Review on 🚗 Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat, Chambers: Top-notch Safety and Convenience for Your Child by Angie Johnson

Don't Buy This Rear Facing Car Seat! This puts your child at risk unless you are heavy and very strong as it is almost impossible to install correctly. Please note this review is for a rear facing car seat only, I have not used it forward facing. I bought this car seat because the reviews say it takes up less space in the front and back than other car seats (I have a Ford Focus, so many car seats it's almost impossible for an adult to sit in the passenger seat). It's pretty good for that, but saves maybe an inch or so compared to my old 30 key bucket when tilted properly. It's not bad for the price though. However, this car seat is so difficult to install that I cannot recommend it to ordinary parents, and I am sure that the vast majority of users of this seat have installed it unsafely. Serious Safety Issues: First, tightening the anchor strap is enough to move the seat just +/- inches, requiring Herculean strength. I followed T's instructions, made sure the anchor straps were flat and not twisted, pulled the loose end of the strap across the seat, not up like other car seats (this is important), and pushed down on the car seat. . I'm a pretty strong guy, not a light guy, and even sitting in the seat and pulling with all my might took me a lot of tries in two different sessions and a few abrasions on my arm from wrapping the strap around my arm , to finally almost tighten it. enough. I was able to tighten my old Keyfit 30 Base and my wife's Extend 2 car seat tighter and with much less effort. The second tightening of the shoulder straps is too difficult. The first 90% of the sag goes well, but then for reasons unknown it gets a lot harder, although there are 4 fingers sagging under the straps and my little dude. Even with tension on the back of the shoulder straps (behind the seat) it still took 5-10 additional vigorous pulls to actually achieve the recommended tension. Now I just hold it in place when I pinch and release. While the fit in the test setup is probably secure with "proper adjustment," I think in real life it would be too easy for most people to accept the anchorage, and the shoulder straps were quite tight, which could be a fatal flaw , if it were you in a car accident. . It will be a great pain to remove and reinstall. It can't be done quickly, so it's not good for a street seat either. Other minor issues: you have to buy pool noodles if you want them to be rear facing, there is no built in recline adjuster for the rear facing position, it's annoying but I knew I addressed that from other reviews. Oh, and FYI a rolled towel will not work despite what the instruction manual says. Something like a tightly rolled-up yoga mat might work, but a towel is too compressible. anything. Make it easy for them to get out of position. To be honest, there are bad design choices everywhere. I wish I had bought it when it was on sale because it took me over a month to use it. Now I can't return it. Update: I had to uninstall it once, reinstalling it was just as tedious if not more painful. You have to be a heavy, very strong person to tighten it enough in the rear racing position with the bottom brackets. Additionally, your child's legs will be compressed long before they are tall or heavy enough to sit safely forward-facing (unless you place them in the most reclined position, but then you lose the primary benefit that this seat provides compact enough for a compact vehicle). .