Recaro ProRIDE Convertible Car Seat Car Seat Finder at Baby Viva

On April 17, 2012:
Our 9 month old had grown tired of being strapped into his KeyFit30 and would instantly cry as soon as he thought he was going to be strapped into it (not because the seat is uncomfortable in any way it just reclines him further than he likes now). The Recaro even in the recline position sits him upright more than the KeyFit and it sits higher so he can see out of the side window even while rear-facing which has appeased my curious boy. The Recaro is incredibly well built and it is absolutely gorgeous in "Blaze". I seriously pulled it out of the box and stared at it for a few minutes just admiring the quality of the stitching, the sturdiness of the frame, etc. The ProRIDE stays in our '04 TL for the most part and it's a little tricky to get him in/out because of the limited access that car has to the back seats but it's nothing major. On the other hand in our '04 Element it's a pain in the butt to load him into it. You pretty much have to climb into the other back seat with him in your arms then put him in the seat. (This is nothing against the Recaro I'm just glad we went with the KeyFit for the first 9 months because with both of our vehicles it would have made it impossible to live with—and how nice is it with the KeyFit style seat to take the seat out with them asleep in it and carry them into a restaurant?) Overall I think there is very little negative that can be said about the seat itself. Most of the negative reviews you see are about how it didn't work in their particular car or how large it is, etc. Btw, it isn't really all that big but yes it is larger (taller/wider) than our old KeyFit but our front passenger seat was able to move *back* about a 1/2" so it's a bit shallower than the KeyFit with the base. If you're thinking about this seat keep in mind too that you can't do the buy one seat and several bases for the spouse's car, one for grandma's car, and so on. You'll either need to buy several Recaro's or just get used to moving it from vehicle to vehicle. I sincerely hope this review helps someone. I read reviews on this seat for several hours one evening and feel that we couldn't have made a better decision. Heck I like it enough to leave my own review and I can count on one hand the number of times I've liked a product enough to do that.

On February 25, 2012:
I bought this seat for my 11 month old daughter who has outgrown her infant seat. I have the LATCH system in my 03 Trailblazer and the instructions were clear and easy and it was a breeze to install. I am beyond impressed with this seat. My daughter seems to be really comfortable in it and I know she's safe. Rear facing it is a bit difficult to adjust the tightness of the harness but, that's a small price to pay for her safety. I would recommend this seat to anyone. Daddy called it her recliner because it's so comfy looking! I also have to say I am VERY impressed with Babyviva's fast shipping!

On April 21, 2011:
After reading reviews of this car seat and comparing it to a Britax Marathon, we decided to go with it and I am glad we did. It is a taller seat (which allows for better head support) but fits just fine in our Audi wagon. I also love the fact that it has ventilation, which most other seats do not. Very easy to install and love the color!

On April 14, 2011:
This car works great! Plus, it is a huge money saver because it does not have to be replaced as your baby grows. It will work on a brand new newborn until they are ready for a booster seat. My baby loves how snug it fits her. It is one of the best investments for baby gear we have made. Not to mention in Charlotte the fire dept has to inspect baby car seats and even they said this was an excellent choice. Most of car seats are not built as well as this one and are super hard to install. This was installed by the fire dept and went into our car great and we have not had a single issue with it.

On March 28, 2011:
Great car seat, a little big but not a problem I can see out the rearview mirror fine with the seat in the middle. Very well made and comfortable, also it is very safe. Again its a bit of a big seat, but it fit fine in my 2007 Subaru STi and 2008 Silverado.

On March 19, 2011:
We bought this seat for its safety rating...which is why you have car seats for children...but... If you do not have the "Lower Latch" system in your car (we don't) this seat is very difficult to install. You have to remove the lower seat cover (not an easy task) to weave the seatbelt through narrow openings. Then reinstall the seat cover which is more difficult because now the seat is in the car facing backwards! We have it in the middle position and there is still room for two people (though not "large" people) to sit. When put in the side position, it would be next to impossible to get the baby in the seat because it sits so high. The harness is difficult to fasten when the baby is in the seat, because the leg fasteners slip back under the baby and have to be searched out each time. Don't know if there are other carseats out there that are more user friendly...but this one is NOT! For safety...I would rate a 5 star...for ease of use...I would rate a 2 star.

On March 18, 2011:
This product is everything it is described as and more. This car seat is plush but built like a MAC truck. The car seat is very easy to figure out and makes it easy to get my daughter in and out. I would highly recommend this car seat to anyone.

On March 14, 2011:
We just received this carseat 4 days ago and I'm impressed. The seat sits so high up that my daughter is able to see out the rear window and out the side. The con is that the side wings are deep so I kind of have to slide our daughter in but for the safety of it, I don't mind. My daughter is a screamer when she has to sit in her seat, but she didn't cry at all in this one except when I buckled her in - she actually watched out the window during the entire trip. It is a BIG carseat but it's to be expected. The Graco MyRide 65 doesn't even compare to this seat. The harness glides smooth like butter and I can get it snug with one pull. The only other con that I can say about this seat is that the path for the belt when installing rear facing is very narrow - I got my hand stuck and then had to wedge my hand under the fabric and padding to get the belt across to buckle it. The trouble was well worth it if my daughter will sit quietly in it. We are contemplating on buying a second and doing away with the Graco.

On February 24, 2011:
Very impress with quality and security feature with this convertible car seat. RECARO does live up to its name. We are currently using the seat as rear facing for out 10 month old daughter. We read reviews that the side impact bolstering prevent side view for kids and they tend to prop their heads forward. Our child has no problem it seems with view and she seem to find the seat comfortable. How do we know that? Well, our daughter usually just falls asleep on car rides now which wasn't the case with our infant seat.

On December 20, 2010:
We bought this carseat for our daughter when she turned one so naturally, we bought the same one for our son. He is only 8 months old but getting too long for his infant carseat. This seat works great in the forward or backward position. Our daughter loves her chair and lounges in it. Very comfortable and spacious with excellent head rests in case they fall asleep. Great product!

On November 24, 2010:
Anyone who has not had the chance to see the ProRide in person can be confident that it is one of the best car seats available with extremely high quality materials and design. I wasn't too sure about the material of the fabric from judging by the online pics, because it kind of has the look of a material that would make a baby sweat like velvet or felt. But in person the material is not sweaty or warm. The seat is fairly large in comparison to most other car seats, but it's manageable. But what do you expect with a car seat that accommodates up to 70lbs. All in all I am VERY happy with the purchase.