The Safety 1st Guide 65 Review: Is This The Car Seat You’ll Love?

Safety 1st Guide 65 Review

One thing parents will inevitably need as their baby grows is a car seat that grows with them. It’s definitely one of those baby items you don’t realize you need until you’re already on your third car seat and your toddler is barely out of diapers.

And in some ways, even if you’re new to parenting, you know at least a little something about the Safety 1st brand. And to know it is to trust it, especially when it comes to the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat.

There’s certainly something to be said for car seats that double as carriers, but since the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat grows along with your child and can be used for years, it’s one you won’t likely have to switch out in the near future.

Safety 1st Guide 65

Unfortunately, the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat isn’t the only car seat you’ll ever need since its maximum weight capacity is 65 pounds, but it’s still one that your baby can use as they grow into a toddler and then some.

As both a rear-facing and forward-facing car seat, it’s designed to be compact enough to fit your child comfortably, but also not take up too much room in smaller cars, thereby adding a little extra wiggle room in larger cars like vans or SUVs. In fact, in many cars, you can safely fit three of them across the backseat.

Features

  • The 5-point harness has an adjustable buckle situated at the front for easy access.
  • There are three different buckles and five different harness heights to fit your child as they grow.
  • In addition to side impact protection, the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat also has anti-rebound bolsters for safety.
  • The weight recommendations for the car seat are 5-65 pounds.
  • The headrest is also adjustable as your child grows.

Pros

  • The Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat is affordable for most families.
  • The rear-facing position is for toddlers and babies up to 40 pounds, which keeps them in a safer position for longer.
  • It’s compact enough to be easily moved from one parent’s car to another.
  • Since it can be used with toddlers who are up to 65 pounds and 52 inches tall, you’ll be able to get a lot of use out of the car seat before they grow out of it.

Cons

  • Properly installing the car seat to be rear-facing can be a hassle.
  • Depending on which option you choose for the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat, the cushion can either be very thick and fluffy or almost too hard.
  • It can be difficult to properly secure it to the LATCH system in a car.
Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat | Amazon
$89.99

The guide 65 is a perfect fit for smaller cars and helps protect your child longer in both rear and forward facing positions.

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02/14/2023 11:25 am GMT

How Others Compare

Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat

Evenflo Tribute LX

The first thing you might notice about the Evenflo Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat is the fact that it’s so lightweight. At a little more than nine pounds, it’s easier to transport from car to car than most other car seats while still remaining safe and secure enough for your little one.

Unlike the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat, it doesn’t work for toddlers up to 65 pounds, but instead, the cut-off is 40, but that still gives you ample usage of the car seat before you’re ready to move on to the next one.

There’s also a harness release and adjustment right at the front of the car seat for easy access and there are four different harness positions and two buckle positions to change as your baby grows, for both their comfort and safety. Made in the USA, the car seat is also side-impact tested enough to exceed the federal safety standard.

Pros

  • Using the LATCH system, it’s relatively easy to install in most cars.
  • Since it’s so lightweight, the Evenflo Tribute Convertible Car Seat is convenient for travel.
  • It’s safe and comfortable, but also compact enough to fit in smaller cars easily.
  • The padding can be removed for easy cleaning and the headrest can be removed completely as your child grows taller.

Cons

  • Even with the strap adjustment at the front, it can be hard to get both straps exactly even.
  • It can only be used for a toddler up to 40 pounds.
  • When rear-facing, it;s difficult to get the car seat to be in the proper recline position.
Tribute LX Convertible Car Seat
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Eddie Bauer XRS 65 Convertible Car Seat

eddie bauer xrs 65

As the name would suggest, the Eddie Bauer XRS 65 Convertible Car Seat is designed for babies and toddlers up to 65 pounds, which is always a plus when looking for a car seat that’s both affordable and has enough longevity to make it worth it. It’s not an infant carrier of course, but since it can be used both front and rear-facing, it has value over time.

A few good years, to be exact, as your baby grows into a toddler. It’s also compact enough to be able to fit three of them across the backseat of most cars, but is safe and impact tested as well.

There are cushions to accommodate your growing child that can be removed as needed to best fit them in the car seat and can be removed for cleaning. With five height adjustments for the straps and three different buckle adjustments, there’s almost no way to not fit your baby or toddler comfortably.

Pros

  • Without being too bulky or taking up too much room, the car seat is still comfortable enough to keep your little one happy on long car rides.
  • At less than 15 pounds, the Eddie Bauer XRS 65 Convertible Car Seat is also easy to transport and travel with.
  • Because of the weight recommendations, from 5-65 pounds, you can use the car seat for literal years.

Cons

  • The only place to buy the Eddie Bauer XRS 65 Convertible Car Seat in-store is at Target.
  • As rear-facing, it’s sometimes difficult to get the car seat into the right position for optimal safety.
  • Since the cup holder is awkwardly on the side of the car seat, if you need to place more than one in a back seat, none of the car seats will be able to have that attached.

Graco Contender 65 Convertible Car Seat

Graco Contender 65

Like Safety 1st, Graco is another trusted baby brand that most parents become familiar with quickly. That trust extends to its car seats too, namely the Graco Contender 65 Convertible Car Seat.

It has the usual five-point harness system typical of a convertible car seat, but it also has an eight-position headrest that can adjust as needed with just one hand, while your toddler grows.  For rear-facing, you can use the car seat for your baby from 5-50 pounds, and then forward-facing from 20-65 lbs.

The Graco Contender 65 Convertible Car Seat has a side impact tested to exceed the U.S. safety standards for car seat safety. The same tune, it has energy-absorbing foam build around the car seat to absorb blows to keep your baby or toddler as safe as possible.

Pros

  • Having the tether on the front of the car seat for adjusting the buckle is very handy.
  • The thick padding in the Graco Contender 65 Convertible Car Seat makes for a comfortable ride for either a baby or toddler.
  • The adjustments for kids as they grow older and taller are all easily and quickly done.

Cons

  • It’s still affordable, but compared to the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat, the cost is significantly higher.
  • It can fit in the back seat of most cars fine, but it’s not very compact, so it may not be possible to fit more than one or possibly two comfortably.
  • There are no additional reclining positions other than to put the car seat in either rear or forward-facing.
Graco Contender 65 Convertible Car Seat
$118.99


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02/14/2023 04:05 pm GMT

Safety 1st Guide 65 Review: Final Thoughts

Since not many parents can afford to shell out the several hundred dollars it typically costs for an all-in-one car seat, being able to buy one that will at least last for a few years is the next best option.

Luckily, that’s what the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat can provide for you. Its safety benefits are in the name itself, as the car seat is designed to absorb impact on either side and it can remain rear-facing for a child up to 40 pounds, keeping them in the safest car seat position for as long as possible.

At less than $100 for a car seat that can be used from infancy right up until your baby is in their toddler years, the Safety 1st Guide 65 Convertible Car Seat is affordable for most families while remaining useful for a long enough period of time to really get worth from it.

The alternative is, of course, purchasing an infant car seat, then a car seat for older babies and toddlers, and eventually more of a booster seat. But with this option, you have a car seat that will provide comfort and safety for a while.

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