Cosco Apt 50 Convertible Car Seat (Black Arrows)

We bought this car seat for travel and had it drop shipped to NYC for a week long trip. We made it to/from the airports using public transportation, which do not require car seats (because they are safe without them...).The car seat is extremely light, as it is just made out of a single piece of injection molded plastic. It has an easily removable cover, and it included the single latch strap that works for both front and rear facing, as well as the strap that goes over the top of the seat for forward facing. That is it, 4 parts.Granted, this cannot possibly be as safe as our Graco 4ever car seat that has like 30 parts and weighs 4x as much, but it is a federally approved car seat. Our son is still rear facing at 2 years old, so that helps a lot too, safety wise.Since our son is still rear facing, I cannot comment on the forward facing capabilities...Bottom line is that this should be everyone's "backup" car seat. After our son puked all over his 4ever car seat, we just popped this thing in while we tried to hang dry the 6 separate fabric pieces of that car seat. If another kid is visiting, boom, we can put 2 in the car. When traveling, this thing should be indestructible... I would be afraid the 4ever seat would break itself because of the number of pieces and how heavy it is when a baggage handler would even put it on the moving belt. When traveling, we don't even bother with putting this in a "car seat bag", we just let the airline put it in that standard clear plastic bag... after a trip we just put the cover in the washing machine.

Previously we owned a high end car seat that cost over $300 but noticed it left our LO with little run due to its size. It was also a hassle trying to move it and wash the padding so I opted for a lighter car seat. Trust me when I say this..... don’t waste your money on a high end car seat. More exspensive doesn’t always mean better. What I loved immediately about this car seat is 1. This bad-boy is light and easy to move around. As a mama we already have our hands full so we don’t want a heavy item to maneuver. Second installing it in the car literally took 5 minutes. It’s very straight forward. Finally it’s spacious enough to give our LO room but secure to ensure she is protected. Side note: we live in the south where it get hot.... the padding seems pretty breathable. I highly recommend this item. Just make sure you check the manufacture date upon arrival. Ours is good and second make sure you register it online so they can reach you in the event of a recall. Other than that. Our LO loves it. One holder holds her drink and the other her snack for perfect commuting!!

I bought two of these car seats (for my and my wife's car) to replace the one I had that only went up to 30 pounds rear facing. This car seat is incredibly easy to install and take out, since there's a tension release button on the latch strap, which not all car seats have. I recently flew with my wife and child, and this car seat was easy to travel with. It is light, so carrying it around the airport wasn't too difficult. Installing in a plane seat was the most annoying part, only because the area where the belt goes is too small for my hands, so I had to lift the seat cover to feed the belt through. However, the seat cover very easily lifts up and pops back on, so that made it better. It fits perfectly on a small plane, even rear facing, to prevent my kid from kicking the seat ahead of him. It does mean the person in front of the seat won't be able to put their seat back, but we never had anyone in front of him so we didn't encounter this situation. Anyway, not going back is better than having a kid kick the back, so anyone in front should be ok with it. During our trip I had to install and remove this seat from several different cars, and a few times each. It takes me less than 30 seconds to install or remove now. It is just so easy with the strap. Putting my kid into the seat is easy, as the sides aren't too high. The belts and buckles are just as accessible as any other car seat in this price range, or really as any under $200. The buckle release button is just a smidge too small, making it a little more difficult sometimes, but the strap release is placed high up on the seat and is easier to press than other car seats I've used. I will admit that there's not a lot of slack available on the straps, which is ok with a small child. But if your kid is larger than average, it may be tough to get them buckled up. My son is average size so he fits just fine. Finally, the built in cup holders are just gravy.I would buy this car seat a hundred times again over any other one. Don't bother spending hundreds of dollars on fancy car seats with huge claims. This one is almost exactly the same as car seats that cost five times as much.

Just got this yesterday to put in my husband's car. Easily locked in & extremely light which is great should we ever travel on a plane/rental car etc. That being said, the cover is pretty thin as others have said. Not much cushion at all, but this isn't the main car seat so I think it will be fine for short drives. It is rather large too, but it's not a bother & fits in my husband's Subaru Legacy. I guess depending on the car & how many carseats/booster seats you have, will need to be considered before buying. We haven't officially used it yet, but our 2.5 yr old seemed to like it when I was adjusting the straps & kept wanting to sit in it. I like the look of it, that the cover could be easily removed/washed & the cup holders so it is in my opinion def. worth the $ for a back up/travel car seat.