Flex Loc Useful Article

I LOVE this car seat. There are a few deterrents, but my son is just a month shy of 2 years old and he still fits in this seat quite well. When placed at the proper angle in the car and bucked in you will not find any safety issues at all. The base is a challenge to put in, but for ease of use we don’t even use the base.

It is a bit heavy to carry around, but it is not recommended for bonding with your child that you leave them in the car seat while out and about but rather purchase a sling or carry your baby.

Unlike other seats this buckle is very hard to buckle and unbuckle meaning when my son at 8 months began trying to get out of his seat he could not, while friends with graco seats their babies were letting themselves out of the seat with ease.

The foam is very strong and the seat overall still looks brand new after 2 years of use, and I plan on using it for my next baby. Unlike carseats made from a woven cotton fabric this is very easy to wipe clean to make sure things are always clean. None of the fabric has worn out or faded.

You will find that this seat is well worth the money you spend on it.

Where to begin? I guess my sentiments echo the other reviewer’s 1-star ratings.

- The handle is difficult to move to any position that it locks into.
- The canopy interfers with the handle, and you must adjust it everytime you move the handle.
- LATCH does not work on vehicle designed for LATCH*.
- Seat belt guides are a pain (literally and figuratively).

I received this seat as a gift, but it will never be used for its intended purpose in my care. I attempted to install it first with the LATCH connectors, but was thwarted by the ‘too-long’ connectors. Yes, they did connnect, but the combination of the length of the connector + the position of the belt handle + the belt cutout position => is too great for the car’s LATCH mount and the seat base fitting. This then leads to the base not being able to be ‘tightened any more’ and the base is free to move around side to side and back and forth. Tried installation on two cars – 2007 Subaru Impreza Wagon and 2005 Infiniti G35. Same problem with both cars,,, the base design would not allow proper attachment as recommended by car seat fitters (less than 1″ of movement in any direction).

Anyway, the other short-comings of this seat put me off completely; as noted above. This is a poor product with an overall terrible design.

Instead of the Flex Loc, I will be using a Recaro Signo for my newborn instead, since purchasing another infant seat is out of the question at this time. If you want to buy a pretty decent infant seat, please consider either the Chicco KeyFit 30 [What I originally requested], or a Graco Snugride (original or 32).

I bought this car seat on sale at Target. The main selling points to me were the triangular handle, the giant canopy and the foot cover thing. Which I don’t think is on this version, but it’s like a little snuggly thing to keep your child warm.

I used this car seat for a year for my 2nd son. I liked it a lot. My first son we had a peg perego car seat which was nice and I liked a lot. But it was my sister’s and she needed it back for her 2nd child, so we opted to buy the Flex Loc.

Pros: the triangular handle, the ability to use a base or a lap belt, the canopy, and the safety ratings

Cons: kinda heavy, handle is difficult to move up or down, difficult to fasten when child is in a snowsuit

My favorite feature was the ability to use with or without the base…unfortunately I didn’t realize this until about 6 months into using it, but still, once I found out I was ecstatic that I didn’t have to keep moving the base between my car and my husband’s. The canopy is very large and great for covering up when it rains or snows or the sun is glaring down. And the triangle is useful for switching between hands or hanging a toy to distract the baby. The straps are movable, you turn the dial on the back and it raises or lowers the height of the straps and I liked that feature which meant I didn’t have to unthread and rethread the straps. Also the locks for the LATCH system were really easy to use; just push until you hear the click and press the button to remove. Much easier than little j-hooks [I don't know the actual name for these things] that you have to squeeze and maneuver around to attach.

The handle is difficult to move, you have to wiggle it to a certain spot then click the buttons and then move it, which my husband never really got the hang of, so I generally had to move it. It’s also kinda heavy to carry, but if it’s for safety then it’s okay with me…plus then it could be considered weight lifting and I get to pass on the gym, right? And when my son was in his snowsuit and we had to fasten him it, it was really hard. I would put him in two lighter jackets and cover him with a blanket so I wouldn’t have to deal with it.

I think the pros out weigh the cons. I would totally recommend this.

I bought this product becuase I read great reviews about it. I have a 4 year old and I am preganat with my second son, so I have a good idea of what features I like. I love the look and features of this seat. They are very easy to use. We have a smaller car and it fits great into it. But, when I received the seat we opened it to do a fit test in the car and the latch clip that secures the base in the car broke! It looks like the clip spring snapped becuase there is no tention on the clip. I thought, no problem, I will just call the dealer to get it fixed. The dealer does not sell parts, they wanted me to return it so we could get a replacement. No problem except that it took 2 months to get to us becuase we are stationed in Belgium. I am now 35 weeks pregnant and don’t have time to get another one! So I was advised to call the manufacturer. They were difficult from the start. They refused to acknowledge there was a defect in the product from the beginning, then they insisted that it was probably damaged in shipping and that I just need to use the “I” clip to secure it into the car. It is a solution that will secure my son safely, but that clip is such a pain to use! It is the whole reason I bought a seat with a supposidly good latch system in the first place. Finally, she told me that because we are stationed overseas, they will not honor the warranty on the product! I was appauled! I asked to speak to a manager and she gave me the run-around again! First, he was not in the office, then she insisted he would tell me the same thing, so I didn’t really need to speak to him. Then after I asked her again to speak to a manager, she said she would transfer my call to the voicemail and it just went to the main switchboard which sent me back to her! Finally, she gave me some obscure voicemail and we left a message. Either way, I have never had so much trouble with a manufacturer! To me, being able to have a problem fixed when it arises is just as important as having a good product in the first place. If we had lived in the States, we wouldn’t have had a problem. I highly recommend anyone who has any chance of being stationed out of the country to buy another product! It’s a good seat, but if something goes wrong, you will not have any help!

I recently bought this carseat and when I got it I thought it would be perfect. When I tried to install it was when I found the first problem. Putting the seat in the correct height to have it level proves to be near impossible unless you are very strong. Raising and lowering it by the little button the base is very difficult. After I got that figured out and got it installed by a certified person, I thought I was going to be done with it until I had the baby. I didn’t pay any attention to it for a couple of days and when I was putting stuff in the backseat I noticed that one of the LATCH clasps was undone. I couldn’t figure out why this would have happened but didn’t think anything of it and just hooked it back on. By the time I had driven home, less than 10 minutes, it was unclipped again. No one seemed to be able to tell me why this was happening, I’m just glad that my baby isn’t here yet! I’m returning this one and I don’t think I’ll ever look at a Baby Trend again!

Where to begin? I guess my sentiments echo the other reviewer’s 1-star ratings.

- The handle is difficult to move to any position that it locks into.
- The canopy interfers with the handle, and you must adjust it everytime you move the handle.
- LATCH does not work on vehicle designed for LATCH*.
- Seat belt guides are a pain (literally and figuratively).

I received this seat as a gift, but it will never be used for its intended purpose in my care. I attempted to install it first with the LATCH connectors, but was thwarted by the ‘too-long’ connectors. Yes, they did connnect, but the combination of the length of the connector + the position of the belt handle + the belt cutout position => is too great for the car’s LATCH mount and the seat base fitting. This then leads to the base not being able to be ‘tightened any more’ and the base is free to move around side to side and back and forth. Tried installation on two cars – 2007 Subaru Impreza Wagon and 2005 Infiniti G35. Same problem with both cars,,, the base design would not allow proper attachment as recommended by car seat fitters (less than 1″ of movement in any direction).

Anyway, the other short-comings of this seat put me off completely; as noted above. This is a poor product with an overall terrible design.

Instead of the Flex Loc, I will be using a Recaro Signo for my newborn instead, since purchasing another infant seat is out of the question at this time. If you want to buy a pretty decent infant seat, please consider either the Chicco KeyFit 30 [What I originally requested], or a Graco Snugride (original or 32).

We bought this travel system at Target and we are very disappointed with the product. The stroller is the biggest problem we have. The latch where you pull in to fold the stroller down (to put into the car) well it’s very hard to squeeze in and it will sometimes not even budge. It’s even hard for my husband who actually does have muscle. We’ve exchanged 2 times with this product thinking it was a defect, but come to find out it’s the product/brand itself. As the other review stated she gave this a star only because there was no option not to give it a star. Same with mine, there is no option to not give it at least one star.

Do not buy Baby Trend strollers! I only gave it 1 star because I couldn’t figure out how to give it none. We have a Safari Travel System and the support bar between the rear wheels completely broke in two after less than 4 months of daily walks on the sidewalk. And Baby Trend refuses to cover a repair or replacement. Only buy if you consider strollers disposable items, because ours is now ready to throw away.