Product Rating

The best car seat we could find

by Cedar 2008-01-05

When my wife and I were shopping for car seats this past Spring (2007), our approach was to find the best rear-facing infant car seat regardless of price (high or low). We live in Atlanta where public transportation is almost never a realistic or safe option and thus everyone has to drive everywhere (especially on the weekends!). So we knew we needed a quality car seat that could stand up to daily use.

In our search, we looked at all of the major brands. Nothing really impressed us until we found the Combi Connection. The quality is really unmistakable--a solid handle, amazingly soft Eggshock foam (I don't think the new Connections have the Eggshock foam, which, if true, is a huge misjudgment on Combi's part), EPS foam, a quality pad cover made from expensive cloth, and a fantastic canopy. The Connection was also very easy to install using the LATCH system. The Combi Connection stroller is also great--we use it everyday and have been very happy with it. Some have criticized the Connection for not having notches to place the seat in the top half of a shopping cart. This is actually a safety feature--the American Academy of Pediatrics and Consumer Reports both recommend that parents not attach infant car seats to shopping carts in this manner.

When I start shopping for my son's convertible car seat, I will again not let price be a consideration (high or low). I now know that a car seat is all about installation. No matter how nice it is, if it is difficult to install properly, your child is not safe. Right now, I'm focused on the Britax Marathon and the Graco Comfortsport.

Product Rating

Excellent car seat

by R. Anderson 2007-06-29

I got this infant car seat for my first daughter who was 8 lbs and 19 inches at birth. It was really too big for her and I had to use the infant positioning support and the additional GoldBug 2 in 1 infant head support when we took her home from the hospital. Our car was latch compatible so installation was easy. She grew quickly and we eventually bought a Britax Decathalon (the best convertible ever!) and I loaned it to my friend who had twins. She already had a Graco Snugride from her first child. Anyways, I noticed a lot of differences between the two carseats:

Pros:
Very well padded and washable cover. There was an extreme difference between the Snugride and the Connection padding and overall quality.

Security straps are well-constructed and didn't twist at all.

Seat is deep and narrow, which is good for small infants and somehow seems safer.

Installation of the base using LATCH in the bucket seats in the outboard (as opposed to the center) position was super easy and very secure. My husband and my friend's husband struggled with the Snugride base which didn't fit well except in the center position of the backseat. It kept tipping up and seemed loose. I think it was because of the bucket seats since they didn't have that problem with the first child and it was the same car (Acura TL).

Putting the carrier in the base and removing it was super easy.

Carrier has shorter handle which is a plus for shorter parents.


Cons:

Connection doesn't fit in the shopping cart upper area.

It's a bit expensive.

If you have the Combi Savvy Soho stroller, it was often difficult to tell if you snapped on the carrier since it would "snap on" and the carrier would indicate it was locked, but then one side wasn't attached. We usually would lift up on the carrier handle to check and then really push down hard to get it locked on.

The canopy is a bit small and doesn't provide enough sun protection in the stroller...it was also confusing to remove it to get the seat cover off.



All in all, I loved this car seat and felt it was safe and good enough for my friend's babies. She also informed me that she uses it a lot and puts the smaller twin in it since it was deeper.

Product Rating

Happy with the purchase

by J. Snavely 2007-06-23

Admittedly, this was for our first child so we don't have a point of reference other than the shopping we did in the store. I definitely appreciate a feeling of quality. Most baby products, however, seem to be very cheaply made. The Combi Connection stood out of the crowd though. The handle is molded all of the way around unlike some on the market and the lining was easily the highest quality of anything typically sold in the US.

The seat has worked flawlessly with the base and adjusted well to growth.

The only negative I can think of is that it is that most products (such as strollers) with a seat connection are not going to accomodate the Combi. You can always buy a Combi stroller, but in our case we bought a Bob Revolution for longer walks around the neighborhood and to the store. Its adapter only accomodates the "mainstream" connection style of the graco/peg/britax. We were able to get the seat to work anyway, but with a workaround.

With the decision to make over again, I would still purchase the Connection.

Product Rating

Love this carseat!!!

by B. Griffith 2007-05-22

My baby is so comfortable in this carseat, it just seems to hug her body. It is very easy to install and I love the color combination! We are very happy with it.