Chicco NextFit Zip Max Extended-Use Convertible Car Seat - Q Collection

I wish I could ride in style like my 13 month old in her sleek, modern, and super comfortable Chicco NextFit Zip Max car seat! And I love that the elegant design takes inevitable messes into account -- the removable padding and cup holders (guys there are TWO cup holders! Necessary? Probably not, but definitely super cool!) make this thing easy to clean. I could not believe how EASY it was to install in my car. It's a bit heavy, but moving it from one vehicle to another wouldn't be much of a hassle. Shockingly, despite the extended size, it fits in my little sedan without issue or complete depletion of the front passenger's legroom (It is in the rear-facing position, so I cannot comment on how much space it uses in front-facing mode). One issue I have faced is that the button that releases the straps is very well protected from small, curious hands... Unfortunately, it is quite a challenge for me to reach into the small slit of fabric and push it, especially with my long fingernails. It takes me longer than I'd like to get my toddler out of the car.

The NextFit Zip Max Extended-Use Convertible Car Seat is a great investment for us as we look forward to using this one seat for years to come. We love that our 8 lbs newborn fits securely and comfortably in the seat now, and that we can continue to use it until he is 65 lbs. The seat was really easy to install in our SUV and doesn't require the front seat to be in an awkward/too forward position. Baby is comfortable and snug. We appreciate the padding on the harness and how it stays out of the way while securing baby in the seat. It is a very solid car seat, and we have complete confidence baby is safe. Love that you can remove and wash the seat pad too. Chicco provided this product to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

Moving from baby carrier to a convertible car seat is a big milestone for parents and baby. Our little one has transitioned very well to her new car seat. One of my favorite features of this seat is its zip feature for removing and washing the cushion. We have already used it once and it has made my life so much easier. For the first time I feel like I am not having a wrestling match with a car seat. I strongly recommend this car seat. Chicco provides me with this car seat for my honest opinion.

Chicco. You know you are getting quality and peace of mind with their products. This car seat is no different. It has a durable liner which is easy to take on/off and makes it easy to clean. The padding is strong feeling, yet comfortable. Very easy to install. The extension gives the longer legged kiddos (my three year old has really long stems) plenty of space to move their legs around and feel comfortable. I have nothing but great things to say about this seat. Highly recommend it.

This is a top-notch convertible car seat. The new Max feature allows for 50 lbs rear facing with about a 3" extension for leg room (great added feature!) forward or rear facing and then will hold up to a 65 lb child forward-facing. I'd definitely have to say that this upgrade makes this car seat well worth the purchase, as your child will get longer use out of it.
The padding is well-cushioned and comfortable and easily zips off to wash when it gets dirty. There are 2 cup holders on either side of the seat that can be folded in or detached if you don't want them there and can be placed in the dishwasher as well...However, a quick rinse or cleaning wipe cleans these holders just fine.
The harness strap can be adjusted easily with a button (not easily accessible for kids) and it seems there is more room to load and unload baby into and out of the car seat than the original model, which makes traveling and lifting a lot easier.
Another safety feature that I feel is a good addition is that there is an indicator on the base to make sure there is not too much overhang on the seat. There are also 9 headrest positions that will keep adjusting with my baby as he grows. This car seat was very easy to install and tighten...however a little heavier but likely due to the great design of this product. It is definitely well-designed with safety being top priority and made with quality material. I highly recommend this Chicco product.

We're still using our NextFit Zip Max car seat in the rear facing position and the installation was very easy and feels very secure. Our daughter is trending very high in the height percentile index so the thought of the extra leg room is very appealing. She seems very content and comfortable in her seat, and the cup holder is a great little feature. We have unzipped the fabric and washed once after an accident and it was easy enough to get the fabric on and off. We're still a few months off being ready for the front-facing position, but being as I received this product from Chicco in exchange for an honest opinion I figured I would test the set up to see how it worked and the conversion and set up was really simple. Naturally, our primary focus is on safety, but the fact that our daughter also seems quite comfortable and content in her car seat is an added bonus. This car seat seems like it is built for the long-haul and we're looking forward to many years of use and seat expansions! I would recommend this product to friend and family.

We've been using this car seat for a few weeks now and I love it even more now then when I first got it. This car seat has been a complete game changer for us. We have a 15 month old who weighs approximately 25 pounds.

Pros:

- The latch system that comes with this car seat is unlike anything I've ever experienced. Not only is the installation incredibly intuitive and simple, but I manage to get a tight fit every time without breaking a sweat. I use to dread having to switch out our car seat, but the latch technology on this has made it a breeze.

- My husband was very impressed with the solid construction of this car seat. It does make it a little on the heavy side, but you can tell the extra weight comes from how well it's made.

- The fabric is incredibly soft while still feeling durable. I love putting my 15 month old son in this car seat because I know he is comfortable. The fabric also feels very breathable... which is important for southern summers.

- I love the padding around the center buckle between the legs. It's a small upgrade, but it makes a huge difference. I always felt like other buckles dug into my little guy's thighs... so the extra padding was a detail we both appreciated.

- I find it incredibly easy to get a custom fit every time. The chest bar is easy to adjust and the straps pull smoothly requiring minimal effort. Having a snug fit gives me piece of mind when I'm driving.

Cons:

- Not necessarily a con, but it's on the bigger side for a car seat... significantly bigger than our last convertible car seat. However, it still fits into my small crossover SUV with ease and our 2nd car seat still fits in the backseat next to it. I did not have to adjust the front seat to accommodate for this larger car seat... which surprised me given its size.

- The biggest downside to this car seat (and the only real con) is that the release button for the chest straps is difficult to use. It's covered almost completely by fabric so it takes some work to get to. This can make loosening the straps difficult.

Overall we are incredibly impressed with this car seat and look forward to using it with our son as he grows. This is our first Chicco product and we are now brand lovers! This is a luxury car seat that I feel is well worth the expense. Our old car seat was around the same price point and I found this one to be of much higher quality and easier to use overall.

What l like most about this carseat is the easy installation. I have used 3 different brands of carseats and this installation type is my favorite. I like the zipper feature for cleaning. The removable cup holders are great feature also. My children tend to stash snacks and other things in the cup holders so being able to remove them to clean them is very nice. So far it's been a great a carseat. Chicco provided this product to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

My husband and I opted to purchase only a convertible car seat for our newborn versus an infant car seat, and then a convertible. The NextFit Zip Max was the perfect decision in doing so, as it safely seats a newborn, and child up to 65 lbs, really helping the overall baby budget. We also have long babies in our family, so the fact that it offers more legroom when rear facing is great for our growing family. As with all Chicco products, this was extremely easy to install. We also love that the seat pad can be completely zipped off and washed for any accidents that are bound to happen.

We have a very tall 16 month old and this car seat is perfect for our growing toddler. We previously used the Chicco Fit2, which we love for many reasons, so knew we wanted a Chicco for his next stage car seat.

Many pros - including rear-facing (comfortably!) until 50 lbs, more leg room for tall toddlers (while still allowing an adult to sit in the front passenger seat), zip cover for easy washing (genius!) and a latch tightener that is extremely easy to use and actually works to securely tighten. Several amentities of this seat are an added bonus, such as the cup holders, breathable fabric and simple clean colors.

As always with Chicco, we know that our toddler is in the safest car seat on the market - the new extended fit passes every test as new parents.

Chicco provided this product to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

The NextFit Zip Max Extended was by far the easiest car seat I have ever installed. It is sturdy and secure and provides maximum comfort for my little one as well as peace of mind for myself and my wife. The extension also allows for a lot more leg room for a taller toddler.

I have had the NextFit Zip Max car seat for two weeks and have been impressed with the quality from the moment I pulled it out of the box. I have a 3 year old who is tall and slim; he is within the requirements to ride rear-facing, but is also big enough to face forward. I tested the car seat in both positions to provide a thorough review.

I used the lap-belt rear-facing installation. Installation directions were clear and easy to understand, and the actual installation was quick and painless. My only minor complaint is that the extended size of the car seat makes it a little more difficult to maneuver into position in the backseat of a sedan (however, I feel the extended rear-facing use outweighs this slight negative). Once installed, the car seat felt extremely secure; the bubble level indicator assured me that the seat was in the correct position. The headrest and harness were incredibly easy to adjust and tighten. My son rode comfortably in the rear-facing position, even though his legs were crossed. I think the extra leg room is a huge benefit and helps keep whiny toddlers at bay (at least when it comes to being cramped). We also love the padding on the restraints; my son didn't complain that the buckle was digging into him.

When I switched the seat around to forward-facing, I used the LATCH installation system. Again, directions were clear and the actual installation process was easy. I am super happy with how easy it is to use the Recline Adjustment Handle (we have something similar on our old car seat and I break out in a sweat every time I have to wrestle with that feature - not so with the NextFit Zip Max). The finished install felt safe and secure; again, the level indicator ensured the seat was installed correctly. My son rode comfortably in the forward-facing position (he prefers forward-facing because he can see where we are going and also because that's what he's been used to with his old car seat for the past 10 months). I am expecting a newborn in one month and plan to use the NextFit Zip Max for the newborn and will keep them rear-facing for an extended period of time.

We haven't had to wash the cover yet, but the quick zip removal will make that a breeze. We also love that two cup holders come included with the car seat. My son's old car seat has no holders, so the fact that the Next Fit Zip Max has two (one for his drink and one for his snacks) is a real win!

Overall, I am very impressed with the quality, safety and ease-of-install with this convertible car seat. I'm looking forward to it growing with my soon-to-come newborn! Chicco provided this product to me in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am so happy with this carseat! The materials are very luxe and comfortable, and it zips off to machine wash when needed. Every detail was thoughtfully designed. It is very easy to install using the cinch system, and easy to adjust as your baby grows. I appreciate that the cupholders are removable, which allows the carseat to be more narrow if needed. Most importantly, because of all this attention to detail, I feel more confident that this carseat is designed to keep my baby safe in the car for a long time. Chicco provided me this product in exchange for my honest opinion.

We love the fact that this seat already includes the infant seat which will be easy to remove once no longer needed! The fact that you can un-zip the fabric surrounding the seat will also make it easier to keep the car seat clean for the duration of its use. Once you figure out all the points of emphasis on the seat, the installation was fairly easy using our SUV's LATCH system. The leveling indicator, the 9-position sliding recliner and the directions for installation using the LATCH system were all in great locations on the seat and easy to find. You can use the seatbelt connectors as well as the LATCH system for added security if needed but not necessary.

The seat is fairly heavy so moving it back and forth between vehicles could be an issue but ours will stay in my husband's SUV. The infant portion of the car seat does not convert into a carrier, so you will need to use a stroller or baby shoulder carrier if you are running errands and need to get in and out of your vehicle.

All in all, the seat is highly functional and after swinging by our local Fire Department to have it inspected for proper installation, we were both very confident in using the seat!

We were sent the seat in exchange for our honest review of the seat.

I received this car seat about 2 weeks ago and have used it almost daily since then. I am a CPST (aka car seat tech) so I was excited to get my hands on the new Max car seat. The extra leg room is a nice feature, especially for parents like me who desire to rear face their toddler past 2 years old. Changing the recline on the seat was smooth and easy, as was changing the harness height. Having another seat that rear faces to 50 pounds on the market is such a great option that was desperately needed!
Installing with the seatbelt in rear or forward facing mode was very easy with the clearly labeled lockoffs. I appreciate the lockoffs on the car seat instead of locking the vehicle seatbelt, and I think this makes installation easier for less-experienced users. Manipulating the recline to get the bubble in the correct range was also very user-friendly. An awesome feature of this car seat is that the harness adjuster strap between the child's feet is not pressed up against the vehicle seat when in rear facing mode. In so many other brands of convertible car seats, the harness adjuster strap is pinched between the car seat and vehicle seat when rear facing, making tightening the harness difficult. Chicco got it right by putting the strap farther into the car seat so it wouldn't get pinched.
While the extended leg room is nice for parents who want to rear face longer, the extra leg room being a fixed panel instead of an adjustable one can make this seat incompatible in some vehicles. The extra leg room makes the seat base longer, which can make the car seat overhang the vehicle seat past the allowed overhang line. This was especially difficult to remedy in my 2015 Acadia that has very sloped vehicle seats. However, I installed this seat in other vehicles with much flatter seats and the install was easy and compatible. Also, the extra leg room fixed panel does make this car seat less compact front-to-back, which could be a problem for smaller vehicles.
Overall, I like this car seat very much. The harness adjusts very smoothly, the labels on the side of the seat are easy to follow, and installation is fairly simple. The fabric is soft and the touch of leather near the child's feet is a nice touch.

Chicco provided this product to me in exchange for my honest opinion.