Comments on: Review: True Fit Convertible Car Seat

By: Andrea

Andrea — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:14:07 +0000

Hi folks. I have 2 of these TruFits. My 10 month old, 24 lb, 31 in long son loves it. He is very comfy. Lots of neat features.

I have to say, to my dissappointment, the seat was not easy to install. It is impossible to use in the middle of the back seat when rear facing, because to make it level, the seatbelt does not fit snugly in place under the clips- it slides down as we attempt to tighten the seatbelt, before securing it with clips. If we dont pull it tight, the seat moves too much.

Anyone else having trouble with this? For now is RF in the outboard position. This makes me uncomfortable. Ive tried everything I think. Does anyone have a solution or tips to get a sung fit while using it in the middle???

This seat is HUGE when it is rear facing because of the headrest.

By: Karen O.

Karen O. — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:14:12 +0000

I just purchased this seat for my 10 month old. Mallory is 22 lbs and 28 inches long… she is in a high percentile as far as height and weight, and although she can still fit in her infant carrier, I feel that she isn’t very comfortable anymore and wanted to find her something a little bigger and more comfortable.

That being said, here is my opinion and questions regarding this seat.
I read more reviews than I can even believe, and most of my complaints seem to be the same as others.

First, the installation, which I had no part in, however my husband said it was a pain. The crotch strap is running right into the same area as the seatbelt (we have it rear facing) and makes the crotch buckle shorter. It does seem very secure, though, which is good. I do have a problem loosening the harness because of the way the seat is up against the car. Seems it may cause a struggle for me but hopefully I will get used to it. Additionally, I don’t like the fact that there isn’t a way to hold the straps to the sides while I put her in the car… minor problem, but it could have been resolved very easily so it is something to mention.

We seem to have a problem with the position of the seat, which seems to be common as well. Some have suggested a towel or pool noodle to angle it the right way. I am going to try this today, because as of right now, the red line is not parallel and she seems to be too upright. When she fell asleep, her little head fell forward and I don’t like that at all! I am hoping that the towel adjustment will help remedy that. I am wondering if anyone else had to use this method and if it helped?

Other than the head falling problem, the seat seems to be very comfy… she fell right to sleep in it and didn’t fuss when I first put her in it like she has been doing with the infant carrier. The fabric is very plush and looks very high end for the price. The size has been an issue for a lot of reviewers, but I actually find that is fits nicely into our GMC Envoy… it is actually smaller then her infant carrier! I had a blind spot with the carrier but not with this, which is great. I am a little concerned about the headrest, though, because I am not sure that it will fit in the RF position. Isn’t there a certain weight/height that you are supposed to install the headrest for? She is a good 4-5 inches below the top of the seat (I think the instruction manual suggests at least 1 inch), but I wasn’t sure because someone mentioned weight?

Overall, I think this seat is a good choice, and I think it will be wonderful when she is front facing. Any advice regarding my questions is greatly appreciated!

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 05:12:17 +0000

Can someone please provide the outside dimensions of the true fit? Particularly the seat depth as this will need to fit a small back seat. I’m looking for a harness seat for my 3 year old that is giving up his Roundabout to his baby brother. I have the Radian and it fits our car but it seems very small on the inside dimensions – like there’s no way he’ll still fit at 65lbs. The Frontier leaves zero leg room for him or the front seat passenger.

By: Christie

Christie — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:36:36 +0000

Sorry, it took me a while to get back. We have a problem with the headrest – not enough room in our Mitsubishi Lancer!! With the seat in a rear facing position, we will have a problem with the headrest. When the seat gets turned around it will be okay. There is just not enough room between the backseat and us two long legged adults (6′) in the front seat.

By: Christie

Christie — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 03:20:05 +0000

We just received the car seat and installed it in our Mitsubishi Lancer (rear facing). We are very pleased with the seat. I love the tethers – very easy to install. A lot of cushion in the seat, easy to adjust the straps (easier than the Graco safeseat). I liked the fact that the cover snaps off. My son actually threw up on the seat – the first day we got it! I was so worried, but it wiped up beautifully. I do agree with accessing the release strap-that could pose a small problem. Overall we like the seat and it was a good buy for the money. We don’t have the headrest in, but I will resubmit a comment once I try it.

By: Miche

Miche — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:13:34 +0000

I was reading about it not fitting rear facing with the headrest in compact cars. We drive a Hyundai Elantra and are in the process of looking for a new car seat. My daughter still fits in her infant carrier and has lots of room to grow but I am finding it too heavy to cart around constantly. If you have any car seat suggestions it would be appreciated. I have read that the Britax Diplomat was better suited to smaller cars but I would have to order it online which would make returning it a pain.

By: JLea

JLea — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:02:23 +0000

My husband and I bought 2 of these car seats after much research. Today we tried to install it in our 2008 Chrysler Town and Country and had the most awful time. It has to be rear facing, upon lining the red line up to be parallel with the ground I felt like the seat was still not secure and was moving more than I’d like. I called the # listed in the manual and of course they’re only open M-F 8-5. Any suggestions on making it fit tightly? Very frustrated……

By: Angela

Angela — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:36:39 +0000

Just bought the True Fit and am exploring all its features at the moment. The crotch buckle has me stumped. It’s supposed to be adjustable to 2 positions, but for the life of me I can’t get this thing to move. You’re supposed to press and then push in the direction of the arrows. Believe me, I’ve pressed and pushed. This thing is not moving. Any suggestions?

By: Jen

Jen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 23:55:35 +0000

Hi! My husband and I just bought this seat for our daughter last week. It seemed to be our best option and at a decent price. She only weighs 20 lbs, though, so it has to be rear facing for at least another 2 lbs (but I would like to keep her RF longer). We discovered the same problem mentioned above – that with the True Fit in the rear facing position, it’s very difficult to access the release strap. It seems very poorly designed (as previously mentioned). Has anyone else used the True Fit rear facing and gotten around this problem?

By: My Boaz's Ruth

My Boaz's Ruth — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:14:54 +0000

LaDonna: 1) No 2) No.
if you want those abilities of the seat, you need an infant seat, a Bucket, for while your babie will fit. Not a convertible (first). The convertible is installed in the car and left there. Usually, a child “graduates” out of the infant seat into a convertible.

It is safest to use the convertible seat rear-facing to the limits of the seat, and then to turn it around and use it to the limits of the seat forward-facing. Then, depending on age and how mature the child is at sitting still in the car, many parents will go to a high weight harnessed forward-facing only (or forward-facing/booster combination) seat.

Even if you buy an infant seat, you will need a combination seat afterward to keep your child rear-facing.