First Years Via 35 a mini review

aunt83me02

Senior Community Member
Okay. So I don't have a baby to try with it nor have I tried installing it in the car.

I really like it, I like that it lasts longer (height wise) than the Snugride 35 (and previous versions), I like the IDEA of the lock-offs on the carrier, nice padded cover, nice non-rethreading harness, great handle (rebound control), etc.

However I will be returning it (even though I got it for $61 on the Amazon deal). #1: the particular seat I got has extreme difficulty releasing from the base, partly due to the harness getting hung up in the release mechanism. The carrier is HEAVY, even without a baby. the base is big and bulky when compared to competing seats like the Snugride 35 or Keyfit 30.

It isn't compatible with many popular strollers and with as heavy as it is, it's not something you would want to carry for long (even with a tiny baby). I don't like that it can't be used without the base if the baby is over 22lbs. If I want to fly with my 25lb baby and don't want to take the base, I'm out of luck. The carrier lock-offs are a great idea, however, they are really difficult to open, even without a seatbelt.

I bought it because it was such a good deal, however, in reality I think it still has a lot of things to be worked out before it can gain wide appeal. I worked at Babies R Us for a summer (2006) right before the Keyfit really became a hot item, at least in my area. However, because it had so many great features, it quickly caught on, in spite of the cost. I like the innovations and features they have tried to bring to the market, they just need to refine it more to make those features truly work.

Okay, review over. I'm sad, because I really wanted to like it, but I don't. We decided to delay TTC anyway so it would have 4.5 years left by the time we hope to have a baby.
 
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