stickers is already falling off and I had to put tape over it. I wants a bubble level!

My last comment is about the 5-point latch. Overall it's very easy to use. I had problems with it getting twisted the first couple times I used it, but now that I know what I'm doing I haven't had any problems. My other initial problem was that the strap you pull to cinch it all down onto the baby was never explained. In my old chicco you simply pulled on it, and the harder you pulled the more it cinched. The true fit doesn't work that way. You actually have to pull, release, pull, release, and it sort of works like a "pump" system. Everytime you pull, it will only cinch a little, and to get it to cinch more, you have to release slightly and tug again. Once you figure it out it works great and helps you to not crush your child, but again, it was never explained anywhere that I could see.

I hope no one takes the above as reasons not to buy this car seat. I detail the above only to save other people the headache of figuring out a manual that is poorly worded at times. There's lots of pictures which is nice, but car seat makers don't need to assume we're all illiterate. Put a paragraph or two in the manual that explains how your car seat works. Really, it would be fine.

Highly recommended!

The First Years/Learning Curve Truefit is truly an awesome seat! The harness height goes from 10"-18" (with 4 total slots) and adjusts easily without removing the seat. It rear faces from 5-35lbs, and forward faces to 65lbs. It has lockoffs, so it installs easily with a seatbelt or the lower anchors-the locks offs are easy to use.
The seat has a removeable headrest for infants who are less than 22 lbs (and whose head is 1" from the top of the shell). This makes the seat easier to fit rear-facing. Once the child reaches 22+lbs, the headrest needs to be put on (and the child should be kept rear-facing until s/he reaches 35lbs or is within 1" of the top of the shell). Rear-facing is 4x safer than forward facing. My 2 year old son is still rear-facing and will be until he is either too heavy or too tall.
It's a comfortable seat with lots of EPP foam and padding. The Misty Morning pattern is very soft and cozy. My daughter, at 44", 42lbs, and a 16" torso, still fits, height wise, in this seat. She really liked it.
I have (or have had) lots of carseats. Among them, the Evenflo Triumph Advance, the Radian65, Evenflo Triumph V, Britax Regent, and Fisher Price Safe Voyage Deluxe (Britax Marathon clone). The Truefit is easily one of my favorites.
The best carseat is one that fits your child, fits your budget, fits your vehicle, and will be installed correctly EVERY SINGLE TIME! Make sure to read the manual for any seat purchased and know how to install it correctly. And go to a seat check/call a tech if you have any questions.
My children's safety, in the car, is of prime importance to me. I can keep them safer by keeping them harnessed, in the safest seat/s I can afford, for as long as possible.

My love affair with The First Years True Fit Convertible Car Seat started before it came onto the market. I pre-ordered it a few years ago and when it arrived I was pleased as punch. Over the past few years, my love for this seat has continued - it is easy to use and comfortable for my son. While ease of use and comfort are important, what really counts is how well it protects my child in an accident. Unfortunately, we had that experience earlier this week. I'm happy to report that my son (turning 4 in two months, 40lbs) escaped this accident with some minor whiplash in his neck and nothing else. According to his pediatric chiropractor, his shoulders, hips, and legs are all okay.

This past Monday (2/28) we were in a pretty bad car crash. We were making a left hand turn in our VW Jetta station wagon (2002) when the car behind us plowed into our car at 40mph. Our airbags deployed and the fire department had to move our car out of the street. Our car has been declared "totaled". The driver didn't even slam on his brakes (uhhhh, texting????). He hit the rear quarter, just above the driver side rear tire. I was sitting behind the driver (my husband) & suffered severe whiplash & a concussion. Our son was sitting next to me in the outboard front facing position. His side of the car was not hit.

Being that this was a side-impact collision, I'm feeling really grateful for this seat's side impact protection. There is enough cushioning to keep the seat comfortable for long rides, but it is solid enough to prevent unnecessary body movement upon impact.

I called The First Years to see if they had a seat replacement program for seats that were no longer usable due to collisions and they cheerfully said, "YES!", asked me a few questions, and are sending me a new seat FREE OF CHARGE. I can use the box to send them my unusable seat & they are paying for shipping. Note: This does NOT fall under the warranty, it is a service that they provide for accidents.

I should also add that a car seat is only as safe as it is installed and used. That said, I want to comment on other aspects that contributed to my son's safety during the accident. I used the tether strap on top of the seat, in addition to the seat belt. Both were fastened so that the seat didn't move an inch in any direction. Our car's seat belt locks after being fully extended, so the belt didn't have any give, either. Every time he is buckled into the harness, the straps are tightened & not twisted so that no more than two fingers fit under each side of the harness. The upper cross buckle is always at his armpits. The waist straps sit at his waist, are never twisted, and are also snug. He doesn't wear a thick winter coat in his car seat (it reduces safety, but we warm the car up to keep him comfortable!).

The design of this seat has made it easy to be consistent with the above mentioned safety measures.

* Ease of install. I can take this seat out of the car or put it in in less than two minutes. Even in the taxi cab ride home post-accident (yes, we are replacing the seat), it was easy to do considering my nerves were fried, my body was hurting, and it was a car I wasn't familiar with.
* Easy harness height adjustment. Ever put your kid in a seat (or in clothes!) and think, "Gee, when did you grow so much?!" There have been a couple of times I've put him in the seat and realized his harness straps were too low. All I had to do was take him out and adjust the levers on the side of the seat. I didn't even have to remove the seat from the car. Easy peasy.
* Side impact protection for the head/neck, shoulders, and hips/legs.

Other stuff I love that has nothing to do with safety.
* The cover is a breeze to remove and wash.
* It doesn't take up a lot of space in the car. We could fit two additional passengers in the back seat without the middle person feeling squished. The front to back size doesn't interfere with the front passenger/driver leg room when front facing. Rear facing was fine without the headrest. Once the headrest was on (he grew!), I had to turn it around to front facing. Granted, this was a bit annoying, but not a dealbreaker.
* Asa likes the cup holder. It is deep enough to securely hold his water bottle.
* My son is comfortable on long road trips (2+ hours). He may get restless, but he's not complaining about his back/butt hurting.
* There is a good amount of room between the back edge (where his butt meets the seat) and the front buckle (~6 inches). Some seats don't have this much room.
* This seat has a long life! I like that the harness height is pretty tall. I also like that this seat is safe until 65lbs. Asa will stay in this seat until he outgrows it. I will replace it with a combination 5pt harness booster seat (Radian XT or Graco Nautilus) and he will stay harnessed as long as it is safe.

Technically, my son could fit into a booster seat or a combination harness/booster seat. Since our accident I've seriously considered changing to a different one. But then I realized that since this seat still fits him, it clearly kept him safe, and we are getting it replaced for free that it just doesn't make sense to 'upgrade'. I've never felt stressed out about using this seat because it is so user friendly. The price is great for everything you get. And it kept my kid safe. I'm sure other seats would have done the same, but since our accident, I'm feeling especially partial to this one.

I am a mom of two and have been shopping for car seats for awhile. I wanted a car seat for my baby that was out growing her infant car seat. I wanted something that would go the distance; keep her rear facing until at least 18 months, and also would keep her in a 5 point harness longer than the average 40 lbs. This seat caught my attention because of the removable headrest for a better fit rear facing in average size cars. But I didn't know that when you read the manual it says :

Important Note!!
For rear-facing use without the headrest, maximum weight is 22 lbs, and the child's head must be 1" below the top of the seat. With the headrest, the maximum weight is 35 lbs, and the head must be 1" below the top of the seat.

My daughter is now 13 months old and weighs 22 1/2 lbs so in order to keep her rear facing, which I hope to do as long as she will allow, I will have to put on the headrest and then it doesn't fit any better in our car that any other car seat. I'm going to get another Radian 80 for my 1 year old. We bought one for my 3 year old when she outgrew her Britax roundabout and the Radian is solid.

I love everything about this seat except for two things:

1. Red Level Line
The level line, if observed, actually throws the seat into a recline beyond 45 degrees in most vehicles - this is unsafe! If you put the seat more towards a 35 degree angle, it fits better in the vehicle.

2. Harness Tension Adjuster Strap
Lovely how First Years placed it in a location where it's buried between the carseat and the back seat of the car when the child is rear-facing. Clearly, the engineers did not use their brains when they did this.

HOWEVER, there is a work-around for #2:
Instead of loosening and tightening the harness every time your child goes in and out of the seat, take advantage of the continuous harness. Basically, pull one side of the harness out as far as it will go and take that arm out, then repeat on the other side. You will not have to use the adjuster strap if you do this.

Fabulous seat with only a couple of design flaws. If First Years will simply change the location of their harness tension strap, fix the red line and then stop trying to b.s. people about "easier install due to removable headrest" (come on - everyone knows most will keep their kids rear-facing past 22 pounds, thus requiring the headrest) this seat could easily give Britax a long overdue run for their money.

I just received our seat yesterday and I LOVE IT!! has everything and it has a latch system that can even be used for rear-facing. My 4.5 month old smiled and was happy when we put her in it and my 4 year old sat in it to see how it would be for when she is older and she said it was very comfortable! I love everything about this seat.

I encourage you though to read the instructions before trying to figure out where they store the latch system out and how to install the seat. It is an easy install and directions are great just make sure you read first! :)

Since the headrest comes off for rear-facing it fits great in a backseat!!

..... was not having discovered this carseat in the first place. My wife and I did not realize that this would have been the only seat we ever needed. We started off with a Graco seat from the Meridian Collection. Positive side is that we had all matching gear. Negative side is that we had to go out and buy another seat. All in all this was easy to install and I am absolutely confident in it's security. Do not be dissuaded by a previous users post that she could push the seat up and back against the backseat of the car. Making mention that she thought the baby's face would get slammed into it in a head-on collision (she went with a different brand). Shoddy physics aside, she either installed the seat incorrectly or has stock in the brand she is claiming to have switched to, because I checked on this claim and it is completely false.
Lots of easy to use adjsutments... I especially liked the idiot-proof harness strap adjustment that the aforementioned poster/reviewer also could not get to work correctly :)
Great seat, great value... make it your first and last purchase.

I researched for hours, days, weeks... for just the right car seat to fit the needs of my 5 1/2 month old little girl, who is over 100 percentile for weight and height, and had already outgrown her infant carrier seat. This seat is perfect. Although she is already too long to be able to use it with the head rest taken off, it is no bigger than any other convertible car seat that does not have that great option when head rest is attached. She was also too tall and big to still use the infant height insert, which is ok too, because even without it, she seems extremely comfortable in it. Even though it does not have multiple recline positions like others offer, when rear-faced, it reclines plenty. Never have a problem with her head flopping forward. She sleeps very well in it. The material is extremely soft and easily wiped clean, and was not difficult to install. You just really have to read the directions closely and kind of figure things out on your own as you go when the directions seem a bit unclear. I did have to use pool noodle to level the car seat, since it is a reclining bucket seat in the middle of the van and the seat angles, but you have to do that with numerous other car seats as well. I have that thing in there so tight, it doesn't budge. I can't say enough about the car seat- it is great for the price and the options. The seat is nice and deep, with steep sides, so I feel confident that she'll be safe in an accident if impacted from the side. Also love that when you loosen the harness straps completely when taking her out, that they can then fit over the top sides of the car seat so that they are then out of the way until you put her back in, then you can pull them down and back over her to buckle and tighten. Also love that I can keep her rearfacing until 35lbs. I would recommend this to anyone I know with a newborn/infant. I think that it would work great with newborn rearfacing with the headrest off and insert in since it is very plush and seems like it would be comfortable and fit the infant well and not be too spacious and big for a newborn-6 months.

As a mom of 3 young children, I've installed my fair share of carseats and booster seats over the years. This one is by far one of the easiest to install. It was quick and painless to get a very tight fit rearfacing in 2nd/middle row of our SUV.

The whole 'removable headrest' thing is very deceiving, though. Once a child hits 22lbs or a certain height, the headrest is needed for rear facing. My 10 month old already needs it installed so it doesn't fit any better than other rear facing carseats we have. In fact, it fits worse. But we're keeping it because our old carseat we were using rear-facing is 5 years old (only 6 months left until the expiration date) and only goes rearfacing to 22lbs.

The other issue I have is that there's no way a child can sit in this seat until they hit 65lbs. My 6 year old is 49 lbs and he tried to sit in it (just playing around - he's in his booster seat in the car) while it was in the family room when we took it out of the box. He could barely squeeze in and he's fairly average, if not small, for his age. Heck, even my almost-3-year-old was squished in it and she's only 37 lbs! Oh well... it'll get my youngest to be rear-facing until 18-24 months like we want and by then the Graco Nautilus will be freed up because the other daughter will be moving to a booster seat.

Other than those 2 things, we love this seat. Easy to install, good price, comfortable for the baby, etc.