Updated Chicco NextFit Zip Convertible Carseat Review
I’ll admit that I was a little worried. The Chicco KeyFit is possibly the most well-loved infant seat of all time and the bar was set pretty high for any convertible carseat that would wear the Chicco name. There was no doubt that the expectations were high and they needed to nail this one or else it was going to go down in the carseat history books as the biggest disappointment since the Nania Airway (long story with unhappy ending). Thankfully, my anxiety was for nothing because the Chicco NextFit convertible exceeds every expectation that I had for ease of use and ease of proper installation. Chicco people, you can pat yourselves on the back for another job well done!
The Chicco NextFit Zip is a Recommended Carseats and an Editor’s Pick.
What makes the Chicco NextFit stand out in a crowded field of high-end convertibles?
One word – SuperCinch. Well, technically that’s two words but Chicco has made it one word and trademarked it so that’s what I’m going with. SuperCinch is a force-multiplying system that makes it possible for anyone, even an elderly grandparent, to get a rock-solid installation in less than 1 minute using LATCH. It’s so easy that even my husband can do it properly! Without me hovering. Or coaching. Or leaving post-it notes in the seat. Seriously, it’s that easy. This seat could not only save lives – it could save marriages! 😉
In addition to the incredibly innovative force-multiplying SuperCinch system, Chicco has really gone out on a limb to design and engineer a seat that is very easy for parents and caregivers to use correctly and equally difficult to misuse if you’re actually making an attempt to “do it right”.
NextFit Specs:
- Rear-Facing: 5-40 lbs
- Forward-Facing: 22-65 lbs; 49″ or less; at least 1 year old. *Chicco and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend all children ride REAR-FACING until they reach the weight/height limits of this seat.
- FAA Approved for use on aircraft
- 8 year lifespan before seat expires
There are 4 trim lines. MSRP for the “base” version, the NextFit Sport, is $249. The NextFit Zip is $299. The NextFit Zip Air is $329. The NextFit Zip Max model is $329. The chart below summarizes the differences.
RF Weight limits | FF Weight limits | Harness pads | Infant insert | ComfortFlex™ harness padding | Zip-off cover | AirMesh™ backrest | Extra legroom | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NextFit Sport | 12-40 lbs. | 22-65 lbs. | ✓ | |||||
NextFit Zip | 5-40 lbs. | 22-65 lbs. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
NextFit Zip Air | 5-40 lbs. | 22-65 lbs. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
NextFit Zip Max | 4-50 lbs. | 22-65 lbs. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
NextFit Features:
- SuperCinch LATCH tightening system
- No-rethread harness (9 height positions)
- 2 crotch strap/buckle positions
- 2-position chest clip (only on Zip Max model)
- Energy-absorbing EPS foam lines the sides and the headwings
- Lock-offs for rear-facing and forward-facing installations with seatbelt
- 9 recline positions (any position can be used rear-facing or forward-facing to achieve an appropriate recline angle)
- Dual liquid bubble level indicators (one for RF, one for FF)
- Smooth bottom base with grip material won’t damage vehicle upholstery or slide around on slippery leather seats
NextFit Measurements:
- Lowest harness height setting: 5.5″ with newborn insert; 7.5″ without insert
- Tallest harness height setting: 17.5″
- Crotch strap positions: 3″ with insert; 4″ or 6″ without insert
- Seat pan depth (leg room/thigh support): 14″
- Internal seated height room (highest position): 26″
- Base “footprint”: 17″ front to back; 14.5″ at widest point across
- Weight: 25.2 lbs. (according to my digital bathroom scale)
Installation Comments:
The NextFit passed every challenge as I installed it in a wide variety of vehicles and seating positions both rear-facing and forward-facing using either LATCH or seatbelt. I installed it in bigger vehicles, smaller vehicles, old jalopy vehicles, new luxury vehicles with contoured rear seats and protruding head restraints, crew cab pick-up trucks with funky tether routing and even in the 3rd row center of my 2005 Ford Freestar minivan which is notoriously problematic for most FF carseat installations due to lousy belt geometry. The only installation that gave me any trouble at all was the 3rd row center of my minivan (pic below). The shoulder belt in this seating position originates from the ceiling and the lap portion of the belt is anchored forward of the bight by a good 2″. That combination makes it extremely difficult to install any forward-facing carseat securely. Typically what happens in this seating position is that the carseat appears tight (doesn’t move more than 1″ from side-to-side) but when you test for tightness from front-to-back, the carseat slides forward several inches. I ran into this exact problem when I first tried to install the NF forward-facing with the seatbelt in this seating position. However, I don’t give up that easily. I’ve been installing carseats for over 16 years and I’ve learned a few tricks of the trade along the way. I’m not going to go into too much detail but suffice to say that I went “old school” on the installation (with both knees in the seat and using the reclining seat back trick) and I wound up with a tight install that didn’t move at all side-to-side and moved less than 1″ from front-to-back. Having a lock-off on the NF really helped in that situation. Honestly, that was the only installation in the multiple vehicles that I tested that gave me even the slightest bit of trouble. Rear-facing in that same seating position using seatbelt (pic below) wasn’t a problem. Every other installation was basically a walk in the park.
Installing with LATCH:
Rear-facing: you can install using the lower LATCH anchors until your child reaches 35 lbs. When your child weighs between 35 – 40 lbs., you should install your rear-facing NextFit with seatbelt using the lockoff.
Forward-facing: You can use the LATCH system in your vehicle (lower anchors and tether) to install the NextFit until your child weighs 40 lbs. If your child weighs between 40-65 lbs., install with the seatbelt using the lockoff. Always use the top tether strap if you have a tether anchor for that seating position.
NextFit does NOT allow center LATCH installations with “Non-Standard Spacing” so you can only take advantage of the easy LATCH installations with SuperCinch if you are installing in a dedicated LATCH seating position with standardized spacing (280 mm).
The lower LATCH connectors are the premium push-on connectors made by SafeGuard. The connectors are also “non-handed” which just means that you don’t have to remove the LATCH belt from the beltpath to switch the orientation of the lower anchor connectors. You can simply slide the LATCH belt from the rear-facing beltpath to the foward-facing beltpath and your lower anchor connectors will always be facing the right direction as you attach them to the lower anchor bars in your vehicle. Just to clarify, the lower LATCH connectors have an “up” side and they need to be attached to the lower anchors facing the right direction. It should look like a stapler (with the fat side on top) clamping down on the anchor bar.
Installation using SuperCinch is literally… a cinch! Check out our previous video on installation with SuperCinch:
Tether:
Tethering is required for all forward-facing installations when a tether anchor is available. If the vehicle does not have any top tether anchors or if the NextFit must be installed in a seating position that does not have a designated top tether anchor then it is not considered a misuse to install without tethering. However, Chicco really wants the seat to be tethered (and so do we!) regardless of whether you are installing forward-facing using the lower LATCH anchors or the seat belt. Do NOT use the tether strap when the NextFit is installed rear-facing. In that case, store the tether hook in its storage compartment on the back of the shell.
Installing with Seatbelt:
The openings on the sides of the shell for the beltpath are small but it’s not an issue because you access the beltpath from the access panel in the front of the seat.
I tried numerous rear-facing and forward-facing installations using the seatbelt and ran into very few issues. Use one lockoff when installing with seatbelt. If your seatbelt has a switchable retractor you may opt to switch it into locked mode after you lock the seatbelt inside the lock-off. It’s redundant and unnecessary (and I wouldn’t recommend doing this with a RF install because it could cause the seat to start tilting) but it’s not considered a misuse if you lock the seatbelt by switching it into ALR mode after securing the belt in the lock-off. Again, it’s just redundant and unnecessary because locking the seatbelt using the lock-off provides all the necessary pre-crash positioning.
In general, the NextFit doesn’t take up too much room in the rear-facing position – especially if you don’t need a maximum recline angle for a newborn. Below are pictures (left to right) of RF installations in an Audi Q5, Ford Freestar and Volvo S60 R-Design.
The design of the shell and the headwings seems to work well with a variety of head restraints when the seat is installed forward-facing.
2012 Ram 1500 Crew Cab: The NextFit installed beautifully both RF and FF in the outboard positions of this vehicle. Tethering was a challenge but that was due to the funky tether routing required in this vehicle. I was able to fit the tether and the tether adjuster hardware through the loop of webbing directly behind the seating position and attach the tether hook to the tether anchor behind the center seating position (as required in this vehicle) but getting it back out proved to be a little time-consuming. Definitely not something I would want to have to wrestle with on a frequent basis – but none of that is the carseat’s fault. The NextFit was incompatible with the center seating position in this vehicle because for some odd reason the rear center seat in a Ram 1500 is considerably more shallow than the outboard seats. This caused too much overhang. Chicco is very specific that no more than 3″ of the footprint of the base may hang over the edge of the vehicle seat.
Installation with inflatable seat belts is NOT allowed.
Fit to Child Comments:
With Infant Insert:
The infant insert is recommended (but not required) for babies who weigh between 5-11 lbs. If your baby fits fine without the insert than you can skip it. In general, the smaller the baby – the more likely it is that you’re going to need the infant insert to get a proper fit with the harness straps being positioned at or slightly below the baby’s shoulders. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that the Nextfit with the infant insert provides a good harness fit on the very tiny preemie doll from Huggable Images that we use to assess whether a seat is really likely to fit a small newborn or a preemie. The minimum weight rating on the NextFit is 5 lbs. but the fact that it does fit the 4 lbs. 17″ preemie doll pretty well means that it should provide a good fit even for smaller-than-average newborns if you decide that you want to skip the infant seat and use a convertible right from the start. If you need to use the NextFit in the lowest harness height setting then you need to fold the back padding panel under to allow the headrest to lock into its lowest position. If you don’t fold it under then the cover will actually get in the way and the headrest won’t lower all the way down.
Preemie Doll – With Infant Inserts
20″ Newborn Doll – Without Infant Insert (fit beautifully)
Rear-facing 3 year old:
The NextFit allows any headrest position to be used when the seat is installed rear-facing as long as the harness straps are positioned at or slightly below the child’s shoulder level. The rear-facing height limits are so generous that children will almost certainly fit height-wise until they reach the max RF weight limit of 40 lbs.
The maximum height limit for the NextFit is 49″ tall or the seat can be outgrown by height once the child’s shoulders are above the harness slots in the highest height setting. Kids with longer-than-average torsos will always outgrow seats more quickly just because of the way they are proportioned.
NextFit “ZIP” Models:
The NextFit Zip model has a cover that zips off and on for easy cleaning. Does it zip off easily? Yes, it’s really a great feature! But it’s important to note that only the main portion of the cover zips off. The cover on the adjustable headrest and a flap of the cover that is attached to it does not zip off (pic below) but it was easy for me to remove and replace that part of the cover too. There is an edge of fabric with one side of the zipper that remains attached to the shell. It’s not likely that you would need to remove that edge piece but it is possible to remove that too, if necessary. Pictured below is the NextFit Zip Air model. We have a separate review of that seat HERE.
FAA-Approval/Lifespan/Inflatable SeatsBelts
- FAA-approved for use on a plane
- 8-year lifespan before expiration
- Installation with inflatable seatbelts (found in some Ford/Lincoln/Mercedes Benz vehicles) is NOT allowed. Use LATCH if possible or move the seat to a different seating position which does not have an inflatable seatbelt.
NextFit Advantages:
- Fits a wide range of children well – including small newborns
- Great seat for extended rear-facing (for kids under 40 lbs.)
- Tall top harness height setting should get a lot of kids to the point where they are big enough and mature enough to transition to a booster (roughly age 5-7)
- Super easy installation with LATCH using SuperCinch technology
- Premium push-on lower LATCH connectors
- Easy to switch the lower LATCH connectors from rear-facing beltpath to forward-facing beltpath and vice versa
- RF & FF lock-offs for seatbelt installations
- 9 position no-rethread harness makes it easy to adjust the harness height when your child has a growth spurt
- 9 recline positions practically guarantee a perfect recline angle in almost any vehicle without needing noodles
- Relatively easy to tighten and loosen harness straps
- Harness straps are thick and not prone to twisting
- Buckle is easy to buckle and unbuckle
- Doesn’t take up a lot of room rear-facing (especially if you don’t need the full recline for a newborn). This makes it a good option for smaller cars and for tall parents who may need to have the front seat all or most of the way back.
- Premium fabrics with extra padding for comfort
- Zip models have cover that is very easy to remove
- Cover and infant insert can be machine washed in cold water (delicate cycle, mild detergent, hang to dry)
- Smooth bottom base won’t damage vehicle upholstery
- Instruction manual is clear and well-written with easy-to-understand diagrams
NextFit Disadvantages:
(In all fairness these aren’t necessarily problems but I list them here to inform potential consumers of specific NextFit issues)
- Heavy & bulky
- Due to LATCH weight limits you must switch to a seatbelt installation once the child weighs more than 35 lbs. rear-facing or more than 40 lbs. forward-facing (not a big deal since you have lock-offs for easy seatbelt install but not quite as easy as using SuperCinch)
- Made in China (to be fair I should point out that so are many other good quality, high-end carseats)
Conclusion:
As you can see the “pros” of the Chicco NextFit far outweigh the few “cons” which is why this seat is on our list of Recommended Carseats as an Editors’ Pick. And while there is no such thing as a perfect carseat, the Chicco NextFit is clearly a well-designed and well-thought-out convertible. Nothing on the NextFit seems cheap or flimsy or lacking in any way. Yes, it’s heavy and bulky but it’s clearly a good quality, high-end carseat. The premium padding is the ultimate icing on the cake, in my opinion. If you want your child to feel like he or she is sitting on a cloud – the NextFit can definitely deliver.
Of course, the best advice for any carseat is to try before you buy, whenever that’s possible. If that just isn’t an option for you then keep in mind that ordering directly from Amazon will usually give you the benefit of free shipping and free returns if it doesn’t work out for some reason.
Thank you to Chicco USA for providing the NextFit sample used in this review. No other compensation was provided and the opinions and comments are entirely those of CarseatBlog.
For more info (and some great instructional videos) see the Chicco webpage for NextFit: http://www.chiccousa.com/nextfit
Updated Jan 2021
CarseatBlog Experts Rating
Editors’ Pick Premium Category: NextFit Zip
Also Recommended: NextFit Sport
I saw this seat last year at KIM and got so excited. It fits so well in so many cars, is SO easy to install and use, and really has the thoughtful design Chicco does so well. My only dislike about this seat is it wasn’t out when my littler was born so I could buy it then!!!
I really loved my friend’s Chicco Keyfit. I am excited they have come out with this convertible. I need to purchase a second seat for my 2 year old and this one looks awesome!
I really love my KeyFit, and I can only imagine I will love this seat just as much. My only question… When are they bringing it to Canada?
Great, thorough review! I really like that there is a tall rear-facing option that has beefier sides to it. There are certain other seats that while tall, I really don’t like to use in outboard positions because of their lack of a deeper shell. I’m glad that Chicco was able to produce this seat without an overall height limit for rear-facing. My toddler is 2.5 and 36″ so a seat with a heat limit of 40″ doesn’t seem practical.
I love the reviews on this blog. But that’s not what I am commenting on. I pretty much love this car seat. I have been looking for the perfect convertible car seat for over a year now. Actually since 2009. It’s like fate waited for the perfect car seat to come out before giving us a baby! Well, two! I am thoroughly impressed with this car seat and can’t wait to buy a set for our cars for our new baby.
The NextFit came out a week before we got the call that a 10 month old baby was waiting to join our home and make us a family. We scrambled to get all the things a 10 month old would need. A rear facing carseat that would grow with her was needed! I had 2 on my list, but the moment I saw the nextfit at Target, I knew I needed that seat! The things that I love about the nextfit in comparison to its 50% cheaper competitor is the padding, the supercinch, stupid-proof chest clip and the bubble indicator. I also love that the shell of the carseat is so smooth and curved and that there is a compartment for EVERYTHING! My OCD appreciates this!
Some things that bug me about the NextFit would be the bulkiness, it it was a bit more narrow and I could fit 2 rear facing and with 1 forward facing or a different forward facing carseat in the center, it would be perfect for three across. The adjustable headrest/harness gets stuck sometimes and really is not a comfortable or smooth adjustment. The difficulty to clean the carseat cover and the strap cover is disappointing, and the fact that originally it was not washable concerned me even more. And the number one thing that bugs me is the cupholder! I wish the cupholder was integrated/molded into the carseat. I am concerned about it becoming a projectile in an accident. It also bugs me that the cupholder is off to the side so little arms can’t reach their cup, and it doesn’t work outbound in a car. It must be placed on the inside if the carseat is installed outbound in a car and not center. The cupholder off to the side also takes away an chance that a third person can be in the backseat of my car with two NextFits installed.
I absolutely love this carseat, I just probably need to buy a bigger car so I can use two of these seats and a third forward facing carseat all at once. Cupholder will never be used in my car with this carseat, but everything else about this carseat is wonderful and I am so glad I splurged and got the superior carseat. I can’t wait to see if new colors come out before our first biological baby is due.
Thank you so much for the wonderful! We are looking for a convertible carseat for our little one who is actually not so little anymore and about to outgrow his infant seat. I had no idea where to begin as there are so many options out there so I really appreciate the helpful review! The Chicco NextFit sounds awesome!
Wow. This is certainly a thorough review. Thanks. I would love to try the SuperCinch for myself! I’m off to compare this seat’s harness height to other seats. I believe that is the first place my 3.5 year old will outgrow her convertibles.
I am a first-time grandmother of an eight month old. I found this site while searching for car seat reviews. I am looking for a seat to keep in my car so we don’t have to take seats in and out of cars when I have my grandson. This seat has a lot of features that I am sure would be convienent for me! Thanks for the review!
I love this seat! My son is only 3 months old but is tall with a very long torso (like his daddy). I’ve been researching the best convertible seat for my husband’s car (while we continue to use his infant seat in mine until it is outgrown) and the NextFit appears to be a winner. I love the 40lbs rear-facing weight limit as we intend to rear-face as long as possible. The recline sure is genius to get the best recline angle depending on the child and vehicle. It would be perfect if only the harness were replaceable.
I am so excited that this car seat is out. When my daughter was an infant, and we were looking at the next step on car seats for her, we were very disappointed that Chicco did not make a convertible car seat. Now that she is 2 1/2 we are using a Britax car seat (which I love), but I’ve always wondered what Chicco could do. I am so glad you did this review, so I can see what the car seat is really like. Now I would really like to try it out. Maybe my mother in law needs one for her car since she has a car seat that I do no trust.
Thank you for doing such a thorough review of both installation and fit to child. As a few other commenters have noted, however, I think it is important to note whether or not the fabric on the Nextfit tends to make kids sweaty, as is the case with the Keyfit. That is the pretty much the only complaint I’ve ever heard about that seat, but it’s an important consideration for those of us that live in hot climates. That’s the only bit of information I still feel a need to hunt down after reading this. Fortunately I have a few months to figure it out! Thanks again!
I have seen the adds for this in the baby magazines, so nice to see pictures of it in an actual car. We are tall people and have run into a few snags using an infant seat in our cars. We are ready to move up out of the infant seat and I love the ease of use that the NextFit has since it most likely will be moved between our 2 cars. I have never had a problem with carseat harness, but the thought of not being able to replace them does have me a little worried.
My 9 month old daughter keeps giving me the “I’m ready to ditch this infant carseat for a big girl seat” look every time I put her in her Chicco KeyFit so I figured it was time to seriously start looking! Thank you for the detailed review – with the Chicco NextFit being so new, it’s been hard finding info on it. I do not have a LATCH system in my vehicle, so ease of installation is extremely important. I have asked friends for their favorite convertible car seat and so far I’ve received 4 different recommendations – none have been the Chicco NextFit though all used the Chicco KeyFit as their infant seat… Maybe I need to be the first to try it! Thanks again.
I have to get a new seat for my 6 month old and am deciding between the NextFit and a Marathon. I have a 6 and a 9 year old that both used Marathons, so I thought that’s the way I would want to go, but thanks to the in-depth review the NextFit is a serious contender now!
This seat sounds great! I particularly like how simple installation sounds, and that I can use it from newborn-65 lbs! I made the mistake of getting seats that didn’t cover a broad weight range the first time around, and I will not make that mistake again!
Just wondering if the 5yo in the review would have still fit in the seat rear facing by height (I realize she is over the weight limit)?
My 5yo is hovering between 36-38lbs and it would be great to get her rear-facing for a bit longer. (Her current seat is outgrown rf at 35lbs.)
I’m also wondering if the Nextfit seat is hot? We didn’t care for the Keyfit because it made our little one sweat more than any other seat we’ve used.
Amazing seat; so many things to love about it. For me the 40 pound rear facing and the small front to back foot print mean I could turn my youngest RF again!
Love it!
It seems like newborn fit is an afterthought on a lot of convertibles, but not on this one. We loved our KeyFit that expired last year and have gone back and forth about getting a new one or going straight to a convertible. The NextFit may be the best of both worlds. As a mom of girls, I would love prettier styles. I’d also love to see options that would match tan interior.
We have the Keyfit for our daughter and love how easy it was to install. I’m so excited to see something just as easy to install for when she is a little bigger!
I love how easy this looks to use correctly. I also love the small front to back footprint. I would love to have this seat.
I haven’t gotten a chance to install the NextFit yet, but I did play with it in store. I love the way the LATCH works! Also, the padding on the seat feels like it would be so comfortable for a kiddo!! And don’t even get me started on those beautiful print choices!!!
Great detailed review! I love that this seat will last my daughter up to 40lbs with a very high height limit. It also seems very easy to install with the latch. It looks like a very comforatable and safe seat. I loved my keyfit and have been waiting for Chicco to make a convertable seat.
Thank you for that great review. It looks like an amazing seat. I am a huge fan of the KeyFit and was hoping Chicco would come out with a convertible. I’m happy to see that they have. I like the SuperCinch feature which would make installing a breeze, especially when moving the seat to different vehicles.
My first impression was That is freaking awesome!
1st impression was, “Wow! 9 recline positions… Nice!!
Great review! Learned something new… didn’t know that tethering is required. Thanks!
The 1st carseat we ever purchased was a Chicco KeyFit 30 & we love it. Child #2 is still using it rear facing & he just turned 1 on Sunday. In the market for something with a little more room… the NextFit looks like the “SuperCinch” choice!!
I got a chance to check this seat out at Target and it seems like a great seat. I love all of the recline positions. Wish I could have played around with it IN my car so I could try that SuperCinch out for myself!