I have always been intrigued by the safety products that Chicco has to offer and have only ever heard great things about them. I hadn’t used a Chicco car seat until I tried out the Fit2, and after trying out and loving it with my youngest, I was excited to upgrade him to the Chicco NextFit iX Zip. Although he most likely had a couple of months left in the Fit2 before reaching the height limit, I wanted to make sure that I had another option lined up for when he was ready to upgrade to a convertible. When we upgraded my vehicle to a Ford Explorer, our larger convertible car seats no longer fit rear facing and I was most likely going to borrow my parent’s car seat for the time being so I was definitely excited to get the NextFit iX Zip to use and review, especially because I want to make sure I keep my 22 month old son rear facing for as long as possible.
When I first opened the box and took out seat, I honestly thought that it looked big and that it wasn’t going to fit in my SUV just like my other car seats, my husband was skeptical too. Imagine my surprise and delight when I installed the car seat and saw the amount of space between the installed car seat and the front passenger seat, I was even able to slide the passenger seat back quite a bit giving more leg room up front—it was pretty tight from his other seat!
The NextFit iX Zip can accommodate newborns who weigh as little as 5 lbs. with the newborn insert up to toddlers who weigh 40 lbs. in the rear facing position. When your child is ready, this seat can accommodate children in the front facing position up to 65 lbs. and 49” tall. My youngest is MAYBE 25 lbs. so he can be rear facing for a while without reaching the limit, though once 35 lbs. is reached, LATCH can no longer be used and the seat belt will need to be used to secure the seat. When installing the seat in the rear facing position, use the angle adjuster numbers 1-4 and ensure the level indicator is in the correct spot and that baby’s head isn’t falling forward.
The NextFit iX Zip can accommodate newborns who weigh as little as 5 lbs. with the newborn insert up to toddlers who weigh 40 lbs. in the rear facing position. When your child is ready, this seat can accommodate children in the front facing position up to 65 lbs. and 49” tall. My youngest is MAYBE 25 lbs. so he can be rear facing for a while without reaching the limit, though once 35 lbs. is reached, LATCH can no longer be used and the seat belt will need to be used to secure the seat. When installing the seat in the rear facing position, use the angle adjuster numbers 1-4 and ensure the level indicator is in the correct spot and that baby’s head isn’t falling forward.
Installing the seat using the LATCH system was seriously mind blowing. I have always had to put my weight into my car seats when installing, but not with the NextFit. There are 2 sides to the LATCH straps to tighten, first you pull to tighten the side with the number 1 and then you tighten the SuperCinch side of the LATCH….and let me tell you—it is SUPER. The SuperCinch gets the car seat very tight and secure without a struggle and pulls the LATCH straps tight for you, like a wench system. So easy! If you haven’t tried out the SuperCinch of the NextFit, head to your local baby store to try it out, it is an amazing feature and I am super confident in the rear facing install.
As if the SuperCinch LATCH system wasn’t amazing enough, the Zip part in NextFit iX Zip is also a car seat game changer. The top cover of the car seat zips completely off for easy cleaning/washing and the strap covers come off as well. No need to take out the entire car seat to clean if there is accident or small spill. Some other great features include the side strap pads for the legs/hips that actually stay open on their own to keep the harness straps open for ease of putting baby in the seat. I like these because the straps don’t dig and keep baby comfy. The harness straps tighten with a pull strap on the front of the seat so adjusting for the right fit is always in reach, and the harness is a no re-thread system that adjusts with the raising and lowering of the headrest, which has 9 positions.
As if the SuperCinch LATCH system wasn’t amazing enough, the Zip part in NextFit iX Zip is also a car seat game changer. The top cover of the car seat zips completely off for easy cleaning/washing and the strap covers come off as well. No need to take out the entire car seat to clean if there is accident or small spill. Some other great features include the side strap pads for the legs/hips that actually stay open on their own to keep the harness straps open for ease of putting baby in the seat. I like these because the straps don’t dig and keep baby comfy. The harness straps tighten with a pull strap on the front of the seat so adjusting for the right fit is always in reach, and the harness is a no re-thread system that adjusts with the raising and lowering of the headrest, which has 9 positions.
This convertible car seat is packed with so many amazing features, I can’t believe I hadn’t tried a NextFit sooner! I would recommend this car seat to everyone, especially parents with compact vehicles as it is a fairly compact seat compared to many others, and parents who have disabilities or issues where tightening car seats may hurt their hands as the SuperCinch system does not require as much effort as a typical LATCH car seat. I LOVE the Chicco NextFit iX Zip, and have yet to find a feature that I do not like in it. You can purchase a NextFit iX Zip car seat on the Chicco website here for $349.99, or at Babies R Us or Target (prints vary by store).
*I received this item for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
*I received this item for free in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.
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