Learning Curve’s The First Years/Lamaze True Fit C630 convertible seat has been on the market since the beginning of 2008 and they’ve just introduced the Premier line. The new Premier C670 models have an anti-rebound bar for rear-facing use, which rotates forward from under the car seat and rests against the vehicle seat back. This anti-rebound bar, which Learning Curve calls a “rear-facing rebound management bar,” keeps the car seat from rebounding or hitting the vehicle seat back after a crash. It also translates into more energy absorption during the crash. The Premier models also have a ball angle indicator just above the harness adjuster strap and a 2 position recline handle.
This is a convertible (rear-facing and forward-facing) child restraint for kids 5-65 lbs. who are less than 50″ tall. Rear-facing the seat is rated from 5-35 lbs. Forward-facing, it can be used for children over 1 year old who weigh between 23-65 lbs.
The True Fit Premier comes with an infant body support cushion, buckle cover, a head bolster, harness strap covers, and a cupholder.
Features and Advantages
5-point Harness to 65 pounds: Most convertible seats have maximum weight limits of 40-65 lbs. The True Fit Premier has a forward-facing weight limit of 65 lbs. The harness is good quality and is nontwisting. The buckle tongues are narrow and do not fit the width of the harness; the harness folds over slightly as it passes through them.
High Rear-Facing Weight and Height Limits: Because the True Fit Premier has a tall shell and high rear-facing weight limit, it will allow the average child to rear-face for 2-3 years or more. The True Fit shell is unique in that the upper seatback removes when the infant is under 22 lbs. This is a nice feature when the restraint must be installed in a back seat with little room front to back since the total length of the seat becomes about 21.5″ without the headrest-short enough to allow for a 45° recline angle for a newborn. When the infant is over 22 lbs. or his head is within 1″ of the top of the shell, the removable upper seatback is required to be used rear-facing until the 35 lbs. weight limit is reached. Rear-facing is the safest way for kids to travel; for many years, experts have recommended rear-facing for as long as possible and one study has shown that it’s five times safer for children under age 2 to ride that way. Even the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends rear-facing for children for as long as the convertible seat allows.
4 Harness Slots: There are four harness slot heights on the True Fit Premier. 
For rear-facing, the bottom 3 slots may be used and the straps should be in the nearest slot at or below the level of the child’s shoulders. The top 3 can be used for a forward-facing child and the straps should be in the nearest slot at or above shoulder level. The lowest harness slot height is a little over 7 ½” with the infant pad in place and approximately 9 ¾” without the infant pad and the top slot is about 17 ⅜” when measured with the cover on. A child will outgrow this seat by height when he exceeds the 50″ height limit OR when the top of his ears are above the back of the restraint OR when the shoulders are above the top slots.
The harness height can be easily adjusted while the True Fit Premier is installed. Adjusting the harness height is accomplished by pulling the yellow handles on each side of the seat and sliding them up or down. Make sure the handles are locked into one of the 4 positions. When I was adjusting the harness height into the highest position for my daughter, I noticed that it didn’t quite make it into that highest position, even though I had loosened the harness all the way for slack.
Recline Adjustments: There are 2 recline positions for both rear- and 
forward-facing. Recline is achieved by squeezing the yellow recline handle under the front of the restraint. A new feature for the Premier line is a ball angle indicator just above the harness adjuster strap. It plainly shows 3 zones for rear-facing: a red (X), which indicates too reclined, a light green (1), which indicates a 45° recline good for newborns and young infants, and a darker green (2), which indicates a 35° recline angle good for older infants and toddlers. The anti-rebound bar does not help with recline angle.
Harness Adjuster and Use: To tighten the harness, pull on the harness adjuster strap on the front of the restraint. It is similar to the type found on many car seats and is somewhat stiff, requiring some muscle to tighten the harness. I found it easier to tighten when I pulled slack up and out of the hip straps. The buckle clicks audibly when each buckle tongue is inserted. The chest clip has a pictogram showing proper placement on the child’s chest.
LATCH: The True Fit Premier has one flexible strap to attach to the lower anchors found in newer vehicles. There is an adjuster on one side of these strap. The LATCH connectors are the deluxe push-on style connectors. A small comment about the length of the strap holding the LATCH strap to the seat: it’s about an inch too short. I felt like it was tugging on the LATCH strap when I was installing the restraint rear-facing. There are clearly designated storage areas on the shell to store the LATCH connectors and tether strap when not in use. The tether strap is to be used forward-facing only. While tethering a forward-facing child restraint with a harness is always recommended, a top tether is not required for this seat.
Note: The First Years prohibits using the LATCH system for a child weighing over 48 lbs. This is an issue with almost all child restraints that have a harness rated above 40 lbs. At some point, it will be necessary to use the seatbelt for installation. Seatbelt installations are just as safe as LATCH, providing that you can get a good, tight installation. Consult your vehicle owner’s manual for more specific information. Some vehicles have a lower, 40 lbs. weight limit for the lower LATCH anchors and you should conservatively defer to the lowest number in these cases. The First Years does allow the use of LATCH in the center seating position of the back seat if it’s been designated in the vehicle owner’s manual as a LATCH position.
Crotch Strap Adjustment: There are two crotch strap positions located approximately 5 ½” and 6 ¼” from the back of the seat without the infant pad in place. The strap is adjusted by pushing firmly down on a plastic piece and sliding it forward or back.
Padding, Comfort and Appearance: I’m in love with the cover! The True Fit Premier cover is nicely padded along the bottom and back. The cover on the restraint I tested is called Cranberry and the fabric has a luxurious plush feeling. It’s dark brown on the sides, burgundy in the middle and on the infant pad, and has light tan accents. I didn’t think I would like it when I saw the box, but it’s much nicer close-up. The cover removes by unsnapping and removing 4 elastics. It pulls off from the front and there’s no need to unthread harness straps! To clean it, hand wash with cool water and mild soap. The harness straps and chest clip are black. The strap covers and head support pillows are entirely optional. One thing I noticed right away is a label under the airbag warning label showing how to correctly position the harness for a rear- and forward-facing child. Imagine my surprise when I lifted the cover to install the seat and saw labels showing simple installation instructions! Give the person who thought of that a raise!
Infant Support Cushion: An infant body support is included with the seat and is well-padded. The infant body support is styled in the same manner as the cover. It’s to be used to boost a baby’s shoulders up to the bottom slots, but can be used until the child reaches 22 lbs. and in all rear-facing harness positions.
7 Year Expiration: The True Fit Premier has a 7 year expiration and the “Do Not Use Past” date is on a sticker on the inside back of the seat. The First Years specifies in the manual not to use the seat if it is in a crash.
Airplane Certification: The True Fit Premier is FAA-approved for use in aircraft. It also is a heavy restraint weighing in at 22 lbs., so if you do travel with it, you’ll want to use a luggage cart to avoid having to carry it. It’s wide as well at over 19″, so it’ll fit on the airplane seat with the armrest up; don’t book a bulkhead seat.
Value: With high weight limits, safety testing and other safety features, and a price point ($269.99) that is competitive with other popular, high-end convertible seats you’ll definitely get your money’s worth with a True Fit Premier.
Construction: The True Fit Premier is solidly made, but made in China which may bother some people. The cupholders are generous in size. I didn’t feel like any part of the seat was flimsy or cheap.
Disadvantages
Weight: At 22 lbs., the True Fit Premier is a hefty seat and that’s something to consider if you move it from one vehicle to another often.
Installation Issues: I had trouble installing it rear-facing because of the lockoffs. Both lockoffs must be used when installing the restraint rear-facing, using either the vehicle seat belt or the LATCH belt. When I used each method for installing the seat, the belts slid down into lockoff arms thus preventing their closing. If the lockoffs were turned around 180°, the problem would be solved in my vehicles. The forward-facing lockoff was not a problem.
Cover & Fabric Care: The top harness slot openings weren’t cut wide enough on the cover so the harness folded over on itself. It’s also hand wash, which is difficult to do and can take a long time for a highly padded cover like this has to dry.
Instruction Manual: One of my jobs is reading instruction manuals. I’ve seen many of them. I found the True Fit Premier instruction manual to have some typos and errors and an awkward organization. For instance, in the rear-facing section, when telling the user to lock the lockoff, it says, “Rotate red lock to the locked position.” That’s the first time a “red lock” is mentioned and there’s nothing red anywhere near the rear-facing lockoff. That will be confusing for a first-timer. Fortunately, the instructions on the underside of the cover are correct. I believe it’s a copy/paste error since the regular True Fit convertible seat has a red rear-facing lockoff, but again, a parent isn’t going to have seats to compare. The manual does have some excellent parts, like the Safe Practices and Safety Checklist sections, but it falls short everywhere else.
Conclusion
I’ve been playing with the True Fit Premier now for a week and have been enjoying it. My 7 yr old 48″ 47 lbs. dd still fits with about ½” before she reaches the top slots and she said she was very comfy in the seat. The anti-rebound bar addresses a concern that many parents have about rear-facing seats: they don’t want their kids rebounding into the vehicle seat, yet they don’t want to mess with a rear-facing tether. With all the EPP foam lining the seat, the lockoffs to replace using a locking clip, non-twist straps, and other thoughtful features on the True Fit Premier, it’s definitely a restraint worth considering for your child.
The webpage for The First Years/Lamaze True Fit Premier – http://www.learningcurve.com/product/detail/Y11051?locale=en_US
For more information on child passenger safety, please visit:
My contact suggested walmart.com, amazon.com, and learningcurve.com. However, when I checked walmart.com, I only saw the regular True Fit without the anti-rebound bar. Learningcurve.com doesn’t appear to sell the True Fit, but I’ve heard of others who have bought their seats through them, so you may have to call to purchase one.
Let me check with my contact and see which chain stores are selling it. A quick Google check shows that albeebaby.com, kids-n-cribs.com, and amazon.com are selling it.
has it been discontinued? I cannot find it anywhere…
Thank you for the detailed review. WE are interested in purchasing the Premier model, but cannot seem to find any retail chains or other stores that carry this Premier model – and we live in Dallas! Can anyone please direct me to a store that carries this model? Can’t believe I can’t find one.
Tofinomama, there’s no published information on any harm that may arise from the amount of space between a child’s head and the inside of a child restraint. Just make sure your child is snugly harnessed so that you can’t pinch the harness above the chest clip and he’ll be safe.
Hi there, I have recently purchased the TrueFit (not Premier, just the regular one) for my son who is 7.5 months and just over 22 lbs. He is tall for his age according to the growth charts but still appears little in this car seat. I am concerned that there is too much space between his head and the inner sides of the seat (the side wings) – too much distance for his head to travel in a side impact collision for the padded sides to have any effect. I know First Years says they have done side-impact testing, but I’m wondering if those of you who are in the field have any information on whether the bigger inner space of this car seat could actually cause more harm than good? At the moment, I am driving an older Jetta and I tried the Radians and also the new Safety 1st Air Protect but neither would fit depth-wise and the Britax Advocate didn’t fit well either. I chose the TrueFit because of the higher rear-facing weight limit and because it seems well-made and is well-padded for the most part.
Thanks for pointing out the infant insert update, Sarah. I’ll go back and edit the review so that it’s correct.
I think your measurement of the top slots of the Marathon may be off: I measure them at 17″ without pushing down the comfort foam.
Kristen, the My Ride 65 has that extra 5 lbs. rear-facing weight limit, which is nice, but the TFP is a much plusher seat. Do both seats fit in your vehicle? Have you tried your dd in both seats to see how well she fits in them? Babies usually maintain their weights as they start to crawl and get more mobile.
The TFP has more features, but you *do* pay for them.
I am shopping for a convertible carseat for my dd and am torn between the Truefit Premier and the Graco My Ride 65. My dd is almost 5 months old pushing close to 19lbs already! She’s on the high end of average for height, so my biggest concerns are for weight and comfort for her young age. I am going to keep her in her infant seat as long as possible, but she’s probably going to outgrow that by 6 months so I want something that will be comfy for her so young and also accomodate a much chubbier baby than average 🙂 What do you suggest are the pro’s and con’s for each seat for a chubby girl?
The Britax Marathon has a shoulder harness height of 16,” so it’s nearly 2″ shorter than the TFP. Also, the infant insert does not have to be removed once baby’s shoulders reach the first slot. According to a carseat technician at The First Years, the Insert: is only *needed* until baby is 8 lbs or above the lowest slots, BUT can be used until the baby is 22 lbs and cannot be used FF’ing. So it can be used in all 3 positions RF’ing as long as baby is less than 22 lbs.
You can read a discussion of the question at http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=91327
Hi Nicole. Yes, she’s 7 yrs old and 48″, though leggy. I measured the top harness slots at 17 3/8″ so that would leave quite a bit of space for your dd to grow. If I remember correctly, the True Fit and Marathon are comparable on top harness heights, but I think parents have found the True Fit to be a bit higher. The Premier line shell is based on the regular True Fit, so if you can find the regular True Fit in a brick & mortar store to try it out (assuming you don’t have a Premier version to try out), then that’s a good way to go.
I found this review just today and obviously a little late but I’m hoping I can still get some input here. Is the child pictured in the seat above 7 years old?? I’m wondering if this seat would be a good fit for my 41″ tall 3 1/2 year old daughter (39 pounds). Her torso height is 14 3/4″. I tried her out in a Britax Marathon but she would already need the top harness slot so there wasn’t a whole lot of room to grow. Are the harness straps any higher with this seat? Any input would be appreciated.
From all accounts, this seat looks perfect. If only the RF limit could get upped to 40# it would be dreamy. Regardless, as long as it fits, we intend it to be the next seat for DD. This detailed review is what settled it for us!
This looks like a great seat!
Glad I was able to help!
Elizabeth, if money were no object, I’d go with the True Fit Premier because of the anti-rebound bar and all of the other extras. The cover is just that nice 🙂 . I don’t have any experience with the regular True Fit to comment on any comparison between it and the TFP, so I can’t help there. The MyRide is no slouch and is much less expensive, but it doesn’t have the padding the TFP has.
4 mos. of age is pretty young to be outgrowing an infant seat these days. Remember that it’s the head that we’re concerned about when it comes to length: there should be an inch of car seat above her head to protect her in a crash. It’s OK if her feet hang over the end of the seat; in fact, they eventually will in any rear-facing seat anyway.
Have you entered our contest for the TFP giveaway? It ends tomorrow. https://carseatblog.com/?p=3295
I’m trying to decide between the Graco MyRide65 and the First Years TrueFit Convertible or TrueFit Premier Convertible. I’m having trouble finding a site where I can easily do a side-by-side comparison of them. My daughter is not quite 4 mos old but is nearly too long for the infant seat. We don’t have much money and I really like the reviews of these seats–so how do I narrow it down? How would any of you grade or rank these seats?
Many thanks!
Thank you very much for the informative review of the First Years True Fit Premier Car Seat. It help to make my decision that this First Year’s Car Seat is the one for my little precious son Daniel.
Thank you for the review. This is really helpful in trying to make a decision, when you want to see something other than the manufacturer’s review.
You will probably end up needing to buy a booster after this seat. Most kids still need a booster after outgrowing the Regent, which harnesses, I think, 1.5″ taller than this seat.
Thanks for your comment, Sharon! Is your dd’s vehicle pushed all the way back? Sometimes my dh pushes those seats forward without telling me when he uses my Sienna for cargo then forgets to put the seats back and I don’t notice the kids being closer to me for a couple of days. That said, with the headrest on, it still *is* a tight squeeze between the 2nd row and 1st row with the headrest on. Since she’s older, you can install the seat more upright and that may allow the drivers seat to go further back.
Also, remember that you can’t use the infant height insert once her shoulders are above the bottom harness slots. It’s there to lift little babies up so they fit to those bottom slots. You can use the head/neck bolster for as long as you want.
That’s an interesting way to tighten the harness! Sounds like a good work-around.
I just received this seat in the mail yesterday (after waiting more than 2 months since initial ordering), and used it for the first time this morning. I chose the Cranberry color over the Blue Aurora. The tag that came with the seat shows a black cover with grey polka dots and another with grey, black and white, so I assume more styles will soon be available.
After extracting my 21 pound 11 ounce 21 month old from playing inside of the box it was mailed in, she happily climbed up inside of it. Being teeny, I had to try both with and without the insert pad to get the right fit for her, and I eventually tossed the insert aside. Maybe on longer trips, but not needed for everyday use. She was not quite tall enough to be in the second slot position (since rear-facing harnesses need to be below the baby’s shoulders), so it’s in the lowest position. I was a bit concerned this morning that the straps would slide off her shoulders, so I moved the chest clip up pretty high. This will bother me until she gains another inch and I can move the harness to slot 2.
I was also a tad turned off by the visible styrofoam peeking out from the seat cover tabs above the LATCH lockoffs, but that’s very minor. I love the stability the rebound bar gives to the seat, though it meant I had to push on the seat much harder to get the LATCH tightened hard enough (agree that this strap is too short).
I’m torn about the headrest. My daughter’s not yet 22 pounds, and she’s a good inch below the red line height restriction, but I put the headrest on anyway. This is definitely the make-or-break issue for anyne buying this seat for rearfacing. My Sienna minivan now has no room between her headrest and mine, and the driver’s seat is not in the position furthest back. I might have to move her to the passenger side seat if my husband drives the van more, because he needs an additional two slots back on the driver’s seat.
These problems are really pretty minor, and the cushiness, safety, and longevity of this seat make me proud that I bought it. I found it online for only $240. I’m glad that this will last my daughter for the next 7 years, and I won’t have to buy a booster for her afterwards.
(also, I found a solution to the annoying harness-tightening strap problem that so many other people have complained about. In rear-facing, you can’t grab the strap to tighten the harness, so you either make do or you unbuckle the seat when you need to tighten the harness. I ran the strap down the front of the TrueFit and then underneath so it is accessible in the hollow underneath the TrueFit, at the front of the car’s seat cushion. You can get just as much pull in that position as you can if the adjustment were fully accessible. I can still reach the loosening tab just fine, the rebound bar creates an open area right there. Hope this helps others!)
I think my favorite part is that there is a brightly marked place to store the lower LATCH anchors. That’s one of my biggest shameful misuses–I use LATCH in my car, but if I’m taking a quick ride in another car I just tighten ’em and let ’em dangle a hair because storing them all up in the cover is SUCH a pain!
I love this seat and, holy cow, do I want one 😀
I personally kind of like that the buckle tongs aren’t wide enough because it keeps them in place, which means I don’t have to mess with digging for them, or with velcro fuzz like on the Britax seats. 🙂
Jennifer, I’m going to edit the review right now. The 3rd slot can be used for either rear- or forward-facing. As I was looking at the side of the seat, I missed it because there’s text covering the blue indicator on the label. But the manual is very clear what slots you can use.
I LOVE that you don’t have to remove the harness to take the cover off. After potty training I personally belive this should be a requirement of all seats!
Heather, does the instruction manual or side of seat still not say that the 3rd slot can be used for rear facing?