The Chicco OneFit LX Car Seat Is So Cushy, I Want to Sit in It

At its core, this is a standard, birth-to-booster-years car seat. A removable insert can support newborns as light as 5 pounds, and the car seat adjusts to grow with your child, from rear-facing to forward-facing, then convert to a booster seat, so they can ride in it until they’re Kristin Chenoweth-sized (or, OK, 57” tall and up to 100 pounds). That said, it checks off the essential boxes, from safety standards (more on that in a sec) to machine-washable fabrics and dual cupholders for your sippy cup-obsessed kiddo. But what sets it apart? Its durability, comfort and ease of use, in my book.

A car seat is one of those things you don’t want to go cheap on, and nobody wants savings to come at the cost of safety. Thankfully, the Chicco OneFit LX is made with a steel-reinforced shell, sculpted energy-managing foam and features Advanced Side Impact Protection, which is designed to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

While I have been known to drop phones and stain rugs in the name of product testing, I wasn’t about to play Crash Test Dummy. However, its durability was tested as I hauled it in and out of cars, across airports and allowed TSA to schlep it off and on planes via gate-check. Considering I’ve had a stroller adapter snap like a twig and a cupholder broken off a previous car seat via TSA handling, this was a pretty solid test in my book. After two flights, it had zero signs of damage. (Meanwhile, my checked bag looked like it’d been attacked by a tiger’s claws dipped in ink.)

The “CupFolders” design was nice here—we could easily remove the cupholders, so we didn’t risk damaging them during the gate-check process. (They’re also designed to help save space and further streamline the car seat’s design, so you have a better shot of fitting three people in a back row. Better being key here; I did find a bit more room, but the seat is still pretty bulky.)

The plush-yet-supportive cushioning of this car seat really surprised me. It felt cozier—and had better cradling, like top-of-the-line memory foam—than some of the $550+ models I’ve tested over the years. (And, by the way, it’s all Greenguard Gold certified for low chemical emissions, and the fabric is made of flame-retardant ClearTex materials for added protection.)

My son bucks and fights getting into car seats. At 19 months, he’s convinced he should be driving. At first, swivel car seats appealed to me, thinking it’d help me strap him in easier. Only after a few months’ use, I found most models’ swiveling mechanism gets sticky and harder to move, resulting in me fighting with it as I fight to keep my son from bolting. (I thought this was a me problem, until I heard from other parents with swiveling seats.)

This car seat does not swivel, and for that, I’m grateful. It’s locked in place, and the sides aren’t so high up that I risk bonking my son’s head or legs as I try to maneuver him between the door frame and the seat as he arches his back like a feral cat.

Once he’s buckled in, he tends to calm down quickly, resigned to his fate as Passenger Prince. And I can tell he’s comfy, as he doesn’t complain like he does in our other car seat—and he tends to nap easily on long drives.

It’s a little thing, but I love that there’s a level on both sides so no matter where you put it, you can easily determine whether the seat is installed at the right angle. (There’s also a QR code above it, so you can watch a short video or get simple instructions if you need a little help.)

But honestly, the installation is practically intuitive. The SuperCinch LATCH tightener makes for a quick rear-facing install, and so does the LeverLock Self-Tensioning Lock System for forward-facing. I liked how easy it was to loop through the seatbelt to quickly set up the car seat as we raced to load an Uber—and equally fast to pull it out and zip into the airport, well before the taxis behind us could start honking (which, let’s be honest, usually takes 13 seconds or less).

Fast Facts

• Safety Testing: meets the latest Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for side impact safety
• Age Range: newborn (5 lbs.) up to children 57” tall (and weighing up to 100 lbs.)
• Dimensions: 21.5" L x 19" W x 27" H
• Material: Fire retardant, machine-washable polyester
• Airplane Status: Yes, in harness mode, which is only intended to be used forward-facing (Psst: Chicco’s infant and convertible car seats are FAA approved for use on planes)

The Chicco OneFit LX All-in-One car seat is reliable, durable and comfortable, all packaged within an affordable price point. It may lack some of the fancy bells and whistles of the luxury brands, but honestly, I didn’t miss them. The peace of mind it provides is the true luxury.