If there is one thing I have purchased more than strollers, it is car seats. Oh my goodness. We have owned our fair share of car seats. Between the transition from infant seat, to convertible seat, to booster.. between 3 kids, it has been quite the investment and quite the process of finding just the right one for us.
With our first, it was a process of elimination. We started out buying the most common brand of infant car seat on the market at the time. Our research showed it was safe and we liked the print. That’s enough, right? Wrong. We used that car seat for 6 months. After some trial and error, intense research and a few returns, we found a brand that was cutting edge at the time. Some of the highest safety ratings, fairly stylish.. a little more expensive but not so much to make you want to run the other way laughing. We loved that brand. We loved that brand so much that for many years following, we always went straight to that brand.. never really questioning it. Then the baby gear industry started getting smart and informative about toxins in baby products. That brand we loved so much? Well, it was less than stellar in the realm of toxins. (Though, they are now getting better!) So many car seats on the market use Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR’s). These Flame retardants are shown to be toxic to humans. Our children and babies are breathing these in? They are in so many children’s products from car seats to mattresses. It’s sad, really. When researching new car seats, I realized that there are better options out there. I did not have to put my children in chemical laden car seats. They did not have to inhale toxic flame retardants every time I put them in their car seat.
Eventually, we replaced all of our children’s car seats. We didn’t go replacing all of their car seats simply because I was made aware of the harsh chemicals that covered them.. but we were rear-ended last fall and had no choice but to replace all the car seats. Being aware of the chemical issue made our choice a little easier. We went with car seats that are safety recommended, good quality, and free of BFR’s. We replaced both of our convertible car seats with the Orbit Baby Toddler Car Seat G2. Our two youngest children are small for their ages. Our 21-month-old is not even 20 pounds and our 4-year-old is 32 pounds. This means that they will be in whatever car seat we choose for them for a long time. The Orbit Baby Toddler Car Seat G2 has a weight rating of 15-35 pounds rear facing and 25-65 pounds forward facing and up to 53″. This seat was perfect for my children. Technically, my 4-year-old could still rear face, though, we have him forward facing.
I am happy to say that, even though our two children are of greatly varying sizes, both of them fit into this seat perfectly. They are both comfortable. They are both happy. They are both secure and safe. The Orbit Baby Toddler Car Seat G2 was easy to install, for the most part. We do not own the Orbit Baby Stroller G2 and we don’t have to switch the car seat in and out of our vehicle at all, so getting the base was not necessary. (You can use the Orbit’s signature rotating base for a rear facing Toddler Car Seat G2 and even use the car seat on the stroller frame! It’s a great feature.) Even without the ease of using the base, the car seat’s latch system attachment didn’t require that much effort for my husband. The seat was easy to figure out and the harnesses were easy to adjust even after installation.
The Orbit Baby Toddler Car Seat G2 is not wide, either. The last car seats we had were incredibly wide, which is nice for the child inside, I guess, but it’s not very friendly for everyone around the car seat. Haha. We have both of our Orbit’s installed in our mini van’s center row bucket seats and they do not eat into the aisle way at all. This is critical, as our oldest is seated in the 3rd row and has to get into and out of our van on a daily basis for school drop off and pick up. Not being wide is not a downside for the child in the seat, though. There is still plenty of room in the seat. At least for my children. They sit well. They don’t feel squished or crammed into the seat.
The fabrics on the Orbit Baby Toddler Car Seat G2 are amazing. A nice durable base fabric with a plush microfiber upper fabric, headrest and side wings. Not only is the fabric nice and plush, but it has been incredibly easy to clean, too. Our 4-year-old has had a few instances of getting sick in the car and you’d never know it! For those who really want to ensure their car seat is clean, and naturally so, Orbit Baby also makes a Baby Gear Spa Kit.
Bottom line, once we found the Orbit Baby Toddler Car Seat G2, we had found what we had been looking for for many years. Safety. Quality. Stylish Design. Non-Toxic. This car seat has made me very content with my purchase and very at ease about putting my children in them every day. Price-wise, it may not be the cheapest car seat on the market with a price tag of $380 MSRP, however it does compete with some of the other convertible car seats that don’t manage to provide you with the non-toxic features that you receive from the Orbit. This product is well worth it. Should our family ever expand again, the Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat is number one on our list of car seats.
Tell me.. were you aware of the amount of chemicals in our children’s products? Was this an issue or a deciding factor in any of your purchases? What are some of your favorite “green” brands?
Note: This is my honest opinion. I was not paid to write this review. I bought this product and I loved it, so I wanted to share that love with you.
