Baby Trend's Flex Lock Car Seat -- Best value for Safest Car Seat

Before I go any further let me just emphasize that you should always buy the best car seat for your baby and situation. I happen to think this one is the best but please make sure you buy the newest and safest model for your baby.

One item I was determined to pay the big bucks for was for her car seat. I wanted the safest model. I also hoped it would be easy to use.

My husband and I both drive small cars. His is a subcompact and mine is almost as small. Like naive first parents we didn't give a single thought to the car seat not actually fitting in our car until my practical father in law installed it for us and told us that we were going to be riding clown style for the next year. So faced with the possibility of pulminary embolisms if we ever drove for more than a half hour I convinced my husband (didn't take much convincing after one car ride) that we needed a more compact car seat for our bundle of joy.

We also knew it had to be safe or there was just no way we were going to risk it -- embolisms or not. So I researched, and researched and researched. Come to find out, the tests on all infant carrier carseats were flawed that year due to somthing about way they set up the speed of the test (I think). Just my luck huh? However, one carseat stood above all the rest as preforming well even in a flawed test. My logic is that if something preforms above average for a test that went badly, then it should preform even better when the test went right. Bottom line my gut feeling was that this was the safest car seat for her.

Baby trend's Flex Lock car seat has several features that made it a best buy for us. First, it fit in both of our cars!!! Second, it was easy to install in the car with better latches than our previous one. Third, adjusting the seat straps was as easy as pressing a button. The headrest even adjusted to go higher the taller she grew, thereby keeping her precious head protected. I especially liked the trianglular shaped handle that allowed us to carry her in multiple ways or in tandem. When we weren't using the handle the V shape worked perfectly to hang some chiming toys just within her reach.

On the downside, it is a little heavy. Also, the canopy comes undone fairly often. Neither of these things are deal breakers to us though.

Recommended? Definite best buy.