What are your experiences/thoughts on the Recaro Signo?

I need to get DD a new car seat soon and found a the Signo for $160 but would like some practical/ real life user opinions about it. DD is almost 15mo, 22 lb and 27in so she is small so I doubt I will ever have to worry about her getting too big for it. Thanks!

TxMom said:

I need to get DD a new car seat soon and found a the Signo for $160 but would like some practical/ real life user opinions about it. DD is almost 15mo, 22 lb and 27in so she is small so I doubt I will ever have to worry about her getting too big for it. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Practical real life advice? Don't buy it.

It's a large, awkward seat with absolutely zero room for legs for a rear facing toddler. It's so high up on the base that it's difficult to get kids up and in to it, rear facing. It has only a 35 pound limit rear facing and a bizarre 32" height max for rear facing, which makes no sense at all.

It's a rather narrow seat so older kids get squeezed out of it well before they've technically outgrown it.

The only nice thing I can say about it is that it has a nice forward facing recline. I like it for special needs kids with sensory issues who are petite and need to be reclined in a forward facing seat. That's about it!

For 10 dollars less, you could get a Graco My Ride 65, and for 10 dollars more a First Years True Fit, both of which would be hugely better options

I have one for my almost 3 year old and I love it. Easy to install, comfy, smooth harness adjuster... the list goes on. However, my DD is on the skinny side. Clothed she is 27lbs and stands 37" tall, with narrow hips and shoulders. If your kiddo is built like that, then she probably will fit great.

What vehicle(s) will it be installed in? A lot of people say it doesn't allow much leg room rear-facing, but there is plenty for my DD in our vehicle. Just depends. Here you can see, these were just taken:

I only have experience with the Como but they were basically the same seat just the como was the base model without the frills. I believe it installs the same and all. We hated it and I would never recommend it to anyone. It is one of those seats that you either really love or really hate. It offered NO leg room for my son and, at only 5 months old, his legs were already starting to touch the seat back so I can only imagine what he'd look like in it today at 27 months old. Not that this is a safety issue but it surely could become a comfort issue for leggy children. The seat sits on a very high base and sat too high for my Grand Caravan. It fit and all, even in my small Neon, BUT I kept hitting my son's head on the top of the vehicle every time I went to take him out. The top slots are nice and high, at around 19 inches, BUT the top of the seat gets very narrow so broad shouldered children or huskier children won't be comfortable in it for very long. I can see most children starting to outgrow the seat (or getting too uncomfortable in the seat) at around 5-6 yrs old. The seat was very comfortable for my son to sit in and I liked it MUCH better as a forward facing seat but still would not recommend it and would never use it again...unless it was the last seat on earth. It was also quite difficult for me to install rear facing but was a bit easier forward facing.
For your peanut, I'd recommend the True Fit or the MyRide. Both are around the same price but offer more leg room, width room, and are generally easier to install and don't sit so high on the seat. I have both of these seats and LOVE them

I don't share Maedze's hatred but there are other seats that will offer more legroom and more room in general. I personally like the Signo, but I'd probably chose a MyRide or TrueFit over it.

Hatred is a strong word. I reserve open hostility for the Crappysport. For Recaro it's more of an

Unless we're talking about the boosters, then I'm all :thumbsup:

For the Crappysport?

Maedze said:

The only nice thing I can say about it is that it has a nice forward facing recline. I like it for special needs kids with sensory issues who are petite and need to be reclined in a forward facing seat. That's about it!

Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

I loved it a year ago when I needed something with great SIP, FFing recline and lots of support. The min we didn't need it, I got rid of it.

I agree that it has some cons, but I really love mine. I think it makes a huge difference if it's installed in a car vs something bigger like an SUV. Mine is installed in an SUV, so putting my DD in the seat isn't an issue. We haven't had any leg room issues (but my DD does have pretty short legs). I love the SIP, and she seems so comfortable in it. Also, the harness adjuster is soooo smooth I can get a super tight install, and it seems very sturdy.

I loved mine at the store, loved it in the house, loved it in the car that is until I tried to put my son in it! He has a super long torso compared to his overall height, very narrow and I had some major issues with space in this seat. He is in Kindergarten and his shoulders are only as wide as my friends 2 year old and he's easily the smallest child in his class, and still this seat squished him something horrible. I was so excited when it first came out that I rushed out to buy one. BIG Mistake! I got use to getting him in the car without bonking his head against the roof, but I couldn't get past the limited amount of room for his legs and the narrowness of the seat. He had more room in the cheapo scenera than the Signo. Worst seat I've ever purchased by far! I finally sold it on ebay and got rid of it, but I really dislike this seat!

Ease of install I would say it's good. Ease of adjuster I would say it's good, but that is about it.

Adding to my hatred of the signo and como is their lack of notifying the owners that their "lock-off's" were useless and suddenly re-named "belt guides". To me this is a HUGE problem! I turned in my cards, I got NO notification! I can't forgive a company for this!

I love the signo for DD in my car, don't like it so much in DH car. His is a forester, and the back seat is not big enough to allow enough loading room. It's pretty hard to get her in there.

I love the seat in general, but it has to be in a bigger car and for a smaller/smallish child. I plan to FF my DS in it after my DD outgrows it. He has sat in it before FF and at 3.5 he fits great. I have never met another harness adjuster that was as easy to tighten.

But I agree with other posters, there are other great seats out there that will likely last you longer. I really love the myride too!!

Can you try the seat out in a store before you buy? Or will you be able to return it if it doesn't work for you?