Chicco Fit4 Adapt 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat Review

Choosing a car seat is no small feat. There are SO many on the market, all of your friends prefer different brands, checking them out at stores is overwhelming (especially before your baby is born), and you could seemingly spend $100 to $1,000. Oh, and then once you do pick a car seat, you have to know how to install it safely, how to buckle your child in safely — oh! — and also know when it's time to move them to a bigger seat. It's a lot.

For my first baby, we opted for an infant seat that we could tote my daughter around in and latch into her stroller. But then we realized when she was about 10 months old that she was actually too tall for her infant seat and we needed to change her to a bigger seat, like yesterday. Cue the panic.

We ended up with the Chicco Fit4 Adapt 4-in-1 Convertible Car Seat and it has been a dream. Everyone in the family loves it, including my daughter. Here's what set this one apart for us:

1. It's SO easy to install

My husband almost lost his mind trying to install the infant car seat. It was really complicated and we second-guessed everything. With the Chicco seat, it was the complete opposite. He took it out to our SUV, and was back and happy (and not even sweaty!) in less than an hour. The QR code for the instructions on the Fit4Stages.com website is on the label on the side of the seat (and in the manual), which made it very easy to get the job done thanks to straightforward images and installation videos. Plus, there are easy-to-follow visual aids ON the car seat itself for things like making sure the recline angle is appropriate for your child's weight (see image below).

2. We'll be able to use it for years

While we weren't using the Chicco Fit4 Adapt from the newborn stage, it's designed to work for newborns all the way through big kids who only need a booster seat in the car. We're starting off with the Stage 2 Toddler mode (for babies 12 to 40 pounds) and we'll be able to transition to the stages beyond that when the time comes. The max weight for the booster seat is 120 pounds! We'll be able to easily use the seat in forward-facing mode before that, so this seat will be with us for years to come, which is refreshing after getting less than a year out of the expensive infant car seat we purchased prior.

3. The material is easy to wash, cool, AND comfortable

Maybe the most important thing about the Fit4 Adapt is that my daughter seems so comfortable and relaxed in the seat. It's very easy to secure her in the seat, which avoids those crying spells before you even start the journey, and there's plenty of comfortable, cooling breathable mesh that keeps her temperature regulated while in the car. She used to get very warm in the infant seat, so the Chicco seat's 37.5 Technology and breathable mesh make a noticeable difference. Oh, and the padding is easily removable and even machine-washable. Does it get any better than that?! (The answer is no.)

Plus, we know she is comfortable in the Fit4 Adapt seat because she's even fallen asleep in it on the road, which never happens anymore.