Safety 1st Go Hybrid pros and cons?

[Nedra]

Okay, so I have some questions about this seat:

1. In general, what are the pros and cons? I don't see it recommended often on here except for travel, even thought it seems like the perfect seat for folks with three rows to their vehicle. Is it not a good everyday seat? Does it not provide enough SIP? Not comfy? Most of the negative amazon reviews seem to be from folks who didn't get how the seat works -- saying that it's a piece of junk because it requires a top tether to hold it up, etc. so it's hard to say what the downsides are for folks who actually understood what they were buying.

2. What are the LATCH restrictions for this seat? It occurs to me that it might not last long if the seatbelt install is so difficult. The seat is light, though, which seems to be in it's favor? If the seat is 11 lbs, then can the lower anchors be used until the child is 54 lbs?

3. Would it install okay in a forester or other car with tether anchors on the ceiling?

 

[aeormsby]

We had one (well, the older Safeguard version) and used it full time in our 2nd vehicle for a few months. It's definitely not a seat I'd use full time.

Latch restrictions - ours said (not sure if newer models have changed this) that latch was OK to use to the full weight limit because the seat weight so little. Even with the new latch restrictions saying a seat + child limit of 65lb you should be able to use the latch up until the seat is outgrown. We used it last fall with DS's shoulders at the top limit for the harness and he was about 42lb (and almost 6yo).

I would not use the seat if it needed to be in a spot where there isn't latch. First, to install it with the seatbelt you loose a good 3" of harness height, the seatbelts routes in front of the armrests and then behind the seat through 2 loops, that pushes the seat back forward and makes it super uncomfy (we did this once on a trip one of the first times we traveled with the seat). It was a 5-6 hour car trip and DD had no back support because the seatbelt install pushed her but forward and the back isn't solid. I think on the drive back I put a folded blanket behind the seat back to help fill the gap.

The seat installs super upright (as upright as your vehicle seat is) and if you have headrests that are forward then it's even more upright than the actual vehicle seat. I never once had the kids fall asleep and not be completely slumped over within 5 minutes. You are allowed to recline the vehicle seat (if the vehicle allows it) to help but in most vehicles that's not going to help at all.

The tether on the ceiling I think would be OK. We had it in MIL-FIL's Ford Escape last summer and I'm trying to remember where the tether locations were in there.

It's super easy to install and works great for traveling. It was also nice to have for a backup seat if I was washing something but I wouldn't buy it for a full time seat.

If you have any other questions let me know.

:spit: (smiley because DS is standing next to me and insists on adding one)

ETA - what is it that you like about the seat concept? Maybe we can help find something that would work better for a full time seat and still meet those criteria.

 

[Nedra]

It's super easy to install and works great for traveling. It was also nice to have for a backup seat if I was washing something but I wouldn't buy it for a full time seat.

If you have any other questions let me know.

ETA - what is it that you like about the seat concept? Maybe we can help find something that would work better for a full time seat and still meet those criteria.

Thanks! This is actually for way into the future. I want to ERF, so we have time. But I also am looking forward to a day when we can have something more lightweight for traveling and so I was researching this seat. It seemed kinda awesomely perfect , so I figured there must be downsides that prevent it from being recommended as often. It's also just such a strange concept that I was curious about what it's installation quirks might be.

We are also in the market for a new car, so I wanted to know if the tether anchor points mattered as far as whether it is usable before we buy our next car. I know there might be totally different travel seats on the market by the , but if there isn't, I want to know that something can work if we need a niche seat!

 

[ketchupqueen]

If you ERF and have a long-torsoed child, with the way it loses height installed in some (but not all) cars, it's conceivable that your child might outgrow the seat before you're ready to use it, with the long-lasting seats for ERF on the market now.

You also can't use it on the airplane, so if you have a child small enough the airplane belt won't fit, you're out of luck.

For rental cars, it's a good choice for a child who has plenty of room to grow in it in your car (like I said it can lose significant room in some cars, so if it's close... might not want to risk it.) For taxis, it depends on the city you are in whether or not you can guarantee LATCH in a taxi will be available.

 

[Nedra]

If you ERF and have a long-torsoed child, with the way it loses height installed in some (but not all) cars, it's conceivable that your child might outgrow the seat before you're ready to use it, with the long-lasting seats for ERF on the market now.

You also can't use it on the airplane, so if you have a child small enough the airplane belt won't fit, you're out of luck.

For rental cars, it's a good choice for a child who has plenty of room to grow in it in your car (like I said it can lose significant room in some cars, so if it's close... might not want to risk it.) For taxis, it depends on the city you are in whether or not you can guarantee LATCH in a taxi will be available.

Can you explain the bit about "losing height"?

 

[ketchupqueen]

Sure. You know how many seats will "lose height" in some cars just because of the angle they install at due to different vehicle seat contours, angles, and geometry? Well, this seat is particularly prone to it, since it doesn't have a rigid structure. So in some cars it's quite upright and will give more room, while in others it's laid back more and gives less, plus sometimes depending on where the anchors are it loses room in the harness height.

 

[joolsplus3]

Top tethering to the ceiling might add some height, I wonder if anyone's tried it? Oh, wait, *I* had it that way, and it's taller, fit my petite 8 year old, barely. (oh wow, she was 9, but really, barely outgrown it---uh, she's 14 now, we still have that car, my memory is just shot, lol) https://picasaweb.google.com/104971860341203318894/SafeguardGo#5291248192673735714 It definitely loses height when it's wrapped down and tethered to the back of the seat, but this is in an Escape with the ceiling anchors).
Anyway, from 3-6, Leah used this harnessed, and DH LOVED it. So easy to get in and out, and I loved that there was so much room (like, for head and knee excursion and for other kids to climb around it when installed, compared to every other bulky thing we had, including the Radian seemed big...). Now she's using it boostered, and I LOVE how low profile it is, it's one of the only seats we can use in the Escape (very low shoulderbelt anchors) or middle-slid seat of the van (again, low anchor, belts just ride off her arm in taller boosters). And it's wide and deep, super comfy.
One thing, though, it's pretty lame for sleeping, those headwings are flim-sy.

 

[aeormsby]

Sure. You know how many seats will "lose height" in some cars just because of the angle they install at due to different vehicle seat contours, angles, and geometry? Well, this seat is particularly prone to it, since it doesn't have a rigid structure. So in some cars it's quite upright and will give more room, while in others it's laid back more and gives less, plus sometimes depending on where the anchors are it loses room in the harness height.

You're also depending on the height of the vehicle seat & headrest for holding the back of the carseat up, if the vehicle seat isn't tall enough it's hard to get the carseat tall enough for the tallest harness position. The trickiest install I had was in my parent's Chrysler minivan, because of the short seatback and the instructions to take the tether under the headrest the carseat was taller than the vehicle seat, to get it tight I had to recline the vehicle seat a bit (which was allowed by the carseat) but that made it lose some harness height.

Honestly, it installed worst (most uncomfortably) in sedans because of the built-in forward-tilting headrest. It causes a gap between the carseat and vehicle seat and basically makes the seat the opposite of reclined (the top is farther forward than the lower part. Since most rental cars are sedans we had this problem often.

It sounds like a great seat and it works well in some situations but if you're looking for something to use in the future I'd just wait and see what's available at that point.

 

[kathysr98]

I have two (I just bought aeromsby's) and love them for certain situations.

It is great in my 2004 Mustang because it helps get dd back from the front seats.

My dad prefers it since he can uninstall it and it doesn't take up much room in his (new model) Jeep.

A friend's dd is having brachial plexus surgery and will be braced with her arm extended up and slightly forward a la the Statue of Liberty, and this is the only seat I can think of that will be pretty sure to work.