Orbit Baby Toddler Car Seat, Black
by Orbit Baby
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Our Price: $360.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Baby Product See more product details |
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Baby Products Reviews of Orbit Baby Toddler Car Seat, Black
Customer Review: Sturdy system, depite few glitches
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm overall really pleased with the orbit toddler system My child has grown with the entire Orbit line ... he started with infant carseat and stroller, and now is in the toddler carseat. We still use the carseat with the stroller, but also have the toddler stroller seat for more convenience.
The positives: The toddler carseat, when docked for rear facing, or when using the braces and latch belts for forward facing, is very very sturdy -- a lot sturdier than other systems I have tested. My son is comfortable and has no problem sleeping in it, and the upholstery is easy to remove and clean.
The drawbacks: If you need to put the toddler seat in forward facing, you do not need the base, in which case you need some sort of hook to attach the anchor down in the back behind the seat. I have an old Honda Civic that doesn't have a latch system or hook. So while the shoulder/lap seatbelt anchor the toddler seat against the chair, I worry that if I am rear-ended in an accident, the carseat would move forward too much because I don't have any place to anchor the seat down in the back. So for now, in this car, we have no choice but to place our son sitting only in a rear-facing position where we use the base. In a small car like a Civic, having the seat in a rear facing position can make it difficult to see out the back.
Which brings me to the next drawback ... in the rear facing position in my old Civic, I can't use the sun shade because it would block my view while driving. This isn't normally a big deal, but I did have to buy one of those mesh window shades -- after a super hot day and long drive when I realized my son got sunburned through the window because I didn't have the carseat shade up.
All of the above drawbacks are not a problem in our other car, which is bigger, has the latch system/hook system, and is big enough to see over the carseat while driving. It's just when the seat is installed in my Civic (that doesn't have a latch system) that it's a problem.
Finally, I agree with the earlier review that the seatbelts do get tangled, which seems to bother my husband a lot when he's trying to buckle our son in. I generally don't have a problem untwisting the belts.
I do take my son in and out of the car in the toddler car seat and dock it on the stroller. It's admittedly heavy to lift in and out of the car with him in it, but sometimes it's just easier to move him while he's already strapped in than to unbuckle him and put him into some other stroller or backpack. So, I'm really happy about it still working with the stroller.
Customer Review: WOULD NOT buy if I did it all over again
Summary: 1 Stars
I was adamant about buying a stroller sysytem that provided the most amount of ease. We loved the idea of the car seat base, stroller, etc. that all worked in sync. In fact, we loved the Orbit system until it was time to transition to the toddler car seat. This seat is awful. I gave this review one star only because we liked the system in the past and I consider our past experience with the infant seat to be positive. If I were to review this only on the toddler seat, I would probably give the review ZERO stars.
The straps on the toddler seat become twisted every day...multiple times per day. When a parent is getting into their car and needs to travel somewhere, the last thing you feel like doing is untwisting or reattaching the car seat straps for 20 min plus. Unfortunately, what usually happens is that the car seat straps do not get unraveled due to time constraints and our daughter is probably never in the seat securely. Which brings me to the safety concern...I NEVER feel quite like my daughter is safe. The straps are ALWAYS (110% OF THE TIME) an issue and she is always sitting in there somewhat loose. Secondly, because my daughter needs to face forward because of car sickness, we can no longer use the base. The base can only be used if the child is rear facing. So, for the last year she has been facing forward using the braces and that also always feels loose.
Both my husband and I are educated individuals and are astonished at the amount of time and effort it takes us to get our child into this seat correctly. I am sorely disappointed because the seat is extremely expensive, but once you buy into the system, you almost have to go with this awful seat.
Therefore, unfortunately, if I did this all over again, I would completely go with a different stroller system and stay away from the Orbit all together. And, if you are thinking of adding an addtional child to your family, this really should be a non-issue in terms of buying a different system...the orbit system isn't compatible with any double stroller systems and they do not offer one themselves.
Customer Review: Sturdy and safe, but not used with stroller
Summary: 3 Stars
We were so relieved that we were able to buy this product at last despite the lengthy delays prior to its release. It should be noted that once the seat becomes forward-facing, the famous "docking" car seat base, needed for the Orbit infant car seat, is not used at all. This went against my expectation of the Orbit system "growing with your baby". We had put off buying a forward-facing car seat, despite my child's discomfort with her legs significantly hanging over, as I had thought we would still use the base, so I feel a tad misled. This would have been less of an issue if the seat had been available towards the end of 2007 as was originally promoted.
Anyhow now that we have it in our car, our toddler enjoys being in her seat and the elevated position helps with her ability to see more out the window (which is helpful in keeping her entertained with the passing view and therefore less temper tantrum prone!)
It is well constructed as well as fairly easy to put together and install. Our only gripe is, similar to the Orbit infant car seat (but worse), the seat belts get tangled very easily. Given the earlier reviewers raves about Orbit's customer service, I'll be contacting them this week to see if they can help us resolve this recurring issue. We have not used it as a stroller seat (as advertised) because the forward-facing seat does not use the patented dock, and thus the convenience of being able to rotate the seat off the dock and into the stroller (like the infant car seat) is not available. For us, it is easier and faster to take her out into a more compact stroller, such as the Maclaren Techno Sport, rather than re-do all the seat-belt anchors when we return to our car.
Customer Review: Safe and secure, with a few drawbacks
Summary: 4 Stars
First, the pros:
1. It looks great -- sleek and subtle.
2. The fabric is super comfy and my daughter has no problem falling asleep in it.
3. Once installed, it is very sturdy and does not shift at all.
4. It's big enough that she'll be able to fit in it for years to come.
5. The straps are easy to losen and tighten without any problem.
6. It's easy to buckle and unbuckle.
7. It's the only carseat where the fabric does not off-gas, which gives me peace of mind since my daughter was premature and prone to respiratory problems.
The cons:
1. The straps twist easily, and are very difficult to untangle once they're twisted, requiring tiny fingers and focused concentration.
2. It's not exactly a breeze to install, even with the latch system. In fact, we're going to have to get another carseat for our 2nd car because this one is just too hard to install and uninstall unless you have plenty of time.
3. It takes a lot of manipulation to raise the straps up a level.
4. It's B-I-G! Too big and too heavy to make it easy to take on a plane. I wouldn't even attempt it, in fact.
5. The buckle is mighty close to my daughter's little thighs, and she's petite. She's gotten pinched twice, in fact. Poor baby!
6. The size also can create some blind spots when driving, particularly if you're using the sunshade. In fact, although the sunshade was a selling point for me. We wound up tinting our back windows and giving up on the sunshade altogether.
Overall, it is a nice design and seems increadibly secure. Since safety is really the #1 factor in carseat purchasing, I give it 4 stars.
Customer Review: I have a lot of different Toddler stroller things and car seats, and this one is not that great
Summary: 2 Stars
When my son was born the Orbit was not available. That being said, we purchased the Bugaboo. When it came time for us to purchase a toddler car seat, we purchased the Orbit, as the thought was we travel so much, buying the toddler stroller system would be ideal. So we purchased ANOTHER expensive stroller system. Bugaboo vs Orbit- The Chameleon, although big, I think handles a lot better than the Orbit. It also seems to be made better.
We have a Brittax carseat in my husbands car. I love love love that carseat so much better. The Orbit toddler carseat has not held up well at all. The upholstry looks horrible after 2 years of use, and needs to be replaced, which is going to cost me... yet another $55. It is heavy, and incredibly bulky to travel with. But it does function well at the airport, after you get over the weight of the thing. Going back, I don't think I would have purchased the Orbit knowing what I know now.
Now I'm pregnant again- and feel my "hands are tied" into buying an infant carseat for a whopping $400. I've already spent so much on this thing, I want to get some use out of it. And my stroller has been BARELY used. So it's time to get some good use. I plan on using both stroller systems with my next kiddo.
There are bugs this company has to work out. For a VERY expensive stroller system, you have to function well, not only look cool. I've been told, however, Orbit is great for infants, it's toddlers that it struggles with. So I will be able to see how it handles with a baby. Let's see. But between now and then, I'm going to be spending more money on this crazy stroller system. AWESOME.