Truefit, do you like it? at what price?

LM4M

CPST Instructor
Our local target has trufits on clearance for $122. Would you buy one?

I know alot of people love them, but what are the pros/cons of this seat??

What stage is it best for? Infants, RF toddlers or FF??
 
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Mommy0608

New member
I have one and really like it. My 3 year old DD uses it RF.

Pros:
* Very tall shell
* Fully lined with energy absorbing foam
* Easy height adjustment
* Sits low on the vehicle seat, not up on a base
* Tall harness
* Tends to fit small babies well (not preemies, but average size newborns)
* Removable headrest gives an easier vehicle fit with small babies who need the full 45 degree recline angle

Cons:
* Harness adjuster can be difficult to use RF (but it's doable in most cases)
* Wide interior, DD's head flops to the side if she sleeps

This is just my :twocents:. There's no seat on the market that is perfect for everyone. ;)
 

bree

Car-Seat.Org Ambassador
I really didn't like the True Fit as a rear-facing seat. The cons that Mommy0608 mentioned were the main reasons why I disliked it. I'm also not a fan of the continuous loop harness. I think the lockoffs are usable, but they don't necessarily simplify the install process (maybe I was spoiled by the lockoff on my old Safeseat 1). Forward-facing, however, I do like the True Fit. For some reason, the continuous loop harness doesn't bother me as much forward-facing. Probably because the harness is coming from above DD's shoulders, so it is easier to grab the harness when putting her in the seat compared to when it was below her shoulders RF. I like the way it installs in my husband's car FF. I'm sure it's just my personal preference issues with the seat though, because I know others love it rear-facing. I personally think it's a seat that's better in theory than in reality (though I guess that can probably be said for most seats).

It's not that I don't think it's a good seat worth recommending, because I do recommend it to others. I just don't feel enough love for the seat that I would want to buy another one (unless it were ridiculously cheap - say in the $50 range). At this point, I'd rather put any money I had toward a Radian with a 40 or 45 pound weight limit (I'm sure I'd find something I dislike about a Radian, too :p). :twocents:
 

LM4M

CPST Instructor
I really didn't like the True Fit as a rear-facing seat. The cons that Mommy0608 mentioned were the main reasons why I disliked it. I'm also not a fan of the continuous loop harness. I think the lockoffs are usable, but they don't necessarily simplify the install process (maybe I was spoiled by the lockoff on my old Safeseat 1). Forward-facing, however, I do like the True Fit. For some reason, the continuous loop harness doesn't bother me as much forward-facing. Probably because the harness is coming from above DD's shoulders, so it is easier to grab the harness when putting her in the seat compared to when it was below her shoulders RF. I like the way it installs in my husband's car FF. I'm sure it's just my personal preference issues with the seat though, because I know others love it rear-facing. I personally think it's a seat that's better in theory than in reality (though I guess that can probably be said for most seats).

It's not that I don't think it's a good seat worth recommending, because I do recommend it to others. I just don't feel enough love for the seat that I would want to buy another one (unless it were ridiculously cheap - say in the $50 range). At this point, I'd rather put any money I had toward a Radian with a 40 or 45 pound weight limit (I'm sure I'd find something I dislike about a Radian, too :p). :twocents:

What do you mean by the continuous loop harness?
 

kaysmom

New member
What do you mean by the continuous loop harness?

The True Fit has a continuous loop harness, meaning that it can be pulled out on one side and will shorten on the other side (the harness is all connected not seperate like a Britax seat I hope I'm making sence)

We really like our True Fit and one of the reasons is because of the contiuous harness. When I go to put K in I can pull it out on one side put her arm in, and pull it out on the other side to put the other side in. Its helpful in my opinion to put a squirmy baby/toddler in!:twocents: But again, some people like that, some dont!
 

Raegansmom4

New member
continuous harness is all one piece - so you pull on one side, the other side gets tight, if that makes sense? you don't have 2 separate harness straps - it is all one strap that goes under the seat. I know I didn't explain this well, lol.
 

Lea_Ontario

Well-known member
I love our truefit.

The only con I've found is that I cannot adjust the harness height for FF because of the contour of the seat it's in in our van.
 

Spam

New member
I have the original and premiere. :love: them. However, I didn't at first. I first got the tf when A was 4-5 months old. He was already to heavy for the insert and just seemed to be swallowed by the seat. He certainly couldn't reach the sides to sleep. But now, he fills the seat out wonderfully. No head slump for us. The continuous harness doesn't bother me, only the buried adjuster on the original. It's very doable in my mom's van, but it was horrid in my grand prix. That's not a bad price for one, but they were on Woot not to long ago for $99. I'd probably stalk the Target store and wait for one more markdown.
 

rodentranger

New member
I don't like our TF. The continuous harness is a PITA, the adjuster is hard to access rf, and YDS screams bloody murder in it. The lock-offs don't work for a hill of beans in my car rf, and it annoys me that they are mandatory.
I keep it as a spare for my mom's car since either kid can ride in it and it's easy to adjust the harness height. ODS seems to like it alright too.
 

armywife12

New member
I think that is a fantastic price for the seat!!! I love our True Fit even though it has a few cons about it. I find them quite minimal though. We love the removable headrest to help get the full 45 degree angle required for newborns, I love the infant insert for newborns, I love the no rethreading, I love the tall shell and it was pretty easy for me to install and fit into my small Neon. I dislike the 35lb rear facing limit because it has plenty of shell height to accomodate most 40lb children and the front harness adjuster is hard to get to when it is reclined at a more upright position. The front harness adjuster problem is fairly minor for me and the 35lb weight limit is only a problem for me since my 26 month old is almost 35lbs and I would like to rear face to 3 yrs old at least. I highly recommend it to anyone buying a convertible seat and I thought it was fairly priced to begin with so $122 is a steal.

It fits a huge range of children very well. The infant inserts allow it to fit newborns and small babies well, it fits older babies and toddlers very well, and has top harness slots and a shell height tall enough to accomodate most children to boostering age (around 6 yrs old). The 7 yr expiration helps for younger children it may be passed down to as well.
 

danivdp

New member
We love it. Using it for my FF 6yo currently, and will go to the baby when he goes in a booster next year.
 

NannyMom

Well-known member
I have one and really like it. My 3 year old DD uses it RF.

Pros:
* Very tall shell
* Fully lined with energy absorbing foam
* Easy height adjustment
* Sits low on the vehicle seat, not up on a base
* Tall harness
* Tends to fit small babies well (not preemies, but average size newborns)
* Removable headrest gives an easier vehicle fit with small babies who need the full 45 degree recline angle

Cons:
* Harness adjuster can be difficult to use RF (but it's doable in most cases)
* Wide interior, DD's head flops to the side if she sleeps

This is just my :twocents:. There's no seat on the market that is perfect for everyone. ;)

:yeahthat: I agree with the pros and cons. And this saves me from having to type it out myself ;)

$122 is a great price for a True Fit. If I needed a seat, I'd buy the TF for that price! Regular price is around $180, and it can often be found online for around $150. It's a nice seat for babies, as well as toddlers and preschoolers. My 2 year old liked hers when we had one, but then I traded it for a Radian because I needed something narrower.
 

InternationalMama

New member
Cons:
* Harness adjuster can be difficult to use RF (but it's doable in most cases)
* Wide interior, DD's head flops to the side if she sleeps

Also for cons:
• wide exterior - may not be very 3-across friendly
• crotch strap issues with older kids - I've read of complaints that its too short/shallow
 

all together ooky

New member
I have one that I got on Woot for $99. For that price I think it's a good seat. It's definitely not my favorite seat and I think I'll probably end up getting a Radian at some point. Bree (above) must have read my mind-she said everything I don't like about it (mostly the continuous harness being a pain). The seat is starting to grow on me a little bit, just because of the height and Nora looks so comfy in it (except when her head is tilted when sleeping). But, I do think the build quality is good (especially compared to a Dorel seat).
 

Genevieve

CPST Instructor
I bought a true fit and I didn't like it, but not because it wasn't a good seat, it was just personal preference. I hate continuous loop harnesses and that alone was a deal breaker for me. Also, my kids are pretty skinny and the seat is very wide. They didn't seem comfortable when sleeping. That said, many people love the seat and it does have a lot of great features.
 

wendyjoe

New member
Pros:
Tall shell.
No re-thread harness (the main reason I'm keeping it - it'll be a spare for my mom's car that way any grandkid can ride it in without too much hassle)
Anti-rebound bar (premier)
Cup holder
Price

Cons:
Recline stinks. In my van, I have to work really hard to get an acceptable recline, but I also haven't used pool noodles (just rolled up towels). I had it FFing once and my DD did not look comfortable at all. She had a hard time sleeping in it - probably because she's little and it's wide. I guess I'm used to the recline on our Triumphs. Plus, her twin sister looks way more comfortable in her Radian.
I HATE continous loop harnesses.
My DD is 33lbs and no where near the top of the shell. She's super-skinny and short at 3.5 y/o. I guess that's pretty good, just wish we could RF in it longer, especially with all that shell left.

That's why I'm buying Radian XTSL's :)
 

LM4M

CPST Instructor
Okay, I understand the continuous loop harness thing now. I want to say we had an evenflo something when DD6 was little.. and it did that too. But my question, why is that a negative? Does it cause problems?
 

kittykate

New member
Okay, I understand the continuous loop harness thing now. I want to say we had an evenflo something when DD6 was little.. and it did that too. But my question, why is that a negative? Does it cause problems?

The continuous loop harness being a con or a pro for the seat is a personal preference.

I like the continuous loop harness since it means I don't need to tighten and loosen the harness every single time I put in or take a child out of the seat. :)
 

Pixels

New member
The continuous loop harness can be either a pro or a con, depending on your persepective. Some people like that they can use it to get their child in more easily without adjusting the harness, especially with the buried adjuster on the original TF. Some people find that it's always uneven and it is more of a pain than anything.

The infant seat we have has a continuous loop. It wasn't an advantage for us, and only a slight disadvantage. Occasionally it would get unbalanced and we would have to even it out. Other than that, we pretty much learned not to pull on the hip strap because it would make it uneven.
 

all together ooky

New member
I think of the continuous loop kind of like the knobs on the Triumph Advance: you either really like it or you don't. I'm just amazed at all the people saying they didn't like it (I thought I was the only one!).
 

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