Britax B-Safe vs Chicco Keyfit 30 Carseats

[Monalissa]

Is anyone able to give feedback on these two car seats? I was set on the Chicco with the caddy frame stroller for the beginning and either the Baby Jogger City Mini 2012 or the Britax B-Agile for later on.

Tonight I discovered that the B-Safe Car Seat can snap right into the B-Agile without having to buy any extra adapters (which no matter how good don't seem as sturdy to me). This would totally eliminate the need for the caddy frame stroller. Yay! But the safety and quality of the car seat itself is far more important and I still lean towards the Chicco. We're going to see if we can check out both in person tomorrow but I would love any feedback!

 

[dfavbaby]

I was looking at both of these for my options.
I was in love with the britax at first online... safety and looks.

Went to look at it in store and completely fell in love with chico.
I ended up buying the chicco. It looks much more comfortable and sturdy to me.
the btitax seemed over priced to me.

 

[MeiaMariposa]

I went with the Britax. I really like the feel of it in person and it seems extremely safe to me. You might look on amazon for the reviews of the two systems you are interested in. There are hundreds of reviews on the Britax sytem you are talking about from ppl who have used the system.

 

[Monalissa]

Thanks ladies! I'm not getting the travel system if we go for the Chicco car seat, just the lightweight caddy frame that it can snap into. Other than Britax we would avoid travel systems since they are typically bulky and heavy (husband has a bad back and we have a small car!).

I only saw about 30 reviews for the Britax travel system on Amazon?? Many more for the Chicco car seat....

 

[Qqltsmejen]

We went with the chicco and i love it. We did get the travel set (carseat and stroller) but chicco does make a light weight stroller too. We saw it at target. It`s called Chicco Liteway.

 

[Jessi]

As far as safety goes, back when I used to sell baby stuff - Britax was far in the lead for car seats.

Since then, things have improved though with other makes but I still think Britax focuses on car seats whereas other makes focus on pushchairs and the car seats are like a side stream for them.

 

[tabitha561]

I had a chicco for my daughter and we loved it! I would def suggest getting the little lite stroller and not the travel syste I never used the big stroller.. The biggier size britax is great though Thats what my daughter has now

 

[flashy09]

I have the Chicco key fit 30 and it's great. Super easy to install and pretty light. Fits on airplane seats, etc.

 

[Monalissa]

As far as safety goes, back when I used to sell baby stuff - Britax was far in the lead for car seats.

Since then, things have improved though with other makes but I still think Britax focuses on car seats whereas other makes focus on pushchairs and the car seats are like a side stream for them.

I've read that too but apparently Chicco infant seats are currently rated #1 by Consumer Reports and were given a higher rating by the Baby Bargains book. The only negative thing I've read about Chicco is that the material can be hot for baby whereas the B-Safe has some negative reviews on ease of use and bulkiness.

Maybe I'll stick with the original plan of the Chicco/Caddy Frame Stroller and then the Britax B-Agile or City Mini for the lightweight stroller later on. The idea of one less baby thing was so appealing.

Thank you ladies!!

 

[HalfThyme007]

I've read that too but apparently Chicco infant seats are currently rated #1 by Consumer Reports and were given a higher rating by the Baby Bargains book. The only negative thing I've read about Chicco is that the material can be hot for baby whereas the B-Safe has some negative reviews on ease of use and bulkiness.

Maybe I'll stick with the original plan of the Chicco/Caddy Frame Stroller and then the Britax B-Agile or City Mini for the lightweight stroller later on. The idea of one less baby thing was so appealing.

Thank you ladies!!

Last I saw, Chicco infant seats were still rated #1 by Consumer Repoerts. My sister used the keyfit with both her children when they were infants. When her second was just 4 months old, their small SUV hit some really bad ice at 60mph and rolled multiple times off the road and down the bank. The vehicle was completely totalled. The 4 month old was absolutely fine -- not a single scratch. Even if this seat wasn't rated #1, my sister's experience would be enough proof for me that this is a quality made/safe seat.....but the fact that it IS rated #1 just sways me even more (I was trying to decide between these two car seats as well).

I think I also read somewhere (I'll add the reference if I can find it) that the Chicco seats are actually tested and standardized at a higher level than the Britax....the law in the US is the seats have to pass all the tests/certifications at just 35mph -- which I thought was kind of funny....yes of course you want them to be safe if you crash at 35mph, but I'm MUCH more concerned about crashes at 50+mph, why not rate it at that level? Anyway, I believe Chicco does all there tests/certifications at higher speeds, and hold themselves to a higher standard it seems.

 

[MeiaMariposa]

I only saw about 30 reviews for the Britax travel system on Amazon?? Many more for the Chicco car seat....

Try searching on Amazon for the following:

Britax B stroller, red ( 141 reviews)

Britax B safe infant car seat black ( 48 reviews)

Guess it felt like more when I was reading them all !!

Also, not sure if you have noticed yet but with the Britax system you have to buy the cup holder and baby tray separately.

Hope you enjoy checking out the choices in person!

 

[Monalissa]

Last I saw, Chicco infant seats were still rated #1 by Consumer Repoerts. My sister used the keyfit with both her children when they were infants. When her second was just 4 months old, their small SUV hit some really bad ice at 60mph and rolled multiple times off the road and down the bank. The vehicle was completely totalled. The 4 month old was absolutely fine -- not a single scratch. Even if this seat wasn't rated #1, my sister's experience would be enough proof for me that this is a quality made/safe seat.....but the fact that it IS rated #1 just sways me even more (I was trying to decide between these two car seats as well).

I think I also read somewhere (I'll add the reference if I can find it) that the Chicco seats are actually tested and standardized at a higher level than the Britax....the law in the US is the seats have to pass all the tests/certifications at just 35mph -- which I thought was kind of funny....yes of course you want them to be safe if you crash at 35mph, but I'm MUCH more concerned about crashes at 50+mph, why not rate it at that level? Anyway, I believe Chicco does all there tests/certifications at higher speeds, and hold themselves to a higher standard it seems.

WOW!! I've read a couple of similar stories where there were bad accidents and baby was basically untouched in a Chicco. Each time it reminds me why I was choosing this seat to begin with. I'm so glad to hear your sister's baby was OK. How scary for them! Thank you for sharing her story...

 

[Monalissa]

I only saw about 30 reviews for the Britax travel system on Amazon?? Many more for the Chicco car seat....

Try searching on Amazon for the following:

Britax B stroller, red ( 141 reviews)

Britax B safe infant car seat black ( 48 reviews)

Guess it felt like more when I was reading them all !!

Also, not sure if you have noticed yet but with the Britax system you have to buy the cup holder and baby tray separately.

Hope you enjoy checking out the choices in person!

That's why! I was looking for reviews of the complete travel system, but did read the reviews separately too. There are still so many more for Chicco!

I did notice that and think it's ridiculous for the price - even if you are only buying the stroller. It's the same thing for the Baby Jogger City Mini. A rain cover is like $50 alone!!

 

[scoobydrlp]

I was down to these same two choices, and chose the Chicco Keyfit 30. I read a zillion reviews, and after seeing both in person I felt that Chicco was the best choice for us. One thing that really stood out was that it can be safely used without a base. We wouldn't plan to do this as a daily thing, but if something happened and I needed a family member to pick up LO from daycare or something of the sort, I wouldn't have to worry about safe travel.

 

[Taylorr]

I had a britax b-safe car seat for my daughter and the handle snapped off the carseat whilst carrying my daughter! Also had multiple problems with the pushchair.....sticking wheels, failing brakes and framework snapping.

Wont be buying britax again!

x

 

[flashy09]

I was down to these same two choices, and chose the Chicco Keyfit 30. I read a zillion reviews, and after seeing both in person I felt that Chicco was the best choice for us. One thing that really stood out was that it can be safely used without a base. We wouldn't plan to do this as a daily thing, but if something happened and I needed a family member to pick up LO from daycare or something of the sort, I wouldn't have to worry about safe travel.

Forgot about that - great feature and has been very helpful in taxis and when on trips and didn't want to pack the base.

 

[cjdj3]

I love the Chicco keyfit 30.

Me and my spouse bought two of them for our twins, and we have no regrets.

We have seen many carseats and we ultimately decided on this one

This is a helpful review that we used to make our choice: Chicco Keyfit 30

So, if I were you, I would get the Chicco.

Happy Parenting!

 

[Julesillini8]

I also have the Chicco and love it. I will say my baby was hot and sweaty in the summer when she was born, but other than that I love it. I also chose it because of the excellent safety rating. Good luck making your decision!

 

[Isaac123]

See if I want to purchase car seat for my babies then I go for Britax B-safe as it is best in class and also available in affordable amount so there is no worry for but in the same time I would say Chicco is also good but not that much efficient!!

 

[lmbhj]

After some time of frustration at Babies r us (they should really have workers in the stroller section showing you how to open and close those things!!!) of not being able to get the strollers to function, we came across the chicco key fit caddy, which i opened and closed within seconds! We rolled it right over to the car seat section and plopped the car seat on top and said "DONE!" Since Jayden will be born in July, we probably wont have a whole lot of use for a jogger till the following spring, which we will then purchase when ready. I was also picturing my parents and my parents in law, alone with the baby, trying to maneuver opening and closing the stroller and it wasn't pretty. My husband has a masters in engineering and im a nurse. Nothing should be that difficult! lol

And after our research of th car seat we were very happy we chose such a safe one!