If baby were somehow born tomorrow we'd have an actual car seat to take them home in! I had intended to wait until after our baby showers to start buying the big stuff but Babies R Us was having a killer sale and Target was willing to price match. I snagged our Chicco Keyfit 30 for almost $100 bucks of and got a $25 gift card on top of it which makes it more than worth it in my opinion.
Since I'm getting really big and my pelvic girdle pain is starting to slow me down a bit, I wanted to get the base installed while I can still get myself in the back seat of the car. The Keyfit 30 comes with a really awesome latch system but like most cars, my Highlander has the latch connectors on the two outer seats and leaves out the middle. You'd think that you could just use the two inner connectors from the outside seats but Chicco specifically says "Use of lower LATCH anchors in the center seating position with non-standard spacing between the bars (more or less than 280 mm) is prohibited." So much for the fancy, new installation!
Since latch was out, I installed the base using the middle seatbelt and the Chicco seatbelt lock off. It was still really simple, leveled easily with the little bubble leveler and adjustable foot, and doesn't budge when you push on it. The lock off is a nice touch as well that really ensures you get no movement in the belt. All in all, I think baby will be nice and safe in their car seat which is the one thing I was completely unwilling to compromise or cut corners on. Our kiddo will basically be rear facing for as long as I can physically fit them in a safe, rear facing seat and it looks like the Keyfit 30 will be a great start.
