Question Peg Perego Primo Viaggio

doriansmummy · Mar 23, 2013

I have never used/installed a Peg Perego infant seat. I am[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Peg-Perego-Primo-Viaggio-Infant/dp/B006OPWLN4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1364077719&sr=8-4&keywords=peg+perego+car+seat"] loving one of the patterns [/ame]though and was hoping you all could tell me the pros/cons of this seat. It would be installed in a 2002 Mazda MPV, which has no latch.

Thanks!

canadiangie · Mar 23, 2013

Anytime a person says it will be a seatbelt install I suggest trying before purchase. I think I revert to a locking clip about 90% of the time when I'm teaching a Peg infant install. You might get lucky because your seats are presumably cloth, and will be nice a squishy, I'm guessing. But too often you just can't get a nice solid install with a locked belt, and if you do, it sometimes loosens, or gets bumped loose with continual seat docking.

Other thing because you're in the US, is that the handle must be lowered back a above baby's head -- so it's an extra step for you, and you lose any rebound management the handle may have offered. Up here in Canada we rotate the handle above baby's feet, specifically for rebound management.

It's not particularly preemie friendly.

It's built like a tank (you are itty bitty yourself, right?) do its heavy to carry.

Pricy. But that's not normally a factor for me if I love a seat.

Basically it's fine if you can tolerate the possibility of having to mess with a locking clip, which is simply archaic, and really really odd on such a posh seat, and don't mind the weight of it.

It's never wowed me, as seats go. And by now I think I've installed at least 400+. (I should do stats again)

amyd · Mar 23, 2013

Angie covered it all pretty well.

It's not a seat that I've really ever recommended to anyone else to buy, honestly. That said, I just bought one myself (baby is still inside though so haven't used it yet). I chose it because I wanted a seat to snap into my beloved Peg stroller and because it was pink

. I would have picked something else if I didn't have LATCH though.

Genevieve · Mar 23, 2013

I know most people say this is a hard seat to instal with the seatbelt, but I actually find it pretty easy.

It is big, heavy, and doesn't fit very little newborns well, but I don't particularly mind the seat. I do love those big headwings and the no re thread harness.

TXDani · Mar 23, 2013

Genevieve said:
I know most people say this is a hard seat to instal with the seatbelt, but I actually find it pretty easy.

It is big, heavy, and doesn't fit very little newborns well, but I don't particularly mind the seat. I do love those big headwings and the no re thread harness.

This is how I feel also. The base has an open belt path so I just yank the lap portion tight and then let the shoulder belt lock into the retractor....then I'll turn the iCal on the base to finally tighten it up more. I have had 3 and haven't experienced loosening or issues in the 15+ cars I have had to install in and I always used the seatbelt over LATCH because it was so quick.

Pros in my opinion are looks (duh!), the sturdiness (equals heaviness though), beautiful fabrics, no re-thread harness, SIP wings...love toes wings.

ETA: I never recommend the seat to others but its what I use.

Sent from my iPad using Car-Seat.Org

ketchupqueen · Mar 23, 2013

The issues I have tend to be in vehicles where the retractor won't get it tight enough because one click is too loose and the other is too tight (and lowering then raising the base doesn't let the base extend enough.) I have also had problems with LATCH in some vehicles where the funky clip on the LATCH belt gets in the way of tightening it and I scrape my fingers because of the placement of the lower anchors. And, they tend to "bite" me. I don't know what part of the seat it is but 2 out of 3 installs I do I end up with a cut up hand.

Also, be aware that in the US the handle must be at the top of the seat in the car (even though in Canada and Europe they allow the anti-rebound forward position.)

doriansmummy · Mar 23, 2013

Great info, thanks all!

I am swaying to the no side, sure love that cover though!

canadiangie · Mar 24, 2013

TXDani said:
This is how I feel also. The base has an open belt path so I just yank the lap portion tight and then let the shoulder belt lock into the retractor....then I'll turn the iCal on the base to finally tighten it up more. I have had 3 and haven't experienced loosening or issues in the 15+ cars I have had to install in and I always used the seatbelt over LATCH because it was so quick.

Pros in my opinion are looks (duh!), the sturdiness (equals heaviness though), beautiful fabrics, no re-thread harness, SIP wings...love toes wings.

ETA: I never recommend the seat to others but its what I use.

Sent from my iPad using Car-Seat.Org

So are you able to get a good install with locked belt if you don't use a leveraging trick (cranking the base)? Did I miss those instructions in the manual? I'm asking that honestly.

I usually level the base to the enth degree of allowable green -- actually I go slightly past green into red, do a mock install using my body weight and knees to verify that the arrow falls back into the last bit of allowable green, and then install. My focus is getting the seat as reclined as is permitted so that baby's head is able to stay back. I see too much head flop and far too many head huggers in Peg seats, and it's always because the arrow is in mid-green on the base.

I don't feel likes its a seat that I can just wing-it in terms of angling. I always explain to parents that the first thing we're going to do is work on levelling the base just 'perfectly'.

I guess I'm also nervous about cranking on the knob because it seems a little bit like it could break the mechanism.

I have a Peg in my basement. I'll try the trick today, I guess.

joolsplus3 · Mar 24, 2013

I'd be so buying a Snugride Click Connect 35 and a Click Connect 40 base to put it in. The cc40 base has a lockoff, and it slides forward for more legroom, and the CC35 is really, really light to carry.

Anyway, I do drool over the cute patterns of the Pegs I see in the store, and I could install it, but I never buy anything based on covers, so I should shut my mouth

TXDani · Mar 24, 2013

canadiangie said:
So are you able to get a good install with locked belt if you don't use a leveraging trick (cranking the base)? Did I miss those instructions in the manual? I'm asking that honestly.

I usually level the base to the enth degree of allowable green -- actually I go slightly past green into red, do a mock install using my body weight and knees to verify that the arrow falls back into the last bit of allowable green, and then install. My focus is getting the seat as reclined as is permitted so that baby's head is able to stay back. I see too much head flop and far too many head huggers in Peg seats, and it's always because the arrow is in mid-green on the base.

I don't feel likes its a seat that I can just wing-it in terms of angling. I always explain to parents that the first thing we're going to do is work on levelling the base just 'perfectly'.

I guess I'm also nervous about cranking on the knob because it seems a little bit like it could break the mechanism.

I have a Peg in my basement. I'll try the trick today, I guess.

Yeah they install fine without turning it but it just gives me that extra "can't get it any tighter" satisfaction. I don't pay attention to the level indicator...but these are personal installs not customer installs.

Pixelated · Mar 24, 2013

I don't work with many Pegs so I don't have anything new to add -- but if you love that pattern then maybe you'd like this one? It's not identical but the B-Safe has a similar dot pattern: http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/b-safe/fabric-options

Cranking the recline adjustment to get it tighter makes me nervous - or I'm not understanding when you do it - after it's already tight with the seat belt and then you recline it a hair further? I'd be afraid it would break and I generally tell parents not to do that. I had a Peg base fall apart once, the recline adjustment mechanism was in pieces. Maybe that was why.

tiggercat · Mar 24, 2013

canadiangie said:
So are you able to get a good install with locked belt if you don't use a leveraging trick (cranking the base)? Did I miss those instructions in the manual? I'm asking that honestly.

I usually level the base to the enth degree of allowable green -- actually I go slightly past green into red, do a mock install using my body weight and knees to verify that the arrow falls back into the last bit of allowable green, and then install. My focus is getting the seat as reclined as is permitted so that baby's head is able to stay back. I see too much head flop and far too many head huggers in Peg seats, and it's always because the arrow is in mid-green on the base.

I don't feel likes its a seat that I can just wing-it in terms of angling. I always explain to parents that the first thing we're going to do is work on levelling the base just 'perfectly'.

I guess I'm also nervous about cranking on the knob because it seems a little bit like it could break the mechanism.

I have a Peg in my basement. I'll try the trick today, I guess.

I have a strict "no twisting the knob after installation" policy after I had one come off in my hand at a clinic once.

I hate peg seatbelt installs, personally. The locking clip always looks like it will slip out of one prong of the LC, and the recline foot doesn't fit nicely in vehicle seat contours.

Sent from my iPod touch using Car-Seat.Org

TXDani · Mar 24, 2013

Pixelated said:
I don't work with many Pegs so I don't have anything new to add -- but if you love that pattern then maybe you'd like this one? It's not identical but the B-Safe has a similar dot pattern: http://www.britaxusa.com/car-seats/b-safe/fabric-options

Cranking the recline adjustment to get it tighter makes me nervous - or I'm not understanding when you do it - after it's already tight with the seat belt and then you recline it a hair further? I'd be afraid it would break and I generally tell parents not to do that. I had a Peg base fall apart once, the recline adjustment mechanism was in pieces. Maybe that was why.

I get that...I turn it maybe half a turn. I never had a base break due to it after using three Pegs for about a year each. Would I teach a parent to install that way, no...but I feel 100% comfortable doing it myself on my seats.

canadiangie · Mar 24, 2013

OP, I agree with Jen. The B-Safe in that pattern is super cute.

trippsmom · Mar 24, 2013

I love the B-Safe too, but if you need a baseless install, it is a joke.

canadiangie · Mar 24, 2013

trippsmom said:
I love the B-Safe too, but if you need a baseless install, it is a joke.

Why?

trippsmom · Mar 24, 2013

canadiangie said:
Why?

I never found it especially easy to peel back the cover enough to install it. It was always a set baby down, peel back cover, feed lap belt, peel back cover more, tighten, make sure all the cover is out of the way so the belt is flat and taught, then done.

I had 1x a week that I needed to put dd in dh's car. The Aton was a dream. Then when she outgrew it, I used the b-safe to try to buy more time of being able to take her home without waking her (I work outside the home until 10-11pm 1x/week). I couldn't do it without disrupting her. It was easier to install the Coccoro with the seatbelt with her asleep.

Question Peg Perego Primo Viaggio

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