About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

The Orbit Baby infant car seat has a lot going for it, including green materials and plenty of ease of use features. However, the car seat and base cost about $400, so my expectations are really high at that price. I think the Orbit Baby infant car seat is a fantastic car seat that will make many families very happy, and it certainly will keep baby safe on the road when it's installed and used correctly.

I'm not sure that many parents will shell out $400 for a car seat that will hold baby for about 2 years, though.



Pros

• Sleek, modern look.
• Base is incredibly easy to install in a hurry.
• Car seat can also be installed very easily without the base.
• Luxury materials, including toxin-free flame retardants.
• Cover removes easily for washing.

Cons

• Base is very heavy at about 15 lbs.
• Car seat weighs over 10 lbs.
• You have to re-thread the harness to change harness height.
• One of the most expensive infant car seats available at about $400.

Description

• Infant car seat with base for babies weighing 4-30 lbs.
• Sold as infant car seat and as a travel system with the G2 stroller.
• Base and stroller can be used again with Orbit Baby toddler car seat (sold separately).
• Three harness heights (8", 10", 12").
• Full-coverage sun shade and infant head padding are included.

Guide Review - Orbit Baby Infant Car Seat G2 Review

Since a lot of parents like to use the infant car seat with a travel system stroller, let's be clear first that this review is only about the infant car seat.

If you want the stroller to create the full Orbit Baby G2 travel system, you'll need to add another $400 to your budget. The stroller steers very well and makes for a really sleek travel system, but it's really a stroller frame that doesn't have its own seat, so you can't use the stroller without taking the car seat out of the car.

If you're one to complain about materials that feel cheap, you won't find any fault with this car seat. It feel solid through and through, not plastic-ey or cheap. Even the soft carry handle feels like it could support a child much larger than 30 lbs. The sun shade material is breathable and soft, but easily withstands being extended and retracted repeatedly while still looking great.

The only piece I found a problem with is a flap of thin foam on the back of the base. It's the piece that sits right up against the vehicle seat, and I'd guess that foam is made to protect the vehicle seat from scratches. This foam piece tore the first time I installed the car seat base. It's not obvious when everything is installed, but annoying to have something on a $400 car seat rip right out of the box.

The first thing you'll probably notice about the infant seat base is that it's heavy. Really heavy. The base alone weighs around 15 lbs, so it's not one that you'll want to drag around between cars every day. The good news, though, is that this base is one of the best available when it comes to ease of use. Route the seat belt or LATCH belt through and buckle, then use the knob on the base to tighten the belt. It's unbelievably easy.

When installing with a seat belt, you'll need to do a quick check of the instructions to be sure you're using the seat belt lock-offs correctly. Luckily, the instructions are very clear and include pictures, so you won't struggle to find the information you need. The lock-offs could be a little tricky, depending on your vehicle setup, but I didn't find any major incompatibility issues among the 3 vehicles in which I installed this car seat.

Since hauling that base around is no fun, I had high hopes for the ease of installation without the base. Infant seats are notoriously tricky to get just right without the base, but the Orbit Baby infant car seat makes that install easy, as well. The large flat area on the bottom of the car seat doesn't give as much room for the car seat angle to get wonky, and the belt paths for installing without the base are wide and easy to use.

You can sit the car seat onto the base from any direction, and then rotate it until it locks in the proper rear-facing position for travel. Buckling baby in is pretty standard with this car seat - click in the two bottom buckles, then snap the chest clip and adjust. There's just one buckle position for between baby's legs, but there are three harness height slots to accommodate your growing baby. You change harness heights by unzipping the back cover, taking the harness off of a metal splitter plate, and re-threading through the proper slot. For a car seat in this price range, I'm surprised there's not a no-rethread harness. You tighten and loosen the harness via a standard front adjuster by baby's feet.

Overall, the Orbit Baby infant car seat is attractive, sturdy and convenient. It's a little on the heavy side, and probably pricey for what most parents will spend on a bucket seat. However, if you're willing to pay for the luxury, you likely won't be disappointed by the quality and convenience offered by this car seat, particularly if you can pair it with the sleek G2 stroller.