Choosing a car seat for your child is an important purchase and oftentimes a major investment. With so many options on the market, it should fulfill your family’s needs perfectly. One question I get asked, more often than you would think, is “What’s a good car seat for our two-car family?” My answer is always the same — the Orbit G3 Toddler Car Seat — for one simple reason: the amazing drop-and-dock car seat base option. Think of the ease of an infant car seat snapping into the car seat base, now add that to the size and features of a full-sized convertible car seat and you have the Orbit G3! It truly makes moving a car seat from car-to-car so much easier.
All the specs you need to know
The Orbit G3 Toddler Car Seat comes in either black or red and weighs 21.5 pounds. I want to be clear and say the actual seat does not come with the G3 Rotating Car Seat Base. Those are purchased in addition to the seat and, in my opinion, are the main selling point for using this car seat in multiple cars.
As an alternative, the seat itself comes with Side Impact Braces, so you do have the option of installing using those instead of the base. However, you will not be able to rotate the seat and you will not be able to drop and dock. The Side Impact Braces allow for LATCH and standard seat belt installation.
It’s important to note that the base is only to be used for rear-facing installation. Once your child is turned around, the install will be done with the Side Impact Braces. This may sound like sort of a bummer because it means that there is no rotation when it’s forward-facing. While that may be true, I also think this is good feature because it encourages people to rear-face for longer in order to take advantage of the ease of the design.
The seat weight rating for rear-facing is 15-35 pounds and 25-65 pounds for children who are forward facing. The height allowance is a generous 49-inches, which makes the seat very tall. My husband wanted me to point out that the height causes a bit of a blind spot, especially in small compact cars, so be aware. On the flip side, the tall height allows for the child to be in the seat for longer and it takes up less leg room for your front seat passenger, so it’s a trade off, for sure. Also keep in mind there is no recline option with this car seat, unfortunately.
The soft and washable fabric is made of BFR Orbit green material meaning it’s certified healthy and clean by Oeko-Tex, which is specifically made to be easier on the sensitive skin of little ones. Although it’s not as plush and fluffy as some of the other car seats on the market right now, I don’t feel like my baby is lacking in comfort. In fact, she seems much more comfortable in this seat than she is in a leading competitor’s overly fluffy convertible car seat.
Install the Orbit G3 Toddler car seat with ease
The worst part of installing a car seat is the worry and fear that you may be doing it wrong. With the G3 Car Seat and Base, the instructions were extremely clear, and they also came with easy-to-follow pictures. I’ve installed a lot of different car seats and the Orbit G3 was, by far, the easiest and most secure. I never once thought I might be doing it wrong. Peace of mind is worth every penny in this case.
Once we were installed in my husband’s small Nissan Leaf and my mid-sized Jeep Cherokee, I practiced dropping and docking to see how fast I could do it. The results? Honestly, it only took seconds. It took longer to explain to my husband how to do than to actually get it done! My husband’s car is so small, I was concerned that the seat would be so massive, but was pleasantly surprised that there was actually more room than when we had another convertible car seat installed in his car. He noted that the best part is when the baby isn’t in his car, he’s not still left with a big bulky empty car seat taking up most of the room in his rear seats — just the small base that he hardly notices.
Drop, dock and go!
I realize the price tag is a bit high, especially when you add in not one but two bases ($220 each, plus the car seat itself), but the convenience factor, in addition to the features, definitely outweigh the investment. In all honesty, it would be less expensive to purchase two car seats from another brand, but what you’re paying for here is worth its weight in gold.
Everything about this car seat is well thought out, even smallest convenience features — from the magnets that hold the high-quality (and non-twisty!) straps out of the seat for easy loading to the covered back panel that allows for simple strap height adjustment. Beyond the bells and whistles, remember you’re also paying for safety with this seat. It has the highest safety ratings of any car seat currently on the market with its 360-degree impact protection and deeper side-impact safety.
The bottom line for two-car families
If you need to move a car seat between two vehicles, this is the easiest and most convenient way to go. Add in the mix the back-saving swivel ability and stylish good looks and you should be sold. If you already have the Orbit G3 Infant Car Seat or one of their stroller systems, this addition to your Orbit collection should be a no-brainer as the toddler seat can use the same base and go from car seat to stroller seat by docking it right onto your Orbit stroller frame.
For those of you who were wondering about the more upright positioning and lack of recline — the proof is in the pudding! Rest assured she is sleeping like, well, a baby.
